Nigel Duncan's fishing round up
Chris Bolton left it late to retain his title in the second running of the Rod and Reel Cup organised by Edinburgh and Lothians Coarse Angling Club on the Inner Snake at Orchill near Auchterarder.
Weather wise, it was a terrific autumnal day, no overnight frost, overcast and next to no wind - a perfect day for fishing. The fish had other thoughts.
Heather Lauriston hooked into a carp of over four pounds in the first ten minutes but, apart from one small perch, that was her day done. Stewart Ritchie bagged a few silver fish on the waggler, then chucked a feeder to his right and caught a 4lb carp and that was his day over. Those silvers made the difference as he beat Heather by one ounce at the weigh in. Chris' big carp came in the final hour of the all-day event and it tipped the scales at 7lb 8oz which was enough to give him victory for the second year running,
Chris Bolton 7lb 8oz; 2.Stewart Ritchie 4lb 9oz; 3. Heather Lauriston 4lb 8oz. Geoff Lowe, Mark Milne, Wayne Henley, Roz Cassidy and Andy Paterson did not weigh in.
The Union Canal has been "on fire" this year according to the founder of a new Facebook page devoted to the water.
Colin Smith fishes regularly with friends and they target different parts of the water. They also cover a lot of ground trying to locate fish and, when they do, they then spend time getting to know the area.
The normal attack is via lures and Colin said they catch plenty of jack pike and perch. On the odd occasion, he added, they dust the deadbait rods down or target roach on the float.
He added: "This year the fishing has been on fire for us. I managed 17 pike in February alone on lures and that was a great start for me."
Small rubber shads fished on three to five gram jig heads seem to work best in the Union and he finds the best tactic is to keep the lures running at mid depth in the shallow water with a slow retrieve. Little jerks on the rod seem to excite the fish going all year and small mepps should not be overlooked.
Colin said: "They work great for pike on bright sunny days. For anyone fishing on the Union Canal, it is important to always use a wire trace as you can be easily bitten off by pike.
"Some unhooking tools, like long nose pliers and wire cutters when fishing with lures, are essential as pike can hammer the lure and take it deep in their mouth."
His advice for those tempted to have a cast is to target areas with weed cover. This offers places for fish to hide but he added: "If I'm being honest, the fish are spread far and wide. Usually, when you find one there are a few not far away."