2024 Scottish Club Championship - SANACC

The weather held fair for the final of the Scottish Club Championship with the competitors heading out to a bright day with a chilly northerly breeze.  There was occasional cloud cover with some light showers and generally the wind was light throughout the day.  The match was fished to a two fish kill per angler followed by catch and release.  Two pound was awarded for each returned fish and heavier trout were capped at 4lb.  Numerous trout over 4lb were caught with a few over 5lb also brought to the scales.

Twenty teams of three anglers were in the final having qualified through the May to July Saturday night heats and the two August semi-finals.  The 60 anglers caught a total of 271 trout of which 158 were returned.

The presentation dinner was held this year in the Karma Lake of Menteith Hotel and all the anglers that attended the dinner received a Glencairn Crystal whisky glass. A raffle was held at the dinner which raised £549 which will go to the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity.

The second of the Scottish Club Championship semi-finals was held on Friday 16th August and once again there was a strong wind for most of the day.  The feature of the day was the number of large trout that were netted.  Three fish over 6lbs were brought to the scales along with twelve over 5 lbs and twenty three over 4lbs.  Top individual rod was Alan Steven of Tartan Tyers with 16 fish for 33lb 10oz.  Tyler Hay, also of Tartan Tyers had 14.  There were 20 teams in the semi and the top ten teams qualified for the final.  

The Tartan Tyers took their fish on midge tip lines with cormorants and fabs in Cages Bay.

The first of the Scottish Club Championship semi-finals was held on Friday 9th August and the competitors had to put up with a strong wind for most of the day.  However that didn't stop Joseph Wood of Albacats and Nigel Burns of FNF Falcons from netting 14 trout each.  Brad Gair of Balfron Piscatorials had 13 and Brian Kennedy of Glasgow PO, Chris Tamburrinni of Central Belters, Calum Clark of Firecats and Sam Harrison of Balfron Piscatorials had 11 each.  There were 20 teams in the semi and the top ten teams qualified for the final.  

The last of the Scottish Club Championship Saturday nights was on 13th July. Ten teams took part and the 30 anglers caught a total of 59 trout for 156lb 7.2oz.  The heaviest fish of the night weighed 5lb 12.2oz and was caught by Donald Gillies of SPPM "A"

Top club was SPPM  "A" with a total of 13 fish for 32lb 0.2oz.  SPPM were represented by Ali MacGillivray (3 trout), Douglas Fairbairn (7 trout) and Donald Gillies (3 trout).  Each of them received a pack of flies provided by My Fishing Flies and the team received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

In second place with 12 trout for 26lb 1.4oz was Tartan Tyers  "A".  They were represented by Andrew McAdam (2 trout), Alan Steven (6 trout) and Scott Aitken (4 trout).  In third place, represented by Ally Middlemass (3 trout), Angus Robertson (3 trout) and Dale Robertson (3 trout) were Lochan Dubh "A" with a total of 9 trout for 25lb 4.5oz.  The fourth place went to Phoenix AC "A" with a total of 9 trout for 20lb 13.1oz.  They were represented by Neil Cockburni (6 trout), Graham Faulds and John Bennet (3 trout).  These four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

Nine teams took part in heat 9 of the clubs championship and the 27 anglers caught a total of 90 trout for 227lb 13.7oz.  The heaviest fish of the night weighed 4lb 15.2oz and was caught by Michael Craig of Brechin AC "B"

Top club was Strathleven FF  "A" with a total of 26 fish for 58lb 10.9oz.  Strathleven were represented by Mark Tweedie (14 trout), Dennis Splaine (7 trout) and Stan  Moore (5 trout).  Each of them received a pack of flies provided by My Fishing Flies and the team received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

In second place with 11 trout for 28lb 0.8oz was Brechin AC  "B".  They were represented by Mark McCrum (4 trout), Calum Wilson (2 trout) and Michael Craig (5 trout).  In third place, represented by Ian Watson, Mike McKenna (3 trout) and Alan Smith (7 trout) were Aberdour AA "A" with a total of 10 trout for 25lb 5.3oz.  The fourth place went to Priory AC "A" with a total of 8 trout for 22lb 4.5oz.  They were represented by Kenny Sichi (3 trout), Paul Clarke (2 trout) and Tony Morton (3 trout).  These four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

Top individual rod, Mark Tweedie and his Strathleven team took their fish at the Malling Shore and Cages with twiddling fabs, boobies and blobs being their mot successful method.

