Pairs Trophy
6-9-14
Sixteen fly fishers assembled at the Tingwall boat shed last Saturday morning for the final bank event of the season, the ever popular pairs trophy.
Some of the partnerships had a familiar look to them as anglers had decided to stick to the same partner as in previous years. However there were some new - and it has to be said - tasty looking pairings on the entry sheet.
Notable among these were Gary "Sky" Wiliamson and Jeemie Sandison. Both very capable of setting the heather alight given half a chance. Alan Smith and Billy Morrison looked a good bet and were definitely the most experienced team in the car park. Alan did concede that their attendance had increased the average age somewhat! Dark horses Tony Li and Johnnie Laurenson seemed to have just the right blend of youth and experience and anything was possible if these two "big guns" could get it together on the day. There was no doubt in everyone's mind however that the "dream team" was the Frank Watt and David John Anderson combination. Two top anglers at the top of their game!
While the teams busied themselves getting tackled up and discussing tactics for the day Derek Titheradge was left twiddling his thumbs. It appeared that his partner Dave Wright was frantically trying to gain access to a "Lock Up" in Quarff where his vehicle and trooty gear was secured. Luckily Dave got it all sorted out and "Team Dave & Derek" were soon good to go.
The 10.15 kick off saw anglers fairly well dispersed over the mainland. However with two teams deciding to fish the mighty Vaara a foot race was bound to develop between competitors trying to be first to the hot spots. The outcome of this race was never in any doubt with odds on favourites, the swift and sure footed Billy Reid and Leslie Barclay, easily outpacing plodders Barry Robertson and Harry Sandison. Robertson claimed later that Barclay had tried to force him off his "fishy" point and called for a stewards enquiry but this was just put down to sour grapes.
On the face of it, it was hardly ideal trooty conditions with calm cyclonic winds and broken sunshine. As a result some of the teams had a struggle putting fish in the basket while a few managed to buck the trend and found pockets of trout in feeding mode. At the 1745 weigh it soon became clear that the result was going to be a close run affair.
In joint seventh place was Johnnie Laurenson & Tony Li and Alan Smith & Billy Morrison who had all retired through the afternoon for early baths. Sixth place went to Dave Wright & Derek Titheradge with one fish for 8 & 1/4 oz. In fifth place was Jeemie Sandison & Gary Williamson with two trout for 1 lb, 13 & 3/4 oz., while fourth spot was secured by Harry Sandison & Barry Robertson with four for 2 lb, 6 oz.
Third place went to Billy Reid & Leslie Barclay with a very good total of 13 fish for 8 lb, 7 & 3/4 oz from Vaara.
Alastair Jamieson & Mark Sandison came in with 18 fish from Clings Water for 11 lb, 7 oz. and perhaps could have been forgiven for being quietly confident that they might just have sneaked it this time. However Jamieson and Sandison hadn't reckoned with the amazing Frank Watt and David John Anderson.
Watt and Anderson had taken the road less travelled to the deep South where they had taken a dozen trout from the often overlooked Brow. While this was six fish less than Jamieson and Sandison, the boy's baskets contained some superb trout including the heaviest fish of the day at 1 lb, 15 & 1/2 oz. which fell to Frank's "Orange Hedgehog." The deadly duo's total was 11 lb, 8 oz. which meant that they had won the doubles trophy amid great tension and excitement by a single ounce.
It seems that Jamieson and Sandison are destined to be "always the Bridesmaids" in this competition. They weren't too downcast however and there were warm handshakes and congratulations all round for what was a superb effort from Frank and David John. Well done boys!
Various flies were mentioned in dispatches at the weigh in including Hedgehogs, Half Hogs, Hoppers, Clan Chiefs and Doobrys.
All that remained now was for the champions to pose for a winners photograph. Everyone agreed that this had been an excellent event for bringing the curtain down on yet another season.
With the competitions over for another year trophy holders are reminded to return their silverware to either Billy Reid or Alec Miller.
Sixteen fly fishers assembled at the Tingwall boat shed last Saturday morning for the final bank event of the season, the ever popular pairs trophy.
Some of the partnerships had a familiar look to them as anglers had decided to stick to the same partner as in previous years. However there were some new - and it has to be said - tasty looking pairings on the entry sheet.
Notable among these were Gary "Sky" Wiliamson and Jeemie Sandison. Both very capable of setting the heather alight given half a chance. Alan Smith and Billy Morrison looked a good bet and were definitely the most experienced team in the car park. Alan did concede that their attendance had increased the average age somewhat! Dark horses Tony Li and Johnnie Laurenson seemed to have just the right blend of youth and experience and anything was possible if these two "big guns" could get it together on the day. There was no doubt in everyone's mind however that the "dream team" was the Frank Watt and David John Anderson combination. Two top anglers at the top of their game!
While the teams busied themselves getting tackled up and discussing tactics for the day Derek Titheradge was left twiddling his thumbs. It appeared that his partner Dave Wright was frantically trying to gain access to a "Lock Up" in Quarff where his vehicle and trooty gear was secured. Luckily Dave got it all sorted out and "Team Dave & Derek" were soon good to go.
The 10.15 kick off saw anglers fairly well dispersed over the mainland. However with two teams deciding to fish the mighty Vaara a foot race was bound to develop between competitors trying to be first to the hot spots. The outcome of this race was never in any doubt with odds on favourites, the swift and sure footed Billy Reid and Leslie Barclay, easily outpacing plodders Barry Robertson and Harry Sandison. Robertson claimed later that Barclay had tried to force him off his "fishy" point and called for a stewards enquiry but this was just put down to sour grapes.
On the face of it, it was hardly ideal trooty conditions with calm cyclonic winds and broken sunshine. As a result some of the teams had a struggle putting fish in the basket while a few managed to buck the trend and found pockets of trout in feeding mode. At the 1745 weigh it soon became clear that the result was going to be a close run affair.
In joint seventh place was Johnnie Laurenson & Tony Li and Alan Smith & Billy Morrison who had all retired through the afternoon for early baths. Sixth place went to Dave Wright & Derek Titheradge with one fish for 8 & 1/4 oz. In fifth place was Jeemie Sandison & Gary Williamson with two trout for 1 lb, 13 & 3/4 oz., while fourth spot was secured by Harry Sandison & Barry Robertson with four for 2 lb, 6 oz.
Third place went to Billy Reid & Leslie Barclay with a very good total of 13 fish for 8 lb, 7 & 3/4 oz from Vaara.
Alastair Jamieson & Mark Sandison came in with 18 fish from Clings Water for 11 lb, 7 oz. and perhaps could have been forgiven for being quietly confident that they might just have sneaked it this time. However Jamieson and Sandison hadn't reckoned with the amazing Frank Watt and David John Anderson.
Watt and Anderson had taken the road less travelled to the deep South where they had taken a dozen trout from the often overlooked Brow. While this was six fish less than Jamieson and Sandison, the boy's baskets contained some superb trout including the heaviest fish of the day at 1 lb, 15 & 1/2 oz. which fell to Frank's "Orange Hedgehog." The deadly duo's total was 11 lb, 8 oz. which meant that they had won the doubles trophy amid great tension and excitement by a single ounce.
It seems that Jamieson and Sandison are destined to be "always the Bridesmaids" in this competition. They weren't too downcast however and there were warm handshakes and congratulations all round for what was a superb effort from Frank and David John. Well done boys!
Various flies were mentioned in dispatches at the weigh in including Hedgehogs, Half Hogs, Hoppers, Clan Chiefs and Doobrys.
All that remained now was for the champions to pose for a winners photograph. Everyone agreed that this had been an excellent event for bringing the curtain down on yet another season.
With the competitions over for another year trophy holders are reminded to return their silverware to either Billy Reid or Alec Miller.
Sandison - Irvine
Trophy 16-8-14
The rain and stiff South Westterly breeze did little to deter the 13 anglers who checked in at the Bixter Graveyard last Saturday morning for the final round of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
The league championship itself had come down to a straight shoot out between Bobby Irvine and Mark Sandison with Irvine knowing that nothing less than a victory for him today would be needed in order to take the title outright.
Further down the league father and son combination Peter and Darren Laurenson had done enough already to make their top six positions safe. With results being so tight over the season however this meant that no less than eight anglers were chasing the remaining two places which would mean qualification for next year's Fly Bank team.
Added to this exciting mix was the small matter of the "Sandison - Irvine Westside Trophy" which was also up for grabs today.
Understandably then there was a great deal of tension in the air as anglers went about getting their gear organized and ensuring that favourite "killing flies" were at hand.
Luckily Harry Sandison and Leslie Barclay were at the ready with their own particular brand of jolly japes and festive frolics to lighten the charged atmosphere.
Anglers had a wide range of the major lochs on the West Side to choose from. The question foremost in everyone's minds however was how much the previous week's torrential rain would affect the fishing.
The 10.15 a.m. starting gun saw the majority of competitors heading in the Clousta road to the mighty Vaara, Clousta and Clings Water.
As the day progressed it seemed that the high water and steady rain had not put the fish off and some good sport was to be had on many of the lochs.
"Cometh the hour cometh the man" however and at the 1745 weigh in it was the ever incredible Bobby Irvine who had come up trumps yet again. Bobby had made the brave decision to fish the underperforming Clousta where he had an excellent basket of 12 trout for 7 lb, 8 & 1/2 oz, most of which fell to a "Clan Chief."
Runner up was the unlucky Leslie Barclay. Leslie had 10 fish for 5 lb, 3 oz. from Vaara on his "Barclay's Stingy Bee Half Hog." Leslie was quick to point out that this isn't the first time that Bobby has beat him to first place in this competition and was left contemplating a host of missed opportunities. Such was Leslie's frustration at one point that with both hands occupied he had been forced to lunge at an escaping fish from his net in an attempt to catch it in his mouth! Luckily for the trout Leslie missed and it was free to fight another day!
In third place was the ever green Barry Robertson. "When the going gets tough the tough get going" and Barry certainly "got going" with nine trout from Vaara for 5 lb, 2 oz. which secured his place in the Bank Team for next year. Well done Barry!
Fourth spot went to the on fire Derek Titheradge who can do no wrong at the moment with eight for 4 lb, 14 & 1/2 oz. Both Barry and Derek had scored with a "Clan Chief."
Other successful anglers on a stormy day were Billy Reid, David John Anderson, Dave Wright - who had the heaviest fish, Tony Li, Mark Sandison, Harry Sandison, Dale Williamson and Graeme Callander.
Dale Williamson and Tony Li can count themselves extremely fortunate after they both presented an undersize fish to the weigh in. Luckily they found competition secretary Billy Reid in a lenient mood and were both let off with an official warning instead of the customary disqualification!
All that remained now was for the results to be announced. It was of course Bobby Irvine who had cleaned up, winning the final round of the league, the "Sandison - Irvine Westside trophy" and also securing the most coveted prize - the league title itself! Winning the bank league is of course a tremendous achievement. The winner has to deal with a great variety of angling conditions and venues over the season and adapt their tactics and strategy accordingly to do consistently well. Bobby had also risen to the occasion today knowing that nothing less than a victory would do. Well done Bobby. An ever popular and deserved winner which was reflected in a round of applause from the assembled throng.
Further down the league there was a great deal of tension and excitement. Billy Reid dealt with all the pressure to secure seventh place. Just how tight it had become was highlighted when David John Anderson and Derek Titheradge tied for eighth place. They couldn't be separated on the "countback" rule until it got to their fourth best result where a seventh place from David John beat a tenth place from Derek way back on a Thursday evening in June.
Although it is the top six in the league who qualify for the Bank team "reserve" places will be all important depending on whether a couple of the boaty boys decide to fish in the county away in Orkney rather than at home against Caithness!
After all the drama unfolded final league places are as follows:
Bobby Irvine 125
Mark Sandison 121
Peter Laurenson 100
Darren Laurenson 92
Frank Watt 88
Barry Robertson 87
Billy Reid 83
David John Anderson 81
Derek Titheradge 81
Dave Wright 78
Graeme Callandar 76
Leslie Barclay 71
Jeemie Sandison 61
Tony Li 54
Dale Williamson 51
Harry Sandison 47
Alastair Jamieson 45
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Michael Williamson 33
Alan Smith 11
The final bank competition is the popular pairs trophy which takes place on Saturday 6th September with a 10.15 a.m. check in at the Tingwall Boat shed. Competitors are reminded that they need to organize their own partner and that nobody in the top six in the league can team up with anyone else in the top six. Anglers are also asked to note the 10.15 a.m start time which is different to the time printed on the competition sheet.
The rain and stiff South Westterly breeze did little to deter the 13 anglers who checked in at the Bixter Graveyard last Saturday morning for the final round of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
The league championship itself had come down to a straight shoot out between Bobby Irvine and Mark Sandison with Irvine knowing that nothing less than a victory for him today would be needed in order to take the title outright.
Further down the league father and son combination Peter and Darren Laurenson had done enough already to make their top six positions safe. With results being so tight over the season however this meant that no less than eight anglers were chasing the remaining two places which would mean qualification for next year's Fly Bank team.
Added to this exciting mix was the small matter of the "Sandison - Irvine Westside Trophy" which was also up for grabs today.
Understandably then there was a great deal of tension in the air as anglers went about getting their gear organized and ensuring that favourite "killing flies" were at hand.
Luckily Harry Sandison and Leslie Barclay were at the ready with their own particular brand of jolly japes and festive frolics to lighten the charged atmosphere.
Anglers had a wide range of the major lochs on the West Side to choose from. The question foremost in everyone's minds however was how much the previous week's torrential rain would affect the fishing.
The 10.15 a.m. starting gun saw the majority of competitors heading in the Clousta road to the mighty Vaara, Clousta and Clings Water.
As the day progressed it seemed that the high water and steady rain had not put the fish off and some good sport was to be had on many of the lochs.
"Cometh the hour cometh the man" however and at the 1745 weigh in it was the ever incredible Bobby Irvine who had come up trumps yet again. Bobby had made the brave decision to fish the underperforming Clousta where he had an excellent basket of 12 trout for 7 lb, 8 & 1/2 oz, most of which fell to a "Clan Chief."
Runner up was the unlucky Leslie Barclay. Leslie had 10 fish for 5 lb, 3 oz. from Vaara on his "Barclay's Stingy Bee Half Hog." Leslie was quick to point out that this isn't the first time that Bobby has beat him to first place in this competition and was left contemplating a host of missed opportunities. Such was Leslie's frustration at one point that with both hands occupied he had been forced to lunge at an escaping fish from his net in an attempt to catch it in his mouth! Luckily for the trout Leslie missed and it was free to fight another day!
In third place was the ever green Barry Robertson. "When the going gets tough the tough get going" and Barry certainly "got going" with nine trout from Vaara for 5 lb, 2 oz. which secured his place in the Bank Team for next year. Well done Barry!
Fourth spot went to the on fire Derek Titheradge who can do no wrong at the moment with eight for 4 lb, 14 & 1/2 oz. Both Barry and Derek had scored with a "Clan Chief."
