Permit sales rose by 55 per cent in 2018 after councillors approved new measures to encourage anglers onto the shores of the Rivers Teith and Forth.
Stirling Council Fisheries offer anglers spring fishing, sea trout fishing, summer fishing and back end fishing all on the one permit. The single permit covers both the Rivers Teith and Forth, while removing the divide between visitor and resident.
Anglers can fish for nine months for just £200, while youths aged 12 to 21 can now fish the whole season for only £15. Up to the age of 12 youths are welcome to fish for free with a paying adult on a catch and release basis.
Last year a total of 407 permits were sold raising £47,813. This was a substantial increase on 2017 when 262 permits were sold, taking in £31,937.
The reintroduction of day permits in September and October, and the extension of the youth discount from 16 to 21, both again maintained this year, also helped increase angler numbers on the rivers.
Convenor of the Planning and Regulation Panel, Councillor Alasdair MacPherson, said: “The introduction of the new permits has proven very popular with both residents and visitors alike.
“The decision to freeze prices for the coming year means we can continue to provide some of the best fishing that the UK has to offer to as wide a range of anglers as possible.”
Cllr Chris Kane, vice convenor, added: “The message to anglers is that Stirling’s rivers are ready and waiting to welcome you from wherever you are in the world. Our prices are competitive but it is our landscape and our hospitality that is second to none.
“Our revised permit prices have ensured local anglers can continue to enjoy their sport at a reasonable price, beginners are encouraged to give it a try and old hands are tempted back to the riverbank. If you’ve not tried fishing on the Rivers Forth or Teith before, there has never been a better time to give it a go.”
The official opening of the salmon fishing season on the River Teith will take place on Friday, 1st February, and this year the team will be joined by James Stokoe, winner of the BBC’s ‘Earth’s Wildest Waters – The Big Fish’, to mark the event.
After a successful trial last year, anglers are again being welcomed to fish for free on the Council’s sections of the River Teith between Friday 1st February and Saturday 9th February.