2018 National Heats
National
Brian Mackenzie 2018 Champion
Scottish National Trout Fly Fishing Championship
2018
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Scottish National Trout Fly Fishing Championship
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Simi-Final No 5 - Menteith 29th June 2018
The semi-final stage of the National finished at the Lake of Menteith on 29th June and once again the match was fished under a clear blue sky. A breeze from the south west blew throughout the day which kept the temperature below the highs of the previous day. There were 27 competitors in this semi and between them they caught 76 trout for 159lbs 9.5ozs. The top ten anglers qualified for the final.
In second place with 7 trout for 14lbs 2.3ozs was Tom Burnett of St Mirin AC. Tom took all of his fish in International Bay on a booby and cormorants fished on a midge tip line. Kenny Dickens of Grizzle Cats was third with 7 trout for 13lbs 13.6ozs. Kenny took his fish in International Bay on boobies and cormorants on an intermediate line.
photo:
Tom, James and Kenny
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Simi-Final No 4 - Carron 28th June 2018
The fourth semi-final of the Scottish National Championship was held at Carron on 28th June and on what was probably the hottest day of the year so far. The competitors had a clear blue sky all day and were helped slightly by a very light breeze that came and went throughout the day. There were 44 anglers in this semi and at the start of the session 19 of the boats made for the dam area with the remaining 3 boats heading west. It was a tough day and the cut-off point for the 16 to qualify for the final was 2lbs 10.8ozs.
Top rod and winner of the Ridgeline Turbulence Smock provided by Ridgeline UK was Neill Barrett of Gilmerton FFC who had 8 trout for 9lbs 2.2ozs. Neill spent his day in the dam area and took his fish on a tequila blob and buzzers fished on a floating line. All of his fish came in the first 5 or 6 hours.
Mick Tait of Tweed Valley Tanglers was second with 7 trout for 8lbs 7.3ozs and his boat partner, Alan Gilbert of SPRA West was third with 5 trout for 6lbs 10.7ozs. Mick and Alan also spent their day in the dam area where Mick took his fish on an orange fab and cormorants fished on a ghost tip and di3 lines. Alan took four of his trout on an orange blob fished on a di3. His fifth fish which went to the scales at 4lbs 5ozs was taken on a black blob.
photo:
Neill, Alan and Mick
The last of the semi-finals is at the Lake of Menteith on 29th June.
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Simi-Final No 3 - 26th June 2018
The third of the National semi-finals was held at the Lake of Menteith on 26th June on another hot day. The competitors were faced with a flat calm for most of the day with an occasional light ripple and with only a very thin veil of cloud for cover the temperature climbed as the session progressed.
Thirty seven competitors took part and between them they caught 172 trout with the heaviest going to the scales at 4lbs 6ozs and was caught in Gateside Bay by David Wales of Select FF. The top 14 anglers qualified for the final.
Top rod and winner of the Ridgeline Turbulence Smock provided by our sponsors Ridgeline UK was Gregor Fleming of Bridge of Weir (Loch) AC with 14 trout for 27lbs 7.9ozs. Gregor spent his day between Hotel Bay and International Bay. He took his fish in Hotel Bay on a cat booby and buzzers on a 3ft midge tip and in International Bay he was using two boobies on a 3 sweep.
In second place with 12 trout for 23lbs 13.1ozs was Derek Purves of Bank of Scotland East AC. Derek moved between Cages Bay and the Silage Pit and took his fish on a candy booby and diawl bachs on a midge tip.
Third place went to Derek Pozzi of Thalassa AC with 12 trout for 23lbs 8.9ozs. Derek took his fish at the Malling Shore on a candy booby on a midge tip and in Sandy Bay where he was using grunters.
photo:
Derek Purves, Gregor Fleming and Derek Pozzi
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Semi-Final No 2 - Carron 23rd June 2018
The day started off with a steady westerly. In first place with 23 fish for 24lb 10oz was Arthur MacDonald of SPPM AC fishing a Di 3 and four mini lures. In second place was Ronnie Orr of Milngavie AC with 21 fish for 22lb 7.8oz using a Di 5 with boobies and sparklers and in third place was Stephen Francis of Househillmuir FF with 15 fish for 16lb 7oz using a fast glass with sparkler boobies and blobs.