1. Mark Tweedie of Strahleven FF with 14 trout for 31lb 4.3oz

2. Ian Wilson of Rosyth CSSC with 8 trout for 17lb 7oz

3. Alan Smith of Aberdour AA with 7 trout for 15lb 13oz

4. Dennis Splaine of Strathleven FF with 7 trout for 15lb 10.3oz

5. Michael Craig of Brechin AC with 5 trout for 14lb

6. David Wales of Select FF with 6 trout 13lb 11.9oz

photo from left:

Dennis Splaine, Stan Moore and Mark Tweedie

Nine teams took part in heat 8 of the clubs championship and the 27 anglers caught a total of 140 trout for 327lb 11oz.  The heaviest fish of the night weighed 5lb 5.8oz and was caught by Ronnie Ganley of West Coast FFC.

Top club were the 2022 champions RAF Fish Hawks  "A" with a total of 38 fish for 80lb 14.5oz.  The Fish Hawks were represented by David Eames (13 trout), Simon Gaines (17 trout) and Leighton Davies(8 trout).  Each of them received a pack of flies provided by My Fishing Flies and the team received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

In second place with 25 trout for 54lb 1.2oz was Costa Ecosse "A".  They were represented by John Buchanan (2 trout), Murray Hunter (8 trout) and Angus Armour (15 trout).  In third place, represented by Gary Ormiston (10 trout), Wullie Simpson (9 trout) and Paul Cushnie (2 trout) were Rothes Oak  AC "A" with a total of 21 trout for 48lb 15.1oz.  The fourth place went to Bridge of Allan 76 AC "A" with a total of 16 trout for 37lb 12.1oz.  They were represented by Peter Shepherd (10 trout), Alex Galloway (2 trout) and Roy Thomson (4 trout).  These four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

Top individual rod, Simon Gaines, and his boat partner Wullie Simpson took their fish in Cages Bay fishing mainly from the burn mouth to Rookery Point

1. Simon Gaines of RAF Fish Hawks with 17 fish for 35lb 6.2oz

2. Angus Armour of Costa Ecosse with 15 fish for 31lb 15.4oz

3. David Eames of RAF Fish Hawks with 13 fish for 27lb 6.2oz

4. Peter Shepherd of Bridge of Allan 76 with 10 fish for 23lb 6.4oz

5. Gary Ormiston of Rothes Oak with 10 fish for 21lb 11oz

6. Wullie Simpson of Rothes Oak with 9 fish for 21lb 8.2oz

Nine teams took part in heat 7 of the clubs championship and the 27 anglers caught a total of 83 trout for 206b 7.6oz.  The heaviest fish of the night weighed 5lb 3.1oz and was caught by Stephen Robertson of Hawick AC.

Top club was Kelso AA "A" with a total of 16 fish for 35lb 5.5oz.  Kelso were represented by Mick Tait (8 trout), Neil Jones (3 trout) and Ronnie Glass (5 trout).  Each of them received a pack of flies provided by My Fishing Flies and the team received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

In second place with 14 trout for 33lb 4oz was Stirling Castle AC "A".  They were represented by Bill Ramage (8 trout), David Downie (5 trout) and Jim Milne (1 trout).  In third place, represented by Paul Wilson (4 trout), Laurie Taylor (2 trout) and Donald Stewart (8 trout) were Bothwell & Blantyre AC "A" with a total of 14 trout for 31lb 14.3oz.  The fourth place went to Aberdeen & District AA "A" with a total of 9 trout for 24lb 10.6oz.  They were represented by Paul Toseland (1 trout), Ernie Mackay (3 trout) and Stewart Howie (5 trout).  These four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

Kelso took their fish on dries at the Malling Shore and Cages Bay.

1. Bill Ramage of Sirling Castle with 8 fish for 18lb 9.8oz

2. Mick Tait of Kelso with 8 for 17lb 11.5oz

3. Donald Stewart of Bothwell & Blantyre with 8 fish for 17lb 6.9oz

4. Graham Dempster of East Kilbride with 6 fish for 13lb 9.3oz

5. Stewart Howie of Aberdeen & District with 5 fish for 12lb 3.6oz

6. David Downie of Stirling Castle with 5 fish for 11lb 5.3oz

Nine teams took part in heat 6 of the clubs championship and the 27 anglers caught a total of 102 trout for 230lb 1.4oz.  The heaviest fish of the night weighed 4lb 2.9oz and was caught by Billy Brown of Dumfries & Galloway Police AC.

