Pairs Trophy 28-8-21
The Shetland Angler’s Association held their annual pairs competition last Saturday. After a keenly contested match the winners were Bobby Irvine and John Laurenson with 15 fish for 9 lb, 2 ¾ oz. Runners up were Tony Li and Johnnie Laurenson who had 14 fish for 8 lb, 2 ¾ oz. Third spot went to Ian Reid and Harry Sandison with eight trout for 4 lb 13 ¾ oz. Top tactics on the day were Mini Muddlers and Hedgehogs.
The Shetland Angler’s Association held their annual pairs competition last Saturday. After a keenly contested match the winners were Bobby Irvine and John Laurenson with 15 fish for 9 lb, 2 ¾ oz. Runners up were Tony Li and Johnnie Laurenson who had 14 fish for 8 lb, 2 ¾ oz. Third spot went to Ian Reid and Harry Sandison with eight trout for 4 lb 13 ¾ oz. Top tactics on the day were Mini Muddlers and Hedgehogs.
Inter Club 21-8-21
At 9 o'clock Last Saturday morning saw the annual team event of the year Shetland Anglers v Whalsay Anglers, With the added carrot of the illustrious Reids doubles title drawn out of a hat at the weigh in, Despite a few late call offs Whalsay had pulled out all the stops to muster their strongest possible team to try and wrestle the Trophy back of their S.A.A. counterpart's that had won in such dramatic fashion the last time it was contested in 2019. The weather was dull with a light ESE wind a perfect day for the troots, Both teams were being very circumspect as it was getting close to the start as far as and tactics and lochs goes but you could hear Whalsay captain Willie Lowrie Irvine pumping up his team mates saying again and again we kin do this! but with 4 minutes to go panic spread into the Bonnie isle team as the irreplaceable Harry Sandison still wasn't turned up! They needn't have worried thought because with 2 minutes to go Harry screeched into the Tingwall Boat shed car park declaring himself fit and ready to go, Harry had to get out of his pickup in the Kames on his way down to help catch an escaped poodle that was Zig Zagging on the middle of the road once the Dug was caught he got through was his explanation,, Before anybody knew it there was 2 sharp blasts of competition secretary Billy Reid's horn to signal the start and 12 cars spread to every corner of Shetland, 7 hours later as both teams gathered exhausted at the weigh in both teams had given their all! There were good baskets in both teams,, Tension filled the air as Mark Sandison did the sums to work out the average weight per person in each team< And ignored an excited Leslie Barclays calls for Bobby Irvine to help, When everything was double checked the announcement came and winning back the coveted interclub Trophy were the Whalsay Anglers Association Willie Lowrie Irvine, Greg Anderson, Edd Leask, Harry Sandison, And Bobby Irvine With an average weight of 4lb 9oz per man , to S.A.A s Team captain Mark Sandison, Dave Wright, Billy Reid, Derek Titheradge, Alistair Jamison, And Leslie Barclay, 4lb 2oz per man. When the clapping and back slapping had died down an emotional captain Willie Lowrie thanked his team mates for the win and commiserated with the vanquished S.A.A. team ,, Then all the Anglers had to sit down for the draw for the Reids doubles which was drawn out of a hat ,it ended up being a Bonnie isle double with Bobby Irvine being drawn with Willie Lowrie Irvine with a combined 13lb 5oz basket to win the cup,, Bobby who was Whalsay's top rod had a Vaara specimen of 1lb 13oz caught in a foot of water on the weather shore had success on orange hedgehogs, Willie Lowrie had a 1lb 6oz beauty from lunnister Willie was so drained after all his successes that he had to head for milk from Scalloway for cups of coffee to be able to work the next day! S.A.A. top rod on the day Leslie Barclay lamented that he lost 4 fish at his net on the day that could have made all the difference, As did team captain Mark Sandison who after catching 6 fish bye 12 o'clock decide to leave Clingswater to head to Vaara but found out the hard way the grass isn't always greener as he ended up going over ground Bobby had seen to! All in all it was a great day's sport everybody agreed, This Saturday 28/8/21 the Pairs Trophy takes place top 6 places in the league can't pair up Go Where You Please competition 1020 till 1740 Tingwall boatshed. (L.B.)
At 9 o'clock Last Saturday morning saw the annual team event of the year Shetland Anglers v Whalsay Anglers, With the added carrot of the illustrious Reids doubles title drawn out of a hat at the weigh in, Despite a few late call offs Whalsay had pulled out all the stops to muster their strongest possible team to try and wrestle the Trophy back of their S.A.A. counterpart's that had won in such dramatic fashion the last time it was contested in 2019. The weather was dull with a light ESE wind a perfect day for the troots, Both teams were being very circumspect as it was getting close to the start as far as and tactics and lochs goes but you could hear Whalsay captain Willie Lowrie Irvine pumping up his team mates saying again and again we kin do this! but with 4 minutes to go panic spread into the Bonnie isle team as the irreplaceable Harry Sandison still wasn't turned up! They needn't have worried thought because with 2 minutes to go Harry screeched into the Tingwall Boat shed car park declaring himself fit and ready to go, Harry had to get out of his pickup in the Kames on his way down to help catch an escaped poodle that was Zig Zagging on the middle of the road once the Dug was caught he got through was his explanation,, Before anybody knew it there was 2 sharp blasts of competition secretary Billy Reid's horn to signal the start and 12 cars spread to every corner of Shetland, 7 hours later as both teams gathered exhausted at the weigh in both teams had given their all! There were good baskets in both teams,, Tension filled the air as Mark Sandison did the sums to work out the average weight per person in each team< And ignored an excited Leslie Barclays calls for Bobby Irvine to help, When everything was double checked the announcement came and winning back the coveted interclub Trophy were the Whalsay Anglers Association Willie Lowrie Irvine, Greg Anderson, Edd Leask, Harry Sandison, And Bobby Irvine With an average weight of 4lb 9oz per man , to S.A.A s Team captain Mark Sandison, Dave Wright, Billy Reid, Derek Titheradge, Alistair Jamison, And Leslie Barclay, 4lb 2oz per man. When the clapping and back slapping had died down an emotional captain Willie Lowrie thanked his team mates for the win and commiserated with the vanquished S.A.A. team ,, Then all the Anglers had to sit down for the draw for the Reids doubles which was drawn out of a hat ,it ended up being a Bonnie isle double with Bobby Irvine being drawn with Willie Lowrie Irvine with a combined 13lb 5oz basket to win the cup,, Bobby who was Whalsay's top rod had a Vaara specimen of 1lb 13oz caught in a foot of water on the weather shore had success on orange hedgehogs, Willie Lowrie had a 1lb 6oz beauty from lunnister Willie was so drained after all his successes that he had to head for milk from Scalloway for cups of coffee to be able to work the next day! S.A.A. top rod on the day Leslie Barclay lamented that he lost 4 fish at his net on the day that could have made all the difference, As did team captain Mark Sandison who after catching 6 fish bye 12 o'clock decide to leave Clingswater to head to Vaara but found out the hard way the grass isn't always greener as he ended up going over ground Bobby had seen to! All in all it was a great day's sport everybody agreed, This Saturday 28/8/21 the Pairs Trophy takes place top 6 places in the league can't pair up Go Where You Please competition 1020 till 1740 Tingwall boatshed. (L.B.)
Westside Trophy 14-8-21
Despite a deal of confusion regarding the venue owing to an S.A.A. Press Officer mix up, 14 fly fishers checked in at the Bixter Graveyard carpark last Saturday morning for the final round of the Shetland Anglers 2021 Bank League.
As well as the usual suspects it was good to see Willie Hutcheson, Kevin Robertson and the legend that is John Laurenson having their first bank league outing of the year.
Although to all intents and purposes this competition was a dead rubber, with the league already having been won by Billy Reid and the top six places for next year’s bank team established, anglers did have the incentive of the much sought after “Sandison, Irvine Westside Trophy” being up for grabs. There was also the not so small matter of seventh place in the league still being contested which would mean a reserve place for the bank team.
The bright conditions weren’t really filling any of the competitors with much confidence but with sun glasses and sun tan lotion at the ready everyone was good to go.
Anglers had a choice of all the major trout waters on the Westside of Shetland and the majority of them would see some action over the course of the day. Taking first prize for visiting most lochs was the indomitable Leslie Barclay who managed a cast in four different waters. This globetrotting came at a cost for the adventurous Barclay however as he had to retire for an early bath due to an injury.
As the day progressed the early sun gave way to cloud cover and the angling turned out to be much more favourable than expected. This was borne out at the end of the day with some excellent baskets of fish being presented at the weigh in.
Taking first place and the Westside trophy, despite being late for work, was the remarkable Tony Li with a fantastic 19 fish for 11 lb, 7 oz from Vaara. Tony has bookended the league perfectly with a big win in both the first and last competition of the season. Tony had scored with Hedgehogs in various hues although he singled out the “Claret Hedgehog” and “Cannop’s Hedgehog” for special mention.
Runner up was Mark Sandison with 14 from Clings Water for 9 lb, 10 ¼ oz. Sandison’s top fly in the bright conditions was a “Christmas Tree.”
Third place went to Kevin Robertson who had fished the enigmatic Kirkhouse for ten fish for 8lb, 15 ¾ oz. Kevin had success with a variant of an old Whalsay favourite – the “Claret Liquorice Allsort.” Just behind Kevin in fourth spot was Bobby Irvine with fourteen for 8 lb, 8 ¾ oz. from Vaara taken mainly on an “Orange Hedgehog.”
Other successful anglers were Billy Reid, Harry Sandison, Greig Anderson, Ian Reid, Alastair Jamieson and Leslie Barclay.
This means that the final league positions are as follows:
Despite a deal of confusion regarding the venue owing to an S.A.A. Press Officer mix up, 14 fly fishers checked in at the Bixter Graveyard carpark last Saturday morning for the final round of the Shetland Anglers 2021 Bank League.
As well as the usual suspects it was good to see Willie Hutcheson, Kevin Robertson and the legend that is John Laurenson having their first bank league outing of the year.
Although to all intents and purposes this competition was a dead rubber, with the league already having been won by Billy Reid and the top six places for next year’s bank team established, anglers did have the incentive of the much sought after “Sandison, Irvine Westside Trophy” being up for grabs. There was also the not so small matter of seventh place in the league still being contested which would mean a reserve place for the bank team.
The bright conditions weren’t really filling any of the competitors with much confidence but with sun glasses and sun tan lotion at the ready everyone was good to go.
