Tay Salmon Season Opening 2006

Next month, Kenmore in Perthshire will once again host the annual celebrations of the opening of the Tay salmon season in traditional style.

The three day event will start on Sunday 15 January 2006 with a gala dinner and will be followed by a ceremony and procession to mark the first day of the salmon fishing season.

The event, which will also host a seminar on funding for improving fisheries, is sponsored by Dewar’s World of Whisky at Aberfeldy Distillery and brings together anglers from across Scotland, representatives of many organisations for whom the preservation of the salmon is a top priority, and others who enjoy the fantastic spectacle of the first day procession from the village of Kenmore to the river.

Michael Hall, Director of the Taymouth Group Ltd which is the company behind the multi-million pound development of Taymouth Castle and estate, commented:

“The Tay offers the finest salmon fishing and scenery in Scotland and I am thrilled that Taymouth Group has been able to both support and participate in this important traditional event for the first time by helping to fund events including the gala dinner.

“I am also pleased to announce that this year a new group has been invited to participate at the opening. Members of Angling for Youth Development, an initiative that was launched in Strathclyde in 2004 with the aim of encouraging youngsters to participate in fishing, will be joining in the event. AFYD has proved to be extremely popular and shows that fishing is a pastime for all ages.”

Jane Grimley, centre manager for Dewar’s World of Whisky, added:

“Dewar’s World of Whisky is delighted to sponsor the opening of the salmon fishing season on the Tay for the fifth year in succession, in partnership with the local community and with business local to the area.

“Salmon fishing is at the heart of tourism in Perthshire and welcoming visitors to the Dewar’s Brand Centre is the core of our business in Aberfeldy. In the words of our famous bard Rabbie Burns ‘whisky and water gang together’, it therefore seems all the more appropriate that as water is crucial to the crafting of whisky and is also the lifeblood of the salmon, and as visitors with a passion for fishing help to keep tourism alive in this area, Dewar’s supports this historic opening season.”

Malcolm Flinn, owner of Kenmore Hotel, concluded:

“Kenmore Hotel is delighted to once again host the gala dinner to mark the opening of the salmon season. With all the developments currently going on in Kenmore, the area is becoming a premier tourist destination and I think 2006 will be one of the most exciting salmon season openings we have ever had.

“Permit sales for the first day and closing day of the season are donated to the Tay Foundation, a charitable trust charged with looking after the Tay system, including the salmon, and are available from the Hotel. Over the last few years the festivities in Kenmore have raised over £75,000 for river rehabilitation work including buying out the salmon nets at the mouth of the River Tay and funding the development of a new salmon hatchery at Almondbank.”

The schedule of events is as follows:

The gala dinner that traditionally marks the first day of the salmon fishing season will be held in The Kenmore Hotel, Scotland’s oldest inn, on the
first day of the fishing season although because of the law prohibiting fishing for salmon on a Sunday, fishing will begin the following day. The
dinner starts at 7.00pm with a whisky supplied by Dewar’s World of Whisky and a fireworks display across the River Tay. A Taymouth Piper will then lead guests into the dinner. After dinner guest speakers include Malcolm Flinn, owner of Kenmore Hotel; Neil Boyd of Dewar’s; and botanist, writer, and broadcaster Prof David Bellamy.

Dewar’s serve whisky to everyone who gathers in the village square in preparation for the opening ceremony from 9.00 am. At 10.00 Prof David Bellamy will address assembled guests in Kenmore Village Square before leading a procession of pipers and anglers to the Tay at 10.15. At 10.30 Prof Bellamy will make a traditional blessing of the first fishing boat of anglers with a quaich of whisky. When this boat leaves to make the first cast of the season, guests and the public will then disperse along the river in search of the first elusive catch of the year with guests fishing on the
south bank and public on the north. Shortly before the ceremony, fishing company Diawa will also present fishing rods to the members of Angling for Youth Development.