Cracking competition as Markle gives up monsters

I AM a great lover of competition fishing and jump at the chance to take part in any event when it is close to home, writes STUART FRASER.

After starting a couple of seasons ago with only a couple of teams, the Peter Boyle Memorial Trophy has now grown into a sizeable competition.

Fished at Markle with six-man teams, some big fish came to the scales as both ponds were totally full.

I started on the smaller pond and thought it was going to be easy when I landed a 7lb fish after just a few casts.

Fishing a hothead Damsel on a long leader with a slow retrieve, I was delighted at the sport as I got number of pulls and tugs over the next half hour.

However, some big – and I mean really big– fish were being landed on flies ranging from blobs to Buzzers.

The trout were very receptive and it was not long before limit bags were being returned to be weighed in.

The limit was three fish, with the weigh-in kept secret until we were back at the Mayfield Inn at the end of the match.

Several local teams, as well as Rainbow AC from Fife had entered and all but one unlucky angler managed to get fish.

Most came from the main pond and each one looked better than the last.

In the end, the Mayfield Inn A team came out on top for the second year running with Rainbow AC second. Their top rod had a bag of three fish for 18lb.

The heaviest fish prize went to Derek Sibson of the Mayfield Inn team with a cracker of 15lb.