Edinburgh schoolboy top of the class with major win

The Trinity Academy pupil won the junior section in one of Britain’s biggest sea fishing competitions at the first attempt with a little help from an angling buddy.

The talented teenager had to get up at 5am and leave Edinburgh just after 6am to be in time to register for the 47th Amble Open on the Northumberland Coast last Sunday.

But the Scottish junior international, who lives in Leith, weighed in with 3lb 5oz to win £75 and a Limitless 4.5m competition sea fishing rod.

Eryk Janik (left) and one of the organisers, Jimmy French, at the prize giving

He thanked Edinburgh chef, William Stafford, for driving him south and admitted conditions were very rough for the 441 entrants with some “crazy” waves on the rock marks and, for 90 per cent of the match, it was heavy rain.

Boundaries were Seahouses Harbour to Cambois Pier, excluding piers and rivers, for the four-hour match and Eryk said: “I fished off a beach not far from the registration point looking for flounder.

“I caught four and ended up with a bag of 3.5lb. The bait was mostly mackerel, bluey and ragworm.”

It was a late decision to travel and he is now glad he made the journey. The youngster added: “I went up at the last minute with Willie (Stafford) and he fished a separate mark for cod. It was my first time fishing in Northumberland and, indeed, England.”

Neil Cutler from Tyneside, who fishes regularly in Scottish-based competitions, also featured in the prize list.