Anglers had a choice of all the major trout waters on the Westside of Shetland and the majority of them would see some action over the course of the day. Taking first prize for visiting most lochs was the indomitable Leslie Barclay who managed a cast in four different waters. This globetrotting came at a cost for the adventurous Barclay however as he had to retire for an early bath due to an injury.
As the day progressed the early sun gave way to cloud cover and the angling turned out to be much more favourable than expected. This was borne out at the end of the day with some excellent baskets of fish being presented at the weigh in.
Taking first place and the Westside trophy, despite being late for work, was the remarkable Tony Li with a fantastic 19 fish for 11 lb, 7 oz from Vaara. Tony has bookended the league perfectly with a big win in both the first and last competition of the season. Tony had scored with Hedgehogs in various hues although he singled out the “Claret Hedgehog” and “Cannop’s Hedgehog” for special mention.
Runner up was Mark Sandison with 14 from Clings Water for 9 lb, 10 ¼ oz. Sandison’s top fly in the bright conditions was a “Christmas Tree.”
Third place went to Kevin Robertson who had fished the enigmatic Kirkhouse for ten fish for 8lb, 15 ¾ oz. Kevin had success with a variant of an old Whalsay favourite – the “Claret Liquorice Allsort.” Just behind Kevin in fourth spot was Bobby Irvine with fourteen for 8 lb, 8 ¾ oz. from Vaara taken mainly on an “Orange Hedgehog.”
Other successful anglers were Billy Reid, Harry Sandison, Greig Anderson, Ian Reid, Alastair Jamieson and Leslie Barclay.
This means that the final league positions are as follows:
Billy Reid was officially crowned champion for 2021. Winning the S.A.A. Bank League means fishing successfully in a variety of waters under widely different and varying conditions from April through to August. This is of course a fantastic achievement by Reid. An outstanding fly fisherman at the very top of his game. Well done Billy.
Although that’s the Bank League over for another year fly fishing competition junkies need not despair. The annual match between the S.A.A. and the Whalsay Club takes place this Saturday, 21st August, with the famous “Reid’s Doubles” being incorporated into the event. This is bound to be a popular competition so anglers are reminded to turn up in plenty of time at the Tingwall shed for the 0900 check in. The following Saturday 28th August is the annual Pairs Trophy. Competitors are reminded that they must find their own partner and top six league positions can’t team up! Check in is 1020 at the Tingwall shed.
Although that’s the Bank League over for another year fly fishing competition junkies need not despair. The annual match between the S.A.A. and the Whalsay Club takes place this Saturday, 21st August, with the famous “Reid’s Doubles” being incorporated into the event. This is bound to be a popular competition so anglers are reminded to turn up in plenty of time at the Tingwall shed for the 0900 check in. The following Saturday 28th August is the annual Pairs Trophy. Competitors are reminded that they must find their own partner and top six league positions can’t team up! Check in is 1020 at the Tingwall shed.
Excursion Trophy
At 8.30 last Saturday morning 9 of Shetlands foremost anglers gathered at the Laxo junction for the coveted Excursion trophy where anglers have the choice of any loch in Shetland but not one that's on the competition sheet, this was a ten-hour marathon competition so a few of the anglers were taking the gamble and planning to head up to Yell and Fetlar to fish some of the isles best remote Lochs, Leslie Barclay was one angler that was planning the trip to the isles but his car broke down at the Laxo junction as he arrived, Billy Reid suggested Leslie car shared with Mark Sandison but Mark was having none of it and phoned Leslie a garage pickup truck instead! in the cut throat world of competition angling friendships and favours are a no go until after the weigh in, it was a strong Easterly breeze mild with overcast sky's ideal fishing weather... Before you knew it there was 2 sharp blasts on Billys horn to signal the start and cars were shooting of in all directions.. At the weigh in there was smiles all around on a lot of weary faces everybody was keeping their cards close to their chests as competition secretary Reid set up the scales it was apparent most had good baskets of trout, in 3rd place was Ian(hot rod)Reid with 11 fish for 9lb 15oz which also included the heaviest fish at 1lb 12oz Ian had fished some of the remotest Lochs in Northmavin Ian's top fly was a Hammils bumble, and in 2nd place with an excellent basket of 19 fish for 12lb 6oz was Mark Sandison he travelled to the wilds of Yell to fish some secret hill loch, hiked 40 minutes over the hills only to see coming out of the mist at the other end of the Loch another angler!!!Mark caught most of his fish on his own S slayerhog,, And in first place with 23 fish for 14lb was the incredible Bobby Irvine,, bobby was the other angler! that mark saw , when they crossed paths mid competition mark had 13 fish to Bobbys 12 but at the end of the day Bobby came up trumps as he has done so often in the past, Bobbys top fly was a clan chief muddler, All agreed it had been a great day's fishing on some of the isles secret Gems of lochs..other successful anglers were G Anderson who had a good basket from Voxterby, K, Robertson with 12 from Ronas hill, L Barclay with a 1lb 11oz fish after getting his power steering fixed 3 hours later, B Reid, D Wright, and no show was Harry Sandison who after forgetting his packed lunch went home for early tea after not coming on by mid-afternoon, Next competition is the "Westside" Trophy on Sat 14th August 10.20 17.40 at the Tingwall Boatshed where the final league placings will be decided with quite a few anglers hoping of a top 6 finish,, (L.B.)
At 8.30 last Saturday morning 9 of Shetlands foremost anglers gathered at the Laxo junction for the coveted Excursion trophy where anglers have the choice of any loch in Shetland but not one that's on the competition sheet, this was a ten-hour marathon competition so a few of the anglers were taking the gamble and planning to head up to Yell and Fetlar to fish some of the isles best remote Lochs, Leslie Barclay was one angler that was planning the trip to the isles but his car broke down at the Laxo junction as he arrived, Billy Reid suggested Leslie car shared with Mark Sandison but Mark was having none of it and phoned Leslie a garage pickup truck instead! in the cut throat world of competition angling friendships and favours are a no go until after the weigh in, it was a strong Easterly breeze mild with overcast sky's ideal fishing weather... Before you knew it there was 2 sharp blasts on Billys horn to signal the start and cars were shooting of in all directions.. At the weigh in there was smiles all around on a lot of weary faces everybody was keeping their cards close to their chests as competition secretary Reid set up the scales it was apparent most had good baskets of trout, in 3rd place was Ian(hot rod)Reid with 11 fish for 9lb 15oz which also included the heaviest fish at 1lb 12oz Ian had fished some of the remotest Lochs in Northmavin Ian's top fly was a Hammils bumble, and in 2nd place with an excellent basket of 19 fish for 12lb 6oz was Mark Sandison he travelled to the wilds of Yell to fish some secret hill loch, hiked 40 minutes over the hills only to see coming out of the mist at the other end of the Loch another angler!!!Mark caught most of his fish on his own S slayerhog,, And in first place with 23 fish for 14lb was the incredible Bobby Irvine,, bobby was the other angler! that mark saw , when they crossed paths mid competition mark had 13 fish to Bobbys 12 but at the end of the day Bobby came up trumps as he has done so often in the past, Bobbys top fly was a clan chief muddler, All agreed it had been a great day's fishing on some of the isles secret Gems of lochs..other successful anglers were G Anderson who had a good basket from Voxterby, K, Robertson with 12 from Ronas hill, L Barclay with a 1lb 11oz fish after getting his power steering fixed 3 hours later, B Reid, D Wright, and no show was Harry Sandison who after forgetting his packed lunch went home for early tea after not coming on by mid-afternoon, Next competition is the "Westside" Trophy on Sat 14th August 10.20 17.40 at the Tingwall Boatshed where the final league placings will be decided with quite a few anglers hoping of a top 6 finish,, (L.B.)
