A few months ago, during a session of “surfing” the websites that I look at occasionally, I came across an advert for a fishing festival that would be held over the course of a week on the River Deveron. The organisers - The Deveron, Bogie and Isla Charitable Trust – had managed to persuade 20 riparian owners to give over their fishing to a week of celebrating all that is The Deveron, 12 of the 20 beats there given being hosted by a different member of the trade. Anglers were invited to bung their names into a hat and those that were picked out first would be hosted on a different trade beat Mon, Tues and Wed and those that were picked out in a second ballot could fish a different un-hosted beat each day over the Mon, Tues and Wed. The Thursday, Friday and Saturday would be reserved for the trade to invite their own guests fishing.
So I chucked my hat into the ring and, forsooth, it was picked up! There was the opportunity to pick one’s favourite manufacturers out of those attending and so I picked Snowbee for the Monday who were on Netherdale, Hardy on the Tuesday at Avochie and Loomis on the Wednesday who were on the Forglen beat. All was then confirmed and so, on Sunday 15th May I grabbed my tackle and Musto Marc and drove 10 hours to Turriff in Aberdeenshire.
Typically, as is seemingly always the case with me, my destination had had no significant rain for weeks – even though the other east coast rivers were getting nice regular top-ups – although a few heavy showers on the Saturday and Sunday nights did mean Monday dawned with the river up 4 inches.
Anyway I am not going to give a blow by blow account as that would be terribly tedious. We didn’t catch anything over the three days and the river was back down to zero on the gauge Tuesday morning, so there would be little point. Forglen is by far the most beautiful beat on which I have ever fished and the Deveron is fast becoming my favourite river.
There are some pics on a seperate page so have a look.
The important thing about this trip was not really the fishing; it was the concept that took us their. The Festival gave over 100 anglers the chance to see three very different beats on a river many (most actually) of them had never fished in an area that they had never been to. Even for Marc and I - who, being potless, were initially attracted by the fact it was free, and have fished the Deveron several times before - it was proof that you never really get to know a river until you have seen its many faces and the three beats we fished were completely different to Marnoch where we normally go.
The Deveron Fishing Festival is a brilliant concept. It develops angling tourism in the area, during an often under utilised month, and advertises and promotes interest in the river over a huge area. There were applications from anglers in Finland, Norway, America and Belgium.
River trusts all over the UK could learn a thing or two by looking at the DBICT and the work they do and by taking this festival idea on board and adapting it for their own rivers. I will certainly be mentioning it to anyone I know and hopefully, one day, we might do something similar here in the south west.
I hope so.
