Scots ladies carp team win gold in Tri-Nations on epic weekend - Nigel Duncan
Scotland Ladies Carp team won gold in the 4th Tri-Nations hosted by the Tartan Team at Wyreside Lakes Fishery and Campside near Lancaster, and captain Catherine Robertson described it as an epic weekend and an amazing experience.
The match was tense throughout, according to manager, Callum Reid, and the outcome could have changed with one fish in any of the sections.
Leadership fluctuated overnight between the Tartan Team and England but Scotland were helped in the overall statistics with Wales registering a fish in one of the sections, impacting on England, but the result was in doubt until the final seconds.
Scotland and England were tied on seven points with Wales on nine but Scotland’s total weight of 163lb 12oz won the day.
England totalled 88lb 8oz for silver and Wales weighed-in with 32lb 2oz for bronze.
Robertson said: “The hard graft paid off. We came home with gold. It has been a special journey. I’m absolutely exhausted but wouldn’t change it.”
Meanwhile, it was a tough day for members of the Edinburgh and Lothians Coarse Angling Club (ELCAC) on Matchday 2 of their Summer Series.
The temperature dip overnight and then bright sun on the morning of the event at Drumtassie near Blackridge upset the fish in the Match Lake.
A total of 19 anglers cast a line, and some of the more experienced members, including a Scotland international, failed to get a bite. It was that tough.
Bruce Lawrie, the club’s social media representative, said fishing was hard, but Stewart Ritchie was the runaway winner in Section A with 5lb. He caught on maggot and feeder and Lawrie said: “While 5lb is not an earth-shattering weight, it was an impressive weight for the section.”
Debutant, Bartek Kozlowski, is used to catching big weights, but his 4oz managed second in Section A.
Section B winner and third overall was Gordon McKay with 9lb. He fished a tidy match locating fish 9ft deep. His chosen bait was maggot.
Second was Erik Newman with 2lb 13oz made up of carp on a short pole with maggot bait and third was Jimmy Jones with 2lb 2oz.
Section C proved the most productive. First and the winner overall was Darrin Ferguson with 13lb 11oz from Peg 13, the same peg which produced on Matchday One. Ferguson fished a cautious match with maggot and continental ground bait (no fishmeal) in 4ft and landed his fish in spells.
Second in the section and second overall was Matchday One winner, Andy Roberts. He totalled 9lb 1oz after struggling with the pole and caught on the maggot feeder. A different day for the Livingston-based angler who triumphed with over 56lb in the first leg.
Third in the section was Simon Clynshaw from near Tranent in East Lothian with 6lb 1oz, while Mark Gleave was fourth on 12oz and Rosalind Cassidy fifth with 3oz. She probably caught the most trout on the day.
Lawrie won Section D with 1lb 8oz, a haul which comprised one perch and one carp on maggot. Second was Alexander Kerr with 1lb and he caught one perch and one carp on worm. Third was Tony Ball with three fish for 11oz on worm.
The first round of the Knockout Cup was also fished and Clynshaw beat Robert Bartusik, Gleave beat Kozlowski, Ferguson beat Roberts, Shug Smith beat Ball and Lawrie progresses to round two after beating Graham Wallace.
Lawrie said: “The consensus was that everybody appreciates the potential of Drumtassie Match Lake but the planned stocking programme needs to take place soon because when the carp shut up shop there isn’t an alternative to prevent difficult days such as this.”
The next match is on Saturday, May 30 and Lawrie hopes Matchday 2 is just a “blip” with fishing improving.
On to fly fishing and West Lothian Fly Dressers A were fourth with seven fish for 14lb 7oz in the second heat of the Scottish Club Championship at the Lake of Menteith. Wayne Cram, Fergus Aitchison with six fish, and John Prentice (one fish) represented the club.
Aitchison’s bag of 12lb 6.1oz qualified him for the Champion of Champions along with clubmate John Kelly who had four fish for 7lb 9.6oz. He fished for West Lothian Fly Dressers B team.
A total of 73 fish were landed for 148lb 6.8oz on a frustrating night where lots of fish were rising but they proved difficult to catch.
Meanwhile, the summer schedule for opening at Allandale Tarn has been confirmed. They are closed Monday and Tuesday but open 9am to 9pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 9am to 5pm on a Sunday.