The aftermath of Hurricane Bertha caused devastation across Moray in August, but for local anglers this particularly dark cloud had a “silver lining”.
While residents and communities battled to recover in the six weeks following the storm, salmon fishermen – desperate for rain following a dry summer – enjoyed improved catches until the season closed on September 30.
Bertha dumped almost five inches of rain on the region in 14 hours – almost twice the average level for the month – raising the level of the River Findhorn by as much as 20 feet in some places.
Ferocious spates changed the channels of several rivers – including the Findhorn – scouring pools of gravel, uprooting trees, washing away fishing huts and paths and eroding the banks.
However, fishing conditions are generally thought to have improved immediately after the storm, with better catches reported from the Findhorn and the Nairn.
Experts said several pools appeared to have deepened and become more populated as a result.
Seasoned salmon fisher, tutor, guide and author, Ian Neale, said he was cautiously optimistic about the spring season ahead.
Mr Neale, based on Altyre Estate, said: “June and July had been dreadful on the river. There were hardly any fish caught.
“All of us anglers were jumping up and down, praying for rain, and sometimes, you get more than you pray for.
“We wanted water, and we certainly got it that day. It was the worst flood since 1970.
“It’s still early days in terms of what has really happened to the rivers. All the pools changed, some seemed to be deeper, some have filled in. It’s sort of swings and roundabouts.
“I’m optimistic we may see a very good long term effect, but until we have finished right through a whole season, it’s very hard to tell.”
Ewen Brodie, proprietor in the middle beats, said: “When August came, I was dreading it. Then Bertha arrived, and we had a pretty reasonable catch.
“It was a very forceful flood, a vicious flow. There was a lot of damage to the river, but the deepening of the pools was a silver lining to the cloud.
“We have 36 pools or something. It maybe affected six of them, but I think it has improved a few in that respect.”