Fishing: Top anglers enter as Del Brady delivers silverfish coarse angling series winter return

Derek Brady certainly knows a thing or two about selling as he runs a highly-successful fresh fruit and vegetable delivery service in the West of Scotland, but off duty he is also a leading coarse angler north of the Border.

Del Brady is the driving force behind the return of the silverfish series at Magiscroft

As a fisherman, he loves matches and and he's pulling the strings promoting a float only, five-match silverfish series which returns next month after a gap of a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Magiscroft near Cumbernauld is the venue and top anglers like James Woodrow and Fife-based Gus Brindle, chairman of the Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling, are already confirmed on the entry list.

The event is on the main loch where bloodworm and joker are allowed and results will be decided on penalty section points with the best four results counting.

Brady - affectionately known as Del - said this gives the angler a chance to drop their worst score and he added: "A float must be used and carp don't count.

"There are no pole limits and no fishmeal bans in place and if the lake becomes unfishable due to it being frozen given our unpredictable and hostile Scottish weather we will revert to a straight four-match series where all match scores count."

The event starts on Sunday November 21 and there are four dates thereafter with Sunday stages following on December 5 and December 19 and into next year on January 2 and 16.

The entry fee is £10 plus usual day ticket costs and the first prize is £200, second £150 and third ill take home £100.

Still on coarse fishing and a reminder that the Scottish Feeder Weekender is on this weekend (Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24) at Loch Ken in Dumfries.

The Scottish Feeder Championship is tomorrow (Sunday) from 10.30am to 4.30pm. The draw will be posted at 8.30am.

Elsewhere, Edinburgh-based Geoff Lowe, chairman of the Edinburgh and Lothians Coarse Angling Club (ELCAC), topped the podium at the Orchill Open at Auchterarder.

He netted 34lb 3oz of fish, including five carp and a best-of-the-season fish, a 9lb 6oz carp, among a mixed bag of F1, roach and perch.

Lowe finished well ahead of second-placed John Perella with 25lb 4oz in a mixed bag. Bruce Lawrie was third with 18lb 9oz in his net, also a mixed bag.

Lowe said: "I looked at the BBC weather forecast for the week and it was heavy rain but I got up on Sunday morning at 6am and thought I would just go for it.

"It rained all day and I left most of my gear in the car and sheltered under my brolly as it was so wet. The fish were tempted by two, three inch red worms and I fished in around 5ft of water off the shelf which exists at Orchill."

It has been a good end to the season for Lowe who won the ELCAC rod and reel event and was fourth in the recent Magiscroft Open, losing out on third by three ounces to another ELCAC member, Roz Cassidy.

On to fly fishing and Jock Kettles, Scotland's international fly fishing skipper who recently won the Army Celtic Cup title, has been in the frame again with further success.

Jock from Bonnyrigg teamed up with another Midlothian-based angler, Eck Moffatt, to win the £150 first prize in the Tweeddale Pairs held last Saturday.

The duo netted nine fish between them, two fish ahead of Johnston Hilland and Gavin Miller who won £100 second prize to share with Stevie Whitehead and Kenny Gray coming third after registering five fish and they split £75.

The first fish caught was by Alex Ramsay who won a litre bottle of whisky and conditions were humid with a slight breeze to start with over the water near Gifford.

The wind picked up later in the day but there was little or no rain during the event which saw a total of 39 fish landed by 11 pairs.

Black and green lures, diawl bach and buzzers were among the most popular patterns used on the day.

In the Pentlands, Loganlea fishery owner Karen Jack has updated to advise that she is only open for bank fishing bookings by calling 07412 079031. They must also be made at least the day before. Otherwise she is closed.

Glencorse owner Bill Taylor has plans to re-open in March next year and there are already dates available for next summer, mostly from Tuesday to Friday.

However, he reminded anglers that he is still waiting to hear from solicitors on the renewal of his lease.

He warned: "All bookings that have been already taken are provisional until we receive confirmation regards our position at Glencorse RSV."

Near Linlithgow, Bowden Springs owner Jim Gargaro confirmed that several double-figure fish have been landed.

Alastair Lyon who had his rod bent by a 15lb fish tempted on a bloodworm. It's the second 15lb-plus fish to be landed there in recent weeks. Teenager John Dick was also into double-figures with a 12lb trout on a black and green rabbit and Jim Bryce hooked into a fine 10lb trout on wotsit.

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