SANACC

122nd Scottish National Trout Fly Fishing Championship
2014

Sponsored by Ridgeline UK
&
Glen Garioch

Final

The 122nd Scottish National Trout Fly Fishing Championship came to a conclusion on Saturday 27th September 2014 at the Lake of Menteith. The Championship started this year on 22nd April at the lake of Menteith and the 381 anglers that took part had to win through the heats and semi-finals that were held on Carron Valley Fishery, Loch of Harray, Loch Leven, Lintrathen Reservoir and the Lake of Menteith.

The Championship was sponsored for the second year by Ridgeline Uk who provided Ridgeline Euro 11 Torrent Jackets to the winners of the semi-finals along with a Monsoon Smock Coat and Roar Trousers to the National Champion, a Recoil Jacket to the runner-up a Pintail Smock Jacket to the third and a Ridgeline Trooper Rucksack to the captor of the heaviest fish in the final.

The Championship was also sponsored this year by Glen Garioch who provided a bottle of Glen Garioch 1797 Founder's Reserve single malt whisky to the winner and runner-up in each of the heats and to the second and third placed in each of the semi-finals. At the final Glen Garioch gave a bottle of their Founder's Reserve malt whisky to each of the boatmen and to the piper who piped off the competitors at the start.

The SANACC Committee wish to thank Ridgeline Uk and Glen Garioch for the support that they have provided this year. The Committee also wish to thank the boatmen who gave up their Saturday to accompany the competitors in the boats, Stewart Marshall who piped off the competitors, Ian and Eleanor Campbell who recorded the weigh-in, Wendy Mitchell for doing the buffet, OTFA who organised the heat on Loch of Harray and the staff at all of the fisheries for their patience and help throughout the season.

the boatmen and piper, Stewart Marshall, with their Glen Garioch malt whisky

photo left:
semi-final winners with
Nigel Winkle of sponsors
Ridgeline UK

photo right:
piper Stewart Marshall

Ronnie Gilbert of Menteith Ospreys is the 2014 Scottish National Champion after gaining a narrow victory over Paul Garner of Alba Orvis. Ronnie, who was winning the Championship for the second time, had 16 fish for 34lbs 15ozs while Paul had 16 fish for 32lbs 12.2ozs. Campbell Morgan of Strathleven FF was third with 14 fish for 32lbs 13.8ozs. A total of 476 fish were caught which with 2lb being awarded for each returned fish gave a weight of 1037lb 10.8ozs. The top 21 competitors qualified for a place in the 2015 international teams going to Rutland and the Lake of Menteith.

There was not a lot in it at the end of the day with the 4th, Allan Smith of Kinross AC, 5th Alan Porteous of Frozen North AC and 6th Alan Gilbert of SPRA West also having 14 fish. One competitor (George Whyte) had 13 fish; three competitors had 12 fish; 5 had 11 fish, 2 had 10 fish and 8 had 9 fish.

photo: Ronnie receiving the trophy from Nigel Winkle of sponsors Ridgeline UK

photo: top left
Paul Garner

photo: top right
Campbell Morgan


The heaviest fish was caught by Tom McBride of Good Companions AC and weighed 7lb 8.4oz. Tom caught it in Cages Bay with a tequila blob fished on a midge tip line.

photo:
Tom receiving the Dundee Salver from
Nigel Winkle of Ridgeline UK

Ronnie Gilbert (2015 National Champion)
Menteith Ospreys

I have been fishing since I was 6 years old and and I tie all my own flies. I got into competition fishing through a local club, Thack A.C and this year I fished in the Scottish Club Championship with Menteith Osprey's which we won. I have also fished the Anglian Water with Menteith Osprey's.

I have entered the National quite a few times. I won the National in 2008; I was 12th or 13th in 2009 and came 3rd in 2010. I qualified for my first cap in 2006 when someone pulled out.

For the National this year I had one practice day before my heat and semi final.