Arthur MacDonald receives a Ridgeline Turbulence Smock provided by the sponsors Ridgeline UK.
photo:
Stephen, Arthur and Ronnie
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Simi-Final No 1 - Lintrathen 12th June 2018
The National moved from the heats to the semi-finals on 12th June at Lintrathen. The session started off in calm conditions and at the off two boats headed straight across with the remaining 13 heading for the sawmill and dam areas. Half way through the wind picked up slightly with a corresponding drop in temperature but in mid afternoon it turned round 180 deg and dropped to a pleasant breeze.
There were 29 competitors in this semi-final and between them they caught 102 fish for 182lbs 8.4ozs with the largest of them going to the scales at 4lbs. Top rod was local angler Lee Anderson of Lintrathen AC with 16 fish for 25lbs 15.10ozs. Lee started off at the Gravel Bank but having drawn a blank there he moved to the Rhododendron area around noon and remained there for the rest of the day. Lee took his fish on a cat boobby and buzzers fished on a midge tip line.
In second place was Kevin McCable of Change FF AC with 12 fish for 18lbs 13.4ozs. Kevin started at the Dam Wall area where he took 5 fish and later moved to the Rhododendron area about 2pm where he took his remaining 7 fish. Kevin was fishing buzzers on a midge tip line.
In third was Lee's boat partner, Ray Anderson of Leslie & Glenrothes AC, who had 10 fish for 15lbs 14.3ozs. Ray was also using a cat booby and buzzers on a midge tip line.
photo:
Kevin, Lee and Ray
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Heat 10 - 25th May
The last of the National heats was held at Menteith on 25th May and with 46 competitors the top 23 qualified for the semi-finals. Right from the outset the competitors had to contend with bright sunshine with not a cloud in the sky. The wind picked up mid morning and frequently changed direction making it difficult to hold a drift. Many of the competitors got off to a really good start and by the end of the session they caught a total of 241 trout.
Top rod was Fraser Robertson of Canmore with 17 fish. Fraser was fishing a candy and buzzers on a floating line at the Rookery and the Plantation. Ben Robertson of Gilmerton FFC was second with 14 fish which he took on a cat booby and buzzers fished on a floater at the Gravel Pits and Kates Brae. Paul Garner of Alba Orvie FF was third with 1w fish. Paul was fishing a booby and buzzers on a floating line at the Rookery and Cages.
photo:
Ben and Fraser
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Heat 9 - Carron 24th May
The penultimate National heat was held at Carron on 24th May. The day started off overcast and cold with a chilly east wind but with a good number of fish showing between the pier and the dam prospects looked good. Four boats initially started at the dam and willows with the rest heading west. A couple of hours later the cloud thinned and the sun broke through and the remainder of the session was bright with a chilly east breeze.
photo: James, Colin and John
A total of 60 trout were caught by the 16 competitors and the top 8 went through to the semi-finals.
Top rod was John Buchanan of Costa Ecosse who had 5 trout for 6lbs 9.1oz. John was fishing boobies on a di7 in Carron Bay, Burnhouse Bay and the Willows. James Gardiner of Alba Orvis FF was second with 8 trout for 6lbs 5.3ozs which he took on kates, olives and a humongus fished on a di5 and di7 in Bin Bay and Carron Bay. In third was Colin McMonagle of Dunfermlien Railway AC who had 6 trout for 6lbs 3.5ozs which he took at the Willows, Burnhouse Bay and Carron Bay on a white cat and black cat on a 3 sweep.
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Heat 8 - Leven 22nd May
Heat 8 of the National was held at Loch Leven on 22nd May. Conditions were favourable as the competitors set off but a chilly NE wind quickly picked up and put the trout off for most of the day. Eight anglers contested this heat and between them they caught 20 trout which included a beauty of 4lbs 4 ozs (Gordon Hayward) and another of 1lb 9ozs (Paul Donegan). The top four qualified for th sem-finals.
Top rod was Tom Burnett of St Mirin AC with 6 fish for 5lbs 11.75ozs. Tom took his fish at the Scart where he was using two sparklers and a kate on a 7 sweep.
Gordon Hayward of Balfron Piscatorials was second with 3 fish for 4lbs 7.875ozs. His heavy fish was capped at 2.5lbs. Gordon was fishing buzzers on a cortland 15ft tip line at the north buoy. Third place went to the 2017 National Champion Brian Mackenzie of Neilston FF with 5 trout for 4lbs 2.375ozs. Brian took his fish at the Hole 'O' the Inch and the north buoy on mini lures on a di7. The fourth qualifying place went to Paul Donegan of Rowbank AC.
photo: Paul, Tom, Brian and Gordon
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Heat 7 - Harray 20th May
The annual road to qualification for the Scottish International Flyfishing Team began for most Orkney anglers with a heat on Harray Loch last Sunday. The 22 man field was made of 19 local anglers and 3 visitors from across the Firth, with 50% going through to a semi final of their choice at a different venue. The southerly wind which had been up for a couple of days was due to drop substantially on the day, but the timing given by the forecasters was probably going to be too late for good fishing conditions.
