Fishing: Success and misery at Markle

It was the third heat of the Scottish Bank Championships at Markle and it could not have been any colder.

On arrival, it was suggested that the competitors stay on the road shore and fish that side only. It looked fine to begin with but the wind picked up and was coming head-on at times.

I went out with full floater and Cruncher on the bob with a small Yellow Dancer out on the point but the information given to me the day prior proved to be less than accurate, as I could not get an offer on either.

An angler to my right was on a sinking line with what looked like a Black Rabbit and he took two quite quickly. Changing from the floater to a predator line without any real success, I finally opted to go on a fast glass line. Tying on a long leader with a single Hothead Damsel was my last hope of making a dent on the leaders.

I was even contemplating jacking it in at around lunchtime as I was freezing and getting a little demoralised.

After stopping for lunch and a much-needed heat, we started back and my luck began to change. I was not getting as many offers as a lot of the other guys but the ones I got stayed on. By the final whistle I had six fish which was just enough to qualify with. I have to say it was one of the hardest sessions I have been in and my heart goes out to the rest of the guys who took part.