Top club was Saltire FF "A" with a total of 22 fish for 47lb 14.5oz.  The Saltires were represented by Derek Keenan (10 trout), Colin Macdonald (11 trout) and Ian Muir (1 trout).  Each of them received a pack of flies provided by My Fishing Flies and the team received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

In second place with 20 trout for 44lb 10.3oz was Select FF "B".  They were represented by Brian Fletcher (9 trout), Davie Couper (7 trout) and Stuart Lindsay (4 trout).  In third place, represented by Andy Gray (6 trout), Mario Fionda (6 trout) and Barry Lennon (3 trout) were Harelaw FF "A" with a total of 15 trout for 32lb 3.4oz.  The fourth place went to Tweed Valley Tanglers "A" with a total of 11 trout for 25lb 1oz.  They were represented by Davie Wright (3 trout), Douglas Scott (3 trout) and Keith Renton (5 trout).  These four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

1. Colin Macdonald of Saltire FF with 11 fish for 23lb 3.3oz

2. Derek Keenan of Saltire FF with 10 fish for 21lb 11.3oz

3. Brian Fletcher of Select FF with 9 fish for 18lb 5oz

4. Davie Couper of Select FF with 7 fish for 17lb 13.3oz

5. Peter Allan of Black Bull FFC with 6 fish for 14lb 5.8oz

6. Andy Gray of Harelaw FF with 6 fish for 12lb 5.6oz

photo from left

Colin Macdonald, Derek Keenan and Ian Muir

Twelve teams took part in heat 5 of the clubs championship and the 36 anglers caught a total of 164 trout for 368lb 10oz.  The heaviest fish of the night weighed 5lb 11.2oz and was caught by Derek Halliday of Kelso AA.  There were two fish over 5lb and four fish over 4llb weighed in.   It was a cold and breezy night with occasional showers and the wind eased through the evening.

Top club was Balfron Piscatorials  "A" with a total of 28 fish for 61lb 7.9oz.  Balfron were represented by Gordon Hayward (10 trout), Bob Robertson (9 trout) and Bradie Heggie (9 trout).  Each of them received a pack of flies provided by My Fishing Flies and the team received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

In second place with 20 trout for 43lb 4.4oz was Leslie & Glenrothes AC "A".  They were represented by Neil Duff (5 trout), Stevie Anderson (6 trout) and Will Barnett (9 trout).  In third place, represented by Jamie McLeary(4 trout), William Davidson (9 trout) and George Charters (5 trout) were Black Bull FFC with a total of 18 trout for 37lb 10.8oz.  The fourth place went to Balbeggie AC "A" with a total of 15 trout for 37lb 4.1oz.  They were represented by Mick Tarbet (5 trout), Jim Mackie(5 trout) and Scott Bowdler (5 trout).  These four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

1. Gordon Hayward of Balfron Piscatorials with 10 fish for 21lb 14.1oz

2. Bob Robertson of Balfron Piscatorials with 9 fish for 20lb 7oz

3. Bradie Heggie of Balfron Piscatorials with 9 fish for 19lb 2.8oz

4. Will Barnett of Leslie & Glenrothes AC with 9 fish for 18lb 10.1oz

5. John Simpson of GPO  FFC with 9 fish for 18lb 7.7oz

6. William Davidson of Balck Bull FFC with 9 fish for 17lb 11.9oz

The top three caught fish in most areas of the Lake with the majority being found in Gateside Bay, Malling Shore and Road Shore where they were using fabs, blobs, boobies and cormorants.

Nine teams took part in heat 4 of the clubs championship and the 27 anglers caught a total of 176 trout.  Top club was Glencoe FF "A" with a total of 34 fish for 70lb 13.5oz.  Glencoe we represented by Scott Henderson (9 trout), Robert Wilson (4 trout) and Michael Low (21 trout).  Each of them received a pack of flies provided by My Fishing Flies and the team received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

In second place with 28 trout for 60lb 11oz was FNF Falcons "A".  The Falcons were represented by Campbell Morgan (11 trout), Nigel Burns (10 trout) and Alan Brock (7 trout).  In third place, represented by Brad Gair (7 trout), Jake Gilchrist (8 trout) and Robbie Gibson (12 trout) were Balfron Piscatorials "B" with a total of 27 trout for 57lb 5.7oz.  The fourth place went to Port Glasgow AC "A" with a total of 25 trout for 51lb 7.7oz.  They were represented by Iain Lindsay (4 trout), Archie Blair (7 trout) and Andy McKay (14 trout).  These four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

The heaviest fish of the night weighed 4lb 6.5oz and was caught by Kenneth Craig of Brechin AC.

