Latest news with #TweedSalmonFestival
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
River Tweed salmon festival aims to encourage young anglers
The first Tweed Salmon Festival brought hundreds of people to Kelso at the weekend to learn the art of fly-fishing. Organised by the River Tweed ghillies and boatmen to address the ageing profile of anglers, it proved a success with the target audience of children and were also demonstrations given by experts Tommy Aarkvisla and Katka Svagrova who had travelled from Norway and the Czech Republic Eion Mr Fairgrieve said: "It has been quite a weekend – way above what we expected to be honest." The event also impressed Mr Aarkvisla, and brought back memories of how he started out."This is super cool to see the joy from the children catching fish with their parents and learning at a young age to put them back," he said."With the computer stuff and gaming, phones and all that, you don't see children outdoors doing things with their parents so much anymore, in Norway anyway."So, just from that point of view this festival is a success in my eyes in bringing families together and letting parents learn with their children." Among those taking part were brothers Atticus and Aldous Hay who came to the event with their grandparents"Today is our second time ever going fishing in our life and me and my brother have both caught two fish," said Atticus."The last time on the boat we got one bite but it got away. But this is amazing."Aldous added: "You're just waiting for something to happen, and then when it does, and you catch it, it feels good."The festival is really cool because people show you what to do. I want to do more fishing now, definitely."It's nice to just get out and have fresh air even if you don't catch anything."
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Tweed festival to lure new generation into fishing
A new event in the Scottish Borders is hoping to lure the next generation of anglers with a guest list that includes world champions and global fishing influencers. It comes as one of the most famous beats in the world - the Junction Pool near Kelso - is put on the market for the first time in 50 years, with a price tag of £2.8m. It is a bucket list location where anglers can pay thousands of pounds a day to fish the waters where the Tweed and the Teviot meet. Now the organisers of the first Tweed Salmon Festival hope to persuade more children, women and families of the benefits of the pastime. Among the global talents attending the event this weekend are Katka Švagrová, a world champion fly fisher from the Czech Republic with a large social media following. The free event at the Schloss Roxburgh Hotel near Kelso has been organised by local river ghillies and boatmen as a way of showcasing the river and introducing people to fishing. Eoin Fairgrieve, one of the co-organisers, is a former Tweed ghillie who has gone on to become one of the world's leading speycasting teachers. As well as Švagrová, he is bringing Tommy Aarkvisla from Norway and the world champions will be teaching people the art of catching salmon and trout on the fly."We're really excited about the festival and the potential we think it has to attract people to the world of fishing," said Mr Fairgrieve, himself a former world champion."What we're trying to do as a collective of people involved in the river is not only celebrate the history of the Tweed, but also look to the future." The numbers of Atlantic Salmon in the River Tweed last year rose by more than 3,000 to in excess of 10,000 being caught and returned. "We have witnessed an encouraging rise in the number of salmon returning this year, but we need to have more people fishing and protecting those salmon," Mr Fairgrieve added."So a big part of this event is introducing people to fishing and educating children and young people about the importance of the sustainability of the river and salmon stocks, and also discover how this sport can enhance your life." As well as the Junction beat, the nearby Sprouston beat on the River Tweed is also on the market. For £5.5m, one wealthy investor could purchase both of the angling hotspots. The current owner bought both beats from the Duke of Roxburghe in the mid 1970s. The Junction beat has famously attracted actors, musicians and well-known sportsmen and women from around the world. It is renowned for its spring salmon and its sea trout, with the record catch for a single day standing at 52 fish on 27 October 2003. This weekend's festival will run from 10:00 to 17:00 each day with exhibitions, podcasts, fly-dressing lessons, fishing classes and demonstrations, a shopping area and live music on the Saturday evening at the Spey Loch behind the hotel. Mr Fairgrieve added: "Fishing can take you into a whole other world and with the live music, food and other entertainment, we hope the festival will show the social side of the sport."There is going to be a lot going on for all ages throughout the weekend. We're delighted to have such wonderful anglers from around the world, but their focus is also on just encouraging people to have fun."