Other successful anglers on a stormy day were Billy Reid, David John Anderson, Dave Wright - who had the heaviest fish, Tony Li, Mark Sandison, Harry Sandison, Dale Williamson and Graeme Callander.
Dale Williamson and Tony Li can count themselves extremely fortunate after they both presented an undersize fish to the weigh in. Luckily they found competition secretary Billy Reid in a lenient mood and were both let off with an official warning instead of the customary disqualification!
All that remained now was for the results to be announced. It was of course Bobby Irvine who had cleaned up, winning the final round of the league, the "Sandison - Irvine Westside trophy" and also securing the most coveted prize - the league title itself! Winning the bank league is of course a tremendous achievement. The winner has to deal with a great variety of angling conditions and venues over the season and adapt their tactics and strategy accordingly to do consistently well. Bobby had also risen to the occasion today knowing that nothing less than a victory would do. Well done Bobby. An ever popular and deserved winner which was reflected in a round of applause from the assembled throng.
Further down the league there was a great deal of tension and excitement. Billy Reid dealt with all the pressure to secure seventh place. Just how tight it had become was highlighted when David John Anderson and Derek Titheradge tied for eighth place. They couldn't be separated on the "countback" rule until it got to their fourth best result where a seventh place from David John beat a tenth place from Derek way back on a Thursday evening in June.
Although it is the top six in the league who qualify for the Bank team "reserve" places will be all important depending on whether a couple of the boaty boys decide to fish in the county away in Orkney rather than at home against Caithness!
After all the drama unfolded final league places are as follows:
Bobby Irvine 125
Mark Sandison 121
Peter Laurenson 100
Darren Laurenson 92
Frank Watt 88
Barry Robertson 87
Billy Reid 83
David John Anderson 81
Derek Titheradge 81
Dave Wright 78
Graeme Callandar 76
Leslie Barclay 71
Jeemie Sandison 61
Tony Li 54
Dale Williamson 51
Harry Sandison 47
Alastair Jamieson 45
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Michael Williamson 33
Alan Smith 11
The final bank competition is the popular pairs trophy which takes place on Saturday 6th September with a 10.15 a.m. check in at the Tingwall Boat shed. Competitors are reminded that they need to organize their own partner and that nobody in the top six in the league can team up with anyone else in the top six. Anglers are also asked to note the 10.15 a.m start time which is different to the time printed on the competition sheet.
North Mainland
26-7-14
The Commonwealth Games took a backseat last Saturday morning as the main event was definitely Round eight of the S.A.A. Bank League. Fly fishers checked at Mavis Grind to be greeted by yet another day of blazing sunshine. Great Shetland summer weather for a day at the beach but completely hopeless for the serious trout fisher. It is what it is though and of course it was the same for everyone with no hiding place from "Old Jamaica."
As a result then - and despite the close run in for the league and top six places with everyone desperate for points - it was a very laid back group of anglers who lounged about before the 10.15 start. In fact it was really too hot for the usual jolly japes and frolics as anglers spent their time applying sun cream, getting fluids aboard and searching out the brightest flies in their boxes. The main talking point was Jeemie and Harry Sandison's arrival in two brand new trucks but despite Barry Robertson's best efforts, those present couldn't really summon up the energy to get overly excited about this either.
Despite warnings in last week's Times there were still a couple of anglers who were a bit trigger happy at the start and moved off before competition secretary Billy Reid's vehicle was in motion. Names have been noted!
Despite having a wide range of lochs to choose from in the North Mainland the majority of competitors headed initially for the mighty Eela Water. To be honest however it probably wouldn't have made a great deal of difference where anglers decided to go under the circumstances. It was simply going to be a matter of grinding it out in the sun and heat. Some anglers managed this better than others of course and it wasn't long before vehicles armoured with rod racks and fly rods could be seen cruising around Northmavine in search of shops selling ice cream.
Not everyone managed to tough it out and it was a very depleted group who reconvened for the 1745 weigh in. Needless to say the angling had been incredibly difficult with trout very hard to come by. Most self respecting fish would be hiding under rocks at the bottom of the loch.
As they say though "when the going gets tough the tough get going" and this was certainly the case on this occasion. A round of applause greeted the announcement that the winner was the popular Derek Titheradge with three trout for 2 lb, 1 & 3/4 oz. Derek had scored with three totally different flies fished on a sinking line. Well done Derek!
Second spot went to Darren Laurenson with four for 2 lb, 1 & 1/2 oz. Derek had pipped Darren by just a quarter of an ounce!
Third place went to Mark Sandison with four for 1 lb, 14 & 3/4 oz. and in fourth was Bobby Irvine with two for 1 lb, 2 oz.
Other anglers who deserve a medal for catching a trout on an impossible day were Frank Watt, Billy Reid, Dave Wright, Leslie Barclay, Peter Laurenson and Harry Sandison.
With one competition remaining the league table looks like this:
Mark Sandison 121
Bobby Irvine 114
Peter Laurenson 100
Darren Laurenson 92 Frank Watt 88
Billy Reid 77
Dave Wright 74
Barry Robertson 69
Graeme Callandar 68
David John Anderson 67
Derek Titheradge 65
Jeemie Sandison 61
Leslie Barclay 50
Alastair Jamieson 45
Tony Li 42 Dale Williamson 42
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Harry Sandison 37
Michael Williamson 33
Alan Smith 11
The race for the league title has come down to a straight fight between Bobby Irvine and Mark Sandison while everyone from Jeemie Sandison and up will have their sights fixed firmly on a top six finish.
This will ensure that the final competition which also doubles up as the "Sandison, Irvine Westside trophy" will be a thrilling affair. It takes place on Saturday 16th August with a check in at the Bixter Graveyard. Will competors please note that the Check in time is 10.15 a.m. and not the 9.45 a.m. time printed on the sheet.
The Commonwealth Games took a backseat last Saturday morning as the main event was definitely Round eight of the S.A.A. Bank League. Fly fishers checked at Mavis Grind to be greeted by yet another day of blazing sunshine. Great Shetland summer weather for a day at the beach but completely hopeless for the serious trout fisher. It is what it is though and of course it was the same for everyone with no hiding place from "Old Jamaica."
As a result then - and despite the close run in for the league and top six places with everyone desperate for points - it was a very laid back group of anglers who lounged about before the 10.15 start. In fact it was really too hot for the usual jolly japes and frolics as anglers spent their time applying sun cream, getting fluids aboard and searching out the brightest flies in their boxes. The main talking point was Jeemie and Harry Sandison's arrival in two brand new trucks but despite Barry Robertson's best efforts, those present couldn't really summon up the energy to get overly excited about this either.
Despite warnings in last week's Times there were still a couple of anglers who were a bit trigger happy at the start and moved off before competition secretary Billy Reid's vehicle was in motion. Names have been noted!
Despite having a wide range of lochs to choose from in the North Mainland the majority of competitors headed initially for the mighty Eela Water. To be honest however it probably wouldn't have made a great deal of difference where anglers decided to go under the circumstances. It was simply going to be a matter of grinding it out in the sun and heat. Some anglers managed this better than others of course and it wasn't long before vehicles armoured with rod racks and fly rods could be seen cruising around Northmavine in search of shops selling ice cream.
Not everyone managed to tough it out and it was a very depleted group who reconvened for the 1745 weigh in. Needless to say the angling had been incredibly difficult with trout very hard to come by. Most self respecting fish would be hiding under rocks at the bottom of the loch.
As they say though "when the going gets tough the tough get going" and this was certainly the case on this occasion. A round of applause greeted the announcement that the winner was the popular Derek Titheradge with three trout for 2 lb, 1 & 3/4 oz. Derek had scored with three totally different flies fished on a sinking line. Well done Derek!
Second spot went to Darren Laurenson with four for 2 lb, 1 & 1/2 oz. Derek had pipped Darren by just a quarter of an ounce!
Third place went to Mark Sandison with four for 1 lb, 14 & 3/4 oz. and in fourth was Bobby Irvine with two for 1 lb, 2 oz.
Other anglers who deserve a medal for catching a trout on an impossible day were Frank Watt, Billy Reid, Dave Wright, Leslie Barclay, Peter Laurenson and Harry Sandison.
With one competition remaining the league table looks like this:
Mark Sandison 121
Bobby Irvine 114
Peter Laurenson 100
Darren Laurenson 92 Frank Watt 88
Billy Reid 77
Dave Wright 74
Barry Robertson 69
Graeme Callandar 68
David John Anderson 67
Derek Titheradge 65
Jeemie Sandison 61
Leslie Barclay 50
Alastair Jamieson 45
Tony Li 42 Dale Williamson 42
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Harry Sandison 37
Michael Williamson 33
Alan Smith 11
The race for the league title has come down to a straight fight between Bobby Irvine and Mark Sandison while everyone from Jeemie Sandison and up will have their sights fixed firmly on a top six finish.
This will ensure that the final competition which also doubles up as the "Sandison, Irvine Westside trophy" will be a thrilling affair. It takes place on Saturday 16th August with a check in at the Bixter Graveyard. Will competors please note that the Check in time is 10.15 a.m. and not the 9.45 a.m. time printed on the sheet.
S.A.A. v Whalsay
Flyfishers had hardly had time to dry their flies before Saturday arrived and with it the annual match between the S.A.A. and the Whalsay club. This competition had been scheduled to have been fished in Whalsay this year but with the Bonnie Isle lochs fishing so poorly this season it was decided to switch to the mainland.
It was a strong eight man team who disembarked from the ferry at Laxo to represent Whalsay. On paper at least it looked like the perfect mix of youth and experience with the likes of John Wishart and Gary Williamson representing the former and Jeemie Sandison, Harry Sandison and Barry Robertson, the latter.
The S.A.A. on the other hand could only muster a very disappointing four anglers with call offs for a whole variety of reasons. Perhaps Thursday evenings exertions had just been too much!
The event was really over as a contest as soon as the 10.00 a.m. starting gun sounded. The S.A.A. team got their tactics completely wrong sending three of their four anglers to the Sunny North Mainland where "Old Jamaica" blazed down from an azure blue sky for most of the day.
The majority of the canny Whalsay boys who had studied the weather forecast decided to head to the West side where there was some cloud cover for parts of the day and where the angling turned out to be considerably better. West certainly was best on this occasion.
At the 1630 weigh in Bobby Irvine was tasked with working out the averages for each team before Mark Sandison announced the results.
Second place went to the S.A.A. with an average of 8 oz. per man. This brought a chorus of hoots and derisory laughter from some of the more senior Whalsay anglers who really should have known better! Luckily David John Anderson was on hand to restore a degree of order to the proceedings before a good natured event could become soured.
In first place of course was the Whalsay Club with an average of 1 lb, 8 & 1/2 oz per man. Star performers were Bobby Irvine with seven for 4 lb, 3/4 oz, Jeemie Sandison with five for 2 lb, 7 & 1/2 oz, and David John Anderson and Harry Sandison who both had four for 1 lb, 15 oz and 2 lb, 5 & 1/4 oz respectively.
All that remained now was for Mark Sandison to present the trophy to a delighted Whalsay captain Barry Robertson before the Whalsay boys returned jubilant on the ferry leaving the S.A.A. team to work out how they could have got it so badly wrong!
The penultimate round of the Bank League takes place in the North Mainland on Saturday 26 July with a 10.15 a.m. check in at Mavis Grind. Will competitors please note that the 10.15 start time replaces the 9.45 time printed on the sheet.
Flyfishers had hardly had time to dry their flies before Saturday arrived and with it the annual match between the S.A.A. and the Whalsay club. This competition had been scheduled to have been fished in Whalsay this year but with the Bonnie Isle lochs fishing so poorly this season it was decided to switch to the mainland.
It was a strong eight man team who disembarked from the ferry at Laxo to represent Whalsay. On paper at least it looked like the perfect mix of youth and experience with the likes of John Wishart and Gary Williamson representing the former and Jeemie Sandison, Harry Sandison and Barry Robertson, the latter.
The S.A.A. on the other hand could only muster a very disappointing four anglers with call offs for a whole variety of reasons. Perhaps Thursday evenings exertions had just been too much!
The event was really over as a contest as soon as the 10.00 a.m. starting gun sounded. The S.A.A. team got their tactics completely wrong sending three of their four anglers to the Sunny North Mainland where "Old Jamaica" blazed down from an azure blue sky for most of the day.
The majority of the canny Whalsay boys who had studied the weather forecast decided to head to the West side where there was some cloud cover for parts of the day and where the angling turned out to be considerably better. West certainly was best on this occasion.
At the 1630 weigh in Bobby Irvine was tasked with working out the averages for each team before Mark Sandison announced the results.
Second place went to the S.A.A. with an average of 8 oz. per man. This brought a chorus of hoots and derisory laughter from some of the more senior Whalsay anglers who really should have known better! Luckily David John Anderson was on hand to restore a degree of order to the proceedings before a good natured event could become soured.
In first place of course was the Whalsay Club with an average of 1 lb, 8 & 1/2 oz per man. Star performers were Bobby Irvine with seven for 4 lb, 3/4 oz, Jeemie Sandison with five for 2 lb, 7 & 1/2 oz, and David John Anderson and Harry Sandison who both had four for 1 lb, 15 oz and 2 lb, 5 & 1/4 oz respectively.
All that remained now was for Mark Sandison to present the trophy to a delighted Whalsay captain Barry Robertson before the Whalsay boys returned jubilant on the ferry leaving the S.A.A. team to work out how they could have got it so badly wrong!
The penultimate round of the Bank League takes place in the North Mainland on Saturday 26 July with a 10.15 a.m. check in at Mavis Grind. Will competitors please note that the 10.15 start time replaces the 9.45 time printed on the sheet.
West Side 17-7-14
Twenty Flyfishers checked in last Thursday evening at the Bixter Graveyard car park for round seven of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
The league has now reached a critical point with anglers only able to count their best six results from the nine competitions as they target that illusive top six place in order to qualify for next year's bank league team. Understandably then there was a great deal of tension in the air as competitors tried to glean as much information as they could from the opposition without giving too much away themselves. One angler who is adept at this is "old hand" Barry Robertson who within five minutes of arriving had established where each angler was going and what tactics they were utilising!
Dave Wright almost found himself disqualified before the off when what can only be described as a "blue piltock flee with a flying treble" was discovered attached to his cast. - Highly illegal! Wright was let off with a warning but continued to protest his innocence - claiming that he had been set up - right up to kick off! Enquiries are still in progress over the incident as we go to press with the names of various suspects being banded about. Such is the cut throat world of competition angling!
Jeemie Sandison was delighted with the return of part of a reel which he had lost years ago in Loch Harray in Orkney and which had been discovered in "Cobra Bay" by Peter Laurenson during the Bank Team's current trip.
It was a perfect balmy Shetland Summer's evening for fly fishing with a mild North West breeze which would fall light as the competition wore on. Anglers were spoilt for choice with 17 of the Westside's top waters on offer ranging from the mighty Sulma Water in the West Burrafirth Road, Stump in the Reawick area and lochs along the A971 right out to Mousavord in the
West.
