Angler hooks into grayling to land second league win
Connor Alexander Newcome is celebrating after his second win in his first season competing in the Premier League in the Scottish National Fly Fishing League.
Grayling, nicknamed the lady of the stream, saved the day for the angler, as he pumping a run on the River Tummel and he now lies second in the overall table. Peebles-based Newcombe, the owner of Kailzie Trout Fishery, said: “I was lucky enough to find a pod of feeding grayling and managed to make the most of it, finishing with six fish for 970 points and first place. “
He added: “(It) certainly wasn’t easy, with some really challenging conditions, so a massive well done to all the anglers who competed across both divisions. Some great fishing and perseverance shown throughout the day.
“Absolutely delighted to come away with another win, especially in my first season competing in the Premier League.”
Robert Maxwell (Ceres, Fife) was second equal with five fish for 790 points along with Craig Brown from Dumbarton.
Derick Logan (Coldstream) was fourth also with five fish for 710 points.
In the First Division, Calum Stephen from Livingston topped the list with eight fish for 1,230 points with Dalkeith angler, Darren Cornet, second with five fish for 730 points.
Third was Ron Chesney from Newmills with four fish for 510 points and fourth Andy Rutherford (Dundee) with three fish for 380 points.
Andy Foggin from Earlston finished fifth with two fish for 280 points and Ross Crawford (Dalkeith) had a difficult day and blanked.
Overall, Stephen leads the race for the title.
Meanwhile, the Scottish under-16 championship sea fishing is under way, with the first two rounds having been fished last weekend, attracting anglers from Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Berwickshire, Angus, Dumfries and The Outer Hebrides. The next two matches in the six-event series are in Edinburgh and the Lothians on September 19 and 20.
Nuno Santos, the Scotland under-16 team manager, said the first four-hour match was really tough with only 23 fish caught in New England Bay, with Carson Anderson from Eyemouth winning with 26 points. Niko Millar (North Berwick) was two points behind.
Day Two was much improved with 117 fish being hooked at Cairnryan Village. Millar produced “an outstanding performance”, according to the manager, landing 16 fish for 328 points with Anderson catching 18 fish for 319 points.
Millar leads the championship with Anderson just behind, but the battle for the top six, and a slot in Scotland’s team next year, is tight with Nathan Lockwood, Caelan Anderson, Carson’s older brother, Aeron Baxter and Freddie Langan tucked in behind.
Santos said: “The young angers faced different conditions across the two days, and snowed excellent resilience and determination.”
Locally, Jimmy Green from Musselburgh won the final leg of the Bass Rock Shore Angling League’s summer series with six fish for 136cm and it was close. He was only eight centimetres ahead of Haddington angler, James Ogilvie, who had five fish.
Third was promising teenager Niko Millar Jun (North Berwick) with five fish for 123cm and fourth came Barry McEwan, an angler who has represented Scotland in the world championships. The Port Seton-based fisherman had four fish for 85cm.
Steven Rowcliffe (Prestonpans), had one fish for 32cm to come fifth, and that was the longest fish on the night, a great start to an angler who only joined this year.
Alan Brown (West Barns), who won the recent Clyde and Western title, was sixth with one fish for 29cm. David Fairbairn (Haddington) was seventh with a 20cm fish.
The first leg of their winter league was on Wednesday and there will be 12 matches in all, mostly every two weeks throughout the season. New faces are always welcome.
The club have published the final placings in their winter league and Green won with 80 points with Craig Ogilvie (North Berwick) a close second, four points adrift. Craig’s father, James from Haddington, was third with 68 points while Brown came fourth on 53 points.
Niko Millar Jun was fifth on 49 points with McEwan sixth three points behind while David Fairbairn had 27 points. Dave Ellis (Dunbar) was next on 24 points with Stuart Fairbairn (Haddington) on 22 points and his son, Calum Fairbairn (Haddington), tenth on nine points.