tAleS froM the riverBAnk
eccentric old Caillach, Kiss the Water is also a celebration of life in a remote Highland village that has all but disappeared in the past few decades. Eric Steel’s previous work as a director includes the award-winning documentary The Bridge, a deeply moving study of suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge. In this latest piece, he pairs evocative cinematography with dream- like animation to create a haunting piece that will appeal to anyone who has ever cast a fly. These were the days when salmon flies had
Reeling ’em in
A new film about fly maker Megan Boyd evokes a time when flies were spun beside Scottish rivers
WORDS JON GIBB W
ith two films showcasing Scottish salmon fishing hitting the cinemas in as many years, the sport’s image
has had something of a boost recently. Hot on the heels of the big-budget Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – look out for a toe-curling cameo from yours truly as an angry angler – a new film from independent filmmaker Eric Steel, Kiss the Water, was released last month. This latest offering is an artistic take on the
life of the eccentric Highland fly-tier, the late Megan Boyd, who lived in a remote Sutherland cottage between the rivers Brora and Helmsdale and was undoubtedly one of the greatest artists the fly-tying world has ever seen. Twenty years ago, anyone fishing on these illustrious northern rivers would first call at Megan’s door to stock up on her classic salmon patterns – a young Prince Charles was a regular visitor. But, when the Queen invited her to Buckingham Palace to receive the British Empire Medal for services to game fishing, Megan famously refused, saying that ‘there would be no one to look after my dog that night’. It’s an inescapable fact that Megan Boyd
was a very un-pretty woman. She dressed like a man, never to be seen without a heavy tweed jacket and tie, and she cut her own hair. She left school at an early age and did not fit in well with others. All she wanted to do, it seemed, was to make flies. As the film peels away the layers of this complex character, it becomes apparent that the tantalising confections of feather and tinsel that she spun from her window overlooking the glen were everything she was not – seductive, graceful and pretty. As much as being a sensitive obituary to an
‘When the Queen invited her to Buckingham Palace, Megan refused, saying there would be no one to look after her dog that night’
fine proper names such as ‘Meg in Her Braws’ or ‘The Durham Ranger’ – or my personal favour- ite, which was introduced by English fishermen on the River Em in Sweden at the turn of the century, the superbly named ‘Moonlight on Mrs Higginbottom’. With the arrival of modern synthetic fly-tying materials, most of these old patterns, which were created from exotic feathers such as bustard and toucan, have not stood the test of time. But one or two still survive, including the ubiquitous and devastatingly effective ‘Hairy Mary’, which is rumoured to have been named after a particularly friendly barmaid who once worked in Inverness. Kiss the Water refers to the gentle dip of the
Spey cast as it touches the water on the back stroke. An effective fly should also be light and delicate – it should shimmer and swim. While heavily dressed classic salmon flies may have been designed to attract fishermen as much as fish, our own flies should be lifelike and sinewy creations that taunt and tantalise as they flicker through the current. Far from being a riot of colour and exotic
feathers, my own salmon fly box rarely hosts more than a handful of simple patterns of dullish hue: a jet-black ‘Sunray Shadow’, possi- bly the best modern salmon fly ever invented; a ‘Silver Stoats Tail’ for low water; a big ‘Red Francis’ or two for when the river is holding colour; and finally, for when all else fails, a little hitch fly to bring up a sulking fish. It is perhaps a sign of the times that fishing
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flies these days are as likely to be tied and imported from Africa as they are to be magically spun on the banks of famous Scottish salmon rivers. But there are exceptions. I buy my own flies almost exclusively from a near neighbour of the late Megan Boyd, Ron Sutherland at Helmsdale Tackle, whose website is at www.
helmsdalecompany.com. Unlike Megan, who never fished a day in her life and hated the idea that her creations were used to kill fish, Ron’s flies are inventive, robust and, most impor- tantly, designed entirely to catch salmon rather than lure fishermen. See
www.kiss-the-water.com for an online pay-per- view option or look out for a DVD version to be issued shortly
WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK 127
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