On the day of the final my tactics were to fish the quieter water. I started off in front of the boats where I pulled a couple of fish and my boat partner caught one. Things went quiet so we moved round to International Bay which is where I moved to a six foot fast tip and on the first drift caught 3 fish. We then proceeded to zig zag in and out the road shore. At 1pm I had 8 fish. I then accidentally caught my line around the engine. After a short delay I carried on fishing the same area with a six foot slow tip catching another 7 fish. I went back to the front of the boats for the last ten minutes and caught my last fish there.

Paul Garner (2nd)
Alba Orvis FF

I was introduced to Fishing at the age of 8 by my brother Tom through Denny & District A.C. Then at a more serious level by my long-term friend Gordon McGregor who sadly passed away recently (thanks for the fritz that caught 12 of my 16 Poacher). I tie my own flies.

My competitions this season were the Lexus team- qualified for the final at Rutland (couldn't fish the final as I was in Iceland fishing); Scottish clubs- Final; Carron Masters- Final (couldn't fish still in Iceland) and Anglian water- Badly

What were your previous placings in National: I qualified at Leven in 2005 when I was 18th. Numerous attempts at Lake of Menteith I can't recall the placings but not too good!

How many practice days did you put in before the heat and the final: Before semi- 2 one with Ronnie Glass, one with Davie Bonnington and for the final- 3 Sunday, Thursday and Friday

What made you choose your heat and semi-final venues: Heat- the Lake of Menteith because I've worked there as part-time boatman(extremely part-time according to Quint)
Semi- Carron as I stay only 5 miles away and have fished it since I was a young lad.
I also rate both these waters as 2 of the best venues in Scotland where you need to adapt your method daily.

How did you approach the final: My approach to the final was pretty disrupted as I was extremely busy in the weeks before so I couldn't build up a picture and had to rely on my practice in the week of the final. This proved sufficient and thanks go out to my three practice partners Mick Tait, Kenny Heenan and Gordon Sneddon.

On the morning of the Final conditions were relatively calm and overcast, a total change to what I had practised in!. I set-up to fish floating line tactics but just before the start the wind began to freshen and I decided to totally change and went out to pull, which had worked the previous afternoon, for the first hour and see what happened from then. Ian Wilson, my boat partner, was quite happy for me to lead the way so we headed to Gateside Bay. Some boats arrived before us and set-up their drifts so we had to settle for a couple of short drifts. I picked up a fish relatively early but having watched the other boats get a few we decided to head for the Rookery area.

By now the wind was picking-up which was perfect for my tactics and the fish were taking steadily right down to Hotel Bay. I was getting steady action and went 9-3 up on Ian. The 3 fish I killed were probably my 3 smallest of the day and my 5th fish was a fin perfect 5-6lber. I broke out on three fish, one of which was due to me ignoring a small tangle on my top dropper!!!!!!!!. I had numerous takes follows and lost fish in play but also a bit of luck when Willie Leach managed to net one which had lassoed itself around the drogue rope!

The last hour proved fruitless but all in all a great days fishing and great that both Ian and myself managed to qualify.

Alan Porteous (5th)
Frozen North AC

My father introduced me to worm fishing when I was about 8 years old and fly fishing when I about 12. The lochs and river in Caithness are full of fish so it was a pretty good area to get me hooked.

My father was instrumental in getting me into competition fishing and he would sit patiently in the boat while my brother Kevin and I would compete in the local Dounreay Fly Fishing Competitions. In our early teens success came fairly quickly at a local level despite competing against seasoned anglers.

I am a member of Dounreay Fly Fishing Assoc. and Frozen North Angling Club. Both clubs are fantastic. The DFFA is a well very well run club mainly down to the hard work of our secretary Bill Robertson. The DFFA's main aim is to provide its members with quality boats on as many Caithness lochs as possible. FNAC is a smaller club more focused on competition angling.

I have not fished many local competitions in 2014 due to time commitments. I represented Frozen North in the RBL Charity Competition and finished in Top individual with Frozen North team coming in second position. I only managed to fish Three Dounreay Fly Fishing competitions and managed to win one. Frozen north entered the Lexus 6 man Team event and finished as Scottish heat winners with myself in individual 3rd position and we managed 9th position at the Rutland final which was a little disappointing as we were sitting in 3rd at the end of day 1.