Barometer Trophy. 24-7-21
Last Saturday morning 12 Anglers gathered at the Mavis Grind car park for the penultimate bank league competition of the year. To what Anglers were already calling the Duel in Delting! as Billy Reid and Mark Sandison square off for this year's league championship Mark knew there was no room for error only 2 first place finishes could topple Reid becoming champion throughout the year they have been the most consistent and only they could win because of the points the deadly duo had accumulated over the course of the season so far, Sandison who is usually early and all systems go at the start of competitions made a late arrival to the check in and was steely eyed as he paid the competition secretary(Billy Reid!)his entrance fee, You could cut the tension with a knife before the start only broken when Leslie Barclay started shadow boxing towards Sandison with a pair of boxing gloves on shouting how much was it Billy at the top of his voice, that made everybody laugh and the tension ease ,the amiable Barclay was joking to a relieved Sandison, Competitors couldn't complain about the conditions with an over cast sky and light easterly wind soon 2 blasts of Billys horn signalled the start and 12 cars were very soon shooting of to all the corners of Northmavin , Sandison who was going for broke had hitched a lift up the hill to Brei Water from Ian "hotshot" Reid in his pickup they had just arrived at the top of the hill and in his haste the inelegant Sandison fell head first in a peat Bank! as he stumbled up with a bleeding lip! Ian's laughs could be heard half a mile away on the road, It soon became apparent that fishing was difficult as it fell to flat calm during the day you could see anglers zig zagging between the lochs searching of that all-important fish, most of the early efforts concentrated on the roadside lochs of Punds water and Eela Water, After a long hard day anglers congregated at the weigh in and a silence fell over the car park as competition secretary Billy Reid set up the scales , and in 3rd place was the never say die Sandison after getting plastered up from Ian Reids first Aid box he made a gallant effort to catch billy but just wasn't good enough in the end! Mark had,6 fish for 3lb 2oz caught on his very own pattern a Sandison slayer hog,, in 2nd place was the incredible trout catching machine that is Bobby Irvine Bobby had 10 fish for 5lb 3oz Bobby pulled out 5 fish in the last 30 minutes fishing on the weather shore of Eela Water in an amazing feat of bank Angling Bobbys top fly was a stingy Bee half hog, but in first places and winning the Barometer Trophy and clinching the Bank league title at the same time to a huge round of applause was Billy Reid with 12 fish for 6lb 4oz mostly caught on a claret hedgehog so well deserved for an angler at the top of his game who has slightly tweaked his methods this year to devastating affect and will take some shifting next year,, well done Billy, the league is far from over as far as qualifying for the top 6 Tho and a few anglers know nothing but a win in the last comp will be good enough ,, other successful anglers were I Reid, D Wright, M Williamson, H Sandison, G Anderson, A Jamison, D Titheradge, K Bacon, and L Barclay.... other things of note the unlucky Derek Titheradge lost not 1 but 2 keepable trout transferring it from his net to his bag slipping from his hands and another through a hole in his net, The unfortunate Allister Jamison who after his car battery went flat down near Burrland Farm was fortunate to flag a near bye Farmer to give him a bump start up the road , Leslie Barclay turning over what he described as a "Cracken like trout in late afternoon in Houland, the next competition is the excursion trophy go where you please on the 7th August 1020 1740 followed by the last bank league competition and the westside Trophy sat 14th Aug. 1020 1740
Last Saturday morning 12 Anglers gathered at the Mavis Grind car park for the penultimate bank league competition of the year. To what Anglers were already calling the Duel in Delting! as Billy Reid and Mark Sandison square off for this year's league championship Mark knew there was no room for error only 2 first place finishes could topple Reid becoming champion throughout the year they have been the most consistent and only they could win because of the points the deadly duo had accumulated over the course of the season so far, Sandison who is usually early and all systems go at the start of competitions made a late arrival to the check in and was steely eyed as he paid the competition secretary(Billy Reid!)his entrance fee, You could cut the tension with a knife before the start only broken when Leslie Barclay started shadow boxing towards Sandison with a pair of boxing gloves on shouting how much was it Billy at the top of his voice, that made everybody laugh and the tension ease ,the amiable Barclay was joking to a relieved Sandison, Competitors couldn't complain about the conditions with an over cast sky and light easterly wind soon 2 blasts of Billys horn signalled the start and 12 cars were very soon shooting of to all the corners of Northmavin , Sandison who was going for broke had hitched a lift up the hill to Brei Water from Ian "hotshot" Reid in his pickup they had just arrived at the top of the hill and in his haste the inelegant Sandison fell head first in a peat Bank! as he stumbled up with a bleeding lip! Ian's laughs could be heard half a mile away on the road, It soon became apparent that fishing was difficult as it fell to flat calm during the day you could see anglers zig zagging between the lochs searching of that all-important fish, most of the early efforts concentrated on the roadside lochs of Punds water and Eela Water, After a long hard day anglers congregated at the weigh in and a silence fell over the car park as competition secretary Billy Reid set up the scales , and in 3rd place was the never say die Sandison after getting plastered up from Ian Reids first Aid box he made a gallant effort to catch billy but just wasn't good enough in the end! Mark had,6 fish for 3lb 2oz caught on his very own pattern a Sandison slayer hog,, in 2nd place was the incredible trout catching machine that is Bobby Irvine Bobby had 10 fish for 5lb 3oz Bobby pulled out 5 fish in the last 30 minutes fishing on the weather shore of Eela Water in an amazing feat of bank Angling Bobbys top fly was a stingy Bee half hog, but in first places and winning the Barometer Trophy and clinching the Bank league title at the same time to a huge round of applause was Billy Reid with 12 fish for 6lb 4oz mostly caught on a claret hedgehog so well deserved for an angler at the top of his game who has slightly tweaked his methods this year to devastating affect and will take some shifting next year,, well done Billy, the league is far from over as far as qualifying for the top 6 Tho and a few anglers know nothing but a win in the last comp will be good enough ,, other successful anglers were I Reid, D Wright, M Williamson, H Sandison, G Anderson, A Jamison, D Titheradge, K Bacon, and L Barclay.... other things of note the unlucky Derek Titheradge lost not 1 but 2 keepable trout transferring it from his net to his bag slipping from his hands and another through a hole in his net, The unfortunate Allister Jamison who after his car battery went flat down near Burrland Farm was fortunate to flag a near bye Farmer to give him a bump start up the road , Leslie Barclay turning over what he described as a "Cracken like trout in late afternoon in Houland, the next competition is the excursion trophy go where you please on the 7th August 1020 1740 followed by the last bank league competition and the westside Trophy sat 14th Aug. 1020 1740
Westside 15-7-21
Thirteen flyfishers checked in at the Bixter graveyard carpark last Thursday evening for round seven of the S.A.A. fly bank league. Competitors were in good spirits, buoyed by the recent success of the S.A.A. team against the D.F.F.A and also with the continued spell of settled weather which shows no sign of abating. The earlier cloud cover had cleared away to leave a beautiful sunny evening. This was maybe not the best of conditions for an evening’s fly fishing but it certainly didn’t curb the enthusiasm with everyone champing at the bit to get going.
There was a moment of panic when Dave Wright realised that after his recent trip to Caithness he had forgotten to return his landing net to its accustomed spot in his car. This was a crucial piece of equipment to be missing for such an important competition. Luckily for Dave it seemed that nearly every other angler present had a spare net and he was spoilt for choice. Once he had selected the best one available we were good to go.
Anglers had a choice of 16 lochs in the Wild West. This of course should have worked out at more than one loch per angler. However this ratio seldom pans out as competitors will initially concentrate on the waters that they think will give them the best returns. This was certainly the case tonight as over half the competitors headed west over the brig o’ Waas despite only one quarter of the lochs on offer being in this area.
As the evening wore on the early sunshine gave way to full cloud cover. This should have provided excellent angling conditions. However the trout just weren’t playing ball and for most competitors it turned into a very difficult evening.
This was evident as everyone reconvened for the 2230 with the majority of anglers only have one or two fish to show for their evening’s efforts.
Bucking the trend however was the on fire Billy Reid. Fresh from heaviest basket success in Caithness, Billy can do no wrong at the moment. His twelve trout from Longa Water for 6lb. 12 ¼ oz. meant that he won the competition at a canter. He had seen fish all evening to all flies on his cast but he singled out Whalsay favourite the “Liquorice Allsort” as his most productive. This result catapults Billy to the top of the league and with two competitions remaining he is looking virtually unstoppable.
Second spot went to the resurgent Greig Anderson who had eight trout for 4lb, 2 oz.. from Lunga Water. Greig had scored with a “Cormorant” and this result does his chances of a team place for next year no harm at all.
In third place was the dangerous Tony Li who had two fish from Stump for 1 lb, 13 ¼ oz. Tony’s killing fly was a “Cannop's Hedgehog.”
Other anglers among the points were Mark Sandison, Ian Reid, Frank Watt, Michael Williamson, Stu Adams, Harry Sandison and Bobby Irvine.
This leaves the league as follows with two competitions remaining.
Thirteen flyfishers checked in at the Bixter graveyard carpark last Thursday evening for round seven of the S.A.A. fly bank league. Competitors were in good spirits, buoyed by the recent success of the S.A.A. team against the D.F.F.A and also with the continued spell of settled weather which shows no sign of abating. The earlier cloud cover had cleared away to leave a beautiful sunny evening. This was maybe not the best of conditions for an evening’s fly fishing but it certainly didn’t curb the enthusiasm with everyone champing at the bit to get going.
There was a moment of panic when Dave Wright realised that after his recent trip to Caithness he had forgotten to return his landing net to its accustomed spot in his car. This was a crucial piece of equipment to be missing for such an important competition. Luckily for Dave it seemed that nearly every other angler present had a spare net and he was spoilt for choice. Once he had selected the best one available we were good to go.
Anglers had a choice of 16 lochs in the Wild West. This of course should have worked out at more than one loch per angler. However this ratio seldom pans out as competitors will initially concentrate on the waters that they think will give them the best returns. This was certainly the case tonight as over half the competitors headed west over the brig o’ Waas despite only one quarter of the lochs on offer being in this area.
As the evening wore on the early sunshine gave way to full cloud cover. This should have provided excellent angling conditions. However the trout just weren’t playing ball and for most competitors it turned into a very difficult evening.
This was evident as everyone reconvened for the 2230 with the majority of anglers only have one or two fish to show for their evening’s efforts.
Bucking the trend however was the on fire Billy Reid. Fresh from heaviest basket success in Caithness, Billy can do no wrong at the moment. His twelve trout from Longa Water for 6lb. 12 ¼ oz. meant that he won the competition at a canter. He had seen fish all evening to all flies on his cast but he singled out Whalsay favourite the “Liquorice Allsort” as his most productive. This result catapults Billy to the top of the league and with two competitions remaining he is looking virtually unstoppable.
Second spot went to the resurgent Greig Anderson who had eight trout for 4lb, 2 oz.. from Lunga Water. Greig had scored with a “Cormorant” and this result does his chances of a team place for next year no harm at all.
In third place was the dangerous Tony Li who had two fish from Stump for 1 lb, 13 ¼ oz. Tony’s killing fly was a “Cannop's Hedgehog.”
Other anglers among the points were Mark Sandison, Ian Reid, Frank Watt, Michael Williamson, Stu Adams, Harry Sandison and Bobby Irvine.
This leaves the league as follows with two competitions remaining.
Flyfishers had barely had a chance to dry out and recompose themselves before they were off again for the Barry Robertson Memorial trophy on Saturday. There was a clear signal of intent early on from Leslie Barclay as he produced a pair of boxing gloves from the boot of his car at the Tingwall check in. Luckily for everyone present Barclay was persuaded to put the gloves away!
Conditions couldn’t have been more different from Thursday evening with a Westerly Gale that was to last for most of the day. When anglers reconvened at the Tingwall shed for the 1730 finish several good bags of trout were in evidence. After a tense weigh in and draw to decide on partners a hush fell over the Tingwall boat shed as S.A.A. officials added up baskets and worked out the placings. As predicted it was extremely close with just a few ounces separating the second, third, fourth and fifth pairings. However clear winners by a couple of pounds were a delighted Leslie Barclay and Peter Laurenson. There combined basket came in at 9 lb, 14 oz. Well done boys. Worthy winners of this prized piece of silverware.
The next fly competition takes place on Saturday 24th July when anglers will have a choice of lochs in the Northmavine area. Check in is at 1020 at Mavis Grind.
Conditions couldn’t have been more different from Thursday evening with a Westerly Gale that was to last for most of the day. When anglers reconvened at the Tingwall shed for the 1730 finish several good bags of trout were in evidence. After a tense weigh in and draw to decide on partners a hush fell over the Tingwall boat shed as S.A.A. officials added up baskets and worked out the placings. As predicted it was extremely close with just a few ounces separating the second, third, fourth and fifth pairings. However clear winners by a couple of pounds were a delighted Leslie Barclay and Peter Laurenson. There combined basket came in at 9 lb, 14 oz. Well done boys. Worthy winners of this prized piece of silverware.