The start at 10am was the most bizarre site, in most other years it has been a race to the north end of the loch, but 8 of the 11 boats stopped to fish just outside the site at Ned’s or in the bay at Bochan, with 2 heading for Tormiston and 1 up the loch, and there was me thinking nobody else knew about all the fish at Ned’s! The boats then quickly dispersed on to shallow shoreline drifts, with most fish being found in very shallow water as on previous days. With no weather for buzzer hatches, most fish were feeding on shrimp and small black terrestrials.
The wind blew until about half an hour before the finish, when it dropped to near calm, the flies began to hatch and the fish were up on them like a shot. A few anglers who made the most of it secured qualification in that short time. At the weigh in, it was immediately apparent that it would take a good few fish to qualify. The match was successfully fished on a partial catch and release basis, with a 6 fish kill, then C&R with 12 ounces given for each fish returned.
Top rod on the day was the in-form Sandy McConnachie with 12 fish for a total of 9lb 6ozs, followed closely by regular boat partner Ian Hutcheon who also had 12 for 9lb 3ozs. Leslie Miller in third had a cracking basket of 9 fish for 7lb 12ozs, which included 2 of the heaviest fish of the competition. The other qualifiers in no particular order were, Jim Harcus, Jim Adams, Malcolm Russell, Andrew Morgan, John Munson, Ken Kennedy, Neil Chalmers and Colin Sutherland. Unfortunately the three anglers who travelled north for the competition, Gary Ballantyne, Bill Taylor and Ali Mc Gillivray were all unsuccessful but I hope thus will not deter their return for another attempt next year. The match officials on the day were Raymond Millar and Richard Byers, with Andrew Morgan officiating for SANACC.
photo: Leslie, Ian and Sandy
Tactics were varied but probably evenly split between intermediate lines with small hedge hogs in peach, black, orange or sooty, and pulling with mini lures on a DI3 with the Hulk, White Cat and Merkister Maid popular. Sandy, Ian and Leslie all found success with the hogs, with all the fish being in very shallow water, on the “yellow” stones.
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Heat 6 - Lintrathen - 15th May
Thirty two anglers took part in heat 6 at Lintrathen on 15th May 2018 and the top 16 qualified for the semi-finals. Top rod was Kevin Neri of Raemoir TF with 10 trout. Andrew Barrowman of Granite City FF was second with 4 fish and Derek Pozzi was third with 4 fish.
Kevin was fishing a 6ft sink tip with 2 boobies and 2 buzzers. Andrew Barrowman fishing a floating line and buzzers and Derek Pozzi was fishing a di3 sparkler and 2 cormies.
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It was another cold morning as the competitors arrived at Menteith for heat 5 of the National on Thursday 3rd May. At that time the Lake was flat calm but by the time the briefing had started a cold west wind had picked up and shortly after the rain started.
There were 57 competitors in this heat and between them they caught 315 fish for 693lbs 9.3ozs which included three fish capped at 4lbs and the heaviest going to the scales at 5lbs 14ozs. As the competitors set off 9 boats held back and started fishing the Hotel Bay/Front of the lodge/Shear Point area. Some boats turnd left to head for International Bay, Lochend and the Butts with most of the remainder making for Gateside Bay. Trout were moving freely in most areas and the competitors were using a range of lines with the most popular being midge tips.
Top rod was John Simpson of Caley Liners with 21 trout for 40lbs 12.8ozs. John spent his day at Lochend where he was fishing a candy booby and diawl bachs on a midge tip line.
Tyler Hay of Lintrathen FF was second with 19 trout for 38lbs 2.4ozs. Tyler took his fish in Hotel Bay and Internatonal Bay where he was using diawl bachs, buzzers and a booby on a midge tip. Alan Gilbert of SPRA FFS West was third with 13 trout for 29lbs 5.9ozs. Alan caught his fish with buzzers and a booby fished on a floater at Gateside Bay and the Malling Shore.