Despite the wide range of lochs on offer nearly a third of the company decided to concentrate their initail efforts on Stump. With really only one access point to the loch considering the wind conditions it was inevitable that a foot race should develop to the loch side with anglers negotiating various fences, ditches and water hazards in an attempt to be the first to wet their flies. Once everyone had settled down however it soon became clear that the loch wasn't playing ball and competitors started thinking about their "Plan B." It won't be
the first or last time that anglers have been "stumped in Stump!"
As anglers began to reassemble for the 1030 weigh in it soon became clear that despite the lovely evening trout had been hard to come by. Most competitors had fish but it tended just to be singles or doubles.
Taking first place was Mark Sandison with two lucky injury time fish from Stump to give him a total basket of five trout for 2 lb, 15& 1/4 oz. Sandison's top fly was a "Peach Muddler."
In second place was the resurgent Frank Watt. Frank had taken four fish from Sand Water for 2 lb, 11 & 1/2 oz. mainly on a "Viva Muddler."
Third spot went to the evergreen Peter Laurenson with five from Lunga Water for 2 lb, 8 & 3/4 oz. on a "Henrik Larson" and in fourth place was the consistent Graeme Callander with four from the Hulma Lees for 2 lb, 7 & 1/2 oz. on a "Claret Bumble."
Other successful anglers were Billy Reid, Barry Robertson - who also had the heaviest fish of the evening at 1 lb, 6 & 1/4 oz. on a "Clan Chief," Harry Sandison, Jeemie Sandison, Alan Smith, Alastair Jamieson, David John Anderson, Darren Laurenson, Michael Wiiliamson, Dale Williamson and Bobby Irvine.
With only two competitions remaining the league is as tight as it has ever been at this stage, not only for the championship itself but also for the top six places Maths now comes increasingly in to play as the various permutations for the final run in are considered.
Mark Sandison 117
Bobby Irvine 105
Peter Laurenso 92
Frank Watt 73
Darren Laurenson 71
Dave Wright 69
Barry Robertson 69
Billy Reid 69
Graeme Callandar 68
David John Anderson 67
Jeemie Sandison 61
Alastair Jamieson 45
Tony Li 42
Dale Williamson 42
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Derek Titheradge 40
Leslie Barclay 38
Michael Williamson 33
Harry Sandison 27
Alan Smith 11
The only other incident of note on an otherwise pleasant evening was Leslie Barclay turning up five minutes late to the weigh in. He claimed that his mobile was telling the wrong time but this seems to becoming an all too familiar excuse. Competition secretary Billy Reid had no hesitation in disqualifying Barclay, handing him an official warning and telling him to get a new wristwatch.
The penultimate round of the Bank League takes place in the North Mainland on Saturday 26 July with a 10:15 a.m. check in at Mavis
Grind.
Twenty Flyfishers checked in last Thursday evening at the Bixter Graveyard car park for round seven of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
The league has now reached a critical point with anglers only able to count their best six results from the nine competitions as they target that illusive top six place in order to qualify for next year's bank league team. Understandably then there was a great deal of tension in the air as competitors tried to glean as much information as they could from the opposition without giving too much away themselves. One angler who is adept at this is "old hand" Barry Robertson who within five minutes of arriving had established where each angler was going and what tactics they were utilising!
Dave Wright almost found himself disqualified before the off when what can only be described as a "blue piltock flee with a flying treble" was discovered attached to his cast. - Highly illegal! Wright was let off with a warning but continued to protest his innocence - claiming that he had been set up - right up to kick off! Enquiries are still in progress over the incident as we go to press with the names of various suspects being banded about. Such is the cut throat world of competition angling!
Jeemie Sandison was delighted with the return of part of a reel which he had lost years ago in Loch Harray in Orkney and which had been discovered in "Cobra Bay" by Peter Laurenson during the Bank Team's current trip.
It was a perfect balmy Shetland Summer's evening for fly fishing with a mild North West breeze which would fall light as the competition wore on. Anglers were spoilt for choice with 17 of the Westside's top waters on offer ranging from the mighty Sulma Water in the West Burrafirth Road, Stump in the Reawick area and lochs along the A971 right out to Mousavord in the
West.
Despite the wide range of lochs on offer nearly a third of the company decided to concentrate their initail efforts on Stump. With really only one access point to the loch considering the wind conditions it was inevitable that a foot race should develop to the loch side with anglers negotiating various fences, ditches and water hazards in an attempt to be the first to wet their flies. Once everyone had settled down however it soon became clear that the loch wasn't playing ball and competitors started thinking about their "Plan B." It won't be
the first or last time that anglers have been "stumped in Stump!"
As anglers began to reassemble for the 1030 weigh in it soon became clear that despite the lovely evening trout had been hard to come by. Most competitors had fish but it tended just to be singles or doubles.
Taking first place was Mark Sandison with two lucky injury time fish from Stump to give him a total basket of five trout for 2 lb, 15& 1/4 oz. Sandison's top fly was a "Peach Muddler."
In second place was the resurgent Frank Watt. Frank had taken four fish from Sand Water for 2 lb, 11 & 1/2 oz. mainly on a "Viva Muddler."
Third spot went to the evergreen Peter Laurenson with five from Lunga Water for 2 lb, 8 & 3/4 oz. on a "Henrik Larson" and in fourth place was the consistent Graeme Callander with four from the Hulma Lees for 2 lb, 7 & 1/2 oz. on a "Claret Bumble."
Other successful anglers were Billy Reid, Barry Robertson - who also had the heaviest fish of the evening at 1 lb, 6 & 1/4 oz. on a "Clan Chief," Harry Sandison, Jeemie Sandison, Alan Smith, Alastair Jamieson, David John Anderson, Darren Laurenson, Michael Wiiliamson, Dale Williamson and Bobby Irvine.
With only two competitions remaining the league is as tight as it has ever been at this stage, not only for the championship itself but also for the top six places Maths now comes increasingly in to play as the various permutations for the final run in are considered.
Mark Sandison 117
Bobby Irvine 105
Peter Laurenso 92
Frank Watt 73
Darren Laurenson 71
Dave Wright 69
Barry Robertson 69
Billy Reid 69
Graeme Callandar 68
David John Anderson 67
Jeemie Sandison 61
Alastair Jamieson 45
Tony Li 42
Dale Williamson 42
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Derek Titheradge 40
Leslie Barclay 38
Michael Williamson 33
Harry Sandison 27
Alan Smith 11
The only other incident of note on an otherwise pleasant evening was Leslie Barclay turning up five minutes late to the weigh in. He claimed that his mobile was telling the wrong time but this seems to becoming an all too familiar excuse. Competition secretary Billy Reid had no hesitation in disqualifying Barclay, handing him an official warning and telling him to get a new wristwatch.
The penultimate round of the Bank League takes place in the North Mainland on Saturday 26 July with a 10:15 a.m. check in at Mavis
Grind.
Inter Club – July 2014
The annual inter club bank fly fishing competition took place last weekend in Caithness between the Shetland Anglers Association and the Dounreay Fly Fishing Association (D.F.F.A.) This is the highlight of the S.A.A. fly bank fishing calendar which sees keen competition in the league in order to qualify for the team.
Conspicuous by his absence this year was Whalsay man Barry Robertson. The charismatic Robertson has captained the S.A.A. team to victory on the previous three trips to Caithness. How would the Shetland boys fair without their talismanic leader on board? A reluctant Billy Reid was unanimously voted captain by the rest of the team, Bobby Irvine, Peter Laurenson. Leslie Barclay, Tony Li and Mark Sandison. Billy was under no illusion as to the size of shoes he was stepping into and the pressure and responsibility obviously weighed heavily on his shoulders!
The Shetland team had a day's bonding session on Loch Harray in Orkney before crossing the Pentland Firth to meet up with the D.F.F.A. men. Old friendships were soon rekindled in what has become the most friendly and good natured of competitions, now in its 17th year. It was then quickly down to business as D.F.F.A. stalwart Tony Chalmers officiated over the draw which would sort out fishing partners and lochs.
The competition would be fished over two days. On each day three pairs would be fishing on the prolific hill lochs of Seilge and Na Caorach while the other three partnerships would be on top Caithness waters Watten, Toftingall, Calder, Olginey and Dubh nan
Geodh.
Good rest is important for all serious athletes and angling is no exception. Day one of the competition didn't get off to the best of starts with a some of the Shetland boys looking decidedly bleary eyed at breakfast time! It had to be pointed out to a couple of the team members that this was a fly fishing event and not a snoring competition!
Adding to the S.A.A. teams woes was the weather with blazing sunshine, flat calm and temperatures which would peak at 25 degrees in the middle of the day. For the loch fly fisher these conditions are total anathema with every self respecting trout tending to take cover under the nearest available boulder. Fly fishers are an ever optimistic breed however and as the two teams congregated for the 9 a.m. kick off, both teams were champing at the bit to get going. After liberal amounts of sun tan lotion and insect repellant had been applied the six partnerships were soon racing off to enjoy a days angling on the various waters.
Eight hours later the pairings reassembled for the first day's weigh in. The bright red faces seemed to suggest that the beach might have been a better prospect on the day.
However, flying in the face of perceived fly fishing wisdom it turned out that
the trout hadn't been as uncooperative as anticipated and some good baskets
were forthcoming. Top baskets on the day for the S.A.A. were Bobby Irvine with
seven trout for 3.83 lb from Calder, Peter Laurenson with six for 5.15 lb from
Toftingal and Billy Reid with eight for 5.05 lb from Seilge. However top rod on
day one for the S.A.A. was debutant Tony Li. Having just about survived the stiff ascent up the hill to Na Caorach he assembled a fantastic basket of seven trout for 6.04 lb. which also included the heaviest trout of the day at 1.32 lb. This was great angling - especially under the conditions.
Top man for the D.F.F.A was the experienced Toby Bracey with five for 2.76 lb. mainly from Na Caorach. The D.F.F.A ended the day with 13 fish for 7.64 lb while the S.A.A.'s 28 trout weighed 20.07 lb.
This gave the S.A.A. a halfway lead of just over 12 lb. Captain Billy Reid would ensure that no feet came off the gas pedals however as 2 lb per man could easily be caught up in the second leg.
To everyone's relief day two dawned overcast and breezier although temperatures were still in the 20s. Theoretically at any rate this should be much better angling conditions. Everybody was soon hard at it, knowing that a few trout could possibly make all the difference, fishing right through to the 1615 “lines up” time.
No fishing competition would be complete of course without some disaster or other befalling the hapless Leslie Barclay. With an hour and a half of the competition remaining Leslie managed to turn his two piece fly rod into a three piece when he stood on it. Despite a valiant attempt at a repair job Leslie's fishing was over and he was forced to call it a day. He then had to spend the remainder of the competition time wading around in the loch trying to avoid the squadrons of carnivorous insects which were patrolling the bank and taken a particular interest in attacking him. Leslie got no sympathy from the friends he phoned at home in Shetland in an attempt to pass the time.
Leslie certainly wasn't too disappointed however. A trout of 1.98 lb which he had captured earlier in Olginey ensured that he had the heaviest fish of the day. It was apt too that this monster had taken one of his dad's - the late Hector Barclay - classic "Loch Ordy" patterns which Hector had hand tied himself without the aid of a vice!
It was clear as competitors reassembled for the weigh that a strong all round team performance by the S.A.A. boys had kept the end up for Shetland. They had 34 trout on the second day giving them a combined total for the two days of 62 fish for 43.13 lb. Top rod for the S.A.A. was the vastly experienced Peter Laurenson with a grand total of 14 trout for 10.37 lb. Hot on Peter's heels however was the
outstanding Tony Li who also had 14 but for the slightly lesser weight of 10.04 lb. Tony will have been disappointed to miss out on the heaviest basket by one fish but pundits are predicting a bright future for this young angler.
Despite their best efforts the D.F.F.A. couldn't match the Shetland weight catching 28 trout for 18.15 lb on the second day giving them a total of 41 for 25.79 lb. Top men for the D.F.F.A. in the second leg were Robbie Hawken, Peter Creasey and Toby Bracey.
There were warm handshakes all round and the smiles on everyone's faces showed just how much everyone had enjoyed another hard fought inter club competition. The two teams then had a hour to clean up and catch their breath before retiring to the Pentland Hotel in Thurso for the dinner and presentation.
After an excellent meal the assembled company were entertained, as has become customary, by a few jokes and anecdotes from D.F.F.A. chairman Ken Mcleod before he went on to present the trophies.
Picking up the Viking Shield for the heaviest basket was the consistent Peter Laurenson who had "fished his socks off" over the two days and also survived the mountaineering expedition up to the hill lochs. Well done Peter! A popular winner of the coveted Brian Hunter Memorial trophy for the heaviest trout was the ever enthusiastic Leslie Barclay. No one deserved this top honour more as Leslie is
always ready to give everything and put his body (and anything else that gets in the way!) on the line for the cause! Finally up stepped a clearly delighted Billy Reid to accept the biggest prize of them all, the Inter Club trophy. Billy had risen to the challenge of captaincy and passed the test with flying colours. He had got the best from his team by guiding them with a laid back good natured approach but was always ready to provide the firm command and authority when it was required. An excellent job Billy and we look forward to this level of leadership in the future.
On behalf of the Shetland team an S.A.A. spokesman thanked the D.F.F.A. team for their superb hospitality and excellent two days sport. In particular he singled out Ken Macleod, Bill Robertson and Tony Chalmers for all their organizational efforts.He went on to say that Hopefully we’ll see most of the D.F.F.A. up in Shetland in 2015.
The local fly competitions now continue apace. The seventh round of the bank league will be fished on Thursday 17th July with a 6.15 p.m. check in at the Bixter Graveyard. This is followed by the annual local competition between the S.A.A. and the Whalsay club which takes place on Saturday 19th July on the Mainland lochs.
The annual inter club bank fly fishing competition took place last weekend in Caithness between the Shetland Anglers Association and the Dounreay Fly Fishing Association (D.F.F.A.) This is the highlight of the S.A.A. fly bank fishing calendar which sees keen competition in the league in order to qualify for the team.
Conspicuous by his absence this year was Whalsay man Barry Robertson. The charismatic Robertson has captained the S.A.A. team to victory on the previous three trips to Caithness. How would the Shetland boys fair without their talismanic leader on board? A reluctant Billy Reid was unanimously voted captain by the rest of the team, Bobby Irvine, Peter Laurenson. Leslie Barclay, Tony Li and Mark Sandison. Billy was under no illusion as to the size of shoes he was stepping into and the pressure and responsibility obviously weighed heavily on his shoulders!
The Shetland team had a day's bonding session on Loch Harray in Orkney before crossing the Pentland Firth to meet up with the D.F.F.A. men. Old friendships were soon rekindled in what has become the most friendly and good natured of competitions, now in its 17th year. It was then quickly down to business as D.F.F.A. stalwart Tony Chalmers officiated over the draw which would sort out fishing partners and lochs.