The next fly competition takes place on Saturday 24th July when anglers will have a choice of lochs in the Northmavine area. Check in is at 1020 at Mavis Grind.
S.A.A. v D.F.F.A. - July 2021
Last weekend the Shetland Anglers Association (S.A.A.) fly fishing bank team consisting of Dave Wright (captain), Billy Reid, Tony Li, Bobby Irvine, Frank Watt and Mark Sandison travelled down to Caithness for their annual intercounty match with the Dounreay Fly Fishing Association (D.F.F.A.).
Under Dave's direction the S.A.A. team had a days angling and bonding session in Orkney before travelling across the Pentland Firth to meet their old friends and adversaries from the D.F.F.A.
After greetings and news had been exchanged and friendships rekindled it was down to the serious business of getting the draw done for the competition which would take place over the next two days. This would see an S.A.A. team member fishing with a D.F.F.A. team member on the Friday on a particular selection of Lochs and then with a different partner on different waters on the Saturday. As ever the draw was efficiently managed by injured veteran Tony Chalmers and threw up some very interesting looking partnerships.
It was an early night for all as everybody was going to have to be at the very top of their game for the next two days intensive fly fishing.
A big concern as always for the S.A.A. team was the threat from Cleggs (Horsefly) and Tics that are prevalent in the North of Scotland. Forewarned is forearmed however and the S.A.A. team had come well equipped with an arsenal of bug sprays and lotions to deter these nasty little critters. This meant that our boys could concentrate on the serious business of angling and not become distracted by the prospect of getting bitten.
Friday morning saw both teams well fuelled, tackled up and champing at the bit to get going for the 9 a.m. start. The partnerships were soon shooting off to the various nooks and crannies of Caithness. On paper at least this was an ideal trooty day with overcast skies and very calm winds. As anglers reconvened for the weigh in at Alex Donald’s garden after the 16.30 lines up it was clear that several good bags of trout had been forthcoming.
Best for the S.A.A. were Bobby Irvine with twelve fish for 6lb, 12 & ¾ oz, from Toftingal, Billy Reid with 19 for 11 lb, 11 oz and Mark Sandison with 20 for 12 lb, 12 oz. Billy and Mark had fished the hill lochs of Caorach and Seilge. Frank Watt had the heaviest fish of the day at 1lb, 8 oz from the mighty Calder.
Top for the D.F.F.A. was Ian Cannop with twelve trout for 7 lb, 5 oz, from Caorach, Alex Donald with 13 for 8 lb, 12 ½ oz, and the evergreen Toby Bracey who had twelve for 7 lb, 13 ¾ oz. Alex and Toby had both fished Toftingal.
After a great deal of adding up and checking by officials from the two associations, the totals after the first leg showed that the S.A.A. had 67 fish for 41 lb, 12 oz. while the D.F.F.A. had 50 fish for 31 lb, 14 oz. A strong team performance from the S.A.A. had given them a halftime lead of just under 10 lb.
Captain Dave Wright was quick to point out to his team however that there was absolutely no room for complacency as he exhorted the Shetland boys to even greater efforts on the second day. This lead could soon be overhauled if everyone wasn’t at the races.
Saturday dawned with almost identical conditions as the day before. The fly fishing would be trickier today of course as the different pairings would be visiting venues which had been fished hard the day before.
As the pairings returned to Alex’s garden in dribs and drabs in the late afternoon everyone was keen to know how other pairs had faired. It soon became apparent that Dave’s team talk had worked and that the S.A.A. had gone on to double their lead over the course of the second day. Leading the way was the amazing Bobby Irvine who had twelve from Seilge 8 lb, 1 ¼ oz. He was closely followed by the ever consistent Billy Reid with seven for 6lb, 2 ¾ oz. from the twelve inch limit Dubh Nam Geodh. Frank Watt had again come up trumps taking a 2 lb 1 oz. trout from the legendary Watten. These performances were backed up with some solid baskets from their team mates giving the S.A.A. 33 fish for 26 lb, 9 oz on day two. All this despite Dave Wright taking a wrong track and almost becoming lost on Toftingal.
Best for the D.F.F.A. were Neil Clyne with eight fish from the Hill lochs for 5lb, 8 ½ oz. and Cornishman Robbie Hawken also with eight for 4lb, 7 oz. from Toftingal. Neil, who is always prepared to go that extra mile for the cause, had of course managed his usual party trick of falling in not once but twice over the course of the day. This contributed to the D.F.F.A. second day total of 25 trout for 15lb, 13 ¾ oz.
With the D.F.F.A.'s and the S.A.A.'s top mathematicians, Bill Robertson and Billy Reid on the job, the wait for the official result was not long. After all the adding up was completed the S.A.A. had a two day total of 100 fish 68 lb, 5 oz. while the D.F.F.A. finished up with 75 for 47 lb, 11 ¼ oz.
There were congratulatory hand shakes all round before everyone shot off to get cleaned up and presentable for the evening's reception.
Looking smart in black polo shirts and caps sponsored by the Antares the S.A.A. team arrived for the reception at the Pentland Hotel in Thurso where an excellent meal was followed by the presentation of trophies and speeches.
First trophy to be presented was the much coveted and beautiful "Brian Hunter Memorial Trophy." Up stepped a delighted Frank Watt to a big round of applause to receive this beautiful trophy for his Watten monster.
Next up to another huge round of applause was Billy Reid to pick up the "Viking Shield" for the heaviest basket over the two days of 26 fish for 17 lb 13 ¾ oz. A tremendous achievement from an all round team player who has represented the S.A.A. at this competition for the past twenty years or so and been one of the teams most consistent performers!
Finally to yet more applause, the biggest prize of them all, the Inter Club trophy was presented to Captain Fantastic Dave Wright. This is the 14th year in a row that the S.A.A. bank team has lifted this trophy and there were big smiles all round from the clearly delighted Shetland boys.
An S.A.A. spokesman took the opportunity to thank their Dounreay hosts for the excellent hospitality and a superbly organised event. In particular he singled out Bill Robertson, Tony Chalmers, Alex Donald and Toby Bracey for their officiating duties and management of the competition. There was a special mention for Alex and Zoe Donald for the use of their garden and gazebo and very much appreciated sausage rolls, fancies and refreshments. He closed by pointing out what a unique and enjoyable event this is with its friendly rivalry and looked forward to welcoming the D.F.F.A. team to Shetland next year.
The next S.A.A. competition is round seven of the bank league which takes place this Thursday 15th July with an 1815 check in at the Bixter Graveyard. This is followed by the Barry Robertson Memorial Trophy which takes place this Saturday 17th July with a 10.00 check in at either Laxo or Tingwall. Competitors are reminded that the weigh in is 1730 at Tingwall where the winning pairs will be drawn from a hat.
Last weekend the Shetland Anglers Association (S.A.A.) fly fishing bank team consisting of Dave Wright (captain), Billy Reid, Tony Li, Bobby Irvine, Frank Watt and Mark Sandison travelled down to Caithness for their annual intercounty match with the Dounreay Fly Fishing Association (D.F.F.A.).
Under Dave's direction the S.A.A. team had a days angling and bonding session in Orkney before travelling across the Pentland Firth to meet their old friends and adversaries from the D.F.F.A.
After greetings and news had been exchanged and friendships rekindled it was down to the serious business of getting the draw done for the competition which would take place over the next two days. This would see an S.A.A. team member fishing with a D.F.F.A. team member on the Friday on a particular selection of Lochs and then with a different partner on different waters on the Saturday. As ever the draw was efficiently managed by injured veteran Tony Chalmers and threw up some very interesting looking partnerships.
It was an early night for all as everybody was going to have to be at the very top of their game for the next two days intensive fly fishing.
A big concern as always for the S.A.A. team was the threat from Cleggs (Horsefly) and Tics that are prevalent in the North of Scotland. Forewarned is forearmed however and the S.A.A. team had come well equipped with an arsenal of bug sprays and lotions to deter these nasty little critters. This meant that our boys could concentrate on the serious business of angling and not become distracted by the prospect of getting bitten.
Friday morning saw both teams well fuelled, tackled up and champing at the bit to get going for the 9 a.m. start. The partnerships were soon shooting off to the various nooks and crannies of Caithness. On paper at least this was an ideal trooty day with overcast skies and very calm winds. As anglers reconvened for the weigh in at Alex Donald’s garden after the 16.30 lines up it was clear that several good bags of trout had been forthcoming.
Best for the S.A.A. were Bobby Irvine with twelve fish for 6lb, 12 & ¾ oz, from Toftingal, Billy Reid with 19 for 11 lb, 11 oz and Mark Sandison with 20 for 12 lb, 12 oz. Billy and Mark had fished the hill lochs of Caorach and Seilge. Frank Watt had the heaviest fish of the day at 1lb, 8 oz from the mighty Calder.
Top for the D.F.F.A. was Ian Cannop with twelve trout for 7 lb, 5 oz, from Caorach, Alex Donald with 13 for 8 lb, 12 ½ oz, and the evergreen Toby Bracey who had twelve for 7 lb, 13 ¾ oz. Alex and Toby had both fished Toftingal.
After a great deal of adding up and checking by officials from the two associations, the totals after the first leg showed that the S.A.A. had 67 fish for 41 lb, 12 oz. while the D.F.F.A. had 50 fish for 31 lb, 14 oz. A strong team performance from the S.A.A. had given them a halftime lead of just under 10 lb.
Captain Dave Wright was quick to point out to his team however that there was absolutely no room for complacency as he exhorted the Shetland boys to even greater efforts on the second day. This lead could soon be overhauled if everyone wasn’t at the races.
Saturday dawned with almost identical conditions as the day before. The fly fishing would be trickier today of course as the different pairings would be visiting venues which had been fished hard the day before.
As the pairings returned to Alex’s garden in dribs and drabs in the late afternoon everyone was keen to know how other pairs had faired. It soon became apparent that Dave’s team talk had worked and that the S.A.A. had gone on to double their lead over the course of the second day. Leading the way was the amazing Bobby Irvine who had twelve from Seilge 8 lb, 1 ¼ oz. He was closely followed by the ever consistent Billy Reid with seven for 6lb, 2 ¾ oz. from the twelve inch limit Dubh Nam Geodh. Frank Watt had again come up trumps taking a 2 lb 1 oz. trout from the legendary Watten. These performances were backed up with some solid baskets from their team mates giving the S.A.A. 33 fish for 26 lb, 9 oz on day two. All this despite Dave Wright taking a wrong track and almost becoming lost on Toftingal.
