Cutler claims title in Edinburgh Winter Shore League

The well-known competition angler regularly travelled up the A1 from Northumberland to take part in legs fished at Newhaven, Portobello and Joppa, and he edged the event by a single point from Edinburgh-based Gordon Lyall who made a late charge, winning three of the last four matches. Ian Campbell, the event organiser, was third.

Cutler, who won the recent Colin McEwan Memorial at Ravensheugh Beach, East Lothian, did not win any of the legs but was consistent throughout with high finishes in three matches to total 36 points, with the best five of seven legs counting.

Lyall won three of the final four legs to finish on 35 points with Campbell from Falkirk third on 30 points.

Neil Cutler wades into the surf to cast

Fourth was Dunfermline-based, Gus Brindle, chairman of the Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling, on 27 points and this high finish followed up on Brindle’s gold medal win in the recent Civil Service match.

He was also team manager as Scotland won gold in the recent Celtic Cup coarse fishing event held at Strathclyde Loch in Lanarkshire.

Another Tyneside-based fisherman, Steve Potts, was fifth on 21 points along with local angler Stevie Souter who was sixth while Edinburgh schoolboy, Eryk Janik, was a highly-creditable seventh with ten of his 19 points arriving on match day one which he won.

Janik has already fished for Scotland but Robbie Slow, a newcomer to competition angling, and also from the Capital, finished in 12th position after earning ten points from winning March 5.

The final match was held at Newhaven in breezy conditions with 21 in the field. They recorded 280 fish with Lyall taking top spot with what Campbell said was “a brilliant performance” in hooking into 38 fish for 870 points

Brindle was second with 25 fish and 559 points and Souter third on 23 fish for 506 points with Cutler fourth on 22 fish and on 505 points.

The remainder of the top ten placings were: 5, Stephen Barrett 18 fish for 449 points; 6, Eryk Janik 17 fish for 390 points; 7, Scott Emmerson, 15 fish for 341 points and Stevie Burns, 15 fish for 341 points; 9, Ian Campbell 15 fish for 335 points; 10, Mike Kyle (Easthouses), 13 fish for 295 points. Barrett caught the longest fish, a 50cm cod.

Yes, Lyall fishes Newhaven regularly as it is close to the Edinburgh Angling Centre where he works, but even his great form in the last four matches was not enough to pip Cutler who secured the narrow win thanks to a fourth place on the final night.

He missed out on being third by a point and Campbell said: “The league has been incredibly competitive again this year with the final place undecided until the very end.

“It has been great to see some new faces this year and two of the matches have been won by junior anglers, Eryk Janik, and Robbie Slow. Hopefully, the trend will continue.”

Lyall and Campbell are both employees of the event sponsors, The Edinburgh Angling Centre, and are ineligible for the prizes. The other sponsors are Cox & Rawle.

The voucher for second place therefore fell to the angler finishing overall fourth, Brindle, and the voucher for third went to Potts who finished fifth.

Overall, 41 anglers took part in the popular event which attracted fishermen from as far afield as Tyneside and Arbroath and Campbell confirmed that 1,821 fish were landed over the seven legs, an average of 260 per match.

He added: “There is certainly no shortage of fish to be caught and all the venues offer the opportunity for all levels of anglers to catch and, perhaps, learn something from the more experienced match anglers around them.”

Campbell urged anybody interested in match angler is urged to take part and he confirmed that details for the New Year League which will start on January 10 will be posted soon on the Scottish shore Angling Match Group page on Facebook.

He said: “If you are looking to try match angling or just to get out of the house for a few hours on a Friday event feel free to get in touch and join in.”

For those keen to continue match angling over the Festive period, the Dunbar Xmas Open is on Saturday, December 28 from 3pm to 8pm with boundaries from North Berwick to Cove, 29km north of the English Border.

Registration is from 1.30pm to 2pm and the weigh-in is at 8pm to 9pm at the John Muir Country Park.

The entry fee is £20 with £5 going towards the heaviest fish and there will be prizes for the first, second and third bags and the heaviest fish. Rules are one rod, three hooks and all entrants will leave the registration point at 2pm to go to their favoured marks.

The Arbroath Xmas Bash is also on Saturday, December 28 with a £15 entry fee, juniors £5, and prizes here are for the three heaviest bags and the heaviest cod. Registration is as the Victoria Park, Arbroath from 1pm to 2pm and once you pay you can leave.

Fishing is from 3pm to 9pm and high tide is 12.35 and low tide 18.38 with boundaries from Carnoustie to Ferryden with the weigh-in at the Victoria Park from 9pm to 10pm. Rules are two hooks and one rod.

Advance notice of the East Fife New Year Open on Sunday, January 5 with fishing from 11.00 to 16.00 and the weigh-in at 17.00 with boundaries from Carnoustie to Ferryden. Registration is at the Victoria Park from 9.15 to 10.00 and, once again, there are prizes for the three heaviest bags and the heaviest fish.

One of Britain’s leading sea fishing events, the Amble Open, is also on Sunday, January 5, with fishing from 10.00 to 14.00 and you can register on the day at The Radcliffe Club, Charles Road, Amble NE65 0RA from 07.00 or in local tackle shops in the North-East of England now.

Boundaries are the south side of Seahouses Harbour to Cambois Pier, excluding all piers and rivers, and the top prize here is £1,000 for the heaviest fish.

Mike and Chris’s Winter Heaviest Cod League resumes on Saturday, January 11, at a venue to be confirmed and the Bass Rock Shore Angling League will confirm their first match of 2025 in the next few days.