Forgotten gems

Some years ago on the River Nith, Rab Kerr, the then river manager on the Buccleuch Estate, said to me that when he was a young man, poaching was a big problem, and much of his life was taken up with trying to keep local lads off the river. A year or two later, Rab’s son, Scott, who took over from him, said to me he reckoned he could probably drive a minibus into Dumfries and ask all the boys hanging about if they fancied a free day’s fishing only to return with the bus as empty as it was when he set out.

Sadly, Scott Kerr was made redundant two seasons ago. It simply didn’t add up to have somebody full time when so few people were fishing. Nobody would pretend that the Nith is full of salmon any more, but they are in there, the sea-trout runs are good, and there are plenty of grayling.

Some days ago, a smart neighbour of mine said to me that he goes north for his fishing and hasn’t bothered with the Nith in decades. It is simply a place I know, but I imagine all over the country there are similar situations, where once much-loved rivers are now largely forgotten. I do hope that when we are free of Covid, we might all start rediscovering neglected gems, albeit as paying guests rather than poachers.

Patrick Galbraith, Editor

Follow Patrick on Twitter @paddycgalbraith