SANACC

2013 Scottish Club Championship

Sponsored by Angling Active and Speyburn Highland Single Malt Whisky


Semi-Finals

&

Final

Scottish Club Championship Final
Lake of Menteith
27th September 2013

The Scottish Club Championship culminated with the final on Friday 27th September and what a final it turned out to be. Twenty teams of three competitors took to the Lake in very calm conditions which changed very little throughout the day. In a mix of flat calm, light breezes and drizzly rain some competitors mastered the conditions while others found it difficult.

This seasons competition started out with the first heat on the evening of Saturday 4th May and continued through each Saturday night at the Lake of Menteith until the last of the heats on 27th July. 528 anglers in 176 teams took part in these Saturday night heats. The top three teams from each heat plus the overall top placed 4th team then contested the two semi finals held on 23rd and 30th August to produce the top twenty that contested the final.

The Scottish Club Championship Committee wish to thank the competition sponsors, Angling Active, for providing three rods, three reels and three fly lines to the the top three clubs at the final and our new sponsors this year, Speyburn Highland Single Malt Whisky, for providing bottles of Speyburn Highland Single Malt for the top rod and team at each heat and the semi-finals and for providing bottles of Speyburn for each of the team in the final. The Committee also wish to thank Quint, Douglas and Elma at the Lake of Menteith for their help and patience throughout the competition.

The final was fished on a partial catch and release basis with the competitors retaining their first two fish and thereafter being awarded 2lb for each returned fish. Larger fish were capped at 4lb and anglers had to debarb once they had caught their two fish. At total of 359 trout were caught with 117 weighing 351lb 4oz being retained. The retained fish included trout of 5lb 3oz, 6lb, 6lb 2oz and 6lb 8oz.

Wullie Leach, who just the week before had captained the Scottish Team that won the gold medal at the International at the Lake of Menteith, kept up his run of success by captaining Change FF "B" who ran out the clear winners of the Championship with 34 trout for 71lb 13.2 oz. Wullie took 16 fish to his own rod and was the top rod on the day and was joined by Carl Nixon who had 11 and Jim Crawford who had 7.

photo: Change "B"
Carl Nixon, Jim Crawford
and Wullie Leach

The next six teams were only separated by two fish and the placings were to close call before the results were announced. Second place went to Newton Mearns FF with 26 trout for 57lb 13.6oz. Their team of John Buchanan, Billy Dewar and Kenny Hunter had 9 trout, 10 trout and 7 trout each. John was also in that gold medal Scottish team.

Third place went to Alba Orvis FF "A" with 25 fish for 55lb and 0.4oz Their three anglers Paul Garner, Gregor Fleming and David Bonnington had 7, 10 and 8 trout each.

Wullie Leach spent his session in Cages Bay where his set-up was a floating fry and buzzers. Carl was also fishing a floating fry and buzzers and took his fish at Lochend and Cages Bay. Jim took his fish at Lochend where he was fishing a booby and buzzers. Campbell Morgan of Strathleven FF was second highest place individual with 13 fish for 27lb 11.2oz. Campbell started at Lochend but soon moved to the Rookery and took his fish on a booby and buzzers fished on a floating line. Third placed Ralph Irvine of Caley Liners had 13 trout for 27lb 10.8oz and took his fish on a booby and two buzzers fished on a floating line. The heaviest fish was taken by Andy Boylan of Grizzle Cats and weighed 6lb 8oz.

photo:
John Buchanan of
Newton Mearns FF

photo: Alba Orvis "A"
Paul Garner, David Bonnington
and Gregor Fleming

Semi-Final No 2
Friday 30th August

The Scottish Club Championship moved a step closer to the Final following the second of the semi-finals on Friday 30th August. Conditions were considerably different from the week before and although there was still plenty of cloud cover the wind picked up throughout the day and was fairly strong by the time the competitors came off the water. There were rain showers on and off during the session but whatever the weather was throwing at the anglers the fish continued to be active.

Last week only one boat made for the Road Shore at the off with the rest heading west. This week it was apparent that the trout were to be found at various locations around the Lake and when the boats set off roughly half went west, four went to Hotel Bay and the remainder headed along the Road Shore.

There was also a greater variety of lines being used and although some competitors found it hard in the morning there were plenty of good bags being taken. Another superb catch was recorded by the 60 anglers and between them they caught 416 trout for 906lb 8.2oz. 117 of these fish were retained for the scales but the other 299 were returned. A good few large specimens were among the 117 taken to the scales and included trout of 6lb 6oz, 5lb 15oz, 5lb 13oz, 5lb 3oz, 4lb 14oz and 4lb 10oz. Who knows how many of similar sizes were returned.

photo: Change FF AC "B"
Jim Crawford, Carl Nixon and Wullie Leach

Top team on the day and recipients of a bottle of Speyburn Highland Single Malt whisky were Change FF AC "B". Their team of Wullie Leach, Carl Nixon and Jim Crawford recorded 33 fish for 70lb 5.2oz. Wullie took 8 trout for 16lb 14.6oz at Lochend where he was fishing nymphs and crunchers on a floating line. Carl had 14 trout for 30lb 8.8oz which he also took at Lochend with nymphs on a floating line. Jim had 11 trout for 23lb 4oz which he took on a floating line and nymphs at The Plantation and The Gap.