The competition would be fished over two days. On each day three pairs would be fishing on the prolific hill lochs of Seilge and Na Caorach while the other three partnerships would be on top Caithness waters Watten, Toftingall, Calder, Olginey and Dubh nan
Geodh.
Good rest is important for all serious athletes and angling is no exception. Day one of the competition didn't get off to the best of starts with a some of the Shetland boys looking decidedly bleary eyed at breakfast time! It had to be pointed out to a couple of the team members that this was a fly fishing event and not a snoring competition!
Adding to the S.A.A. teams woes was the weather with blazing sunshine, flat calm and temperatures which would peak at 25 degrees in the middle of the day. For the loch fly fisher these conditions are total anathema with every self respecting trout tending to take cover under the nearest available boulder. Fly fishers are an ever optimistic breed however and as the two teams congregated for the 9 a.m. kick off, both teams were champing at the bit to get going. After liberal amounts of sun tan lotion and insect repellant had been applied the six partnerships were soon racing off to enjoy a days angling on the various waters.
Eight hours later the pairings reassembled for the first day's weigh in. The bright red faces seemed to suggest that the beach might have been a better prospect on the day.
However, flying in the face of perceived fly fishing wisdom it turned out that
the trout hadn't been as uncooperative as anticipated and some good baskets
were forthcoming. Top baskets on the day for the S.A.A. were Bobby Irvine with
seven trout for 3.83 lb from Calder, Peter Laurenson with six for 5.15 lb from
Toftingal and Billy Reid with eight for 5.05 lb from Seilge. However top rod on
day one for the S.A.A. was debutant Tony Li. Having just about survived the stiff ascent up the hill to Na Caorach he assembled a fantastic basket of seven trout for 6.04 lb. which also included the heaviest trout of the day at 1.32 lb. This was great angling - especially under the conditions.
Top man for the D.F.F.A was the experienced Toby Bracey with five for 2.76 lb. mainly from Na Caorach. The D.F.F.A ended the day with 13 fish for 7.64 lb while the S.A.A.'s 28 trout weighed 20.07 lb.
This gave the S.A.A. a halfway lead of just over 12 lb. Captain Billy Reid would ensure that no feet came off the gas pedals however as 2 lb per man could easily be caught up in the second leg.
To everyone's relief day two dawned overcast and breezier although temperatures were still in the 20s. Theoretically at any rate this should be much better angling conditions. Everybody was soon hard at it, knowing that a few trout could possibly make all the difference, fishing right through to the 1615 “lines up” time.
No fishing competition would be complete of course without some disaster or other befalling the hapless Leslie Barclay. With an hour and a half of the competition remaining Leslie managed to turn his two piece fly rod into a three piece when he stood on it. Despite a valiant attempt at a repair job Leslie's fishing was over and he was forced to call it a day. He then had to spend the remainder of the competition time wading around in the loch trying to avoid the squadrons of carnivorous insects which were patrolling the bank and taken a particular interest in attacking him. Leslie got no sympathy from the friends he phoned at home in Shetland in an attempt to pass the time.
Leslie certainly wasn't too disappointed however. A trout of 1.98 lb which he had captured earlier in Olginey ensured that he had the heaviest fish of the day. It was apt too that this monster had taken one of his dad's - the late Hector Barclay - classic "Loch Ordy" patterns which Hector had hand tied himself without the aid of a vice!
It was clear as competitors reassembled for the weigh that a strong all round team performance by the S.A.A. boys had kept the end up for Shetland. They had 34 trout on the second day giving them a combined total for the two days of 62 fish for 43.13 lb. Top rod for the S.A.A. was the vastly experienced Peter Laurenson with a grand total of 14 trout for 10.37 lb. Hot on Peter's heels however was the
outstanding Tony Li who also had 14 but for the slightly lesser weight of 10.04 lb. Tony will have been disappointed to miss out on the heaviest basket by one fish but pundits are predicting a bright future for this young angler.
Despite their best efforts the D.F.F.A. couldn't match the Shetland weight catching 28 trout for 18.15 lb on the second day giving them a total of 41 for 25.79 lb. Top men for the D.F.F.A. in the second leg were Robbie Hawken, Peter Creasey and Toby Bracey.
There were warm handshakes all round and the smiles on everyone's faces showed just how much everyone had enjoyed another hard fought inter club competition. The two teams then had a hour to clean up and catch their breath before retiring to the Pentland Hotel in Thurso for the dinner and presentation.
After an excellent meal the assembled company were entertained, as has become customary, by a few jokes and anecdotes from D.F.F.A. chairman Ken Mcleod before he went on to present the trophies.
Picking up the Viking Shield for the heaviest basket was the consistent Peter Laurenson who had "fished his socks off" over the two days and also survived the mountaineering expedition up to the hill lochs. Well done Peter! A popular winner of the coveted Brian Hunter Memorial trophy for the heaviest trout was the ever enthusiastic Leslie Barclay. No one deserved this top honour more as Leslie is
always ready to give everything and put his body (and anything else that gets in the way!) on the line for the cause! Finally up stepped a clearly delighted Billy Reid to accept the biggest prize of them all, the Inter Club trophy. Billy had risen to the challenge of captaincy and passed the test with flying colours. He had got the best from his team by guiding them with a laid back good natured approach but was always ready to provide the firm command and authority when it was required. An excellent job Billy and we look forward to this level of leadership in the future.
On behalf of the Shetland team an S.A.A. spokesman thanked the D.F.F.A. team for their superb hospitality and excellent two days sport. In particular he singled out Ken Macleod, Bill Robertson and Tony Chalmers for all their organizational efforts.He went on to say that Hopefully we’ll see most of the D.F.F.A. up in Shetland in 2015.
The local fly competitions now continue apace. The seventh round of the bank league will be fished on Thursday 17th July with a 6.15 p.m. check in at the Bixter Graveyard. This is followed by the annual local competition between the S.A.A. and the Whalsay club which takes place on Saturday 19th July on the Mainland lochs.
Ronas Hill
28-6-14
Twelve of the Shetland Anglers Association's toughest fly fishermen reported for duty last Saturday morning at the Collafirth pier to fish for the annual Ronas Hill trophy. This gruelling event is a ten and a half hour marathon in the lochs behind Ronas Hill and will always sort out the men from the boys. Competitors need to be in top physical condition, mentally resilient and have excellent navigational skills. Several books could be written concerning the adventures and mishaps of anglers who have ventured into one of the last true wilderness areas in Shetland!
Conspicuous by his absence was Ronas Hill stalwart Leslie Barclay who epitomises all the qualities of a Ronas Hill angler. Leslie is being wrapped in cotton wool at the moment however as he is an essential member of the S.A.A. team who will travel South next weekend to fish against the D.F.F.A. in Caithness. Now would not be the time for a last minute injury!
Also conspicuous by his absence was competition secretary Billy Reid who has managed to get bursitis - or "burstwaderitus" as one wag who shall remain nameless quipped. Like Leslie, Billy has been warned by the management team to take no chances with the inter club competition coming up. He is too valuable to the team to take a chance on tripping over a boulder in Roer Water and further aggravating his injured knee. Under secretary Mark Sandison stepped up to the plate and made a note of the entrants.
Prize for best prepared angler went to Dale Williamson who was all kitted out with a new backpack for the event. Today would be more about grit and determination than fancy new gear however and at the 09:00 start it was maps, compasses, waders and fly rods at the ready as anglers shot of for a day of trooty mayhem!
Traditionally their are two routes into "da hill" - the Uyea track and the Roer Water track. Today saw six anglers choosing the North road while the other six opted for the Southerly route. Willie Lowrie Irvine managed to get his pickup 20 yards in the Roer Water track before all his crew had to abandon ship due to an overheating radiator. Luckily the Ollaberry garage was on standby to save the day. Barry Robertson and Alastair Jamieson however were left wishing that they'd set off hiking over the hill with "yompy" boys Dale Williamson and Mark Sandison.
This was just the start of Alastair's woes. Arriving in Roer Water he got off to a flying start taking four fish for 2 lb, 12 oz. in just over an
hour. If he'd managed to keep this up who knows what would have happened. Unfortunately for Alastair he then managed to trip and break his fly rod. This of course was "game over" for the unlucky Yell man. Fortunately his "state of the art" rod is well insured.
The day would see anglers fairly spread out over the many lochs and lochans in the area and of course there is more than enough water in this great wilderness to swallow an army of flyfishers let alone the dozen likely lads present today.
It was a very tired but happy bunch who reconvened at 19:30 for the weigh in. It was great to see young Liam Wheelan and John Wishart - who was guided by "Ronas expert" David John Anderson - both weighing in for the first time at an S.A.A. competition. Great things are being predicted for these two Bonnie Isle men.
It was immediately apparent that despite the rather chilly Northerly wind some excellent baskets of fish had been caught. Barry Robertson and Bobby Irvine were conscripted to do the daunting job of weighing the fish while Sandison did the paperwork.
Most notable baskets included Dale Williamson with seven for 5 lb, 3 oz, Barry Robertson with twelve for 6 lb, 9 oz, Willie Lowrie Irvine with nine for 6lb, 12 oz, (which also included the heaviest trout of the day at 1 lb, 12 oz) David John Anderson and Frank Watt with twelve and fourteen respectively for 7 lb, 13 oz. and Bobby Irvine with fourteen for 10 lb exactly.
Just sneaking into first place however thanks to four half pounders in the last 30 minutes of the competition was Mark Sandison with nineteen trout for 11 lb, 8 oz.
Several different flies were mentioned in despatches including Doobry Muddler, Gorgeous George, Potty's Palmer, Clan Chief, Peach Muddler and various other Muddlers. To be honest however this was a day where fly selection probably wasn't very important with the fish being "on" in all the major waters and happy to grab anything.
After an exhausting day several anglers were overheard claiming that they wouldn't be "up the hill" again until next year, while one, who shall remain nameless, suggested that this might be his last foray into the wilds! - We'll see!
Best fishy story of the day went to Frank Watt who caught a pound trout in Muckle Lunga Water only to discover that, as well as his own Doobry Muddler, there was also a Clan Chief securely fastened in the jaws of the fish. Enquiries are being made as we go to press but it is fairly certain that this fly belongs to ex Guizer Jarl John Hunter who broke in a "good fish" in Muckle Lunga during an excursion earlier in the week with Alec Miller.
The next fly competition is round seven of the bank league which takes place on Thursday 17th July with an 1815 check in at the Bixter Graveyard. The annual inter club match between Whalsay and the S.A.A. takes place in Whalsay on Saturday 19th July.
28-6-14
Twelve of the Shetland Anglers Association's toughest fly fishermen reported for duty last Saturday morning at the Collafirth pier to fish for the annual Ronas Hill trophy. This gruelling event is a ten and a half hour marathon in the lochs behind Ronas Hill and will always sort out the men from the boys. Competitors need to be in top physical condition, mentally resilient and have excellent navigational skills. Several books could be written concerning the adventures and mishaps of anglers who have ventured into one of the last true wilderness areas in Shetland!
Conspicuous by his absence was Ronas Hill stalwart Leslie Barclay who epitomises all the qualities of a Ronas Hill angler. Leslie is being wrapped in cotton wool at the moment however as he is an essential member of the S.A.A. team who will travel South next weekend to fish against the D.F.F.A. in Caithness. Now would not be the time for a last minute injury!
Also conspicuous by his absence was competition secretary Billy Reid who has managed to get bursitis - or "burstwaderitus" as one wag who shall remain nameless quipped. Like Leslie, Billy has been warned by the management team to take no chances with the inter club competition coming up. He is too valuable to the team to take a chance on tripping over a boulder in Roer Water and further aggravating his injured knee. Under secretary Mark Sandison stepped up to the plate and made a note of the entrants.
Prize for best prepared angler went to Dale Williamson who was all kitted out with a new backpack for the event. Today would be more about grit and determination than fancy new gear however and at the 09:00 start it was maps, compasses, waders and fly rods at the ready as anglers shot of for a day of trooty mayhem!
Traditionally their are two routes into "da hill" - the Uyea track and the Roer Water track. Today saw six anglers choosing the North road while the other six opted for the Southerly route. Willie Lowrie Irvine managed to get his pickup 20 yards in the Roer Water track before all his crew had to abandon ship due to an overheating radiator. Luckily the Ollaberry garage was on standby to save the day. Barry Robertson and Alastair Jamieson however were left wishing that they'd set off hiking over the hill with "yompy" boys Dale Williamson and Mark Sandison.
This was just the start of Alastair's woes. Arriving in Roer Water he got off to a flying start taking four fish for 2 lb, 12 oz. in just over an
hour. If he'd managed to keep this up who knows what would have happened. Unfortunately for Alastair he then managed to trip and break his fly rod. This of course was "game over" for the unlucky Yell man. Fortunately his "state of the art" rod is well insured.
The day would see anglers fairly spread out over the many lochs and lochans in the area and of course there is more than enough water in this great wilderness to swallow an army of flyfishers let alone the dozen likely lads present today.
It was a very tired but happy bunch who reconvened at 19:30 for the weigh in. It was great to see young Liam Wheelan and John Wishart - who was guided by "Ronas expert" David John Anderson - both weighing in for the first time at an S.A.A. competition. Great things are being predicted for these two Bonnie Isle men.
It was immediately apparent that despite the rather chilly Northerly wind some excellent baskets of fish had been caught. Barry Robertson and Bobby Irvine were conscripted to do the daunting job of weighing the fish while Sandison did the paperwork.
Most notable baskets included Dale Williamson with seven for 5 lb, 3 oz, Barry Robertson with twelve for 6 lb, 9 oz, Willie Lowrie Irvine with nine for 6lb, 12 oz, (which also included the heaviest trout of the day at 1 lb, 12 oz) David John Anderson and Frank Watt with twelve and fourteen respectively for 7 lb, 13 oz. and Bobby Irvine with fourteen for 10 lb exactly.
Just sneaking into first place however thanks to four half pounders in the last 30 minutes of the competition was Mark Sandison with nineteen trout for 11 lb, 8 oz.
Several different flies were mentioned in despatches including Doobry Muddler, Gorgeous George, Potty's Palmer, Clan Chief, Peach Muddler and various other Muddlers. To be honest however this was a day where fly selection probably wasn't very important with the fish being "on" in all the major waters and happy to grab anything.
After an exhausting day several anglers were overheard claiming that they wouldn't be "up the hill" again until next year, while one, who shall remain nameless, suggested that this might be his last foray into the wilds! - We'll see!
Best fishy story of the day went to Frank Watt who caught a pound trout in Muckle Lunga Water only to discover that, as well as his own Doobry Muddler, there was also a Clan Chief securely fastened in the jaws of the fish. Enquiries are being made as we go to press but it is fairly certain that this fly belongs to ex Guizer Jarl John Hunter who broke in a "good fish" in Muckle Lunga during an excursion earlier in the week with Alec Miller.
The next fly competition is round seven of the bank league which takes place on Thursday 17th July with an 1815 check in at the Bixter Graveyard. The annual inter club match between Whalsay and the S.A.A. takes place in Whalsay on Saturday 19th July.
Tulloch Mid Summer Shield.
