Consistency pays off for Peebles fisherman in Five Nations event - Nigel Duncan
Connor Newcombe came third overall in the Five Nations Fly Fishing Competition on his debut for Scotland despite being unable to cast a line in his favoured discipline.
The Peebles-based angler totalled ten trout in three sessions – one was wiped out because of bad weather – to finish on a highly creditable six points, one behind runner-up Ron Chesney (Scotland White), who had 16 fish. The overall winner, Declan O’Sullivan (Ireland), totalled 33 fish.
Newcombe, who runs Kailzie Trout Fishery near Peebles, represented Scotland White and, in the first session in the prestige event, held near Ballyvourney, he finished first in his group. The Borders fisherman had looked to build on that, but the river session was cancelled, leaving Newcombe feeling ‘gutted’ as river fishing, he believes, is his strength. It was back on the lough for session three as he finished third, and his consistency showed in the fourth with a second place.
Scotland White team, made up of Chesney and Newcombe plus Ross Crawford, who had four trout, and Deidre Dunbar who hooked two, finished fourth overall, but Scotland Blue – Michael Low with 11 fish, Dick Logan with nine, Stevie Plank with eight and Scott Robertson with seven – were second.
The newcomer, who also shared the longest fish prize with England’s Bernie Maher, catching three 31cm brown trout in the event, said: “The weather was extremely difficult for most of the two days, with very strong winds of between 20mph and 30mph, and no drogues were allowed.”
Nine teams competed, Ireland with three, Scotland with two, and England, France, Belgium and Luxembourg with one each, and Newcombe said: “All in all, Scotland showed a lot of dominance.
“For me, I was exceptionally pleased as I could count on one hand how many times I have loch fished from a boat, never mind for wild brown trout.”
He added: “I’ve found a new love for Irish loch style.”
Ireland White won gold, hooking into 59 trout, with Scotland Blue in the silver medal position with 35 fish. Luxembourg were fifth, sixth were Ireland Green, with England seventh. Belgium came next with Ireland Gold propping up the rest.
In the individual rankings, Scotland’s Lowe was fifth, Logan eighth, Plank 15th, and Robertson 28th, with Crawford 33rd and Dunbar one place behind him.
Meanwhile, the final of the Scottish Anglers National Association Competition Clubs (SANACC) Champion of Champions for 2026 was held at the Lake on Menteith, and Allan Barbour of Firecats FF won with 14 fish for 29lb 14.7oz. Second was Nigel Burns of Strathleven FF with 11 fish for 23lb 11.3oz. In third came David Wales from Select FF with 11 fish for 22lb 2.1oz.
And two Scottish teams were in the top three in the Airflo Open Final at Rutland Water, with Balfron Piscatorials coming second with 50 fish, two behind the winners Fulling Mill Team Tequila, and 13 ahead of Tartan Tyers. Calum Stephen of Balfron Piscatorials had the best bag of fish out of the 120 anglers, totalling over 30lb.
On to coarse fishing and The Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling (SFCA) pairs competition is scheduled for Broom Fisheries near Annan on Sunday, October 18. The draw is from 8.45am to 9am and fishing is from 10.45am to 4.15pm. Fishing fees are £25 per angler or £50 for the pair, and zones will be split into two, Bruce’s Acre and the top half of the Queensberry Water and the second zone will be the lower half of Queensberry Water and Wallace Lake. Winners will be decided on section points and, in the event of a tie, overall weight. The event is limited to 40 anglers.
At Magiscroft near Cumbernauld, Edinburgh-based Dave Corcoran won matchday three of Del’s Fresh Produce series with 30lb 2oz, well ahead of fellow Scotland international James Woodrow, who totalled 17lb. Shug Smith was third with 13lb 4oz, and Bartek Kozlowski fourth with 11lb 6oz. Heather Lauriston, who ran the event, said conditions were tough, but Corcoran was the runaway winner with a mixed bag of carp and ide.
Sea fishing now and a reminder that the first leg of the Edinburgh Winter Shore League is tonight (Friday, October 16) at Newhaven in Edinburgh. Registration is from 6.15pm to 6.30pm at Western Harbour View EH6 6PG and fishing is from 7pm to 10pm. The league winner receives a £100 Edinburgh Angling Centre voucher and a £50 Cox & Rawle voucher, while the runner-up receives vouchers worth £90 and the third place angler vouchers worth £60. A prize for the top junior has also been donated by the Edinburgh Angling Centre. The league consists of six matches with the best five scores counting.
All matches are registered with the Angling Trust Sea League and the organiser, Ian Campbell, said: “I hope to see all the regulars and a few new faces again this year.”
Elsewhere, Mike Horn leads with 649 points following the latest Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers pegged match on Riverside Drive in Dundee.