You’re AGM on Wednesday!

Photo 01 - looking out from the village hall on a nice October day.

You’re AGM on Wednesday!

It’s the one chance annually for every member to come along and have their say on the direction of the club. The importance of this annual meeting cannot be overstressed it’s the opportunity for every member to air their views in the positive or negative. Members can at this meeting point the club in a different direction if that be the wish of the majority. It can also vote for the status quo. As a member it is your right to have your say at this forum so please come along and give us your views. In my time with the club I have never known such cohesion as is apparent now, our club for the most part is bipartite the groups being Pike anglers and Trout anglers. There was previously a clear division between the groups now that partition thankfully is gone.

What we have now is a group of anglers prepared to help on any matter if it can be shown to be for the benefit of the club, no longer is there bickering between the two factions as was evident in the past. We as a committee have not brought this about, rather it has been an initiative from the membership and as such coming from the grass roots this will be a strong and resilient initiative! Members are coming up with ideas and offers of help all the time and if even one percent turn into developments that benefit the club then that is a huge step forward. In the past free speech was not permitted, it is now encouraged!

I thought it might be useful to compare the current situation with that of 5 years ago under strategic headings –

Income – we have increased income by 500% compared to 5 years ago with resultant benefits to the business establishments in the area and obviously club coffers and assets. Thanks are due to all our permit outlets and of course Peter our loch keeper.

Member participation - we have transformed a resolute dictatorship into a democracy.

Diversity of view - we have regular committee meetings as opposed to none or one.  The committee are deserving of our thanks for turning up to meetings in often horrific weather and guiding the club between AGMs.

Relationship with the wider field of angling - we have established meaningful relations with statutory bodies, riparian owners, the local community, the business establishments around the loch, pressure groups, academics and scientists, law enforcement agencies, specialist angling groups and many others whereas 5 years ago relations with these groups were nonexistent or at best minimal and strained to say the least. We have established links with many other clubs in the area, and promoted the fact that we are alive and thriving by attending functions and events of other clubs. It quickly became clear that our very limited dealings with such bodies were shambolic to say the least! This has been rectified and no longer do we need to hang our heads in shame when dealing with these groups!

Loutish behaviour - we have in conjunction with others hounded the Muppets that come to the lochs under the banner of angling causing mayhem and instilling into local resident’s feelings of despair, fear, and revulsion.  No the battle is not won as the problem is ongoing, but we along with these other groups have been incessant in our efforts to repulse them and our actions have proved to be the correct ones as the incidence of Muppet behaviour diminishes! This is very pleasing to us as we feel responsible for increasing the number of visitors to the area which unfortunately brings with it a percentage of Muppets! Thanks are due to Peter and Elliot Fraser and others for their efforts in dealing with these Ned’s! The situation 5 years ago – Free for all with regard to fishing and boat usage!

Research - we have under the auspices of the Tweed Trout and Grayling Initiative brought to our lochs a research perspective being the first club in the borders to commission a report from the Wild Trout Trust and act on its findings. The above group’s assistance is now being sought by other clubs and has been commissioned by the Tweed Foundation to advise them on habitat matters. On this subject we have not followed the steps of others but treaded new ground and led from the fore! Through the TTGI we are gaining new understanding of the Trout in our lochs, their habits and life history.

Since stocking is now forbidden by Scottish National Heritage it is futile to pursue the matter any further. The suspension of stocking into any open water in the Tweed catchment is now enshrined in law by an act of parliament. It is therefore clear, the only avenue open to us is to optimise fishing in the lochs by research based strategy and it is under this banner that we move forward with our habitat enhancement programme. The situation 5 years ago - we were the laughing stock of angling in the borders!

Biodiversity - we had and still have a vision to reintroduce Arctic Charr back into their rightful home of St Mary’s loch. Had it not been for the Con-dems misguided swingeing cuts to the funding of public bodies our Charr would have at this point in time been in our hatchery at the boat house. This retrograde step is a huge blow to our aspirations, we will however persist! What has become clear is that no remnant population of the original large eyed Charr remain, they are lost forever!