A record 22 fly fishers checked in at the Tingwall Boat shed last
Saturday morning to fish for the Tulloch Mid Summer Shield which also doubled up as round six of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
With so many anglers present there was a number of talking points. Top
of the agenda was the atrocious parking with anglers vehicles spilling out of
the car park and almost blocking the Tingwall Valley road. There were more than
a few strange looks from passing motorists. It was suggested that there should
be a designated steward to organise the haphazard parking at future competitions. Barry Robertson's name was put forward as the obvious choice.
Second major talking point was the discovery of a small stepladder in the back of Jeemie Sandison's pick up. There was no doubt in the minds of Harry Sandison and Barry Robertson that this step ladder was intended to be used by Jeemie to negotiate fences in the Clousta road which were getting too high for him. A heated debate then ensued as to the legality of using such a device to gain advantage in an angling competition. A complaint has gone to the S.A.A. committee as we go to press.
One of the vehicles taking up too much space in the car park was Dale Williamson's "Discovery" which he had borrowed off his mum for the day. Williamson was caught checking his reflection in the tinted windows as he lived up to his self styled reputation as the most fashionable angler in the bank league. Style never goes out of fashion however and no one knows this better than Leslie Barclay. Resplendent in a new wading jacket, Leslie never has to try too hard to look his best and easily took the prize for best looking and best
dressed angler on the day.
It was great to see three young guns from Whalsay, Garry Williamson, John Wishart and Liam Wheelan all in attendance with John and Liam competing in their first S.A.A. Fly bank competition. We look forward to seeing much more of this trio.
Competitors had a selection of most of the main lochs in Shetland to choose from. As ever making the correct choice on the day would be crucial and the 10.15 starting horn saw anglers head off to all points of the compass. Despite being a warm overcast day the main problem that fly fishers would have to face would be the cyclonic winds which left lochs lying flat calm with only the occasional ripple to disturb the surface. Very difficult angling conditions. It wasn't long before the tell tale signs of anglers motoring between lochs indicated that the fishing was indeed proving extremely difficult.
Two anglers who did make the correct choice however were Darren Laurenson and Jeemie Sandison. Both anglers arrived in Clings Water to find rising fish and the deadly duo went about making the best of it before the rise tailed off.
After a hard, and in some cases sweaty, day's fishing, competitors arrived back at the Tingwall boat shed for the 1745 weigh in. It was clear right away that the result was going to be close. The weigh in as ever was well organised and officiated over by competition secretary Billy Reid.
Taking first place and the "Tulloch Mid Summer Shield" was young Darren Laurenson who is absolutely on fire at the moment. Picking up where he left off last weekend in the boat inter county win against Orkney, Darren had an excellent basket of ten fish for 4 lb, 11 & 1/4 oz.
In second place was the evergreen Barry Robertson who took five trout from the unfashionable Stump for 4 lb, 6 & 1/2 oz. Barry's basket also included the heaviest fish of the day at 1 lb, 9 oz.
Third spot went to the consistent Bobby Irvine who had seven from Vaara for 4 lb, 4 3/4 oz. and in fourth place was Jeemie Sandison with eight for 3 lb, 10& 1/4 oz. Jeemie was at pains to point out that his stepladder hadn't been out of the back of the pick up all day!
It is interesting to note that besides Bobby Irvine whose top fly was a "Pink Muddler," Darren, Barry and Jeemie had all scored with a "Peach Muddler."
Other successful anglers were Frank Watt, Leslie Barclay, David John Anderson, Mark Sandison, Graeme Callander, Derek Titheradge, Harry Sandison, Dave Wright, Alastair Jamieson, Billy Reid, Michael Williamson, Dale Williamson and Peter Laurenson.
With six out of the nine league competitions now having been fished Bobby Irvine has moved into pole position and the battle for a top six place is really hotting up.
Bobby Irvine 105
Mark Sandison 104
Peter Laurenson 74
Dave Wright 69
Darren Laurenson 63
David John Anderson 58
Barry Robertson 55
Billy Reid 54
Graeme Callandar 52
Frank Watt 52
Jeemie Sandison 49
Tony Li 42
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Derek Titheradge 40
Leslie Barclay 38
Dale Williamson 36
Alastair Jamieson 35
Michael Williamson 26
Harry Sandison 14
Angling can be a dangerous pursuit. Billy Reid and Leslie Barclay had, not only once but twice, had to don tin helmets and take cover to avoid flying golf balls while wading in Asta. Dale Williamson had to retire early to attend to a lip injury. Rumours that he had managed to inflict this on himself using a fly he had tied up the previous evening have been greatly exaggerated however. This particular competition has proved a bit of a jinx for Williamson as he had to retire early last year after ripping his waders on a barbed wire fence.
Perhaps Jeemie has the best idea with his patent step ladder!
The Fly Bank League takes a break now until the 17th of July. During this time a six man team will travel to Caithness to fish against the D.F.F.A. for the interclub trophy.
Fly fishing junkies need not despair however. The Ronas Hill trophy takes place on Saturday 28th June with a 09:00 check in at the Collafirth pier. This epic should provide all the fly fishing adrenalin rush you need to ensure everything remains right with the world!
A record 22 fly fishers checked in at the Tingwall Boat shed last
Saturday morning to fish for the Tulloch Mid Summer Shield which also doubled up as round six of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
With so many anglers present there was a number of talking points. Top
of the agenda was the atrocious parking with anglers vehicles spilling out of
the car park and almost blocking the Tingwall Valley road. There were more than
a few strange looks from passing motorists. It was suggested that there should
be a designated steward to organise the haphazard parking at future competitions. Barry Robertson's name was put forward as the obvious choice.
Second major talking point was the discovery of a small stepladder in the back of Jeemie Sandison's pick up. There was no doubt in the minds of Harry Sandison and Barry Robertson that this step ladder was intended to be used by Jeemie to negotiate fences in the Clousta road which were getting too high for him. A heated debate then ensued as to the legality of using such a device to gain advantage in an angling competition. A complaint has gone to the S.A.A. committee as we go to press.
One of the vehicles taking up too much space in the car park was Dale Williamson's "Discovery" which he had borrowed off his mum for the day. Williamson was caught checking his reflection in the tinted windows as he lived up to his self styled reputation as the most fashionable angler in the bank league. Style never goes out of fashion however and no one knows this better than Leslie Barclay. Resplendent in a new wading jacket, Leslie never has to try too hard to look his best and easily took the prize for best looking and best
dressed angler on the day.
It was great to see three young guns from Whalsay, Garry Williamson, John Wishart and Liam Wheelan all in attendance with John and Liam competing in their first S.A.A. Fly bank competition. We look forward to seeing much more of this trio.
Competitors had a selection of most of the main lochs in Shetland to choose from. As ever making the correct choice on the day would be crucial and the 10.15 starting horn saw anglers head off to all points of the compass. Despite being a warm overcast day the main problem that fly fishers would have to face would be the cyclonic winds which left lochs lying flat calm with only the occasional ripple to disturb the surface. Very difficult angling conditions. It wasn't long before the tell tale signs of anglers motoring between lochs indicated that the fishing was indeed proving extremely difficult.
Two anglers who did make the correct choice however were Darren Laurenson and Jeemie Sandison. Both anglers arrived in Clings Water to find rising fish and the deadly duo went about making the best of it before the rise tailed off.
After a hard, and in some cases sweaty, day's fishing, competitors arrived back at the Tingwall boat shed for the 1745 weigh in. It was clear right away that the result was going to be close. The weigh in as ever was well organised and officiated over by competition secretary Billy Reid.
Taking first place and the "Tulloch Mid Summer Shield" was young Darren Laurenson who is absolutely on fire at the moment. Picking up where he left off last weekend in the boat inter county win against Orkney, Darren had an excellent basket of ten fish for 4 lb, 11 & 1/4 oz.
In second place was the evergreen Barry Robertson who took five trout from the unfashionable Stump for 4 lb, 6 & 1/2 oz. Barry's basket also included the heaviest fish of the day at 1 lb, 9 oz.
Third spot went to the consistent Bobby Irvine who had seven from Vaara for 4 lb, 4 3/4 oz. and in fourth place was Jeemie Sandison with eight for 3 lb, 10& 1/4 oz. Jeemie was at pains to point out that his stepladder hadn't been out of the back of the pick up all day!
It is interesting to note that besides Bobby Irvine whose top fly was a "Pink Muddler," Darren, Barry and Jeemie had all scored with a "Peach Muddler."
Other successful anglers were Frank Watt, Leslie Barclay, David John Anderson, Mark Sandison, Graeme Callander, Derek Titheradge, Harry Sandison, Dave Wright, Alastair Jamieson, Billy Reid, Michael Williamson, Dale Williamson and Peter Laurenson.
With six out of the nine league competitions now having been fished Bobby Irvine has moved into pole position and the battle for a top six place is really hotting up.
Bobby Irvine 105
Mark Sandison 104
Peter Laurenson 74
Dave Wright 69
Darren Laurenson 63
David John Anderson 58
Barry Robertson 55
Billy Reid 54
Graeme Callandar 52
Frank Watt 52
Jeemie Sandison 49
Tony Li 42
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Derek Titheradge 40
Leslie Barclay 38
Dale Williamson 36
Alastair Jamieson 35
Michael Williamson 26
Harry Sandison 14
Angling can be a dangerous pursuit. Billy Reid and Leslie Barclay had, not only once but twice, had to don tin helmets and take cover to avoid flying golf balls while wading in Asta. Dale Williamson had to retire early to attend to a lip injury. Rumours that he had managed to inflict this on himself using a fly he had tied up the previous evening have been greatly exaggerated however. This particular competition has proved a bit of a jinx for Williamson as he had to retire early last year after ripping his waders on a barbed wire fence.
Perhaps Jeemie has the best idea with his patent step ladder!
The Fly Bank League takes a break now until the 17th of July. During this time a six man team will travel to Caithness to fish against the D.F.F.A. for the interclub trophy.
Fly fishing junkies need not despair however. The Ronas Hill trophy takes place on Saturday 28th June with a 09:00 check in at the Collafirth pier. This epic should provide all the fly fishing adrenalin rush you need to ensure everything remains right with the world!
Clousta Road 5-6-14
Another beautiful evening greeted the eighteen bank anglers who checked in at the Bixter Hall last Thursday evening for round five of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
With the large turnout parking was at a premium and there was a certain amount of jockeying for pole position with the late arrivals tending to get their noses in the front of the queue. As ever however the excitement to get the best position on the starting grid is fairly meaningless as no one can set off until competition secretary Billy Reid gives the signal.
The idyllic evening saw competitors in a fairly laid back mood however. Dale Williamson treated everyone to a guided tour of his many fly boxes. Harry Sandison was in high spirits after just having returned from a "One Direction" concert in Edinburgh. Dale thought that he would have loved to have seen "1D" as well but all his spare time was spent practicing for trooty competitions!
All anglers were looking forward to an evening's fly fishing in the Clousta Road. This area includes many of the jewels in the crown of Shetland trout fishing such as Kirkhouse, Collaster, Northouse, Clings Water and the mighty Vaara and Clousta.
The smart money on the evening was on Clings Water and the 1815 start saw most anglers heading for this venue, with Billy Reid, Tony Li, Dale Williamson and Mark Sandison all becoming involved in a footrace over the hill. There was only ever going to be one winner in this contest however! It wasn't long though before anglers discovered that Clings
Water just wasn't playing ball and that the fish were very reluctant to come to the fly.
As happens frequently in fly competitions it was competitors who hadn't followed the crowd who fared best.
Blowing everybody away was the ever amazing Bobby Irvine who had chosen to spend the evening on the underperforming Vaara. Bobby had a simply fantastic basket of 14 trout for 7 lb, 9 & 1/2 oz. This is a catch rate of nearly four fish an hour. - A feat of which some of us lesser mortals can only dream about. Bobby's top fly was a "Clan Chief
Muddler."
In second spot and announcing his comeback in style was Frank Watt. Frank had spent the evening on Kirkhouse where he had assembled a very good basket of five trout for 3 lb,& 1/2 oz. taken on a "Doobry Muddler."
Third place went to Peter Laurenson with four trout from Collaster for 2 lb, 12 & 1/2 oz. on a "Loch Ordy." Fourth spot
went to Bonnie Isle man David John Anderson with five from Vaara for 2 lb, 10 & 1/2 oz. taken mainly on a "Pink
Muddler."
Heaviest fish of the evening was a monster of 1 lb, 14 oz, which fell to Alastair Jamieson in Aithness.
Other successful anglers were Mark Sandison, Darren Laurenson, Johnnie Laurenson, Jeemie Sandison, Dave Wright, Billy Reid, Derek Titheradge, Barry Robertson, Tony Li, Leslie Barclay and Dale Williamson.
With five of the nine league competitions having been fished the league is now set up perfectly, not only for the title itself
but also for those all important top six places which will mean a place in the team to fish against Caithness next year.
Mark Sandison 92
Bobby Irvine 87
Peter Laurenson 71
Dave Wright 61
Billy Reid 48
David John Anderson 45
Tony Li 42
Graeme Callandar 41
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Darren Laurenson 38
Frank Watt 37
Barry Robertson 34
Jeemie Sandison 33
Dale Williamson 32
Derek Titheradge 30
Alastair Jamieson 28
Leslie Barclay 24
Michael Williamson 21
Harry Sandison 5
A fly bank competition wouldn't be complete without some calamity overcoming Leslie Barclay. On this occasion he managed to waterlog his mobile phone which was also his only means of keeping time. The last time Leslie could remember seeing on his phone was 2157 which meant that he had only a few minutes of angling time left. Unfortunately for Leslie he had completely misread the time and he actually had over an hour of the competition left. This meant that Leslie stopped fishing with a large chunk of the competition still remaining and was left wondering why everyone else was still busy thrashing the water!
The only other incident of note was Dale Williamson weighing in a fish whose length had to be double checked and triple checked before it was deemed to be legal. Dale's "specimen" weighed 6 oz. As we go to press S.A.A. officials are busy checking the record books to ascertain whether this is the smallest trout ever weighed in at a competition. Williamson is now considering a singing career - possibly with a boy band!
The next bank league competition also doubles up as the Tulloch Mid Summer Shield and takes place on Saturday June 14 with a check in at the Tingwall boat shed. Competitors are reminded that the start time has been changed to 10.15 a.m.
Another beautiful evening greeted the eighteen bank anglers who checked in at the Bixter Hall last Thursday evening for round five of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
With the large turnout parking was at a premium and there was a certain amount of jockeying for pole position with the late arrivals tending to get their noses in the front of the queue. As ever however the excitement to get the best position on the starting grid is fairly meaningless as no one can set off until competition secretary Billy Reid gives the signal.
The idyllic evening saw competitors in a fairly laid back mood however. Dale Williamson treated everyone to a guided tour of his many fly boxes. Harry Sandison was in high spirits after just having returned from a "One Direction" concert in Edinburgh. Dale thought that he would have loved to have seen "1D" as well but all his spare time was spent practicing for trooty competitions!
