We all wish Sir Alex Ferguson the very best for a prompt and complete recovery from his brain haemorrhage. The suddenness of the illness give us all pause for thought and makes us wonder are we doing the right things, eating the right food, getting enough exercise etc, etc to prolonging active life.
Angling ticks many of the right boxes. It combines a bit of exercise walking to and then along the banks of river and lochs, providing for the lower body while casting and retrieving is good for the top half. Worries and stress just float away as focus centres on catching a wiley trout or two. The fresh air and vitamin producing sunshine are a bonus as one becomes completely at home with nature. Then to top things off a lovely baked trout for tea, that’s healthy eating! And unlike some sports, which have to be given up due to “auld age”, you can go fishing at any age.
This has been clearly shown at Lochter Fishery when the two “Blobby Boys” who are not in the spring chicken category caught and released fifty-one fish between them on Friday. There were several other prodigious scores as the milder conditions brought the water to life. Brain Cumming had thirty-six on one of these new fangled eggstacy files and Gordon McKay netted twenty-eight using more traditional methods. Jim Reynolds returned eleven on cormorants and Paul Ingram a dozen mainly on diawl bachs. During the warmer spells there were plenty fish feeding on the surface and A. Birnie used a daddy long legs to account for ten and Sam Stewart daddys and grey wolf floaters to net fourteen.
Virtually everybody caught fish and if, as is forecast, conditions warm up further, then things should get even better.
H.H 7/5/18.