I have tied flies since I was 13 and love the fact that I can fish with my own creations.

In 2014 I finished 13th in my National heat at Carron Valley, 2nd at the Semi-final at the Lake and now 5th in the final. 2015 will see me attain my 5th Cap.

Practice is vital for me as it's the only time I fish the waters apart from the competitions. The Caithness contingent always practices together, usually for two days before each match. We share flies, tactics and areas as we are always up against it as we are fishing waters and tactics very different from home, but this fact seems to unite us and results seem to show that it is working.

Carron Valley was chosen as the venue for our National heat. We love a trip to Carron and its great catching a mix of Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout especially when dry fly is working. For our semi-final, Lake of Menteith was chosen as we all relish a trip to the lake as fishing is usually great.

On the lead up to the final I gathered as much info about the lake as possible, I have a couple of fiends who are on the lake regularly and are kind enough to keep me up to date with areas and tactics. Over the years we have built up an array of patterns that work for me, so I tend to stick to my own patterns.

James Bews the current OTFA champion and I practiced together for both days on the lead up to the final. James and I both fish for Frozen North Angling Club so it was nice to enjoy the couple of days before the final out fishing with a mate, as well as a good angler. Practice was a bit all over the shop with everything catching fish from the floater to the di5 sweep. What was apparent was that there were fish spread pretty much over most of the Lake.

On match day I was paired with Andy Dunn and we had David Bertram as our boatman, Andy and I had caught in the same areas in practice so headed for Gateside Bay. Andy landed a fish with his first cast and received a cheer from some of his pals for doing so. Gateside was not fishing that well early in the match so we bounced around and covered the water from the Malling to Shear Point picking up the odd fish up in most areas. We both changed tactics to suit the conditions and picked up fish close to the surface and a little deeper down. With David doing an excellent job as boatman, good banter in the boat and a steady stream of fish coming to the net it proved to be a memorable day on the lake.

I would like to thank all the SANACC committee and officials, as the national championship is a great event to enter and I will be immensely proud wearing the Scottish uniform again next season.

Alan Gilbert (6th)
SPRA FFS West

I started fishing locally on the Clyde as a boy and in 1999 I joined the SPRA angling section and began competing in their league. My fishing has been very limited this season due to the arrival of a new baby in May and this is the first year that I qualified for the final of the National. I won the Stillwater national in 2013 and was member of gold winning Stillwater team at the home international at lochter October 2013.

Choosing venues for heats and semi was down to trying to work dates around time off work but the lake and carron are two of my favourite lochs. I Didn't do any practice days for heat or semi and could only manage one practice day for final.

My practice day for the final was in terrible weather but I did manage to establish the colours the fish were wanting. On match day it was a bit down to being lucky enough to find a shoal of fish which were taking nearly all day. No one else came to the exact same drift at the road shore.

Initially I fished an intermediate line but got I few fish just when the fly hit the water so came up onto a midge tip. I didn't change patterns or style all day. I had two double hook ups both of which broke my line. I was snapped a further three times with ferocious takes. I had hits all day and got my last fish on my very last cast. Very exciting and enjoyable days fishing made even better by a very professional boatman and pleasant boat partner.

Tyler Hay (7th)
Lintrathen FF

I stared fishing when I was about 5 and later my friend Chris Mcallister said I should try to get into the Scotland youth team which I did and got 2 youth caps.

This year I fished the Lexus fly fishing championship team heat in Scotland at the lake of menteith. I was top individual rod on the day and my team was 3rd and we went down to fish the final in rutland where we were 11th. I bagged up on the first day with 12 and on the second I had 8.

I chose Menteith for my heat and Lintrathen for my semi mainly because Lintrathen was closer for me and I could practice more. I had two days practice on each. I was 5th in my heat and 4th in my semi.