Best for the D.F.F.A. were Neil Clyne with eight fish from the Hill lochs for 5lb, 8 ½ oz. and Cornishman Robbie Hawken also with eight for 4lb, 7 oz. from Toftingal. Neil, who is always prepared to go that extra mile for the cause, had of course managed his usual party trick of falling in not once but twice over the course of the day. This contributed to the D.F.F.A. second day total of 25 trout for 15lb, 13 ¾ oz.
With the D.F.F.A.'s and the S.A.A.'s top mathematicians, Bill Robertson and Billy Reid on the job, the wait for the official result was not long. After all the adding up was completed the S.A.A. had a two day total of 100 fish 68 lb, 5 oz. while the D.F.F.A. finished up with 75 for 47 lb, 11 ¼ oz.
There were congratulatory hand shakes all round before everyone shot off to get cleaned up and presentable for the evening's reception.
Looking smart in black polo shirts and caps sponsored by the Antares the S.A.A. team arrived for the reception at the Pentland Hotel in Thurso where an excellent meal was followed by the presentation of trophies and speeches.
First trophy to be presented was the much coveted and beautiful "Brian Hunter Memorial Trophy." Up stepped a delighted Frank Watt to a big round of applause to receive this beautiful trophy for his Watten monster.
Next up to another huge round of applause was Billy Reid to pick up the "Viking Shield" for the heaviest basket over the two days of 26 fish for 17 lb 13 ¾ oz. A tremendous achievement from an all round team player who has represented the S.A.A. at this competition for the past twenty years or so and been one of the teams most consistent performers!
Finally to yet more applause, the biggest prize of them all, the Inter Club trophy was presented to Captain Fantastic Dave Wright. This is the 14th year in a row that the S.A.A. bank team has lifted this trophy and there were big smiles all round from the clearly delighted Shetland boys.
An S.A.A. spokesman took the opportunity to thank their Dounreay hosts for the excellent hospitality and a superbly organised event. In particular he singled out Bill Robertson, Tony Chalmers, Alex Donald and Toby Bracey for their officiating duties and management of the competition. There was a special mention for Alex and Zoe Donald for the use of their garden and gazebo and very much appreciated sausage rolls, fancies and refreshments. He closed by pointing out what a unique and enjoyable event this is with its friendly rivalry and looked forward to welcoming the D.F.F.A. team to Shetland next year.
The next S.A.A. competition is round seven of the bank league which takes place this Thursday 15th July with an 1815 check in at the Bixter Graveyard. This is followed by the Barry Robertson Memorial Trophy which takes place this Saturday 17th July with a 10.00 check in at either Laxo or Tingwall. Competitors are reminded that the weigh in is 1730 at Tingwall where the winning pairs will be drawn from a hat.
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D&D Doubles 3-7-21
Last Saturday morning Shetlands elite Anglers gathered outside Tingwall boat shed for the prestigious D&D doubles Trophy <where the top and bottom 6 seeds were drawn out of a hat, this provided some tasty looking partnerships including the(on fire)Billy Reid and the "crafty cockney" Dave Wright, and the top of Their game Mark Sandison and the Whalsay Angling juggernaut Edd Leask also looked a formidable partnership who could do damage to name but a few.. After a week of scorching sun, the weather was overcast with a southerly breeze ,(perfect trooty conditions) teams had the freedom to fish in any loch in Shetland, every team was more determined than ever to take the trophy of the 3 in a row reigning champions Bobby Irvine and Leslie Barclay, under normal circumstances pairs would normally travel together in one vehicle but it was unanimously agreed that competitors would travel in their own cars to their said destinations as a precautionary measure, before they knew it 2 sharp blasts of Billys horn signalled the start and the teams headed of in to the 5 corners of Shetland, two teams that did head to the deep south were Bobby and Leslie followed hot on their heels by Mark and Edd, after shadowing Barclay most of the way down Sandison went into over drive to get there 60 seconds ahead all Barclay saw was the wily veterans heels practically running through the hay to the side of Spiggie Loch as he parked his car, Later through the morning Sandisons angry voice could be heard booming across the Loch "Hey get out of my swim" to a startled Barclay who shouted back its at least 100 yrds Bobby shouted across the Loch its at least 75 yds (Gentlemans agreement distance)to try to calm down the feuding pair, it soon transpired that the trout's weren't on and the teams were soon zig zagging to various secret destinations, on his way to meet Barclay Irvine pulled in a lay by to let Leask past pretending he had broken down, finally the teams were split and left to their own devices,, after 8 hours the teams gathered outside Tingwall boat shed for the weigh in, You could cut the tension with a knife as competition secretary Billy Reid set up the scales, and in 3rd place with 5 fish for 2lb 13oz was Sandison and Leask, in 2nd place was Reid and Wright with an excellent basket of 10 fish for 8lb which included a vaara specimen of 1lb 5oz which was the heaviest fish, and in first place for the 4rth time in a row were the reigning champions Bobby Irvine and Leslie Barclay the indomitable duo had 14 fish for 10lb 9oz some loch south west of Voe was all the directions Barclay was forth coming as the modest duo basked in Glory at the end to a huge round of applause everybody present agreed it had been a great days fishing.. The next bank league competition is on thurs 15th july 18.15 start Bixter grave yard, The Annual intercounty v Dounreay Flyfishers is on the 9th and 10th July in Caithness where the Shetland teams will be looking to defend the cup thet won last time around in such dramatic fashion, everybody in the SAA wishes them all the best,, L.B.
Last Saturday morning Shetlands elite Anglers gathered outside Tingwall boat shed for the prestigious D&D doubles Trophy <where the top and bottom 6 seeds were drawn out of a hat, this provided some tasty looking partnerships including the(on fire)Billy Reid and the "crafty cockney" Dave Wright, and the top of Their game Mark Sandison and the Whalsay Angling juggernaut Edd Leask also looked a formidable partnership who could do damage to name but a few.. After a week of scorching sun, the weather was overcast with a southerly breeze ,(perfect trooty conditions) teams had the freedom to fish in any loch in Shetland, every team was more determined than ever to take the trophy of the 3 in a row reigning champions Bobby Irvine and Leslie Barclay, under normal circumstances pairs would normally travel together in one vehicle but it was unanimously agreed that competitors would travel in their own cars to their said destinations as a precautionary measure, before they knew it 2 sharp blasts of Billys horn signalled the start and the teams headed of in to the 5 corners of Shetland, two teams that did head to the deep south were Bobby and Leslie followed hot on their heels by Mark and Edd, after shadowing Barclay most of the way down Sandison went into over drive to get there 60 seconds ahead all Barclay saw was the wily veterans heels practically running through the hay to the side of Spiggie Loch as he parked his car, Later through the morning Sandisons angry voice could be heard booming across the Loch "Hey get out of my swim" to a startled Barclay who shouted back its at least 100 yrds Bobby shouted across the Loch its at least 75 yds (Gentlemans agreement distance)to try to calm down the feuding pair, it soon transpired that the trout's weren't on and the teams were soon zig zagging to various secret destinations, on his way to meet Barclay Irvine pulled in a lay by to let Leask past pretending he had broken down, finally the teams were split and left to their own devices,, after 8 hours the teams gathered outside Tingwall boat shed for the weigh in, You could cut the tension with a knife as competition secretary Billy Reid set up the scales, and in 3rd place with 5 fish for 2lb 13oz was Sandison and Leask, in 2nd place was Reid and Wright with an excellent basket of 10 fish for 8lb which included a vaara specimen of 1lb 5oz which was the heaviest fish, and in first place for the 4rth time in a row were the reigning champions Bobby Irvine and Leslie Barclay the indomitable duo had 14 fish for 10lb 9oz some loch south west of Voe was all the directions Barclay was forth coming as the modest duo basked in Glory at the end to a huge round of applause everybody present agreed it had been a great days fishing.. The next bank league competition is on thurs 15th july 18.15 start Bixter grave yard, The Annual intercounty v Dounreay Flyfishers is on the 9th and 10th July in Caithness where the Shetland teams will be looking to defend the cup thet won last time around in such dramatic fashion, everybody in the SAA wishes them all the best,, L.B.
North Mainland 24-6-21
Last Thursday, on a night of North wind and driving rain, twelve fly fishers checked in at Mavis Grind for round six of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League. As Greig Anderson pointed out these were surely among the hardiest anglers in Shetland. No one present felt inclined to disagree but just hoped that their state of the art waterproof wading jackets would be up to the job.
It was great to see Whalsay men Michael Williamson and Ed Leask at a competition for the first time this season. It was also good to see Leslie Barclay back in action with a new supersize landing net. There would be no excuses tonight!
Very conspicuous by their absence was Ian Reid who was “aff” and the “Double Ds,” Dave Wright and Derek Titheradge. In Dave and Derek’s defence however it really was a miserable evening.
There was little time for hanging around as the competition secretary’s horn sounded and anglers were soon shooting of to the five corners of Northmavine. Competitors had a choice of all the major lochs in the North Mainland including the likes of Houlland, Eela Water, Punds Water and Burraland. Many of them would see some attention over the course of the evening.
At the 2230 weigh it was clear that some pretty good baskets of trout had been caught despite the poor conditions.
Taking first place was a clearly delighted Stu Adams with seven fish for 4 lb, 7 ¾ oz. from Punds Water. This was Stu’s first win in an S.A.A. competition and pundits are predicting that it certainly won’t be his last.
Second spot went to Greig Anderson who had hiked into the Mangaster hills to fish the fabled Brei Water of Nibon. Greig’s eight fish weighed in at 3 lb, 15 oz. In third place was Mark Sandison who took eight trout from the mighty Eela Water for 3 lb, 14 ¾ oz.
Other successful anglers were Tony Li, Bobby Irvine, Michael Williamson (who had the heaviest fish of the evening - a beauty of 3lb exactly from Houlland), Liam Wheelan, Frank Watt, Ed Leask, Billy Reid, Leslie Barclay and Harry Sandison.
All of the top placed anglers including Michael Williamson with the heaviest fish had fished with Hedgehogs in a variety of different colours. We’re at the time of year now where a floating line with flies fished high in the water should work best with the trout looking up for their next meal.
Like the previous competition every angler who checked in weighed in. As one wag pointed out, either everybody’s flyfishing skills are improving or it is an indication of the excellent trout fishing available Shetland.