All anglers were looking forward to an evening's fly fishing in the Clousta Road. This area includes many of the jewels in the crown of Shetland trout fishing such as Kirkhouse, Collaster, Northouse, Clings Water and the mighty Vaara and Clousta.
The smart money on the evening was on Clings Water and the 1815 start saw most anglers heading for this venue, with Billy Reid, Tony Li, Dale Williamson and Mark Sandison all becoming involved in a footrace over the hill. There was only ever going to be one winner in this contest however! It wasn't long though before anglers discovered that Clings
Water just wasn't playing ball and that the fish were very reluctant to come to the fly.
As happens frequently in fly competitions it was competitors who hadn't followed the crowd who fared best.
Blowing everybody away was the ever amazing Bobby Irvine who had chosen to spend the evening on the underperforming Vaara. Bobby had a simply fantastic basket of 14 trout for 7 lb, 9 & 1/2 oz. This is a catch rate of nearly four fish an hour. - A feat of which some of us lesser mortals can only dream about. Bobby's top fly was a "Clan Chief
Muddler."
In second spot and announcing his comeback in style was Frank Watt. Frank had spent the evening on Kirkhouse where he had assembled a very good basket of five trout for 3 lb,& 1/2 oz. taken on a "Doobry Muddler."
Third place went to Peter Laurenson with four trout from Collaster for 2 lb, 12 & 1/2 oz. on a "Loch Ordy." Fourth spot
went to Bonnie Isle man David John Anderson with five from Vaara for 2 lb, 10 & 1/2 oz. taken mainly on a "Pink
Muddler."
Heaviest fish of the evening was a monster of 1 lb, 14 oz, which fell to Alastair Jamieson in Aithness.
Other successful anglers were Mark Sandison, Darren Laurenson, Johnnie Laurenson, Jeemie Sandison, Dave Wright, Billy Reid, Derek Titheradge, Barry Robertson, Tony Li, Leslie Barclay and Dale Williamson.
With five of the nine league competitions having been fished the league is now set up perfectly, not only for the title itself
but also for those all important top six places which will mean a place in the team to fish against Caithness next year.
Mark Sandison 92
Bobby Irvine 87
Peter Laurenson 71
Dave Wright 61
Billy Reid 48
David John Anderson 45
Tony Li 42
Graeme Callandar 41
Johnnie Laurenson 40
Darren Laurenson 38
Frank Watt 37
Barry Robertson 34
Jeemie Sandison 33
Dale Williamson 32
Derek Titheradge 30
Alastair Jamieson 28
Leslie Barclay 24
Michael Williamson 21
Harry Sandison 5
A fly bank competition wouldn't be complete without some calamity overcoming Leslie Barclay. On this occasion he managed to waterlog his mobile phone which was also his only means of keeping time. The last time Leslie could remember seeing on his phone was 2157 which meant that he had only a few minutes of angling time left. Unfortunately for Leslie he had completely misread the time and he actually had over an hour of the competition left. This meant that Leslie stopped fishing with a large chunk of the competition still remaining and was left wondering why everyone else was still busy thrashing the water!
The only other incident of note was Dale Williamson weighing in a fish whose length had to be double checked and triple checked before it was deemed to be legal. Dale's "specimen" weighed 6 oz. As we go to press S.A.A. officials are busy checking the record books to ascertain whether this is the smallest trout ever weighed in at a competition. Williamson is now considering a singing career - possibly with a boy band!
The next bank league competition also doubles up as the Tulloch Mid Summer Shield and takes place on Saturday June 14 with a check in at the Tingwall boat shed. Competitors are reminded that the start time has been changed to 10.15 a.m.
North Mainland 29-5-14
What a difference a week makes in angling. After the Northerly gale and wind of the previous week, a near record turnout of twenty fly fishers met in tropical conditions last Thursday evening at Mavis Grind to contest round four of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
The sunshine had brought out all the big guns. Most notable among these were Whalsay men Harry Sandison and Barry Robertson. It
was also particularly pleasing to see Jeemie Sandison in attendance. Rumours of Jeemie's imminent retirement have obviously been greatly
exaggerated.
The soaring temperatures had encouraged some of the younger contingent to turn out with just their t-shirts on under their wading jackets. However the more experienced campaigners present had plenty of layers on as they knew it would turn decidedly chilly as the sun dipped below the hill. As one senior fly fisher pointed out "Never tak aff your lang drawers until May is oot!" Wise words indeed!
The blazing sunshine combined with flat calm conditions meant that angling would be incredibly difficult. However it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm as Billy Reid gave two blast on his horn at 1815 exactly and everyone was off. Competitors were spoilt for choice with a wide range of lochs to choose from in the North Mainland. Most of the early
attention was centred round the roadside lochs of Eela Water and Punds Water. However the usual tell tale signs of anglers motoring between lochs was an indication that the fishing was proving to be very difficult as predicted.
Not so for Dale Williamson who had a trout of just over a pound in his basket within the first half an hour. Commentators present felt that Williamson would kick on from here and be a serious contender on the evening. However Dale failed to settle after this initial success, and after retiring early, questions are now being asked regarding this young Lerwick angler's stamina and commitment!
Stamina and commitment are certainly an issues for Leslie Barclay who could put many men half his age to shame. Leslie got the prize for fishing the most lochs in one evening as he hunted that elusive trout which would get him in amongst the points.
As the evening wore on and the sun set it did turn chilly. The beautiful sunset and picturesque views ended up being too much for Bonnie Isle man Ian Reid who put away his fly rod for the night and turned to his second favourite pastime -
photography.
Despite the difficult conditions it turned out that sixteen of the original twenty starters had fish to weigh in at the end of
the evening.
Taking first place was young Darren Laurenson with an excellent basket of five trout for 2 lb, 13& 1/4 oz. on a Peach
Muddler. Sneaking in to second place was Mark Sandison who also had five fish in his bag weighing 2 oz less than Darren's. Sandison's top fly was a "Foreman's Favourite." Both anglers had fished Eela Water.
Third place went to seasoned campaigner Barry Robertson who had chosen this competition to make his seasonal assault on the league. Barry had three fish from Punds Water for 2 lb, 2 & 3/4 oz. all taken on that old Whalsay favourite the "Blue Headed Muddler." In fourth place was Frank Watt with three trout for 1lb, 14 & 3/4 oz.
Other successful anglers were Tony Li, who also had the heaviest fish of the evening at 1 lb, 3 oz, Billy Reid, Peter Laurenson, Dale Williamson, Jeemie Sandison, Johnnie Laurenson, Dave Wright, Derek Titheradge, Leslie Barclay, Bobby Irvine, Harry Sandison and David John Anderson.
This now leaves the league as follows:
Mark Sandison 78
Bobby Irvine 62
Peter Laurenson 53
Dave Wright 51
Graeme Callander 41
Billy Reid 39
Tony Li 36
David John Anderson 29
Johnnie Laurenson 28
Dale Williamson 28
Barry Robertson 27
Darren Laurenson 25
Derek Titheradge 22
Jeemie Sandison 22
Michael Williamson 21
Leslie Barclay 19
Frank Watt 16
Alastair Jamieson 13
Harry Sandison 5
The next bank league competition also doubles up
as the Tulloch Mid Summer Shield and takes place on Saturday June 14 with a
check in at the Tingwall boat shed. Competitors are reminded that the start time
has been changed to 10.15 a.m.
What a difference a week makes in angling. After the Northerly gale and wind of the previous week, a near record turnout of twenty fly fishers met in tropical conditions last Thursday evening at Mavis Grind to contest round four of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League.
The sunshine had brought out all the big guns. Most notable among these were Whalsay men Harry Sandison and Barry Robertson. It
was also particularly pleasing to see Jeemie Sandison in attendance. Rumours of Jeemie's imminent retirement have obviously been greatly
exaggerated.
The soaring temperatures had encouraged some of the younger contingent to turn out with just their t-shirts on under their wading jackets. However the more experienced campaigners present had plenty of layers on as they knew it would turn decidedly chilly as the sun dipped below the hill. As one senior fly fisher pointed out "Never tak aff your lang drawers until May is oot!" Wise words indeed!
The blazing sunshine combined with flat calm conditions meant that angling would be incredibly difficult. However it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm as Billy Reid gave two blast on his horn at 1815 exactly and everyone was off. Competitors were spoilt for choice with a wide range of lochs to choose from in the North Mainland. Most of the early
attention was centred round the roadside lochs of Eela Water and Punds Water. However the usual tell tale signs of anglers motoring between lochs was an indication that the fishing was proving to be very difficult as predicted.
Not so for Dale Williamson who had a trout of just over a pound in his basket within the first half an hour. Commentators present felt that Williamson would kick on from here and be a serious contender on the evening. However Dale failed to settle after this initial success, and after retiring early, questions are now being asked regarding this young Lerwick angler's stamina and commitment!
Stamina and commitment are certainly an issues for Leslie Barclay who could put many men half his age to shame. Leslie got the prize for fishing the most lochs in one evening as he hunted that elusive trout which would get him in amongst the points.
As the evening wore on and the sun set it did turn chilly. The beautiful sunset and picturesque views ended up being too much for Bonnie Isle man Ian Reid who put away his fly rod for the night and turned to his second favourite pastime -
photography.
Despite the difficult conditions it turned out that sixteen of the original twenty starters had fish to weigh in at the end of
the evening.
Taking first place was young Darren Laurenson with an excellent basket of five trout for 2 lb, 13& 1/4 oz. on a Peach
Muddler. Sneaking in to second place was Mark Sandison who also had five fish in his bag weighing 2 oz less than Darren's. Sandison's top fly was a "Foreman's Favourite." Both anglers had fished Eela Water.
Third place went to seasoned campaigner Barry Robertson who had chosen this competition to make his seasonal assault on the league. Barry had three fish from Punds Water for 2 lb, 2 & 3/4 oz. all taken on that old Whalsay favourite the "Blue Headed Muddler." In fourth place was Frank Watt with three trout for 1lb, 14 & 3/4 oz.
Other successful anglers were Tony Li, who also had the heaviest fish of the evening at 1 lb, 3 oz, Billy Reid, Peter Laurenson, Dale Williamson, Jeemie Sandison, Johnnie Laurenson, Dave Wright, Derek Titheradge, Leslie Barclay, Bobby Irvine, Harry Sandison and David John Anderson.
This now leaves the league as follows:
Mark Sandison 78
Bobby Irvine 62
Peter Laurenson 53
Dave Wright 51
Graeme Callander 41
Billy Reid 39
Tony Li 36
David John Anderson 29
Johnnie Laurenson 28
Dale Williamson 28
Barry Robertson 27
Darren Laurenson 25
Derek Titheradge 22
Jeemie Sandison 22
Michael Williamson 21
Leslie Barclay 19
Frank Watt 16
Alastair Jamieson 13
Harry Sandison 5
The next bank league competition also doubles up
as the Tulloch Mid Summer Shield and takes place on Saturday June 14 with a
check in at the Tingwall boat shed. Competitors are reminded that the start time
has been changed to 10.15 a.m.
Westside 22-5-14
The Westside was the venue last Thursday evening for round three of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League. The main topic of conversation as
anglers congregated at the Bixter Graveyard was the weather. The mild conditions of earlier in the week had deteriorated somewhat to leave a cold North wind with a forecast of rain. Really quite a nasty evening in prospect then and certainly not very fishy conditions!
Despite the forecast however there was an excellent turnout of fifteen anglers for what is traditionally one of the more difficult bank league competitions of the season.
It was particularly pleasing to see Michael Williamson making an appearance at his first fly bank league competition. As one commentator pointed out however, it's one thing having a long career as top striker for Whalsay and Shetland but Michael was playing in the big boy's playground now where things would be a lot tougher! Luckily ex pro Harry
Sandison was on hand to point Williamson in the right direction.
It was also great to see Darren Laurenson and Frank Watt in attendance, both fresh from national qualifying success in
Orkney.
Flyfishers had a choice of all the main lochs on the Westside of Shetland. As ever making the correct decision on where to go would be crucial for success on the evening. As the 1815 starting horn sounded anglers motored off in all different directions spreading themselves out fairly evenly over the sixteen lochs on offer.
As predicted the evening soon deteriorated with rain coming in from the North and the angling becoming quite miserable. It was only the most resolute of fly fishers who were left standing at the 2230 weigh in.
Taking first place was rising star from Whalsay, David John Anderson who had fished the unfancied Sand Water. Anderson blew everyone else out of the water with eight trout for 5 lb, 1 & 3/4 oz. taken mainly on that old Whalsay favourite the "Blue Headed Muddler." Having performed well in the recent trout festival this is David John's first bank league win and great things are being predicted for this young Bonnie Isle man.
Taking second place and proving that he can easily hold his own with the big boys was slightly older star Michael Williamson with three fish for 1 lb, 12 & 1/2 oz. taken on a "Mothy Muddler Type Thing!" Michael had fished another often overlooked loch, the dour Djuba Water. Well done Michael. A great result on his debut.
Williamson will be relieved that he didn't tag along with Leslie Barclay as had originally been planned. Leslie had started fishing the mighty Sulma Water only to decide an hour later that he was going to switch venues. Unfortunately for Leslie he became disorientated in the rain and hopelessly lost in the hills, spending two hours marching through the heather
and along the by roads of West Burrafirth until he finally located his car. It was a particularly bedraggled looking Barclay who left his one fish with Mark Sandison before retiring home for a welcome early bath. One wag suggested that it was the weight of Leslie's huge landing net which had caused him to keep veering to port and therefore walk around in circles!
Taking third and fourth place respectively and keeping the end up for the toonie boys were Mark Sandison and Dave Wright. Sandison had three fish for 1 lb, 10 & 1/2 oz, while Wright, who is fast gaining a reputation as a big fish man, had the heaviest fish of the evening at 1 lb, 8 & 1/4 oz. which fell to a "Peach Muddler."
Other successful anglers were Peter Laurenson, Bobby Irvine, Graeme Callander, Leslie Barclay, Jeemie Sandison, Billy Reid and Barry Robertson.
With everyone desperate to get home and dry out, the only other incident of note at the weigh in was Graeme Callander attempting to sneak a dubious trout into the weighing net without having it checked. The fish was re-measured and just made the statutory ten inches by the skin of its teeth! A decidedly sheepish looking Callander was reminded that he was fishing in the bank league now and not with the boaty boys where anything goes!
With a third of this years bank competitions having been fished the league is as follows:
Mark Sandison 57
Bobby Irvine 55
Dave Wright 42
Graeme Callander 41
Peter Laurenson 40
Billy Reid 25
David John Anderson 25
Tony Li 21
Michael Williamson 21
Johnnie Laurenson 18
Dale Williamson 16
Derek Titheradge 14
Alastair Jamieson 13
Leslie Barclay 12
Jeemie Sandison 11
Barry Robertson 9
The next fly bank league competition takes place on Thursday 5th June with a 1815 check in at the Bixter Hall. Bank fishers are also asked to note that the check in for the "Tulloch Mid- Summer Shield on Saturday 14th June at the Tingwall boat shed has been put back half an hour to 1015.
