Popular Glencorse to remain open by public demand
Glencorse Reservoir, one of the top venues in Scotland for fly fishing from a boat, will be staying open until St Andrew's Day on November 30 this year.
Bill Taylor normally closes in mid-October but asked anglers for their views as the poor weather this summer affected the sport and the owner was encouraged by the reaction.
Taylor added: “Opening during the extended period is also dependent on the weather.”
He reports that new boats continue to arrive at the facility above Flotterstone in the Pentland Hills.
Also on fly fishing, bosses are putting the finishing touches to the new brown trout pond at Drumtassie near Blackridge.
Paths are being completed and fish are in with more to come before opening day which will be confirmed soon.
Maisie the sturgeon has been caught again at Drumtassie’s coarse pond and she is now around 38lb. A common carp of nearly 18lb was hooked this week.
Elsewhere, Gus Brindle is the Scottish Canal Champion for the "third or fourth time" after an extremely tough day if fishing on the Forth & Clyde Canal at Haggs.
The fish failed to respond after a night with single figure temperatures and there was bright sunshine for most of the match.
Bites were very hard to come by, despite the generous pegging but Brindle found a pocket of roach in the first 30 minutes and then hung on by adding a few perch for 420g, just under a pound, with 12 fish in the net.
The Dunfermline-based angler added: “The conditions were fantastic if you wanted to walk along the canal, but not for fishing, the water was gin clear and it was like a bath in front of you.
“The fish are wary in bright conditions and I think I got lucky. There were a few pike in the area when we got there and I think they had coralled a few roach in front of my peg. I was the only person to catch roach.
“Somebody else drew my peg as I was organising the event and I was not happy with the draw as I was right in the middle. Normally, the best pegs are at either end of the pegs.”
He beat another Scottish international, Mark Lyons whose haul was all perch net of 305g and Darrin Ferguson, president of the Edinburgh and Lothians Course Angling Club (ELCAC), was third with just 90g.
Andrew Potts was fourth on 6og, Brian Wallace firth on 20g and Rosalind Cassidy, also a member of the ELCAC, was sixth with 10g. The rest of the field did not weigh in.
Sea fishing and the East Fife Open is on Sunday, July 14 with fishing from 11am to 4pm and registration is at Anstruther Golf Club from 9am to 10am. All leave at 10am.
Boundaries are from Elie to St Andrews and entry is £15 with £5 going to the heaviest cod. Weigh in is from 4pm to 5pm and the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers rules apply. They include one rod and three hooks. The heaviest bag and biggest cod winners £250.
Details are emerging of a £1,000 prize for the heaviest cod in a competition being organised later this year.
The Big Arbroath Winter Open is on Saturday, November 2. Registration is at the toilets in the Victoria Car Park in Arbroath from noon to 1.30pm with fishing from 3pm to 9pm.
Boundaries are from Carnousie to Ferryden and the weigh-in is from 9pm to 10.15pm. Entry is £15 and free for juniors.
High tide is 14.32 and low tide 20.30 and full details can be gleaned from Allan 07470 418975 or Daniel 07949 794827 or Stewart 07759 379978 or Leom 07927 194217.
The best result in the recent Home Nations Shore Angling event on Tayside was claimed by the youths who won gold with England second and Wales third.
Calum Culbert (Aberdeen), Michael McGloughlin (Glasgow), Ciaran Peck (Stornoway), Andrew McLean (Stranraer, whose father was in the men’s team) and Scott Henderson (Glasgow) were the anglers with Billy Buckley from Uddingston their manager.
Culbert said: “A great result for team Scotland youths at this year's home nations in Montrose. Delighted to end my career on the youth team with another gold medal on home soil and topping the rankings after two tough days of competitive angling.”
Buckley said: “It was a fantastic performance from the team and it was a pleasure to manage these boys who fished brilliantly to achieve two day wins and the overall gold medal place.
“Particular well done to Ciaran and Scott on their first event with the youth team and how they managed themselves. All that practice in the months beforehand was worth it boys.”
Scotland men and women won silver. The men suffered heartache when they were edged for gold.
The Tartan Team, who were defending the title won on Welsh beaches 12 months ago, were two points behind Ireland after Day One, but levelled after the second day.
However, the home side lost out on countback with three more fish of over the minimum size limit of 15cm needed to pip the men from across the Irish Sea.
The quintet – Mike Kyle (Easthouses, Midlothian), David Cargill (Dundee), Bruce McLean (Stranraer), Ian Campbell (Falkirk) and captain Chris Horn (Kirkcaldy) - finished with the silver medal after two days of tough fishing near Montrose and in the Tay Estuary at Dundee. Third were Wales with England fourth.
Scotland ladies were second for the fourth year running, but one fish in the dying minutes of their match could have tipped the balance.
Dundee-based, Kevin Lewis, their team manager, said: “It was not meant to be. Onwards and upwards and we start preparing for the next one.”
Cumbria-based Lesley Maby was Scotland’s top rod with two zone wins and the team also featured Buffy McAvoy (Edinburgh), Charlene Stoker (Dumfries), Gill Coutts (Largs), Lesley Maby (Cumbria) and Joanne Barlow (Brighton).
Lewis added: “I couldn’t have been more proud of the ladies in the way they fished and gave it their all.”
Scotland juniors – Callum Strang (Hamilton), Eryk Janik (Edinburgh), Jay Stoker, Abbie Stoker and Hollie Stoker from Dumfries – two sisters and their brother - plus Harry Keeney (East Kilbride), were fourth in their competition.
Mike Horn, the Kirkcaldy-based president of the organisers, the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers, confirmed that it was a really good competition fished with real sportsmanship in extremely difficult weather conditions.
Horn said that 664 fish were caught by the teams and all returned to the sea after being measured and he added: “We move on to next year when the event is held in Ireland.”