In second place were Newton Mearns FF who also received a bottle of Speyburn. Their team of Kenny Hunter, John Buchanan and Billy Dewar were only beaten by just over a pound with 32 trout for 68lb 15.6oz. Kenny had 9 fish for 20lb 4.2oz, John had 19 fish for 38lb 10oz and Billy had 4 trout for 10lb 1.4oz.

photo: Newton Mearns FF
John Buchanan, Kenny Hunter and Billy Dewar

John Buchanan was the top individual rod on the day and he also received a bottle of Speyburn. John took his fish at International Bay and Cages Bay with the bulk of them coming from Cages Bay. 17 of his fish fell to boobies on a DI3 with one on a cormorant and one on a dry.

In third place were the Alba Orvis "B" team of James Gardener, Ronnie Christie and Calum Crosbie with 30 trout for 64lb 7.4oz. Each of them had 10 fish.

Semi-Final No 1
Friday 23rd August

The Scottish Club Championship resumed at the Lake of Menteith on Friday 23rd August with the first of the two semi-finals. Like the Saturday night heats each of the semi-finals and the final are fished on a partial catch and release basis with the first two trout being retained for the weigh-in with 2lb being awarded for each returned fish. At each of the semi-finals and the final the competitors are required to fish barbless when they start catch and release.

Conditions were near perfect for the first of the semi finals with overcast skies and a light breeze which lasted through most of the day. However the rain arrived mid afternoon and was followed by a flat calm making conditions a bit trickier. The Lake of Menteith has been producing top quality fishing this year and with the trout up and about and sixty of Scotland's top anglers out in search of them it was almost guaranteed that there would be a superb catch. And a superb catch it certainly was with the 60 rods producing 588 trout for 1,225lb 3.6oz. 468 of these were returned.

As the boats set off at 9.30am, 29 of the 30 boats headed west and the competitors set themselves up at various points from the Sam's Point through the Rookery, Cages Bay, Stable Point, Dog Island, Malling Shore, Plantation, Heronry and The Gap. Only one boat initially went to International Bay.

The anglers had mixed views on the best method with dries, blobs, buzzers, nymphs and boobies being tried on mainly floating and midge tip lines. The Strathleven Fly Fishers team opted for dries and spread their three man team of Campbell Morgan, Donald Forbes and Peter Batchelor over the west side of the Lake and took their fish mainly from the Rookery, Cages Bay, Dog Island and The Gap. Campbell was the top rod on the day with 25 fish 50lb 0.4oz while Donald had 15 for 30lb 4.8oz and Peter netted 6 for 13lb 11.4oz.


photo: Strathleven Fly Fishers "A"
Campbell Morgan, Peter Batchelor
and Donald Forbes


Strathleven FF received a bottle of Speyburn Highland Single Malt as the top team and Campbell received an additional bottle of Speyburn as the top individual rod.

A bottle of Speyburn Highland Single Malt also went to the Menteith Ospreys "A" team of Peter Auchterlonie, George Whyte and Ronnie Gilbert who were a close second with 45 fish for 92lb 14.2oz. Peter nettted 17 fish for 34lb 7.6oz, George had 14 trout for 29lb 3oz and Ronnie had 14 trout for 29lb 3.6oz.

photo: Menteith Ospreys "A"
George Whyte and Peter Auchterlonie
(missing Ronnie Gilbert)

The third spot went to the Port Glasgow AC team of David Downie, Archie Blair and Stewart McCabe with 41 fish for 84lb 12.6oz. David had 13 trout for 26lb 11.4oz, Archie had 10 trout for 21lb 7.8oz and Stewart had 18 for 36lb 9.4oz.

The other seven teams to qualify for the final were:- Canmore AC (Forfar), Grizzle Cats "A", Butcher Boy AC "B", Clan Chiefs. Change FF AC "A", Heriot AC "A" and Caley Liners FF "B".

Friday 23rd August
9.30am to 5.30pm

Semi-Final No 1


Clubs

A B C & D AC "A"
Butcher Boy AC "B"
Caley Liners FF "B"
Canmore AC (Forfar)
Change FF AC "A"
Clan Chiefs
Cupar AC
Dows FFC "B"
Drumbowie FF "A"
Earlston AA
Greenock & District AC "B"
Grizzle Cats "A"
Heriot AC "A"
Menteith Ospreys "A"
Port Glasgow AC
Rescobie Loch DA "B"
Rowbank AC
Saturday AC
Strathleven FF "A"
Sunburst AC


Friday 30th August
9.30am to 5.30pm

Semi-Final No 2


Clubs

Alba Orvis "A"
Alba Orvis "B"
Balbeggie AC "B"
Balfron Piscatorials
Blackbull FC
Bridge of Allan 76 AC "A"
Change FF AC "B"
Crieff FF
Dows FFC "A"
Drumbowie FF "B"
Ferry FF
Granite City FF
Heatherfly Fishers
Kelso AA "A"
Kinross AC
Menteith Ospreys "B"
Neilston FF "B"
Newton Mearns FF
Rothes Oak AC
Strathtyrum AC