The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Angling pals get skates on for rare catch
Two local anglers have made waves in the fishing community with a one-of-a-kind catch off the coast of Arbroath.
Leom Mitchell and Allan Saunders have become overnight celebrities in angling circles after reeling in a common skate while fishing on the Angus coastline.
The common skate, which is similar in shape to a stingray, is the largest of its species in the world and can grow up to 2.85m.
They are usually found in the Atlantic or Mediterranean and are almost unheard of on the east coast of Scotland.
Allan said: “There are certainly a lot of people saying it’s the first time one has ever been caught on the east coast, especially in Angus.
“My p h o n e’s been buzzing with messages all day.
“I was actually buzzing too – I couldn’t sleep until about 4am.
“I’ve been fishing up here for about 20 years and this is certainly the first I’ve ever seen.
“In Arbroath at this time of year it’s mostly cod fishing, so to catch a skate, especially one of that size, is incredible.
“The skate experts I’ve spoken to have said it was probably at least 100lbs.
“I’m on a lot of fishing forums and since I posted the video they’ve all been going mad with so many comments and private messages.”
The skate was first hooked by Leom, with Allan quickly taking the rod and reeling it in.
Allan added: “It was actually Leom who hooked it at first, and I pulled it in.
“It was sort of teamwork. “I managed to get it to my feet but the hook broke and it got away.
“It’s fine, though, because if we had caught it I would have just have had to let it go.
“It was so strong – pulling it in was like pulling a Mini up a hill, and even that might be an understatement.”
Allan believes the catch will bring plenty of other anglers to Angus.
“A lot of people have been saying they’re going to try to come up and catch one,” he said.
“It’s going to be rammed out there tonight, maybe even for a while.”