Winningways
DURING heat three of the Scottish Club Championships three of Scotland’s top trout anglers fished the same type of line, the same flies, and for a while even at the same place.
So why did one catch nearly six times as many as the other two?
Ronnie Gilbert of defending champions Menteith Ospreys is still scratching his head, as are his team mates, George Whyte and Peter Auchterlonie.
Ronnie said: “Perhaps it was the way I was retrieving. But it was just a normal type of retrieve, nothing special.”
He produced 17 cracking rainbows during his hot session at the Lake of Menteith while Peter and George had only three apiece.
Peter made history last year by catching 31 rainbows to his own rod, the biggest individual catch in the long history of the competition.
He said: “George, like me, doesn’t understand it either. The main thing is, we are through to the semi finals.”
The trio have fished together for years, winning the title last year and in 2012.
Before that, while fishing for another team, St Fillans, JOHN Tudhope, above, made the lengthy journey to Newmills Trout Fishery near Brampton in Cumbria hoping for a biggie. And he certainly got one.
This brownie – his biggest ever – tipped the scales at around 15lb and was tempted by a white Cats Whisker.
Congratulations to John, who is from Kilwinning, Ayrshire. He will soon receive details of his prize courtesy of Daiwa, our Fish of the Week sponsor. they were third in 2011 and second in 2010.
The lads were fishing 12ft midge tips armed with two Tequila Blobs on the top dropper and point, with two ordinary black UV Crunchers in between.
The weather was horrible for the 12 competing teams with winds gusting in excesss of 28mph, followed later in the evening by a downpour.
When the wind moderated, fish came on the feed. Thanks to Ronnie’s catch, Menteith Ospreys were first on the night with 23 trout for 48lbs 2oz.
Second went to Inverclyde with 16 trout for 39lbs, and third to Kinross AC with 12 trout for 27lbs 5oz. These teams go forward to the first semi-final on August 21.
The top five rods on the night go to Champion of Champions final on Friday, October, 9. They are:
Ronnie Gilbert, Menteith Ospreys, 17 trout for 34lb 8.4oz; Stuart McLean, Inverclyde, seven trout for 15lb 2oz; Conner Campbell, Kinross, six trout for 13lb 7.6oz; Iain Campbell, Inverclyde, six trout for 13lb 1oz, and Allan Smith, Kinross, five trout 11lb 13.4oz.
A total of 103 trout were caught, the heaviest, a rainbow trout of 5lb 1oz, won Heriot AC’s Bob Allan, a bottle of “Famous Angler” courtesy of Famous Grouse.
The winning team captain and the angler with best catch also received bottles of “Famous Angler”.
The competition is sponsored by Angling Active of Stirling.