With two thirds of this year’s League competitions now having been fished the table is as follows:
Last Thursday, on a night of North wind and driving rain, twelve fly fishers checked in at Mavis Grind for round six of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League. As Greig Anderson pointed out these were surely among the hardiest anglers in Shetland. No one present felt inclined to disagree but just hoped that their state of the art waterproof wading jackets would be up to the job.
It was great to see Whalsay men Michael Williamson and Ed Leask at a competition for the first time this season. It was also good to see Leslie Barclay back in action with a new supersize landing net. There would be no excuses tonight!
Very conspicuous by their absence was Ian Reid who was “aff” and the “Double Ds,” Dave Wright and Derek Titheradge. In Dave and Derek’s defence however it really was a miserable evening.
There was little time for hanging around as the competition secretary’s horn sounded and anglers were soon shooting of to the five corners of Northmavine. Competitors had a choice of all the major lochs in the North Mainland including the likes of Houlland, Eela Water, Punds Water and Burraland. Many of them would see some attention over the course of the evening.
At the 2230 weigh it was clear that some pretty good baskets of trout had been caught despite the poor conditions.
Taking first place was a clearly delighted Stu Adams with seven fish for 4 lb, 7 ¾ oz. from Punds Water. This was Stu’s first win in an S.A.A. competition and pundits are predicting that it certainly won’t be his last.
Second spot went to Greig Anderson who had hiked into the Mangaster hills to fish the fabled Brei Water of Nibon. Greig’s eight fish weighed in at 3 lb, 15 oz. In third place was Mark Sandison who took eight trout from the mighty Eela Water for 3 lb, 14 ¾ oz.
Other successful anglers were Tony Li, Bobby Irvine, Michael Williamson (who had the heaviest fish of the evening - a beauty of 3lb exactly from Houlland), Liam Wheelan, Frank Watt, Ed Leask, Billy Reid, Leslie Barclay and Harry Sandison.
All of the top placed anglers including Michael Williamson with the heaviest fish had fished with Hedgehogs in a variety of different colours. We’re at the time of year now where a floating line with flies fished high in the water should work best with the trout looking up for their next meal.
Like the previous competition every angler who checked in weighed in. As one wag pointed out, either everybody’s flyfishing skills are improving or it is an indication of the excellent trout fishing available Shetland.
With two thirds of this year’s League competitions now having been fished the table is as follows:
It is interesting to note that each of the six league competitions so far have produced a different winner. This has left the league finely balanced with three competitions remaining.
Fly fishers had 36 hours to dry out before they were called into action again for the annual Ronas Hill competition. This extreme event of course is for hardcore anglers only. Six competitors signed up and only four were left standing eleven gruelling hours later at the weigh. In first place was Mark Sandison. Runner up was Billy Reid. Third spot went to Bobby Irvine and coming in fourth was Ed Leask. Several veteran anglers were heard exclaiming “Never again!” We’ll see!
The next competition is the D & D Doubles which takes place on Saturday 3rd July with a 1020 check in at the Tingwall shed. This of course is a pairs competition with a seeded draw for partners so please arrive in plenty of time.
Fly fishers had 36 hours to dry out before they were called into action again for the annual Ronas Hill competition. This extreme event of course is for hardcore anglers only. Six competitors signed up and only four were left standing eleven gruelling hours later at the weigh. In first place was Mark Sandison. Runner up was Billy Reid. Third spot went to Bobby Irvine and coming in fourth was Ed Leask. Several veteran anglers were heard exclaiming “Never again!” We’ll see!
The next competition is the D & D Doubles which takes place on Saturday 3rd July with a 1020 check in at the Tingwall shed. This of course is a pairs competition with a seeded draw for partners so please arrive in plenty of time.
Tulloch Midsummer Shield 19-6-21
A dozen fly fishers assembled at the Tingwall Boat Shed last Saturday on a beautiful Shetland summer’s morning. As well as fishing round five of the S.A.A. Bank League anglers had the added incentive that the much coveted Tulloch Midsummer Shield would be presented to the winner.
It has to be said that there wasn’t really a great deal of enthusiasm among our hardy crew with the flat calm and blazing sunshine hardly being ideal trooty conditions. Some of those present it seemed would have been quite happy to wander round the car park chatting to fellow anglers and soaking up some rays.
However there was serious business to attend to and with sun tan lotion liberally applied anglers were soon shooting off to the five corners of Shetland.
Competitors had a choice of some of the most prolific lochs in Shetland from Eela Water in the North, down through the likes of Vaara and Clousta on the Westside, Tingwall in the central Mainland and right down to Spiggie in the South. Most of the lochs on the list would see some action over the course of the day.
When anglers reconvened for the weigh in at 1740 it was immediately clear that some excellent baskets of trout had been forthcoming and that it was going to take something really special to win. However “Cometh the hour cometh the man!”
Taking first place and the Tulloch Shield with a fantastic bag of 16 fish for 12 lb 14 ¼ oz from Clousta was man of the moment Billy Reid. This was a magnificent achievement considering the kind of the day! Billy’s top fly was his favourite “Claret Hedgehog.”
In second and third place respectively were Frank Watt and Greig Anderson. Both boys also had sixteen fish in their baskets and can consider themselves very unlucky as in most other years this would have easily been more than enough to win it.
Frank had fished Spiggie and his bag came in at 11lb 4 ¼ oz. Watt had scored with a “Peach Cormorant.” Greig had headed West to Lunga water for a basket weight of 8lb, 11 oz taken mainly on a “Dun-cat.”
Other successful anglers were Mark Sandison, Leslie Barclay, Tony Li (with the heaviest trout of the day at 2lb, ¼ oz.), Harry Sandison, Liam Wheelan, Bobby Irvine, Ian Reid, Derek Titheradge and Dave Wright.
It would have been long odds at the beginning of the day for all anglers weighing in. Well done everyone!
This leaves the league as follows at the half way point of the campaign:
A dozen fly fishers assembled at the Tingwall Boat Shed last Saturday on a beautiful Shetland summer’s morning. As well as fishing round five of the S.A.A. Bank League anglers had the added incentive that the much coveted Tulloch Midsummer Shield would be presented to the winner.
It has to be said that there wasn’t really a great deal of enthusiasm among our hardy crew with the flat calm and blazing sunshine hardly being ideal trooty conditions. Some of those present it seemed would have been quite happy to wander round the car park chatting to fellow anglers and soaking up some rays.
However there was serious business to attend to and with sun tan lotion liberally applied anglers were soon shooting off to the five corners of Shetland.
Competitors had a choice of some of the most prolific lochs in Shetland from Eela Water in the North, down through the likes of Vaara and Clousta on the Westside, Tingwall in the central Mainland and right down to Spiggie in the South. Most of the lochs on the list would see some action over the course of the day.
When anglers reconvened for the weigh in at 1740 it was immediately clear that some excellent baskets of trout had been forthcoming and that it was going to take something really special to win. However “Cometh the hour cometh the man!”
Taking first place and the Tulloch Shield with a fantastic bag of 16 fish for 12 lb 14 ¼ oz from Clousta was man of the moment Billy Reid. This was a magnificent achievement considering the kind of the day! Billy’s top fly was his favourite “Claret Hedgehog.”
In second and third place respectively were Frank Watt and Greig Anderson. Both boys also had sixteen fish in their baskets and can consider themselves very unlucky as in most other years this would have easily been more than enough to win it.
Frank had fished Spiggie and his bag came in at 11lb 4 ¼ oz. Watt had scored with a “Peach Cormorant.” Greig had headed West to Lunga water for a basket weight of 8lb, 11 oz taken mainly on a “Dun-cat.”
Other successful anglers were Mark Sandison, Leslie Barclay, Tony Li (with the heaviest trout of the day at 2lb, ¼ oz.), Harry Sandison, Liam Wheelan, Bobby Irvine, Ian Reid, Derek Titheradge and Dave Wright.
It would have been long odds at the beginning of the day for all anglers weighing in. Well done everyone!
This leaves the league as follows at the half way point of the campaign:
Spare a thought for the unfortunate Leslie Barclay. Leslie had a hair raising experience when he put his hand on the top of a fence on the West side to steady himself only to discover that it was electrified! 5,000 volts later a re-energised Barclay went on to catch a remarkable eleven trout and would have had more if his landing net had been up to the challenge. One wag at the weigh was overheard saying something about “Frankenstein!”
The only other incident of note at the weigh was when results coordinator Mark Sandison missed seventh place Harry Sandison in his placing announcement. Too many Sandisons! So apologies to Harry and he can rest assured that his 13 points have been recorded!
The next bank competition is North of Mavis Grind on Thursday 24th July with an 1815 check in at Mavis Grind. This is followed on Saturday 26th July with the annual Ronas Hill adventure. The check in for this is 0900 at the Collafirth pier. Anglers are reminded to take their maps and compasses.
The only other incident of note at the weigh was when results coordinator Mark Sandison missed seventh place Harry Sandison in his placing announcement. Too many Sandisons! So apologies to Harry and he can rest assured that his 13 points have been recorded!
The next bank competition is North of Mavis Grind on Thursday 24th July with an 1815 check in at Mavis Grind. This is followed on Saturday 26th July with the annual Ronas Hill adventure. The check in for this is 0900 at the Collafirth pier. Anglers are reminded to take their maps and compasses.
Clousta Road 10-6-21
Last Thursday saw the fourth S.A.A. Fly Bank League competition of the season in the Clousta Road area. A record (for this year) of thirteen excited anglers rocked up at the Bixter Hall carpark for the check in. And indeed their might have been more as there were at least a couple of call offs due to work commitments and injuries.
It was great to see the never say die Leslie Barclay back from the A.R.I. and ready for action having been given a clean bill of health after a knee injury scare. The indomitable Barclay continues to be an inspiration to sports people half his age! This didn’t stop him being given an official warning by competition secretary Billy Reid as he ended up parking nearer to the Bixter Shop Car park than the Bixter hall and thus stealing a march on all his fellow anglers. Competitors are duly reminded of the competition rules which state that “no vehicle may move off from the check in until they hear two sharp blasts on the competition secretary’s horn! They must then proceed in an orderly fashion behind said vehicle.”
It was an ideal evening for practising the gentle art of fly fishing with temperatures in the mid teens and overcast skies. Some anglers were heard muttering and moaning about the lack of forecasted wind but as the old saying goes “you can’t please all of the trooty guys all of the time.”
Competitors had a choice of all of the lochs in the Clousta road. These are some of the biggest and brightest gems in the Shetland flyfishing crown including such legendary venues as Vaara, Clings Water, Clousta, Northouse, Collaster, Kirkhouse. Anyone wishing to experience the best of Shetland trout fishing could do a lot worse than spending some time on these waters.
