No, not the loch, but hope for seasons to come. To explain, a short tale.....
I was recently invited to have a cast on the Beauly, end of season opportunity that normally I would never pass up; but I had to as we had a family appointment in Inverness.
Having not made it to the river for a cast, I did still manage to take 'little me' and myself out for a look at the river to see what we could see. It was a fine warm autumnal day, maybe a wee bit bright for those who had been fishing, the river was dropping back nicely as the sun dipped behind the hills and the light faded.
As we looked at the pool beneath the lowest dam on the Beauly, first one salmon, then another and another jumped as they made their way upstream.
It's always heartwarming to see a fish or two, and we saw several in the 15 minutes we stood and watched. Juniors' reaction was excitement for the next one to jump and he was disappointed when we wandered back to the car to head home. But I told him to be happy as what he had just seen was hope.
Hope that despite the poor survival of young salmon at sea and in our rivers and lochs, that there were still fish to be seen.
Hope that despite climate change the actions of every salmon fisherman who undertakes catch and release is playing their part in helping salmon populations survive and even rebuild. Hope that despite the depleted runs of salmon, nature finds a way, even in rivers compromised by dams and obstructions. Hope for recovery. Hope for the future.
The leaping salmon, a powerful image of hope (in my mind at least
) for the seasons and generations to come.
H