We need to seek funding of around 12,000 GBP to progress this project and we are actively seeking sponsors. The current economic climate is however damning us at every step! We will continue in our efforts to realise this vision! The situation 5 years ago – no initiatives in place!

Work to be done. – we now require anglers on joining the club now sign up to attend work parties as and when required. This will allow important projects to be carried out. The situation 5 years ago – the willing horse has it all to do.

Lost Income - we have clamped down on permit dodgers and the club has benefitted greatly from this. An angler without a permit is nowadays a rare animal indeed! Our loch keeper has been the lynchpin in our strategy and of course our grateful thanks go to him for his unceasing hard work. The situation 5 years ago – we were losing revenue hand over fist as people fished the bottom half of the loch and far side without fear of being detected!

Upgrading - we have spent large amounts of money in upgrading our fleet of boats by purchasing two 16ft Arran boats with cuddy’s which are rated as sea boats to cope with the worst St Marys can throw at us! Evidence of the success of introduction of these craft can be seen in the figures supplied by our loch keeper which show they are in use much more than our Lomond boats. The safety aspect of these boats gives anglers peace of mind in wild conditions. The situation 5 years ago- restricted usage of boats must be in by 5pm and minimal maintenance!

Alcohol/drug consumption whilst fishing.

We deplore the consumption of alcohol to excess whilst fishing, resultantly anyone found to be incapable through drink or drugs will be asked to immediately wind in and leave the lochs when a degree of sobriety is attained. The offender will also be automatically barred from returning to the lochs for a period of one year. The situation 5 years ago – do as you like. Special thanks to Peter for bearing the brunt of this problem.

Fishing techniques

We have compiled a set of rules for fishing incorporating best practice guidelines from groups such as the Pike Anglers Club GB. We encounter a much lesser number of anglers fishing inappropriately and this bodes well for future stocks of fish. The situation 5 years ago – do as you please.

Fishing access

We have reviewed the way that many visiting anglers fish and with this in mind we now allow fishing from purpose built kayaks and bona fide float tubes subject to weather conditions. The situation 5 years ago few visitors, so no innovation.

Maximising angling potential - we now have an upgraded 15ft boat with flotation tanks and increased strengthening based on the loch o the Lowes. We currently have two 15ft boats in the boathouse awaiting modification. We currently have five engines available for hire one being owned by the club and the other four being donated on a. “If free can be used basis” kindly agreed by club members. Thanks to John Wright and Les Henderson for their invaluable help with this project. The situation 5 years ago - no boat usage on the Lowes!

Quality of membership - we have gotten rid of blowhards, brags and those members, who seek only to take and give nothing in return, and as such the club is a better institution, our list of anglers barred from fishing at the lochs is available to any other club that wishes to have that information. The situation 5 years ago - membership available to anyone who could provide favour!

Child protection and angler wellbeing – we have put all our wardens through the Disclosure Scotland vetting process at our expense, to give peace of mind to anglers and their children who now know that our wardens are not thugs, sex predators or of unsavoury character.

We will press for a borders wide list of sex pests and thugs to be drawn up and made available to all clubs to afford protection to anglers and other water users. The situation 5 years ago – No effective policing of the lochs whatsoever.

 Photo 02 - Looking down the loch from the Brambles.

Club direction - we are now guided by experts in the field in our activities. Our scientific advisor Dr Neville Morgan has been instrumental in our desire to press forward with fishery optimisation initiatives and to him we are most grateful! The situation 5 years ago – he who shouts loudest wins the day.

Dissemination of information – we through the news pages on the internet have made current developments available to a wider section of our membership. There is now nothing to stop members from accessing up to date information. Even if you do not have a pc you can drop into an internet cafe, library and type in to the search bar “St Marys Angling Club News” and the information is before you! So many hits has our site had that there is no need to search through endless lists; it comes up first time every time!

Through our news pages we will continue to expose fools, idiots and Muppets! Clowns in the manner of Mr Kens & Dangerman will be subject to trial by mass exposure. Break our rules or make a fool of yourself and you will be subject to public trial! We do this as a service to the many decent anglers who visit us regularly. We will also however feature some of the many decent respectable anglers that are the majority of our membership and visitors who display impeccable behaviour. The situation 5 years ago – Muppets ignored.