1.  Michael Low of Glencoe with 21 fish for 43lb 3.5oz

2. David Marfizo of Brechin with 14 trout for 29lb 8.2oz

3. Andy McLay of Port Glasgow with 14 trout for 28lb 5.6oz

4. Robbie Gibson of Balfron with 12 trout for 26lb 13.7oz

5. Campbell Morgan of FNF with 11 trout for 24lb 3.6oz

6. Nigel Burns of FNF with 10 trout for 20lb 0.5oz

The top spots were Hotel Bay and Gateside Bay with diawl Bachs and Fabs doing the damage.

Ten  teams took part in heat 3 of the clubs championship and the 30 anglers caught a total of 119 trout.  Top club was Glencoe FF "B" with as total of 23 trout for 47lb 11oz.  Glencoe were represented by Cameron Duncan (16 fish),  Brian Quinn (3 fish and Colin Sharp (4 fish).  The team received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific and each member of the team received a pack of flies provided by My Fishing Flies.

In second place with 18 trout for 38lb 3.6oz was Military Veterans FFC "B" and they were represented by Jock Royan (6 fish),  John Maestri (7 fish) and Del Spry (3 fish).  Dalzell AC "B" represented by Eddie Brophy (5 fish), Jim Jack (9 fish) and Jim Donnelly (2 fish) were third with a total of 16 trout for 34lb 14.4oz.  The fourth placed club was Perth RASC "A" represented by Grant Sutherland (2 fish), Andy Kemp (13 fish) and Keith Doig (1 fish).  These four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

The heaviest fish of the night weighed 4lb 10.5oz and was caught by Jimmy Watson of Balbeggie AC.

1. Cameron Duncan of Glencoe with 16 trout for 33lb 4.7oz

2. Andy Kemp of Perth RASC with 13 trout for 27lb 1.8oz

3. Jim Jack of Dalzell with 9 trout fort 19lb 1.4oz

4. John Maestri of Military Veterans with 9 trout for 18lb 8.7oz

5. Jock Royan of Military Veterans with 6 trout for 13lb 8.8oz

6. Andy Durk of Strathgryfe with 6 trout for 12lb 9.9oz

1.  Graeme Ferguson of Military Veterans with 11 fish for 22lb 9.6oz

2.  Glen Lamont of Military Veterans with 8 fish for 16lb 11.9oz

3.  Gregor Fleming of Albacats with 8 fish for 16lb 1.9oz

4.  Joseph Wood of Albacats with 7 fish for 14lb 1.3oz

5.  Jock Kettles of Military Veterans with 6 fish for 13lb 7.6oz

6.  John Curry of SPRA East with 5 fish for 12lb 13.2oz

Twelve teams took part in the first of the Saturday night heats and the 36 anglers caught a total of 111 fish.  The top team on the night was Albacats FF "A" with 17 fish for 38lb 6.4oz.  They were represented by Greig Davie(7 fish), Stevie Welsh (7 fish) and Jim Mckinlay (3 fish) and each of them received a box of flies provided by My Fishing Flies and as a team they also received a £30 voucher provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific.  In second place with 12 fish for 31lb 10.10oz were Rescobie Loch DA represented by Ron Gray (3 fish),  George Gall (6 fish) and .  In third with 12 fish for 28lb 1.8oz were Gartmote Aberfoyle & District AC "A" represented by Calum Fraser (1 fish),  Jim Jackson (2 fish) and Archie Whitehead (9 fish).  Firecats "A" represented by Calum Clark (4 fish),  Campbell Cree (4 fish) and Martyn Shaw (3 fish) were fourth.  These four teams qualified for the semi-final on 9th August.  The heaviest fish on the night weighed 6lb 12.9oz and was caught by Lee Anderson of Rescobie Loch DA.