Finally with the breeding season in full swing anglers are reminded to take great care around the margins of lochs and don't linger near nesting birds. In particular the island in Tingwall loch should be avoided as far as possible at this time. For more details see the Shetland Anglers Web site www.shetlandtrout.co.uk
The Westside was the venue last Thursday evening for round three of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League. The main topic of conversation as
anglers congregated at the Bixter Graveyard was the weather. The mild conditions of earlier in the week had deteriorated somewhat to leave a cold North wind with a forecast of rain. Really quite a nasty evening in prospect then and certainly not very fishy conditions!
Despite the forecast however there was an excellent turnout of fifteen anglers for what is traditionally one of the more difficult bank league competitions of the season.
It was particularly pleasing to see Michael Williamson making an appearance at his first fly bank league competition. As one commentator pointed out however, it's one thing having a long career as top striker for Whalsay and Shetland but Michael was playing in the big boy's playground now where things would be a lot tougher! Luckily ex pro Harry
Sandison was on hand to point Williamson in the right direction.
It was also great to see Darren Laurenson and Frank Watt in attendance, both fresh from national qualifying success in
Orkney.
Flyfishers had a choice of all the main lochs on the Westside of Shetland. As ever making the correct decision on where to go would be crucial for success on the evening. As the 1815 starting horn sounded anglers motored off in all different directions spreading themselves out fairly evenly over the sixteen lochs on offer.
As predicted the evening soon deteriorated with rain coming in from the North and the angling becoming quite miserable. It was only the most resolute of fly fishers who were left standing at the 2230 weigh in.
Taking first place was rising star from Whalsay, David John Anderson who had fished the unfancied Sand Water. Anderson blew everyone else out of the water with eight trout for 5 lb, 1 & 3/4 oz. taken mainly on that old Whalsay favourite the "Blue Headed Muddler." Having performed well in the recent trout festival this is David John's first bank league win and great things are being predicted for this young Bonnie Isle man.
Taking second place and proving that he can easily hold his own with the big boys was slightly older star Michael Williamson with three fish for 1 lb, 12 & 1/2 oz. taken on a "Mothy Muddler Type Thing!" Michael had fished another often overlooked loch, the dour Djuba Water. Well done Michael. A great result on his debut.
Williamson will be relieved that he didn't tag along with Leslie Barclay as had originally been planned. Leslie had started fishing the mighty Sulma Water only to decide an hour later that he was going to switch venues. Unfortunately for Leslie he became disorientated in the rain and hopelessly lost in the hills, spending two hours marching through the heather
and along the by roads of West Burrafirth until he finally located his car. It was a particularly bedraggled looking Barclay who left his one fish with Mark Sandison before retiring home for a welcome early bath. One wag suggested that it was the weight of Leslie's huge landing net which had caused him to keep veering to port and therefore walk around in circles!
Taking third and fourth place respectively and keeping the end up for the toonie boys were Mark Sandison and Dave Wright. Sandison had three fish for 1 lb, 10 & 1/2 oz, while Wright, who is fast gaining a reputation as a big fish man, had the heaviest fish of the evening at 1 lb, 8 & 1/4 oz. which fell to a "Peach Muddler."
Other successful anglers were Peter Laurenson, Bobby Irvine, Graeme Callander, Leslie Barclay, Jeemie Sandison, Billy Reid and Barry Robertson.
With everyone desperate to get home and dry out, the only other incident of note at the weigh in was Graeme Callander attempting to sneak a dubious trout into the weighing net without having it checked. The fish was re-measured and just made the statutory ten inches by the skin of its teeth! A decidedly sheepish looking Callander was reminded that he was fishing in the bank league now and not with the boaty boys where anything goes!
With a third of this years bank competitions having been fished the league is as follows:
Mark Sandison 57
Bobby Irvine 55
Dave Wright 42
Graeme Callander 41
Peter Laurenson 40
Billy Reid 25
David John Anderson 25
Tony Li 21
Michael Williamson 21
Johnnie Laurenson 18
Dale Williamson 16
Derek Titheradge 14
Alastair Jamieson 13
Leslie Barclay 12
Jeemie Sandison 11
Barry Robertson 9
The next fly bank league competition takes place on Thursday 5th June with a 1815 check in at the Bixter Hall. Bank fishers are also asked to note that the check in for the "Tulloch Mid- Summer Shield on Saturday 14th June at the Tingwall boat shed has been put back half an hour to 1015.
Finally with the breeding season in full swing anglers are reminded to take great care around the margins of lochs and don't linger near nesting birds. In particular the island in Tingwall loch should be avoided as far as possible at this time. For more details see the Shetland Anglers Web site www.shetlandtrout.co.uk
Benston 8-5-14
Benston is a cruel mistress that doesn't give up her prizes easily. She has been known to break the hearts of even the most faithful of fly fishermen. Over the years several of Shetland's most resolute and toughest anglers have retreated from her waters broken men - mere shadows of their former selves.
As a result then it was mainly anglers of a very particular mental disposition and determined outlook who ventured forth last Thursday evening to fish for the S.A.A.'s Pottinger Benston Trophy.
Very conspicuous by his absence was competition secretary Billy Reid who was missing his first fly bank competition in decades. Rumours that Billy simply couldn't face another session on the soul destroying Benston however are completely
unfounded. This meant that Billy's deputy Mark Sandison was promoted to Competition Secretary for the evening and officiated over the eleven hardy troopers who reported for the 1815 check in.
It was particularly pleasing to see big fish man Paul Bloomer in attendance - a long overdue debut in the Pottinger Benston competition.
Out of the eleven starters, three elected to fish from the boat which went some way to easing congestion on the bank. However with the sun making an appearance through broken clouds there wasn't just a great deal of urgency to get going.
One angler who was quick of the mark was young gun Andrew Pottinger. Andrew had a trout of 2 lb, 9 oz. in the first
half hour. This ended up being the heaviest trout of the evening and when he added a second to his basket two hours later the combined total came to 3 lb, 2 oz. Both of Pottinger's fish took an old classic the "Bruiser" which most anglers at the weigh in confessed might not have been their first choice of fly on the evening - if indeed they could have found one in their fly box in the first place! Indeed Andrew had to remind some those present of the exact tying of this pattern, full details of which can be seen in the "Shetland Flybox" on the S.A.A. web page. http://www.shetlandtrout.co.uk/
Andrew may have been forgiven for thinking that he had perhaps done enough to win the competition. Indeed S.A.A. historians pointed out that it must be years since someone has weighed in two fish at this event and not won it!
However no one had reckoned with the ever amazing Bobby Irvine. Bobby weighed in two trout for 3 lb, 8 oz. which meant that he retained the Pottinger Benston trophy after winning it for the first time last year. Bobby's feat was all the more impressive as he had to leave Benston at 2130 along with sidekick Barry Robertson with an hours fishing time still remaining! Well done Bobby. A worthy champion. For the record Bobby's top fly was another old favourite the "Blue Zulu." No prizes then for working out the trout's choice of colour on the evening.
The only other angler to weigh in on the evening was an ecstatic Dale Williamson with a specimen trout of eight ounces. It is great to see Williamson coming back from the dark side and putting his spinning days behind him!
Benston is a cruel mistress that doesn't give up her prizes easily. She has been known to break the hearts of even the most faithful of fly fishermen. Over the years several of Shetland's most resolute and toughest anglers have retreated from her waters broken men - mere shadows of their former selves.
As a result then it was mainly anglers of a very particular mental disposition and determined outlook who ventured forth last Thursday evening to fish for the S.A.A.'s Pottinger Benston Trophy.
Very conspicuous by his absence was competition secretary Billy Reid who was missing his first fly bank competition in decades. Rumours that Billy simply couldn't face another session on the soul destroying Benston however are completely
unfounded. This meant that Billy's deputy Mark Sandison was promoted to Competition Secretary for the evening and officiated over the eleven hardy troopers who reported for the 1815 check in.
It was particularly pleasing to see big fish man Paul Bloomer in attendance - a long overdue debut in the Pottinger Benston competition.
Out of the eleven starters, three elected to fish from the boat which went some way to easing congestion on the bank. However with the sun making an appearance through broken clouds there wasn't just a great deal of urgency to get going.
One angler who was quick of the mark was young gun Andrew Pottinger. Andrew had a trout of 2 lb, 9 oz. in the first
half hour. This ended up being the heaviest trout of the evening and when he added a second to his basket two hours later the combined total came to 3 lb, 2 oz. Both of Pottinger's fish took an old classic the "Bruiser" which most anglers at the weigh in confessed might not have been their first choice of fly on the evening - if indeed they could have found one in their fly box in the first place! Indeed Andrew had to remind some those present of the exact tying of this pattern, full details of which can be seen in the "Shetland Flybox" on the S.A.A. web page. http://www.shetlandtrout.co.uk/
Andrew may have been forgiven for thinking that he had perhaps done enough to win the competition. Indeed S.A.A. historians pointed out that it must be years since someone has weighed in two fish at this event and not won it!
However no one had reckoned with the ever amazing Bobby Irvine. Bobby weighed in two trout for 3 lb, 8 oz. which meant that he retained the Pottinger Benston trophy after winning it for the first time last year. Bobby's feat was all the more impressive as he had to leave Benston at 2130 along with sidekick Barry Robertson with an hours fishing time still remaining! Well done Bobby. A worthy champion. For the record Bobby's top fly was another old favourite the "Blue Zulu." No prizes then for working out the trout's choice of colour on the evening.
The only other angler to weigh in on the evening was an ecstatic Dale Williamson with a specimen trout of eight ounces. It is great to see Williamson coming back from the dark side and putting his spinning days behind him!
Still eager for more fly fishing fun, bank anglers met
again at the Tingwall boat shed 36 hours later to fish for the Double D Doubles trophy. Just when it looked as if there was going to be an odd number of
competitors, Leslie Barclay came screeching into the car park a couple of minutes before the 0945 deadline meaning that Billy Reid could proceed with the draw.
As ever the draw threw up some lethal looking partnerships. There was no time for sizing up the opposition however as the teams set off to do battle over the next eight hours. The morning was overcast and fairly mild. As a result all the teams were in to fish right away. As the day progressed however and the wind started to edge into the North half of the compass it became colder and the sport tailed off. When the teams reconvened for the 1745 weigh in all competitors reported seeing most fish before midday.
Taking third spot was Derek Titheradge and Mark Sandison with six trout for 3 lb, 5 & 1/2 oz from the Westside. Second place went to Bobby Irvine and Alastair Jamieson with eleven fish for 5 lb, 13 oz, also from the Westside.
In first place however and taking the "Double D Doubles" trophy was Billy Reid and the one and only Leslie Barclay. Billy And Leslie had spent the day in Tingwall, Asta and Griesta where they had amassed a basket of eleven trout for 6 lb, 4 & 1/2 oz. beating Alastair and Bobby by a mere 7 & 1/2 oz. This was pretty much down to the incredible Leslie who had taken a 12 oz, trout in injury time to win the day. Far more exciting than the Premier ship title race! Billya nd Leslie's top fly was an "Olive Hedgehog."
This is the second year in a row that Billy has won this trophy but with a different team mate as last year's partner Tony Li was otherwise engaged. So it was well done to Billy& and Leslie on a very determined victory. All that remained now was to persuade the two bashful Burra boys to pose for a winner's photograph.
The next fly bank competition is round three of the league which takes place on Thursday 22nd May with a 1815 check in at the Bixter Graveyard.
again at the Tingwall boat shed 36 hours later to fish for the Double D Doubles trophy. Just when it looked as if there was going to be an odd number of
competitors, Leslie Barclay came screeching into the car park a couple of minutes before the 0945 deadline meaning that Billy Reid could proceed with the draw.
As ever the draw threw up some lethal looking partnerships. There was no time for sizing up the opposition however as the teams set off to do battle over the next eight hours. The morning was overcast and fairly mild. As a result all the teams were in to fish right away. As the day progressed however and the wind started to edge into the North half of the compass it became colder and the sport tailed off. When the teams reconvened for the 1745 weigh in all competitors reported seeing most fish before midday.
Taking third spot was Derek Titheradge and Mark Sandison with six trout for 3 lb, 5 & 1/2 oz from the Westside. Second place went to Bobby Irvine and Alastair Jamieson with eleven fish for 5 lb, 13 oz, also from the Westside.
In first place however and taking the "Double D Doubles" trophy was Billy Reid and the one and only Leslie Barclay. Billy And Leslie had spent the day in Tingwall, Asta and Griesta where they had amassed a basket of eleven trout for 6 lb, 4 & 1/2 oz. beating Alastair and Bobby by a mere 7 & 1/2 oz. This was pretty much down to the incredible Leslie who had taken a 12 oz, trout in injury time to win the day. Far more exciting than the Premier ship title race! Billya nd Leslie's top fly was an "Olive Hedgehog."
This is the second year in a row that Billy has won this trophy but with a different team mate as last year's partner Tony Li was otherwise engaged. So it was well done to Billy& and Leslie on a very determined victory. All that remained now was to persuade the two bashful Burra boys to pose for a winner's photograph.
The next fly bank competition is round three of the league which takes place on Thursday 22nd May with a 1815 check in at the Bixter Graveyard.
South Mainland 3-5-14
Round two of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League took place last Saturday in the South Mainland. Normally this is one of the most popular competitions in the Association calendar. However with the flagship Loch of Spiggie not fishing anywhere near it's potential for the last couple of years there wasn't great deal of enthusiasm among the 14 anglers who assembled at the Spiggie car park for the 1100 kick off. The previous week's chilly weather and reports of the water being extremely coloured didn't do anything either to dispel the general air of pessimism. Then with the wind dropping and "Old Jamaica" starting to appear from behind increasingly broken clouds some of the anglers present must have been starting to wonder why they'd turned up in the first place!
Luckily Leslie Barclay arrived in plenty of time to raise everyone's spirits as he attempted to get his picture in the paper two weeks running. It was also good to see Frank Watt back at his first competition in over three years. Rumours of this top anglers retirement and taking up golf have obviously been greatly exaggerated! The only other incident of note at the
check in was the official launching of the Spiggie boat under orders of absent S.A.A. commodore Alec Miller.
The poor prospects didn't prevent the usual adrenaline rush at the 11.00 kick off with that little bit of extra excitement
going to the heads and impairing the judgement of some very experienced anglers. Tony Li got halfway to the loch before discovering he'd left his bag in the car, Billy Reid failed to negotiate a strategically placed gate and ended up legs up in the park, Leslie Barclay managed to bog in at Broo, while Graeme Callandar could be heard muttering incoherently to himself after wrapping his flyline, cast and flies round a barbed wire fence!
Once everyone had settled down however it soon became apparent that predictions were spot on and the loch was proving extremely difficult. Competitors also had the option of Broo, Clumlie and Fladdabister but these venues are very much the poor relations of South Mainland lochs. All of these waters would get some attention before the day was over however as anglers drifted away from the underperforming Spiggie.
