Pozzi under knife days after Scottish Open win
Scott Pozzi went from a high to a painful low after winning the Scottish Open fly fishing title for the first time.
Days after winning the Open at the Lake of Menteith the 69-year-old felt unwell.
He thought it was food poisoning and decided to go ahead with a return trip to the lake, one of his favourite venues.
Half way through his session he was violently sick, and he vomited several more times over the side of the boat.
The Fife-based angler decided to cut the session short and drive home with a plastic bag on his lap. He had to stop his car on a number of occasions en-route to his home in Glenrothes to be sick.
A few hours later the part-time project controller was in the Victoria Infirmary in Kirkcaldy having tests and doctors ordered a CT scan. Those results confirmed he had appendicitis and he was put on the emergency operations list. He was in theatre receiving keyhole surgery at 1.30am.
He woke up from the anaesthetic feeling “terrible” and was told by medical staff that he could not jet to a regular holiday spot in Benidorm the following day.
The talented angler, who has won a number of national titles, is only this week beginning to feel like his old self and is currently negotiating with his travel insurers for a refund on the holiday he has not had.
Pozzi normally fishes three times a week, in summer and winter, and he does not feel strong enough, however, to cast a line this weekend despite being a member of the Scotland Stillwater Bank Team who host a fund-raiser at New Haylie Fishery near Largs.
Pozzi will travel to the event but, looking ahead and barring a late relapse, he says he will be fit enough to take his place in the Scotland Stillwater Bank team for the Home International in Ireland on October 15 and, looking even further ahead, the Scottish Champion of Champions at the Lake of Menteith on October 3.
The set-back comes as Pozzi, the Scottish National Champion in 2001 and Scottish Anglers National Association (SANA) Open winner in 2015 and 2016, is having a successful year having triumphed in the Scottish Stillwater Bank title and the Scottish Open this year.
Looking back, the fishermen said: “I love fishing the lake and I did my homework for the Scottish Open. The weather was brutal on the day, temperature of around 27c, clear blue sky and hardly a ripple and flat calm.
“I decided to pick an area and fish it. I also decided to stick to the tactics I had worked out. I could have chopped and changed and moved around, but that would have only cut into my fishing time. My boat partner agreed.”
The pair fished an area called The Gap and ended with eight trout, enough to take the silverware, and he said: “I went to the same area the following weekend and used the same tactics. They were working, but I had felt unwell the day before, then it hit me.
“I was sick on several occasions and decided to call it a day. I drove myself home with a plastic bag on my lap and had to stop several times. It got so bad I went to the hospital about 7pm and had keyhole surgery in the early hours.
“I woke up feeling terrible and I was a lot of pain after the operation. I am still lacking in energy, two weeks after being discharged. I’ve lost around half-a-stone as I’ve had no real food for around 14 days and I am missing my fishing. Hopefully, I’ll be back casting a line soon.”
He added: “I’ll be at New Haylie this weekend but probably won’t fish. There are still four marks from the keyhole surgery, but the stitches were disposable ones but there is still a mark.”
His biggest pain, currently, is dealing with the holiday insurance company.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Green came with a late surge to draw level with long-time leader, Craig Ogilvie, to share the summer league title in the ten-leg series organised by the Bass Rock Shore Angling League.
The Musselburgh angler was in second spot four points behind Ogilvie (North Berwick) in the final leg off he harbour wall at North Berwick.
But he earned enough points from the two fish he landed for 68cm to take second spot to earn eight points on the night and share the title with Ogilvie on 46 points each. Each pocketed £50.
Graham Meadows (St Boswells) won the final leg with two fish with 71cm with Barry McEwan (Port Seton), who has represented Scotland in the world championships, third with one fish of 29cm.
Ogilvie was fourth on 23cm to earn four points and it was a good night for Green who had the longest fish.
The final league placings are: 1 equal, Jimmy Green and Craig Ogilvie 46 points; 2, Graham Meadows 45 points; 3, Barry McEwan 30 points; 4 equal, Alan Brown (West Barns) and James Ogilvie (Haddington) 26 points; 5, David Turnball (correct) 17 points; 6, equal, Paul Grindley (Borders) and David Ellis (Dunbar) eight points; 7, Tommy Davanna (East Lothian) four points; 8 equal, Carl Grindlay (Borders), Ian Young (Eyemouth) and Alan Smith (Bonnyrigg) two points each.
James Ogilvie, the club secretary, said he has been encouraged by the number of new members who have fished during the summer and confirmed that the winter league starts next month. Dates will be confirmed soon and posted on the club Facebook page.