The month started with a week of mixed weather, before it settled down into a good dry spell.
There was the odd touch of ground frost and we had some very warm days. In the run up to the opening of the Willowgate fishery more trout were added to the stock of fish already present, some of which have over wintered and are in excellent condition.
As the official opening day on the 18th was approaching and the last of the work was completed we held an open day on the 13th for friends, neighbours and all those people who have supported us along the way being invited and it proved to be a very good day.
The weather was kind, and we had over two hundred people turning up on the day. There was a good atmosphere as everyone took in the surroundings, walking round the ponds, sampling the food in the café and those that brought rods along were catching plenty trout.
It was good to hear so much positive feedback from so many people who had enjoyed a good day out. One week later we had our official opening, again this proved to be a very good day with plenty people turning up.
Those that turned up with rods keen to try out the new fishery were not disappointed as there were plenty of fish caught, some of the trout were into double figures in weight and most anglers got their bag limit. The café was busy at times and it was good to see that along with the anglers, there were family groups enjoying the fare on offer.
On the 22nd there was another night promoting the Tay Salmon “Net Fishing Memories” booklet, this time it was up in Perth at the AK Bell Library. A good turn out enjoyed the evening, which included a short speech from the provost and a display of old memorabilia and photos to take them down memory lane. Special thanks must go to all the library staff who contributed so much to an enjoyable evening.
The later part of the month saw a few very wet days before another dry mild spell. The SSPCA were back down on the estuary this month, they brought along 5 swans, 2 mallard duck and a snipe all from Middle-bank rescue centre. These were all successfully released back into the wild.
Later in the month they returned to take an old, injured swan back to the rescue centre, this mute swan (green ring LDC) which has over wintered with us in the past was first ringed as a cygnet in 1988. The river was still running high as the month drew to a close.