When anglers reconvened for the 2230 weigh in after a hard night’s angling it was clear that these gems hadn’t disappointed and it was going to take a good basket to come out on top.
Sneaking into first place was the lucky Mark Sandison who had taken three trout in the last fifteen minutes of the competition in Clings Water giving him a basket of eleven fish for 8 lb, 3 ¾ oz. All but three of Sandison’s trout had taken a “Clan Chief.”
Runner up was Tony Li who had fished the “weather shore” of Clings water for a much better average of seven fish for 6 lb, 3 & ½ oz. Tony had scored with an “Orange Dabbler.”
Third spot went to Billy Reid with an excellent twelve trout for 6 lb, 1 ¼ oz from Clousta taken mainly on a “Claret Hedgehog.” Despite a good placing Billy has every right to feel aggrieved as he was 2 ½ oz short of second place. It is difficult to remember a competition when the angler with the most fish ended up third!
Fourth place went to Bobby Irvine with seven from Vaara for 5 lb, 3 oz. Bobby’s top fly was a “Clan Chief Muddler.”
Other anglers gaining points were Frank Watt, Stu Adams (who had the heaviest fish of the evening, a beauty going 1 lb, 15 oz. from Kirkhouse taken on a “Grizzly Orange Muddler”), Liam Wheelan, Magnus Reid, Leslie Barclay, Harry Sandison and Ian Reid.
This leaves the league as follows:
Last Thursday saw the fourth S.A.A. Fly Bank League competition of the season in the Clousta Road area. A record (for this year) of thirteen excited anglers rocked up at the Bixter Hall carpark for the check in. And indeed their might have been more as there were at least a couple of call offs due to work commitments and injuries.
It was great to see the never say die Leslie Barclay back from the A.R.I. and ready for action having been given a clean bill of health after a knee injury scare. The indomitable Barclay continues to be an inspiration to sports people half his age! This didn’t stop him being given an official warning by competition secretary Billy Reid as he ended up parking nearer to the Bixter Shop Car park than the Bixter hall and thus stealing a march on all his fellow anglers. Competitors are duly reminded of the competition rules which state that “no vehicle may move off from the check in until they hear two sharp blasts on the competition secretary’s horn! They must then proceed in an orderly fashion behind said vehicle.”
It was an ideal evening for practising the gentle art of fly fishing with temperatures in the mid teens and overcast skies. Some anglers were heard muttering and moaning about the lack of forecasted wind but as the old saying goes “you can’t please all of the trooty guys all of the time.”
Competitors had a choice of all of the lochs in the Clousta road. These are some of the biggest and brightest gems in the Shetland flyfishing crown including such legendary venues as Vaara, Clings Water, Clousta, Northouse, Collaster, Kirkhouse. Anyone wishing to experience the best of Shetland trout fishing could do a lot worse than spending some time on these waters.
When anglers reconvened for the 2230 weigh in after a hard night’s angling it was clear that these gems hadn’t disappointed and it was going to take a good basket to come out on top.
Sneaking into first place was the lucky Mark Sandison who had taken three trout in the last fifteen minutes of the competition in Clings Water giving him a basket of eleven fish for 8 lb, 3 ¾ oz. All but three of Sandison’s trout had taken a “Clan Chief.”
Runner up was Tony Li who had fished the “weather shore” of Clings water for a much better average of seven fish for 6 lb, 3 & ½ oz. Tony had scored with an “Orange Dabbler.”
Third spot went to Billy Reid with an excellent twelve trout for 6 lb, 1 ¼ oz from Clousta taken mainly on a “Claret Hedgehog.” Despite a good placing Billy has every right to feel aggrieved as he was 2 ½ oz short of second place. It is difficult to remember a competition when the angler with the most fish ended up third!
Fourth place went to Bobby Irvine with seven from Vaara for 5 lb, 3 oz. Bobby’s top fly was a “Clan Chief Muddler.”
Other anglers gaining points were Frank Watt, Stu Adams (who had the heaviest fish of the evening, a beauty going 1 lb, 15 oz. from Kirkhouse taken on a “Grizzly Orange Muddler”), Liam Wheelan, Magnus Reid, Leslie Barclay, Harry Sandison and Ian Reid.
This leaves the league as follows:
The next League competition is the annual and popular “Tulloch Midsummer Shield” which will be fished for on Saturday 19th June with a 1020 check in at the Tingwall Shed. This is closely followed on Thursday 24th June with the North Mainland competition. – Check in 1815 at Mavis Grind.
Westside 3-6-21
A sure sign that summer has arrived occurred last week as flyfishers congregated at the Bixter Graveyard carpark for the first Thursday evening S.A.A. bank competition of the season. And it certainly felt like summer with temperatures soaring to the high teens and blazing sunshine. Maybe not ideal trooty conditions but nobody seemed to mind in the carnival atmosphere as competitors wandered round, socially distanced, shooting the breeze in t-shirts and sun glasses. What a difference from the last competition when anglers had been muffled up in as many layers as possible!
Very conspicuous by his absence was the injury prone and charismatic Leslie Barclay. Barclay was in Aberdeen getting tests on a dodgy knee which has suffered a great deal of wear and tear over the years due to a wide variety of leisure pursuits. Taking Leslie’s place however was young Jae Barclay who has been carefully tutored in the gentle art by his Dad. Jae has big boots to fill!
It was also good to see Stu Adams attending his first competition of the year. Great things are being predicted in fly fishing circles for this young gun!
It wasn’t long before competitors were shooting of to the various corners and nooks and crannies of the Wild West Side. Competitors had a huge range of lochs to choose so there should be no trouble finding a stretch of bank to yourself. The main problem would be finding a trout in the blazing sun.
When anglers reconvened for the 1030 weigh however it was clear that there had been some excellent catches despite the adverse conditions. Those who had done best had found fish willing to take in the bright conditions, while the also rans had only managed to pick up one or two fish as the sun set.
Taking first place with a fantastic 14 fish for 7 lb. 14 ½ oz. was the trout catching machine that is Bobby Irvine. Bobby had circumvented the often overlooked Lunga Water where his top fly was a “Clan Chief Muddler.” Just to put Bobby’s achievement into perspective his catch ratio was one fish every fifteen minutes. This is incredible angling in the best of conditions never mind the blazing sun!
Runner up was Billy Reid with another super basket of eight trout for 4 lb, 1 ½ oz. from his favourite Longa Water. Billy had scored with his own bright day fly, the “Dunkeld Muddler.”
In third spot was Ian Reid with five fish from Sulma Water for 3 lb. 5 oz. taken on that old Whalsay Favourite, the “Yellow Hammels” which no one outside the Bonnie Isle has ever seen! Ian’s basket included the heaviest fish of the evening at 1 lb, 5 ¼ oz. which he’d taken with his last cast of the evening.
Other anglers among the points were Mark Sandison, Harry Sandison, Tony Li, Frank Watt, Stu Adams and Derek Titheradge.
With three competitions having been fished this leaves the league as follows:
A sure sign that summer has arrived occurred last week as flyfishers congregated at the Bixter Graveyard carpark for the first Thursday evening S.A.A. bank competition of the season. And it certainly felt like summer with temperatures soaring to the high teens and blazing sunshine. Maybe not ideal trooty conditions but nobody seemed to mind in the carnival atmosphere as competitors wandered round, socially distanced, shooting the breeze in t-shirts and sun glasses. What a difference from the last competition when anglers had been muffled up in as many layers as possible!
Very conspicuous by his absence was the injury prone and charismatic Leslie Barclay. Barclay was in Aberdeen getting tests on a dodgy knee which has suffered a great deal of wear and tear over the years due to a wide variety of leisure pursuits. Taking Leslie’s place however was young Jae Barclay who has been carefully tutored in the gentle art by his Dad. Jae has big boots to fill!
It was also good to see Stu Adams attending his first competition of the year. Great things are being predicted in fly fishing circles for this young gun!
It wasn’t long before competitors were shooting of to the various corners and nooks and crannies of the Wild West Side. Competitors had a huge range of lochs to choose so there should be no trouble finding a stretch of bank to yourself. The main problem would be finding a trout in the blazing sun.
When anglers reconvened for the 1030 weigh however it was clear that there had been some excellent catches despite the adverse conditions. Those who had done best had found fish willing to take in the bright conditions, while the also rans had only managed to pick up one or two fish as the sun set.
Taking first place with a fantastic 14 fish for 7 lb. 14 ½ oz. was the trout catching machine that is Bobby Irvine. Bobby had circumvented the often overlooked Lunga Water where his top fly was a “Clan Chief Muddler.” Just to put Bobby’s achievement into perspective his catch ratio was one fish every fifteen minutes. This is incredible angling in the best of conditions never mind the blazing sun!
Runner up was Billy Reid with another super basket of eight trout for 4 lb, 1 ½ oz. from his favourite Longa Water. Billy had scored with his own bright day fly, the “Dunkeld Muddler.”
In third spot was Ian Reid with five fish from Sulma Water for 3 lb. 5 oz. taken on that old Whalsay Favourite, the “Yellow Hammels” which no one outside the Bonnie Isle has ever seen! Ian’s basket included the heaviest fish of the evening at 1 lb, 5 ¼ oz. which he’d taken with his last cast of the evening.
Other anglers among the points were Mark Sandison, Harry Sandison, Tony Li, Frank Watt, Stu Adams and Derek Titheradge.
With three competitions having been fished this leaves the league as follows:
Competitions come thick and fast now. The Clousta Road competition is on Thursday 10th June with an 1815 check in at the Bixter Hall. Then on Saturday 19th June it’s the “Tulloch Midsummer Shield” with a 1020 check in at the Tingwall shed.
8-5-21 Bank League Round Two & Antares Trophy.
Fly fishers congregated at the Tingwall boat shed last Saturday morning for round two of the S.A.A. Fly Bank League. On another unseasonably chilly May Morning most competitors were still in their winter plumage of base layers and woolly jumpers!
One angler conspicuous by his absence was raconteur and all round good guy Harry Sandison. Reports of Harry still thawing out after the previous Thursday’s Benston expedition have been greatly exaggerated however.
It was great to see the young Jay Barclay in attendance complete with his lucky hat. Jay’s attendance brought the average age of the competitors on the day down by a good ten years. Jay had been tasked with the unenviable job of keeping a weather eye on his dad Leslie for the day.