We are very keen to inform members of events by use of e mail and text so please when renewing/joining give us that contact information if you have it!

Maintenance - we have carried out much needed maintenance on the club boathouse by removing heavy moss growth from the roof (thanks to members Dick Patterson and Les Henderson) and giving the walls a much needed freshen up with new paint Thanks to Gordon Mc Clurg, Mike Wood,  Alan Purves and Les Henderson for their help with this daunting task). Stevie Nimmo worked his magic on our inbuilt generator and we now have power when we need it!  All our boats are now inspected twice a year with immediate repair if possible carried out where defects are noted. Anglers are reminded to inform us immediately of any perceived defects in order that we can investigate and rectify as required. The toilet facilities in the boat house have been restored to working order thanks to Les Henderson and Scotty Dunsmore. Thanks also to Elliot Fraser for his engineering prowess with a number of upgrades to our infrastructure. It is necessary to thank again Mike Wood who has taken on the task of servicing our engines, thanks again Mike! The situation 5 years ago – minimal maintenance.

Fixtures & fittings - we now have a vast array of material resources at our disposal kindly gifted to us by Scott Dunsmore one of the many members who has assisted us greatly. It seems that no matter what we are seeking Scotty can help! We are hugely indebted to Scott for his selfless generosity and to long suffering mate Drew who assists Scotty even to the extent to cutting off his head when taking photos of landmark big Pike he has caught! The situation 5 years ago – no resources to speak of.

Habitat enhancement - we have already planted over three hundred willow trees around the loch which will provide cover and food for our young fish of all species; we are soon to embark on our burn improvement programme which will see banks strengthened against erosion, creation of pools, glades and riffle areas to benefit our young fish. Our thanks go to Alasdair White and John Wright for their work on this project. The situation 5 years ago – the topic was never mentioned.

 Photo 03 - Looking across the loch from the boathouse.

Social angling - we currently have three competitions per year on the loch, one open and two for members only. Our Wild Trout Competition seeks to involve the businesses in the area and a great first prize of an autumn days Salmon fishing on the queen of Salmon rivers. The prize is currently valued at 1200.00GBP.  We are indebted to Major Sir Neil Westbrook for the kindness he has shown us. The situation 5 years ago – no action whatsoever.

 Community integration - we make a donation each year to Cappercleuch village hall funds to assist albeit in a small way in them achieving their goals. We also make a small donation of a prize for various community events. We thank the officers of the village hall committee for allowing us to play a small part in the community. The situation 5 years ago – Club operated in complete isolation.

Participation in club events – too many names to list, but a huge thank you to the regular participants in club events. You know who you are and we are most grateful for your unending support! The situation 5 years ago – no participation and no events.

Our membership is comprised of members from all over Scotland with four from England who we tolerate with only a little difficulty! Of course we are only joking Paul & Allan, Dean & Martin in fact our heavy Trout cup will be going to England for six months with Paul so we will need to take out extra insurance and weigh the cup in case they try and shave slivers of silver off (joking!)!  

We have had some failures, some misguided initiatives, but from these we learn! Only by seeking a wide diversity of views can an appropriate path be selected so keep those opinions coming they really are most interesting and useful!

So there you go, we have come a long way in five years but there is still much to do! I have said it myself often that self praise is no honour, but it is not with a small degree of satisfaction that I blow the trumpet on behalf of the many members who have assisted us to come to this point and who undoubtedly will take us much further.  All this not accomplished by one man, but by a committed band of club members to whom we as a committee extend our grateful thanks for without this input the club would be languishing in the wilderness as it was before under the previous regime! 

It is important to make clear that in the past many stalwarts carried the flag for the club. Names like Airley, Miller, Nimmo, and the Young bros to name but a few, were responsible for laying the foundations that have made the club what it is today and to them we are deeply indebted! The names of these people will forever be etched into the history of St Mary’s Angling Club! This blog which will remain on the web forever as a social record of the club will bear testament to their endeavours!

Our AGM takes place on Wednesday the 26^th commencing at 19.00hrs at the Tibbie Shiels Inn at the top of the loch. Hope to see you there!