The top 29 competitors qualified for the semi-finals. Two competitors were disqualified for returning late.
photo:
Alan, John and Tyler
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Heat 4 - Carron Valley - 1st May 2018
The fourth heat of the National was held at Carron on 1st May and the 23 competitors caught a total of 79 trout for 93lbs 1.1ozs. Most of the competitors had to scrape the ice of their cars before heading to Carron for this heat and with rain and strong winds forecast for the afternoon the prospects were not looking good.
It was cold when the competitors set off at the start of the session and it was apparent that there were mixed opinions on what would be the best drifts. One boat headed over to the Willows while another made for Burnhouse Bay. Two boats headed towards the road shore beyond Gull Island and the rest made for Carron Bay, Puddock Bay and the top dam. It was overcast throughout the day and by mid afternoon the wind picked up a bit and the temperature dropped another couple of degrees.
Many of the competitors struggled but half a dozen of them sussed it out. Top rod was Calum Crosbie of Alba Orvis FF with 12 trout for 12lbs 5ozs. Calum took most of his fish in Burnhouse Bay where he was fishing diawl bachs, buzzers and a booby on a 4ft midge tip.
Ronnie Glass of Kelso AA was second with 9 trout for 10lbs 11.3ozs. Ronnie spent his day in Burnhouse Bay where he was straight lining buzzers on a floating line. Ronnie's boat parner, Les Shaw of Grizzle Cats, was third with 8 trout for 9lbs 12.6ozs. Les took his fish on cormorants and a booby fished on a buzzer line. The top 12 qualified for the semi-finals.
photo:
Ronnie, Les and Calum
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In heat 3 of the National Championship at the Lake of Menteith on 24th April the 64 anglers netted 395 fish with a rod average of 6.2. The cut off weight for qualification was 13lbs 2oz and the average fish weight was 2.3lbs.
All the top 3 rods were in Lochend. Bill Sutherland of Avonbank AC (middle) with 16 fish was fishing a 3ft midge tip at Lochend – twiddling cormorants. 2nd placed Brad Chalmers was at Lochend with a buzzer tip and diawlbachs – also with 16 fish. 3rd placed Stuart Marklow had 14 fish with cormorants and Booby.
photo:
Brad, Bill and Stuart
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Heat 2 - Carron - 19th April 2018
Summer was expected for heat 2 of the National which was held at Carron on 19th April but instead we had overcast skies for most of the day accompanied by a chilly wind. Thirty competitors took part and between them they caught 248 trout for 287lbs 5.2ozs. One trout of 9lbs 3ozs and some estimated to be over 4lbs were caught and the top 15 qualified for the semi-finals. Jimmy Feeney provided a buffet when the competitors came off the water which was appreciated by the competitors
Top rod on the day was Allan McLachlan of Costa Ecosse with 22 trout for 23lbs 6.4ozs. Allan caught his fish at Endrick Bay on cat boobies and cormorants fished on a di7.
In second and third were boat partners Nigel Burns of Crieff FF and Ian Wilson of Clatto & Stratheden AC. They took their fish at the top dam and at Bin Bay. Nigel took most of his trout on a cat and a viva fished on a 5 sweep and had some others around midday on buzzers on a floating line. Ian took his fish on a cat and carron rabbit fished on a 7 sweep.
photo
Ian, Allan and Nigel
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Heat 1 - Lake of Menteith 17th April 2018
The 2018 Scottish National Championship got off to a flying start at the Lake of Menteith on 17th April. The weather forecast was for rain throughout the day with 20mph winds gusting to 40mph and many competitors were anticipating that the heat would be cancelled. However once again the Lake of Menteith benefitted from its sheltered location and although there was a strong south westerly throughout the day the wind never reached the forecast strength and the rain stayed away as well.
photo:
Kevin McCabe, Colin Fairgrieve and Lee Anderson
The top 18 of the 35 competitors qualified for the semi-finals and with a total catch of 403 trout for 845lbs 8.9ozs a good bag was needed to get through.
Top rod was Kevin McCabe of Change FF AC with 39 fish for 78lbs 2.9ozs. Kevin spent the session fishing from Chicken Leg Bay down to the Butts and took all his fish on buzzers and a small booby on a floating line.
Colin Fairgrieve of Earlston AA was second with 21 trout for 45lbs 1.5ozs and Lee Anderson of Lintrathen AC was third with 22 trout for 45lbs 1.1ozs. Both Colin and Lee fished the Butts area drifting out over open water. Colin was using a bobby and cormorants on a midge tip line. Lee was fishing cormorants and a candy booby on a Rio 6.