Flyfishers had wide choice of lochs in the central and Southern Mainland to choose from. However with Spiggie having been fishing well in the last week or so most competitors elected to head for the deep South. Only Ian Reid made the bold decision to stay in the Tingwall valley.
As well as chasing valuable league points, the fact that the Antares cup was up for grabs would add a little extra spice to today’s proceedings.
After a hard days angling, with the only point of note being the indomitable Leslie Barclay having to make a dash to Lerwick for a new pair of waders, competitors reconvened at the Tingwall shed in the late afternoon for the weigh in.
It was immediately clear that Spiggie had lived up to it’s reputation and produced some excellent baskets of fish.
Taking first place and the Antares Trophy at a relative canter was Spiggie Master Frank Watt with an excellent basket of twenty for 15 lb, 7 ¼ oz. A superb average! Frank had scored with a team of “Cormorants.”
Runner up was Billy Reid with eleven trout for 10 lb, 5 ¾ oz. beating old adversary Mark Sandison into third place, whose fourteen came in at 10 lb, 1 ¾ oz. Reid’s top fly was local favourite the “Kerr’s Olive” while Sandison had fished a “Straggle Clan Chief.”
In fourth place was Peter Laurenson with eleven for 9 lb, 5 oz. Another superb average. He also had the heaviest trout of the day, a beauty going 2 lb, 11 oz. Laurenson’s killing pattern was his favourite “Olive Nymph.”
Other angler’s among the points were Bobby Irvine, Greig Anderson, Tony Li, Leslie Barclay, Jay Barclay, Dave Wright and Derek Titheradge.
After Two Rounds the League is as follows.
It is worth noting that Ian Reid who had stuck it out in the Central Mainland never saw a fish all day in the Arctic conditions and had to return to Whalsay early - a frozen and broken man!
In other news the classic “Pottinger Benston Trophy” was fished for on the previous Thursday. This was won by the ever amazing Bobby Irvine with three excellent trout for 6 lb, 11 oz. His top fly was Tony Li's “Butcher Lure.” Well done Bobby.
The next league competition is on Thursday 3rd June with an 1815 check in at the Bixter Graveyard. Let’s hope that it’s warmed up a bit by then!
And finally, will flyfishers please note that this year’s Trout Festival has been cancelled. Hopefully normal service will be resumed in 2022.
In other news the classic “Pottinger Benston Trophy” was fished for on the previous Thursday. This was won by the ever amazing Bobby Irvine with three excellent trout for 6 lb, 11 oz. His top fly was Tony Li's “Butcher Lure.” Well done Bobby.
The next league competition is on Thursday 3rd June with an 1815 check in at the Bixter Graveyard. Let’s hope that it’s warmed up a bit by then!
And finally, will flyfishers please note that this year’s Trout Festival has been cancelled. Hopefully normal service will be resumed in 2022.
Central Mainland 24-4-21
A sure sign that Spring is in the air occurred last Saturday morning as flyfishers congregated at the Tingwall boat shed for the first round of the 2021 S.A.A. Fly Bank League. With all competitions having been cancelled last year it was great to see all the usual suspects back in their waders, two metres apart, masked up and ready to go.
As with all first competitions of the year it was interesting to see who had been investing in new tackle and outfits. One angler who knows that style never goes out of fashion is the incorrigible Leslie Barclay who was looking particularly dapper in a new pair of breathable waders and matching boots.
After not seeing each other for so long it seemed that most of the anglers would have been quite happy to stand around for a socially distanced yarn on such a nice Spring morning. However at some point everyone would have to bite the bullet and get on with the more pressing business of the day.
Competitors had a big selection of lochs to choose from in the central mainland ranging from Petta Water, Sand Water, Girlsta and Benston in the North right down through the Tingwall Valley to The Sandy Loch, Trebister and Brindister. The challenge today then wouldn’t be finding a clear stretch of bank to fish. The biggest problem would be coping with the flat calm cyclonic conditions which can make flyfishing very tricky. As one optimist pointed out however, “at least it wasn’t blazing sun!”
There were a few trigger happy anglers who were eager to set off before the official start. Competitors are reminded that nobody should be leaving the check in area before they hear a double blast on the competitions secretary’s horn!
Flyfishers were soon heading off in all directions although as per usual in this first competition the majority of early efforts were concentrated on the mighty Tingwall.
With the flat calm conditions angling was proving to be very difficult as predicted. However – what was this? Midway through the afternoon rumours began circulating, fueled by social media of course, of an amazing achievement by Tony Li in one of the dourest lochs in Shetland! Surely this couldn’t be true! Was this a piece of clever gamesmanship by Tony himself before he retired early to get the Takeaway up and running!
No! As the rest of the company reconvened for the 1740 weigh in they were greeted by the sight of Tony’s basket which he’d left at the Tingwall shed. “Read ‘em and weep boys!” This was undoubtedly the basket of a lifetime and one that most of us mere mortals can only dream about! Tony had blown everyone out of the water with a miraculous ten fish for 16 lb, 14 & ½ oz. Records are being carefully scrutinised as we go to press but this has to be one of the best averages ever in an S.A.A. competition. Tony also had the heaviest fish of course – a beauty of 3 lb, 8 ½ oz. He’d lost another monster which he conservatively put at “round about 5lb!
It was a surreal experience at the weigh in. Everyone was so stunned by Tony’s achievement that there was very little room for any craq or banter despite the fact that both Leslie Barclay and Dave Wright had managed to fall in. It is testimony to both anglers resilience and fortitude that they’d both stuck it out to the end on an April day!
It just seems like a footnote after what had unfolded but second place went to Mark Sandison with five trout for 5lb, 1 ½ oz taken mainly on a small “Peach Muddler.” In third place was Billy Reid, also with five fish, for 3 lb, 8 ½ oz. – the same weight as Tony’s biggest fish! Reid had scored with a "Claret Halfhog."
Other anglers weighing in on a difficult day for some were Bobby Irvine, Greig Anderson, Ian Reid, Dave Wright, Leslie Barclay and Frank Watt.
There is no doubt however that the day belongs to Tony Li with an achievement that will go down in the annals of S.A.A. history. Not only did he win round one of the league but also picked up The Shetland Times trophy - and one would suspect several other pieces of silverware when all the figures are totted up in October. Everybody present at the weigh were unanimous in expressing the sentiment that “it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!”
For those anglers who have not thrown away their fly rods and taken up golf, the next Bank League competition takes place on Saturday 8th May with a 1020 check in at the Tingwall Shed.
And finally for those wondering about Li’s tactics, his killing fly was a little beauty of his own design – the “Kuro Neko.” Apparently Ian Reid has a copy that he is keeping carefully under wraps!
A sure sign that Spring is in the air occurred last Saturday morning as flyfishers congregated at the Tingwall boat shed for the first round of the 2021 S.A.A. Fly Bank League. With all competitions having been cancelled last year it was great to see all the usual suspects back in their waders, two metres apart, masked up and ready to go.
As with all first competitions of the year it was interesting to see who had been investing in new tackle and outfits. One angler who knows that style never goes out of fashion is the incorrigible Leslie Barclay who was looking particularly dapper in a new pair of breathable waders and matching boots.
After not seeing each other for so long it seemed that most of the anglers would have been quite happy to stand around for a socially distanced yarn on such a nice Spring morning. However at some point everyone would have to bite the bullet and get on with the more pressing business of the day.
Competitors had a big selection of lochs to choose from in the central mainland ranging from Petta Water, Sand Water, Girlsta and Benston in the North right down through the Tingwall Valley to The Sandy Loch, Trebister and Brindister. The challenge today then wouldn’t be finding a clear stretch of bank to fish. The biggest problem would be coping with the flat calm cyclonic conditions which can make flyfishing very tricky. As one optimist pointed out however, “at least it wasn’t blazing sun!”
There were a few trigger happy anglers who were eager to set off before the official start. Competitors are reminded that nobody should be leaving the check in area before they hear a double blast on the competitions secretary’s horn!
Flyfishers were soon heading off in all directions although as per usual in this first competition the majority of early efforts were concentrated on the mighty Tingwall.
With the flat calm conditions angling was proving to be very difficult as predicted. However – what was this? Midway through the afternoon rumours began circulating, fueled by social media of course, of an amazing achievement by Tony Li in one of the dourest lochs in Shetland! Surely this couldn’t be true! Was this a piece of clever gamesmanship by Tony himself before he retired early to get the Takeaway up and running!
No! As the rest of the company reconvened for the 1740 weigh in they were greeted by the sight of Tony’s basket which he’d left at the Tingwall shed. “Read ‘em and weep boys!” This was undoubtedly the basket of a lifetime and one that most of us mere mortals can only dream about! Tony had blown everyone out of the water with a miraculous ten fish for 16 lb, 14 & ½ oz. Records are being carefully scrutinised as we go to press but this has to be one of the best averages ever in an S.A.A. competition. Tony also had the heaviest fish of course – a beauty of 3 lb, 8 ½ oz. He’d lost another monster which he conservatively put at “round about 5lb!
It was a surreal experience at the weigh in. Everyone was so stunned by Tony’s achievement that there was very little room for any craq or banter despite the fact that both Leslie Barclay and Dave Wright had managed to fall in. It is testimony to both anglers resilience and fortitude that they’d both stuck it out to the end on an April day!
It just seems like a footnote after what had unfolded but second place went to Mark Sandison with five trout for 5lb, 1 ½ oz taken mainly on a small “Peach Muddler.” In third place was Billy Reid, also with five fish, for 3 lb, 8 ½ oz. – the same weight as Tony’s biggest fish! Reid had scored with a "Claret Halfhog."
Other anglers weighing in on a difficult day for some were Bobby Irvine, Greig Anderson, Ian Reid, Dave Wright, Leslie Barclay and Frank Watt.
There is no doubt however that the day belongs to Tony Li with an achievement that will go down in the annals of S.A.A. history. Not only did he win round one of the league but also picked up The Shetland Times trophy - and one would suspect several other pieces of silverware when all the figures are totted up in October. Everybody present at the weigh were unanimous in expressing the sentiment that “it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!”
For those anglers who have not thrown away their fly rods and taken up golf, the next Bank League competition takes place on Saturday 8th May with a 1020 check in at the Tingwall Shed.
And finally for those wondering about Li’s tactics, his killing fly was a little beauty of his own design – the “Kuro Neko.” Apparently Ian Reid has a copy that he is keeping carefully under wraps!
"Kuro Neko"