Ghillie finally presented with inaugural first fish award for Kyle of Sutherland rivers
An angler who won an inaugural award for catching the first fish of the season on a Sutherland river system has finally been presented with it after a months long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Callum Beattie caught the first fish of 2020 on the River Carron on January 30, but a presentation ceremony was only able to take place last month when he was given a handsome quaich and a celebratory bottle of spirits.
A ghillie at the Gledfield beat on the River Carron, Callum stays on the estate and caught the salmon from the Gledfield Pool. The fish weighed in at a substantial 12lb and had no sea lice on it.
It is the first year that a trophy has been awarded for the first fish of the season from the Kyle of Sutherland rivers, although other Sutherland rivers such as the Helmsdale and Naver have a long tradition of opening the season with an award ceremony. However, it is a new initiative that looks set to continue
Kyle Fisheries director Dr Keith Williams, who donated the quaich, said: "It will be a perpetual trophy - along with a bottle! The wooden base was made by Iain Gollan, who works as a water bailiff for the fishery board here."
