Opening the Esks

Toasting a river, Scottish totems, and Salmon that can speak.

Thursday 16th, Feb 2023 brought in the opening of the salmon fishing season for the Esk Rivers with a few messages for anglers & onlookers alike to ponder.

Craig Somerville writes:

For me, the opening of a river means a lot more than having your first cast of the season, nor is it about finding that first Springer, nor is it even about the fishing itself. For that first day is about annually getting like-minded and new people of all ilks and ages to come together around the celebration of one incredible animal, the incomparable wild Atlantic Salmon. 

These annual gatherings in early spring seem to attract more and more people year on year, in a seemingly shrinking pastime. Days like these offer up a chance to catch up on a frosty riverbank over a bacon roll and a coffee to chat about what we’ve been deliberating all winter, and lay down the new salmon season’s potential whilst struggling into waders with too many thermals on.

Us ghillies, land owners, anglers, River Trust members, River Board members, onlookers, dog walkers, press, and invited guests are all ready to celebrate wild Scottish salmon, a totem, a revered symbol.

totem
/ˈtəʊtəm/

noun
A natural object or animal that is believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and that is adopted by it as an emblem.
– a person or thing regarded as being symbolic or representative of a particular quality or concept.

To symbols; I was invited to say a few words at the opening ceremony of the Esk Rivers by Mike Young (the ghillie/guide), and Symon Jacobsen (the owner) of Balmakewan Fishings. What was clear to me after accepting the honour, was to try to figure out why I had been asked? The answer was directly related to my profession.

“If nobody knows what you are up to, how will you gain their support? Why would they support you? And how can they support you?”

Counting myself lucky, over the years I’ve grown my business, Castabroad, to be known for fishery marketing, but also documentary style work. This work includes film, photo and written content for those that are often unsung around the country’s rivers for their hard work in conservation and restoration of ecosystems. The basis of nearly all of my work for this sector is the above set of questions in bold. 

The first message in my little speech was to make Balmakewan a symbol for what’s happening across our rivers nationwide. In November last year (2022), a flood of monstrous proportions tore down the North Esk valley to rip out bankings, trees, fences, and the lodge of Balmakewan’s beat was up to its windowsills in the fast flowing and often terrifying power of the river. A Facebook video post by Balmakewan Fishings showed the river rising, stating simply “Bigger than (the devastating) Storm Frank”.

A few Facebook posts later, in February, the work that Mike, Symon and their families had pulled together to complete, was presented just a week before the opening day. The lodge had been gutted, and the banks restored. As if nothing had happened.

With just these two Facebook posts, everyone that loves this little slice of the Angusshire countryside knew, appreciated and supported Balmakewan in their efforts. And then, on the 16th of February they had a great turnout to help celebrate this.

So there you go, the second Facebook post makes it look like nothing ever happened, and that’s the symbol here for what’s happening across Scotland’s rivers, largely unsung. So much is going on, so many organisations and individuals are rectifying our past’s mistakes on our waterways, as if they had never happened. 

With so little being communicated about this, there’s little support from the angling and wider communities, and next to no ‘call to action’ to get behind this amazing work. This is the basis of what we at Castabroad do, but hopefully, this is inspiration to those doing good work to tell their restoration story before, during and after. “We” are all interested, we care, and we will support you given the chance, just ask.

A message dedicated to our Totem: The wild Atlantic Salmon

My second message in this ramble I declared a speech on opening day, was dedicated to our totem wild Atlantic Salmon, and what message they can tell us as a population, and as individual fish.

A salmon, throughout its entire lifecycle has a purpose, which is more than can be said for us as humans. They are born into a world of survival pressures that shape their existence from day one, through to reaching maturity whilst travelling to the West coast of Greenland sometimes. Then, returning at up to 15kg in weight, to the very same pools they were spawned in, to spawn. They’ve seen it all in so many habitats and domains, and we can’t and probably never will know everything they see. 

These returning salmon have survived things we can only guess about, and study just a small percentage of which to understand and help. Salmon are regarded as the cliched ‘canary in a coal mine’ by many, and what they tell us is what is going on across our seas and in our rivers.

By simply taking the time to look at and appreciate a salmon as not a prize or a statistic, or even a photo post on social media, but as that canary, warning us or comforting us as to what’s happening out there under the surface. This totem is a living thing, with purpose, and it can communicate and tell its story of needing support, why we should support them, and how. 

Tight lines for 2023, but on reflection, maybe ask the next salmon you catch a question, what that is… is up to the salmon to answer. 

Ghillie’s statement on opening the Esks

“Firstly I would like to thank everyone who joined us at Balmakewan for the opening ceremony and to Symon for allowing it to happen.

We need to continue this celebration of the opening day on the North Esk as it highlights the plight of the Atlantic salmon and what it has to go through and what it gives us …none of us would of been there on the river bank if it wasn’t for salmon, an iconic Scottish species that gives so much back while having so much against it providing jobs, livelihoods & for the vast majority of people involved with salmon not just a job or a pastime, but a way of life that provides so much for rural economies.

As for the North Esk, there are not many rivers in Scotland where you can say you will have a springer on the first day of the season, but we can and we still do …that is something that everyone involved in salmon fishing on the ‘Northie’ should be very proud of and it is a wee gem of a river that we have to cherish and protect.” Mike Young, Ghillie, Balmakewan Fishings.

Mike Young, Ghillie, Balmakewan Fishings.

For More Information

Please visit the excellent fishery report by the Esk Rivers on the opening week for 2023 here, including details about the opening day celebrations and catches for the week:

And please have a look at availability on the rivers North and South Esks here, it’s looking to be a great spring already:

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Credits

Credit – Images: The Courier and Mhairi Edwards: Read the full article here.

Balmakewan Facebook Page: Follow the Facebook Page here.