Most competitors were delighted to see the end of a hard session as everyone reassembled for the 1700 weigh in with fairly red sunburned faces.
One angler who had completely bucked the trend and risen to the occasion was Spiggie master Peter Laurenson. Peter had assembled an impressive basket of seven trout for 5 lb, 6 oz. which gave him first place at a canter. This is the second year running that Laurenson has taken first place in this competition. His top fly was an "Olive Midge" of his
own design.
Second place with another very good bag of four fish for 3 lb, 6 & 3/4 oz was Tony Li. Tony's top fly was "Billy's Dunkeld Muddler," the perfect pattern for bright conditions and coloured water. This performance was all the more impressive as
rising star Li had had to leave early and missed the last hour and a half of the competition.
Third spot went to the lucky Mark Sandison with two trout for 3 lb, 2 and a 1/2 oz. This included the heaviest fish of the day at 2 lb, 4 & 1/2 oz which took Sandison's Peach Muddler in the last twenty minutes of fishing time. In fourth place was Bobby Irvine with one trout from Broo for 1 lb, 6 & 1/4 oz.
Other anglers weighing in on a very difficult day were Graeme Callander, Derek Titheradge, Alastair Jamieson and Dave
Wright.
This leaves the league table as follows after round two of the Bank Fly League:
Bobby Irvine 41
Mark Sandison 39
Graeme Callandar 28
Dave Wright 26
Peter Laurenson 25
Tony Li 21
Johnnie Laurenson 18
Dale Williamson 16
Billy Reid 15
Derek Titheradge 14
Alastair Jamieson 13
The next bank fly competiton is the "Double D Doubles" which takes place on Saturday 10th May with a 0945 hrs check in at the Tingwall Boat Shed.
Round two of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League took place last Saturday in the South Mainland. Normally this is one of the most popular competitions in the Association calendar. However with the flagship Loch of Spiggie not fishing anywhere near it's potential for the last couple of years there wasn't great deal of enthusiasm among the 14 anglers who assembled at the Spiggie car park for the 1100 kick off. The previous week's chilly weather and reports of the water being extremely coloured didn't do anything either to dispel the general air of pessimism. Then with the wind dropping and "Old Jamaica" starting to appear from behind increasingly broken clouds some of the anglers present must have been starting to wonder why they'd turned up in the first place!
Luckily Leslie Barclay arrived in plenty of time to raise everyone's spirits as he attempted to get his picture in the paper two weeks running. It was also good to see Frank Watt back at his first competition in over three years. Rumours of this top anglers retirement and taking up golf have obviously been greatly exaggerated! The only other incident of note at the
check in was the official launching of the Spiggie boat under orders of absent S.A.A. commodore Alec Miller.
The poor prospects didn't prevent the usual adrenaline rush at the 11.00 kick off with that little bit of extra excitement
going to the heads and impairing the judgement of some very experienced anglers. Tony Li got halfway to the loch before discovering he'd left his bag in the car, Billy Reid failed to negotiate a strategically placed gate and ended up legs up in the park, Leslie Barclay managed to bog in at Broo, while Graeme Callandar could be heard muttering incoherently to himself after wrapping his flyline, cast and flies round a barbed wire fence!
Once everyone had settled down however it soon became apparent that predictions were spot on and the loch was proving extremely difficult. Competitors also had the option of Broo, Clumlie and Fladdabister but these venues are very much the poor relations of South Mainland lochs. All of these waters would get some attention before the day was over however as anglers drifted away from the underperforming Spiggie.
Most competitors were delighted to see the end of a hard session as everyone reassembled for the 1700 weigh in with fairly red sunburned faces.
One angler who had completely bucked the trend and risen to the occasion was Spiggie master Peter Laurenson. Peter had assembled an impressive basket of seven trout for 5 lb, 6 oz. which gave him first place at a canter. This is the second year running that Laurenson has taken first place in this competition. His top fly was an "Olive Midge" of his
own design.
Second place with another very good bag of four fish for 3 lb, 6 & 3/4 oz was Tony Li. Tony's top fly was "Billy's Dunkeld Muddler," the perfect pattern for bright conditions and coloured water. This performance was all the more impressive as
rising star Li had had to leave early and missed the last hour and a half of the competition.
Third spot went to the lucky Mark Sandison with two trout for 3 lb, 2 and a 1/2 oz. This included the heaviest fish of the day at 2 lb, 4 & 1/2 oz which took Sandison's Peach Muddler in the last twenty minutes of fishing time. In fourth place was Bobby Irvine with one trout from Broo for 1 lb, 6 & 1/4 oz.
Other anglers weighing in on a very difficult day were Graeme Callander, Derek Titheradge, Alastair Jamieson and Dave
Wright.
This leaves the league table as follows after round two of the Bank Fly League:
Bobby Irvine 41
Mark Sandison 39
Graeme Callandar 28
Dave Wright 26
Peter Laurenson 25
Tony Li 21
Johnnie Laurenson 18
Dale Williamson 16
Billy Reid 15
Derek Titheradge 14
Alastair Jamieson 13
The next bank fly competiton is the "Double D Doubles" which takes place on Saturday 10th May with a 0945 hrs check in at the Tingwall Boat Shed.
Shetland Times Trophy 19-4-14
A dozen anglers met at the Tingwall boat shed last Saturday morning to fish for the ever popular “Shetland Times” trophy. This old trophy, originally presented to the S.A.A. by the “Shetland Times,” is one of the most beautiful and sought after pieces in the S.A.A. trophy cabinet. A glance at the names etched in silver on the side of it reveals a veritable who’s who of legendary Shetland anglers! Understandably then everyone is keen to get their hands on it!
Conspicuous by his absence was the fish catching machine that is Bobby Irvine who was away in Edinburgh for a big wedding anniversary. Congratulations to Bobby and Jacqueline!
Another noteworthy absentee was competition stalwart Derek Titheradge which led to a great deal of perplexed looks and head scratching in the ranks! - Where could he be? An investigation later revealed that the normally organized Titheradge had completely forgotten that there was a competition taking place and was waiting at the Brig of Fitch for a day out with fishing partner Dave Wright!
With the favourite missing then this meant that the field was wide open and most of the anglers present must have been quietly fancying their chances. In order to get their hands on the trophy however they would have to get past Billy Reid, the current holder, who has virtually made this trophy his own in recent times. Rumours that Billy has a place on his mantelpiece especially set aside for this trophy have been greatly exaggerated however!
Another great leveller was the fact that the normally prolific Spiggie has failed to get going so far this season. Usually this event would see a large concentration of anglers on the loch, but not today.
As competitors headed off at the 0945 start they could have little complaints at the overcast skies and mild Southerly wind with little sign of the forecast rain. In fact the main problem anglers would face as the day progressed would be the increasing amount of
sunshine.
Today would be all about making the correct choices and being ready and willing to utilise "plan B" - and perhaps even "plan C" - if necessary! One angler who is adept at thinking on his feet and changing his plans at a moments notice is the indomitable Leslie Barclay. Having travelled all the way down to Spiggie to discover that it was like "wading
through Jamaica Ginger Cake" he made the snap decision to head back up the road to Griesta. Here he amassed a very good basket of five trout for 3 lb, 6 & 1/4 oz. and was unlucky not to have more. Leslie's basket also included the heaviest fish of the day at 1lb, 5 oz. All of Leslie's fish took that old favourite the "Alexandria." So old in fact that Mark Sandison, who had also turned up at the loch, couldn't find one in his box!
Unfortunately for the unlucky Leslie however the prodigious talent that is Ian Reid had worked his magic to take first place. Ian had a fantastic basket of nine trout for 5 lb 15 oz. from Clings Water mainly on an "Orange Invicta." This is the first time that this popular and well dressed Whalsay angler has got his name on the "Shetland Times" trophy. Everybody present at the weigh in agreed that Ian was a deserved winner and were particularly impressed that he hadn't got his wading jacket dirty!
Taking third place was Graeme Callander with three fish from Tingwall for 3 lb, 3/4 oz. and in fourth spot was Darren Laurenson with four trout for 2 lb, 10 & 1/2 oz. from Tingwall and Asta.
Other successful anglers were Billy Reid, Alastair Jamieson, Dale Williamson (who still hasn't found the hole in his waders!), Mark Sandison and Barry Robertson.
The next competition is round two of the Fly Bank League which takes place next Saturday 3rd May on the South Mainland with a 1100 check in at the Spiggie car park. Lets hope the loch has cleared up a bit by then!
A dozen anglers met at the Tingwall boat shed last Saturday morning to fish for the ever popular “Shetland Times” trophy. This old trophy, originally presented to the S.A.A. by the “Shetland Times,” is one of the most beautiful and sought after pieces in the S.A.A. trophy cabinet. A glance at the names etched in silver on the side of it reveals a veritable who’s who of legendary Shetland anglers! Understandably then everyone is keen to get their hands on it!
Conspicuous by his absence was the fish catching machine that is Bobby Irvine who was away in Edinburgh for a big wedding anniversary. Congratulations to Bobby and Jacqueline!
Another noteworthy absentee was competition stalwart Derek Titheradge which led to a great deal of perplexed looks and head scratching in the ranks! - Where could he be? An investigation later revealed that the normally organized Titheradge had completely forgotten that there was a competition taking place and was waiting at the Brig of Fitch for a day out with fishing partner Dave Wright!
With the favourite missing then this meant that the field was wide open and most of the anglers present must have been quietly fancying their chances. In order to get their hands on the trophy however they would have to get past Billy Reid, the current holder, who has virtually made this trophy his own in recent times. Rumours that Billy has a place on his mantelpiece especially set aside for this trophy have been greatly exaggerated however!
Another great leveller was the fact that the normally prolific Spiggie has failed to get going so far this season. Usually this event would see a large concentration of anglers on the loch, but not today.
As competitors headed off at the 0945 start they could have little complaints at the overcast skies and mild Southerly wind with little sign of the forecast rain. In fact the main problem anglers would face as the day progressed would be the increasing amount of
sunshine.
Today would be all about making the correct choices and being ready and willing to utilise "plan B" - and perhaps even "plan C" - if necessary! One angler who is adept at thinking on his feet and changing his plans at a moments notice is the indomitable Leslie Barclay. Having travelled all the way down to Spiggie to discover that it was like "wading
through Jamaica Ginger Cake" he made the snap decision to head back up the road to Griesta. Here he amassed a very good basket of five trout for 3 lb, 6 & 1/4 oz. and was unlucky not to have more. Leslie's basket also included the heaviest fish of the day at 1lb, 5 oz. All of Leslie's fish took that old favourite the "Alexandria." So old in fact that Mark Sandison, who had also turned up at the loch, couldn't find one in his box!
Unfortunately for the unlucky Leslie however the prodigious talent that is Ian Reid had worked his magic to take first place. Ian had a fantastic basket of nine trout for 5 lb 15 oz. from Clings Water mainly on an "Orange Invicta." This is the first time that this popular and well dressed Whalsay angler has got his name on the "Shetland Times" trophy. Everybody present at the weigh in agreed that Ian was a deserved winner and were particularly impressed that he hadn't got his wading jacket dirty!
Taking third place was Graeme Callander with three fish from Tingwall for 3 lb, 3/4 oz. and in fourth spot was Darren Laurenson with four trout for 2 lb, 10 & 1/2 oz. from Tingwall and Asta.
Other successful anglers were Billy Reid, Alastair Jamieson, Dale Williamson (who still hasn't found the hole in his waders!), Mark Sandison and Barry Robertson.
The next competition is round two of the Fly Bank League which takes place next Saturday 3rd May on the South Mainland with a 1100 check in at the Spiggie car park. Lets hope the loch has cleared up a bit by then!
Central Mainland 5th April 2014
A sure sign that Spring has arrived was the uplifting spectacle of 18 fly fishers checking in at the Tingwall boat shed last Saturday morning for the first S.A.A. bank league competition of the season.
All the usual suspects were in attendance and it was particularly heartening to see the Whalsay playboys back in force led by the dashing figure of Harry Sandison resplendent in a new hat. Conspicuous by his absence however was late call off Jeemie Sandison much to the chagrin of colleague Barry Robertson who had been relying on Sandison for a lift. Robertson had to swiftly put his "plan B" into operation in order to make it to the 1145 check in on time! Various theories were aired as to Jeemie's late call off as Robertson held court!
The only other incident of note at the check in was a point of order regarding the Loch of Broo which was on the competition list for the day. Was this the loch in the hills North of Scalloway or was it the one at Quendale? Luckily local knowledge and spelling expert Dave Wright was on hand to point out that that the South Mainland water is spelt "Brow!"
Although it has been a fairly slow start to the brown trout season, mainly due to the cold temperatures, an increase of a few degrees over the previous couple of days meant that there was a definite air of optimism among the assembled throng. The main problem today would be the light winds which always have a tendency to make it tricky for the flyfisher.
Competitors had a wide range of lochs to choose from in the central mainland from Benston and Petta Water in the North down through the classic Girlsta, Tingwall and Asta to the Sandy Loch, Trebister and Brindister in the South. Bank congestion therefore should be at a minimum and hopefully there wouldn't be a repeat of some of the unseemly scenes witnessed last year with competitors diving in a few metres down the bank in front of a fellow angler!
Everybody was understandably champing at the bit to get going as competition secretary Billy Reid blew his whistle. The majority of anglers waded straight into Tingwall. However it wasn't long before the tell tale signs of fly fishers trudging along the bank or heading for vehicles indicated that the trout hadn't read the script and were being particularly unresponsive. "Old Jamaica" putting in an appearance halfway through the afternoon didn't help matters either.
As it happened nearly half the anglers who stuck it out on a very difficult day and managed to weigh in fish had opted not to fish Tingwall.
This was the case for the ever brilliant Bobby Irvine who made yet another inspired decision to head over the hill to the often overlooked Griesta. Here he put together an excellent basket of seven trout for 4 lb, 10 oz. which took first place at a canter. Bobby's killing fly was a "Clan Chief Muddler."
Second spot went to Mark Sandison with three lucky trout from Tingwall on three different flies for 2 lb, 10 oz.
Third place and also the heaviest fish went to the irrepressible Johnnie Laurenson with one trout from the notoriously difficult Benston for 2 lb, 2 & 3/4 oz. which fell to an "Olive Nymph." Johnnie deserves a medal for sticking it out all day on one of the dourest lochs in Shetland.
Fourth place was taken by (relatively) new kid on the block Dale Williamson with two fish from Tingwall for 1 lb, 13 & 1/4 oz. Dale's successful fly was a variant of an old classic the "Teal & Yellow" which had been suggested to Dale by Fly fishing legend Davie Pottinger. Great things are being forecast for this angler now in his second year of competition fishing - especially if he can acquire a new pair of waders! Watch this space.
Other successful anglers on a very difficult day were Billy Reid, Dave Wright - who had fished the unfashionable Sandy Loch - and Graeme Callander.
The next S.A.A. competition is the ever popular Shetland Times Trophy which takes place on Saturday 19 April with a 0945 check in at the Tingwall boat shed. Let's hope things have warmed up a bit by then.