On the day of the final I went out fishing a washing line with a midge tip. I managed to get the engine from my boat partner so I headed up to the cages where my boat partner got 1. We moved from there and as I knew there had been feeding fish up at mailing I went up there and stayed there until 3. I left there with 7 and my boat partner had 4. I went back to cages and took another 3 then took 2 fish working our way back in.

George Whyte (9th)
Crieff FF

I didn't start fishing until 2001 at the age of 21 when Dave Wallace took me out on Loch Leven. I progressed from fishing club outings/comps and doing well enough in them to qualify to fish the National and the Scottish Clubs

We won the Scottish Club Championship this year fishing for the Menteith Ospreys. We also fished the Airflo Anglian Water Scottish evening final in which I was the top rod. I finished third in the National final in 2005 and also made the final in 2004 and 2007.

I tie my own flies but don't claim to be the best!

I practiced a few weekends leading up to my heat at Lintrathen and also the day before it. For the semi I had a day with team mate Ronnie Gilbert the week before as he was in the first semi at the lake and on the day before my semi I went out with other team mate Peter Auchterlonie.

For the final I practiced the Thurs and Fri with Osprey team mates Campbell Morgan and Stevie O' Neill and we found areas and methods that were working for us. It was a case of it all comming together on the Final.

On the day of the final I was drawn with Stuart Marklow and we agreed to head to the cages first and take it from there. Our first drift was across the bay. I didn't get my first offer till we were half way over but it was very tentative and didn't stick. We drifted right down to the opposite end which proved to be fruitless. I changed to a fast glass and I got a fish within minutes of changing and I dropped one just after which jumped a few time at the side of the boat before throughing the hook! My second fish came a few casts later. I was then broken by a double header shortly after then the offers dried up so we agreed to head further up the Lake. I changed back to the midge tip and landed 4. Around 2 o clock we headed down to the corner of sandy bay where we both had fish in our practice days. We gave it a couple of drifts after which Stuart had an offer and got broken but with no fish landed so we decided to give the road shore a look and if we weren't happy we would head back to the cadges and fish it out there. This is what happened amd we ended back up back at the cages. I managed to catch another 7 trout in the last couple of hours finishing with 13.

Sem-Final No 6
Lake of Menteith 4th July

The last of our semi-finals was at the Lake of Menteith on Friday 4th July and with the weather forecasts predicting torrential rain and winds gusting to 30mph it was looking like being a very unpleasant day. On the day it did rain almost constantly from 11am until the weigh-in but was not the torrential rain that was forecast. The wind blew fairly steadily from the southwest but fortunately did not reach the strength that was expected. All in all it was a good fishing day.

Forty one competitors took part of which the top 13 progressed to the final on 27th September. A total of 342 trout were caught of which one was 5lb 13oz. The cut-off point was 10 trout for 22lb 6.8oz

Top rod and winner of the Ridgeline Euro II Torrent Jacket provided by sponsors Ridgeline UK was Nigel Burns of Crieff FF. Nigel spent his day at Cages Bay and the Malling Shore and took his fish on diawl bachs and boobies on a midge tip line. His catch was 16 fish for 32lb 11.4oz.

Second spot went to Frozen North AC angler Alan Porteous with 16 trout for 32lb 8.2oz and earned him a bottle of 12 year old Glen Garioch malt whisky provided by sponsors Glen Garioch. Alan took his fish on dabblers and a candy booby on a slow glass line. Alan spent his day fishing between Hotel Bay and Shear point.

In third place was SPRA FFS West angler Alan Hill with 15 trout for 31lb 0.8oz who also received a bottle of 12 year Glen Garioch malt whisky. Alan took his fish in Cages Bay where he was fishing fabs and nymphs on a floating line.

photo
Alan Porteous, Nigel Burns and Alan Hill

Semi-Final No 5 - Carron Valley Fishery 1st July


The sun shone relentlessly on the 32 anglers who contested the semi-final at Carron on 1st July. In what was one of the warmest days of the year the fishing was never going to be easy but as usual some competitors worked out what was required. A total of 125 trout were caught of which one was over 5lbs and two were over 4lbs.

