Our landlord – Stair Estates have reopened the gardens to visitors and in doing so have introduced a one way system. Unfortunately for members of SDAA, this means the black stables are no longer available for anglers to use for parking.

We have been given an alternative solution to parking but to avoid the chance of misuse by members of the public and non-association members, we have been requested not to publically advertise this additional parking area.

Any member wishing to fish the black loch and requiring information about parking should contact a member of the committee as per your permit.

We thank you for your understanding.

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The kissing gates have now been installed at Dindinne to give anglers easier access to the water.

Following discussions with our landlords, and the lost fishing time due to COVID-19, the committee are pleased to confirm the following extensions to our 2020 season on various waters.

Soulseat – to and including 14th November

Dindinne – to and including 31st October

Blacks & White – to and including 31st October

Magillie – All winter

Following the announcement made today (Thursday 28^th May 2020) by Scotland’s First Minister, we as a country will be entering into phase one of the governments four phased plan to relax lockdown rules on Friday 29^th May 2020.

The focus of the governments Phase 1 changes is on outdoor activity.

In terms of sport and recreation, some non-contact outdoor leisure activities will be allowed to restart again from tomorrow. This applies to activities where you can safely keep a two metre distance from others at all times and follow strict hygiene practices – for example golf, tennis, bowls and fishing.

And you will be able to travel – preferably by walking or cycling – to a location near your local community for recreation. However the government are asking us, for now, to please stay within, or close to, your own local area. And don’t use public transport unless it is absolutely necessary. There will be no fixed distance limit in law – but the advice is not to travel further than around five miles for leisure or recreation.

So what does this mean for SDAA waters?

Combining the information from the government and that of our landlords, SDAA can confirm the following.

As from Friday 29^th May 2020, the following waters will be accessible to anglers as per rules set out in the permits – Soulseat, Dindinne, Magillie, White Loch, Big Black, Wee Black, Innermessan Burn & Loch Ree

As from Monday 01^st June 2020 -Knockquhassen and Penwhirn will be accessible to anglers as per rules set out in the permits.

We ask anglers to take all the necessary precautions and to avoid overcrowding car parks and to also ensure they practice good hygiene and the regular use of hand sanitiser.

Tight lines and stay safe – SDAA Committee

Assuming the Scottish government give us a date to start fishing we are ready

to put up signage in place indicating the Social Distancing rules. All other

guidelines put in place by the government MUST be adhered to.

Stair Estates have agreed we can start fishing in line with the governments

start date at their waters. We are still trying to get confirmation from Scottish

Water for Knockquhassen and Penwhirn, and will update as soon as possible.

The committee will continue to negotiate with our landlords for extensions to

the season and possible reductions in rent.

The Sports Shop hope to be able to open to issue permits on Tuesday,

Wednesday, and Thursday from 9am till 11am and Friday from 4pm till 6pm.

You must phone first to arrange collection. No day tickets or buddie tickets will

be issued in the meantime. The price of permits will remain unchanged as any

reduction would be unfair to the 100+ members who have already joined.

A further stocking of fish will take place as soon as possible. A stocking of small

brownies was made during April but only at Soulseat due to the social

distancing regulations in place.

The club will, without doubt suffer financial losses this year, but the committee

believe our Association will remain strong for the future with the support of

our members.

Any issues or concerns members may have should be addressed in writing to

the secretary who will ensure the committee is informed and will take any

action appropriate.

Ron Collison (Secretary)

For those members still prepared to flout the rules by hiding their car and sneaking round to quiet spots on our waters, please read the following from Rule 16 of the 2020 permit –

Any member whose conduct is liable to bring the Association into disrepute may, at the discretion of the Committee, be suspended sine die.

In light of recent global events in relation to the outbreak of coronavirus, the committee have made the decision to cancel all Association competitions with immediate effect.

This decision has not been taken lightly, but given the recent developments and government guidelines, we feel that to help protect our members, this is correct course of action.

Waters at this moment in time will remain open to members, but the committee would encourage all members to follow government guidelines.

If anything changes, we will of course update accordingly.

Thanks you for your understanding and stay safe.

S.D.A.A Committee

A concerning start to the season is the discovery of litter found around various association waters.

We as members are responsible for ensuring these areas are free from litter, and anyone found breaching rules will be reported to the committee and risk having their ticket revoked.

Please ensure you all do your bit to look after our waters and keep them tidy.

The committee will be holding some litter pick meets throughout the season but would also urge members to remove any litter found.

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