As the 2018 Tay salmon fishing season marked its official opening this week, Gayle met two women on a mission to change the image of angling
With her flowing blonde locks, perfect white smile and fantastically long lashes, Marina Gibson could easily be mistaken for a supermodel.
She’s a refreshing sight amongst a sea of men dressed in tweed on the banks of the River Tay by Meikleour boathouse.
It’s the launch of the 2018 Tay salmon fishing season and Marina, 27, is here in her capacity as fishing guide and ambassador for the Atlantic Fishing Trust.
The sun is shining and there’s a distinct nip in the air but there’s no wind and no rain, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s pretty much perfect weather.
Once the river has been blessed, champers quaffed and a dram or two necked – as is tradition – I catch up with Marina for a casting lesson.
Knowing she has almost 28,000 followers on Instagram, I’m aware I’m in the midst of a celebrity, but Marina is as down to earth as anyone could be.
Handing me a rod with a giggle, she shows me how to lift the line slowly and “dump” it into the water before pulling it back into a “D” shape.
Then there’s a pause before I launch it, in as graceful a motion as I can. After a few duff attempts, I manage to pull off a fairly decent Double Cast Spey.
Marina, who recently moved to North Yorkshire, has been fishing for as long as she can remember.
Growing up in the Cotswolds, her parents taught her to fly fish with single handed rods from the age of five, and she moved onto double handed rods aged eight.
But it was her mum Joanna’s passion for salmon fishing that inspired her to do more.
“Every summer holiday, we came up to Scotland to go fishing,” recalls Marina. “I started salmon fishing when I was eight and caught my first two salmon on the River Oykel in the Highlands within ten minutes of each other when I was 12.”
An advocate for salmon conservation in the UK, Marina is a fan of catch and release angling.
“I never keep fish,” she says. “Returning them helps protect the species and the environment, as well as providing sport for the next angler.
“I fish for salmon, trout, pike, carp and saltwater species – anything and everything really.”
She fishes all over the world but scored her personal best in Norway when she landed a salmon which she reckons was around 30lb.
As a fishing guide, Marina’s ambition is to inspire more women to get into angling, which is often perceived as a male-dominated sport.
“There aren’t as many barriers as there used to be and women are now the fastest growing section of fly fishing,” she says.
“It can be hard to know where to start initially but it’s important to get the right advice and ask lots of questions.
“Some women can be too nervous to ask, especially if there are men around, but you shouldn’t be afraid to; it’s the only way you’ll learn.
“My mum was fantastic in that she made me believe I could cast as well as she could, if not better.”
While Marina used to fish alone, she’s more likely to head out with a group or with her fiancé these days.
Thankfully, he too is a fan of the sport and the couple are planning a “fishing moon” after they tie the knot in May!
Another fantastic trail blazer for women in angling is Claire Mercer Nairne, who, like Marina, cuts a striking figure in her orange jacket, silk scarf and fedora.
Claire and her husband own Meikleour Estate and in 2014, took ownership of the Meikleour and Upper Islamouth stretch of the Tay which boasts 14 pools.
She supports Casting for Recovery, a charity which offers women who’ve had breast cancer treatment the chance to learn fly fishing on a retreat.
“Women make fantastic anglers because they listen to good advice, whereas men often like to impress the crowd!” she quips.
“There’s a theory that women are blessed with pheromones that attract big cock fish, too.”
Indeed, Georgina Ballantine landed the biggest ever rod-caught British salmon from the Glendelvine beat on the River Tay in 1922, a record that remains unbroken.
“Angling can be competitive, but in a healthy way whereby everyone, male or female, shares a love of the river,” adds Claire.
“I can think of no better way of relaxing, whether you’re five years old or 95.”
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Marina Gibson is an ambassador for the Orvis fishing company, and is a qualified fishing instructor and guide. She writes on a freelance basis for various fishing and hunting magazines and hosts trips worldwide. www.marinagibsonfishing.com
Meikleour Fishings offer fly fishing and spinning from both bank and boat. For details, see www.islamouth.co.uk