Carron has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Stanley & District AC angler, Scott Miller, who in 2013 won his semi-final there with 7 trout and this year his 9 trout for 11lb 14.5oz was good enough to secure another semi-final win. Scott is building up a collection Ridgeline coats and to add to the Ridgeline smock coat he won last year he received the Ridgeline Euro II Torrent jacket this year. Scott took his fish on two fabs fished on a floating line at the Dam.

In second was Graeme Methven of Cupar AC with 12 trout for 11lb 4 oz. Graeme took his fish at Thirty Minute Bay and Carron Bay on buzzers and dries. Graeme received a bottle of 12 year old Glen Garioch malt whisky provided by sponsors Glen Garioch.

Third place went to Bradley Chalmers of Granite City with 9 trout for 9lb 13oz. Bradley took his fish in the deeper water between the dam and Gull Island on a ginger crippled midge. Bradley also received a bottle of 12 year old Glen Garioch malt whisky.

The top 10 competitors qualified for the final and they include Shetland angler David McMillan who is in the National for the first time.

There were five competitors from Shetland and Caithness, including David's dad, in this semi-final but unfortunately David was the only one to get through.

The last of the semi-finals is at the Lake of menteith on Friday 4th July.

photo:
Graeme, Scott and Bradley

Semi-Final No 4
Lake of Menteith 27th June

The first of the two sem-finals at the Lake of Menteith was held on 27th June and with 37 competitors the top 12 progressed to the final. Conditions were overcast throughout the day with an easterly breeze that put a chill in the air. The recent hot weather has raised the water temperature at Menteith and although some competitors reported seeing numerous rising fish the majority saw few risers or hatching flies. However the trout were still to be found high in the water.

At the off, all boats headed straight down the Lake with about half heading for Cages Bay and the other half spreading out from Sandy Bay through the Heronry to the Malling Shore. At the weigh-in the competitors recorded a total of 294 trout caught with 188 being released. It required a minimum catch of 20lb 11oz to qualify for the final and there were many competitors with 9 and 10 fish who with a little bit of luck would have made the cut-off. The top rod on the day was presented with a Ridgeline Euro II Torrent jacket from sponsors Ridgeline UK while the second and third each received a bottle of 12 year old Glen Garioch single malt whisky from sponsors Glen Garioch.

Top rod was Gus Armour of Loanhead & District AC who recorded 15 fish for 31lb 6oz. Gus started off at Sandy Bay where he fished a cat booby on a fast glass line and in the afternoon he changed to dries and moved over to Cages Bay where he he took his fish on an owl. Roughly half of his fish were taken at each location.

In second place was Ronnie Gilbert of Menteith Ospreys with 14 fish for 29lb 8.8oz. Ronnie took all his fish in Cages Bay on diawl bachs and a stevie may fished on a fast midge tip. Ronnie also collected a bottle of Glen Garioch that he had won in the heats.

Third place went to Tom Burnett of St Mirin AC with 14 fish for 27lb 12oz. Tom took his fish in Sandy Bay, Rookery and Cages Bay initially on boobies and nympths on a midge tip and later changed to dries.

photo
Ronnie, Gus and Tom

The semi-finals move to Carron on 1st July before returning to Menteith for the last of our semis on 4th July.

Semi-Final No3
Loch Leven - 20th June 2014

The 12 competitors who had opted for the semi-final at Loch Leven on 20th June were faced with a hot sunny day with a light breeze in the morning that picked up to a light easterly wind in mid afternoon. It had been hard at Leven during the practice days and that continued through to competition day. Most of the competitors contacted fish but found them either hard to hook or hard to hold onto. Four of the competitors caught a trout and each of them qualified for the final.

Top rod was Allan Smith of Kinrosss AC with a trout of 2lb 5oz. Allan was on buzzers for most of the day and caught his fish at the East Buoy. Allan received a Ridgeline Euro II Torrent jacket provided by sponsors Ridgeline UK to the winners of each sem-final.

