A Perth schoolgirl has spent lockdown painting fishing lures which have raised hundreds of pounds for charity and landed anglers salmon.
Grace Godfrey has spent the winter months delicately hand painting scores of fishing lures in a bid to raise cash for Perth Autism Support.
Perth Academy S3 pupil Grace, who is autistic, was keen to spend the days stuck inside fundraising for the Market Street charity who have helped her in the past.
The 15-year-old arts and crafts enthusiast was also keen to keep busy with a cathartic pastime so decided to help dad David, who works as a ghillie on the river for the Tay Salmon Fisheries Company, design intricate fishing lures.
The fishing season got underway on the Tay on January 15 and under the current lockdown restrictions, anglers who live in Perth and Kinross are still allowed to fish at the rod beat at Cargill, near Meikleour, where David is a ghillie.
He told The Courier: “There’s a lot of fishermen who come here and sometimes don’t have lures, so are looking for something to use.
“Grace decided that it would be a good idea to design some that we can sell here.
“We have designed and painted some fantastic salmon lures for the spinners and she wanted to make sure the money went to Perth Austism Support, who have helped her in the past.
“Perth Autism Support is an organisation that is invaluable to the autistic children of Perth and Kinross.”
The charity drive has seen Grace’s crafts sold for between £3.50 and £5 each, but creating them has been no chore.
“It’s been a great way of keeping busy over lockdown,” David added, “especially in the winter months.
“Grace is very arty. She loves drawing and is always designing things.”
So far, the brightly coloured artificial bait has proved successful in catching the attention of salmon swimming in the Tay.
On the very first day Grace’s handmade bait was put to the test, anglers hooked and landed a kelt, a salmon which had already spawned.
David said: “We caught a fish here on the very first day of using Grace’s lures.
“We’ve had a few more since. Grace was really pleased when she found out.”
So far, the tackle trade has raised £300 for Perth Autism Support, who have still been providing support for service users over lockdown.
Anyone interested in purchasing Grace’s lures should contact the Tay Salmon Fishing Facebook page.
