Fishing: Wide range of carp to catch at Drumtassie by end of March

Looking towards the main car park at the new Drumtassie coarse fishery. Picture: Nigel Duncan

Bream, roach, chubb and perch will also be in the water along with ide and rudd but there will not be any pike.

Leeanne Aitchison, the trout fishery manager, said bigger carp will be ordered as the water beds down.

If anglers want to night fish they must be a member costing £60 a year and from 8pm to 7am the gates will be locked. Only members will have the code.

Leeanne Aitchison, manager of Drumtassie Trout Fishery

A day ticket will be £10 and 24-hour ticket will be £15. Any extra night is £10 a night. Anglers are allowed one rod for £10 and if they wish to fish another road it is £5 extra. Children are £7 up to the age of 15. Baits will be available in the shop at the water.

Hot pies and biscuits will be sold in reception at the coarse fishery and hot foods are available at the Dramtassie Trout Fishery less than a mile away and anglers can call or text to arrange delivery.

Meanwhile, anglers from the Lothians are among those already entered for the Ayrshire Silver Fish Extravanganza which carries a guaranteed prize of £1,000.

Springwater and Broomhill coarse fisheries, based four miles apart in Ayrshire, are collaborating to host the new event over 12 heats.

There will be one qualifier from each heat moving forward to the two-day final in August and there is a £40 entry fee. Only silver fish count, not carp with fishery rules applying.

Organiser Tommy Mitchell, the owner of Broomhill and a competition angler, said some of Scotland's top anglers have confirmed including those sponsored by manufacturers Guru and Lanarkshire-based Daiwa Sports.

Only fishermen over the age of 18 can enter and and if more than £1,000 is generated from the qualifiers then second and third places will be paid out as well.

Mitchell added: "Anglers can book into as many qualifiers as they like until they qualify and, if they still want to fish any future qualifiers, they can do so for £30 you if space is available.

"I used to run a popular event at several fisheries in Scotland which had a £2,000 prize fund but that stopped with the lockdown.

"Now, I note a resurgence of interest in coarse fishing, both from those who have not fished before and others returning to the sport.

"That is why we have organised this. We are fisheries four miles apart and are co-operating to put this on and we already have entries from all over Scotland.

"Anglers from Edinburgh, Stirling and Central Scotland, Glasgow, Ayrshire and Dumfries will be joined for several from over the Border, including Carlisle and there is great interest in the event."

Bookings are now open by ringing Tommy 0771 152 7358 or Nathan 07850 545857.

The qualifying dates are Sunday, March 20, at Broomhill, Saturday, April 9 at Springwater, Saturday, April 16 at Broomhill, Sunday, April 24 at Springwater, Saturday, May 14 at Broomhill, Sunday, May 22 at Springwater, Saturday, June 11 at Springwater, Saturday, June 18 at Broomhill, Sunday, June 26 at Broomhill, Sunday, July 10 at Springwater, Sunday, July 24 at Springwater and Saturday, August 6 at Broomhill.

The final is on Saturday, 27 August at Springwater and Sunday, August 28 at Broomhill and the winner will be the angler with the biggest weight over the two days.

The Union Canal near Edinburgh is popular with walkers, cyclists and fishermen and Scottish Canals confirm that dredging work is scheduled between Ratho Bridge and Gogar Bridge 14 from February 7 to March 7.

The towpath will remain open but users are requested to be vigilant and contractors will be on site to offer safe, escorted passage.

The organisation is also requesting help from users to re-design their website following the results of feedback from users. The aim is to have a new site running by later this year.

Meanwhile, organisers have confirmed that the Gordon Alexander Clark Memorial is scheduled for Loch Ken on Sunday, October 16 sponsored by Blakes Baits.

There was some interest for a two-day event but a lot of anglers couldn’t commit to the two days. There will be a practice match on Saturday, October 15 costing £16 or £10 for season ticket holders. The Sunday event will cost £20 or £14 for season ticket holders.

On to game fishing and a reminder that Cramond Angling Club host their season-opening BBQ on Saturday at Fair-a-Far Weir near Cramond from 9am. All are welcome.

The organisation hosts around nine miles of angling for salmon, sea trout and trout from the estuary to above Newbridge and that is where the West Lothian Angling Association (WLAA) take over. Their water extends to north of Kirkton at Livingston and also to 38 miles of tributaries in West Lothian extending to Blackburn, Whitburn and Breich and (WLAA) permits are now available at Tangles at 5 East Main Street, Broxburn EH52 5EE, West Lothian Angling, Unit 10, Nasmyth Court, Livingston EH54 5EG and Edinburgh Angling Centre, Unit E, Granton Retail Park, 65 West Harbour Road, Granton, Edinburgh EH5 1PW.

On to sea fishing now and Steve Biskup (cor) won round 11 of the Bass Rock Shore Angling League's winter series and the final round will be on Wednesday, February 9 at a venue to be announced on their Facebook page on Sunday.

Entrants braved 50mph south-west winds during the event with boundaries around North Berwick and the North Berwick-based winner landed one fish for 1lb 4oz.

Second was Stuart Fairbairn from Haddington who was only 3oz behind while Chris Empson (Dunbar), who has recently been picked for the Scotland squad, was third with a fish of 9oz.

Aquamarine Charters confirm their next trips from Eyemouth will be on February 12 and 13 and skipper Derek Anderson hopes the water will clear by then.

And the final round of Mike and Chris' heaviest cod league is on Saturday, February 5 with Glaswegian Billy Buckley still leading on a 6lb 14oz fish.

Anglers can enter the match even if they have not fished any previous rounds and registration is the Victoria Park car park from 15.00 to 15.30. All depart 15.30 and fishing is from 16.30 to 21.30.