The second and third placed competitors were in the same boat and each received a bottle of of 12 year old Glen Garioch malt whisky provided by sponsors Glen Garioch. Ian Wilson of Clatto and Stratheden was second with a trout of 2lb 2oz and Steven O'Neill of Menteith Ospreys was third with a trout of 1lb 15oz. Both trout were caught on buzzers at the Reed Bower.

The fourth qualifying place went to P J Macintosh of Baddenoch AA who had a trout of 11oz. P J's fish was taken on a claret snatcher on a Di7 at the Bower.

photo:
Steve, Allan, Ian and P J

The next semi-final is at the Lake of Menteith on Friday 27th June.

Semi-Final No 2
Carron Valley - 19th June


The second of our semi-finals was held at Carron on Thursday 19th June. It was a very hot day with only the occasional patch of wispy cloud giving some respite. The breeze was mainly westerly and was very light for most of the day. There were a fair amount of fish showing around the harbour area and out towards the dam before the start and at the off half a dozen boats remained in that area while the others headed towards the bays and the top end.

The competitors found it very hard in the morning however as the day wore on and the temperature rose the trout were a touch more willing. There were 29 competitors in this semi and the top 9 qualified for the final. A total of 114 trout for 117lb 12oz were caught.

Top rod on the day was Jim McBride of Lothian and Borders Police AC with 13 fish for 12lb 12oz. Jim received a Ridgeline Euro II Torrent jacket provided by sponsors Ridgeline UK for the winners of each sem-final. Jim took all of his fish in Burnhouse Bay and in the morning his most successful fly was a diawl bach but in the afternoon it was his dries that did the damage.

In second place was Alan Gilbert of SPRAA FFS West with 9 trout for 8lb 10oz. Alan received a bottle of 12 year old Glen Garioch malt whisky provided by sponsors Glen Garioch for the second and third placed competitor in each semi-final. Alan never had a fish in the morning and took all of his on a yellow owl at the top dam in the afternoon.

In third place was John Simpson of Caley Liners FF with 6 trout for 7lb 8oz. John also received a bottle of 12 year old Glen Garioch malt. John took all his fish at the top dam on a mix of buzzers and dries.

Barrie Dexter of Sharp Gentles FTC and David Coyle of Bridge of Weir (Loch ) AC both qualified for the final at their first attempt at the National. Barrie was 6th with 6 fish and David was eighth with 4 fish.

photo:
John, Jim and Alan

The semi-finals move to Loch Leven on Friday 20th June for the third semi.

Semi Final No 1 - Lintrathen 17th June

The semi-finals got underway at Lintrathen on Tuesday 17th June and the first of the finalists can now start preparing for 27th September. With 35 of the original 38 competitors setting out at 10am the top 11 qualified for the final. It was a very warm day with a mix of sun and showers.

Top rod was Derek Marklow of Loanhead & District AC with 7 fish for 11lb 5oz. Derek was fishing a white booby and diawl bachs on a ghost tip line and took his fish on a slow fig 8 at the sawmill. Derek received a Ridgeline Torrent Euro II jacket provided by sponsors Ridgeline UK.

In second place with 6 fish for 9lb 12 oz was Ben Robertson of West Lothian FD. Ben was fishing a cat booby and blobs on a midge tip line using a slow fig 8 retrieve at the sawmill. This is the first time that Ben has fished the National and he is now on route to the final. Ben received a bottle of Glen Garioch malt whisky provided by sponsors Glen Garioch.

In third place was Steven Mullin of Pitlochry AC with 5 fish for 9lb 10oz. Steven was also fishing a midge tip line at the sawmill with a slow fig 8 retrieve. He was using a cat booby and cormorants. Steven received a bottle of Glen Garioch malt whisky provided by sponsors Glen Garioch.

The father and son run of success continued in the semi-finals when Stuart Marklow joined his father Derek to go through to the final. Stuart had three good rainbows that went to the scales at 7lb 6oz earning him 7th place.
photo:



Ben, Derek and Steven
with their prizes provide by Ridgleine UK and Glen Garioch