Tuesday, 27 December 2016

Scottish View!

Ian Muckle from Hunting-Tips.Net A contributor for more than 3 years, reporting on Scottish news and events

SOME superb browns have been taken in late spring and early summer at Loch Leven, and with a variety of methods. I’d like to say that my own name featured on that roll of honour but my club’s trip to the “big puddle’ in mid- May was a personal failure, mainly due to my tunnel vision in persevering with sinking lines and sparkly lures, the technique I’d been advised was best to hit the brownies.
Charlie Kelly, indeed, had fished off Old Leven Mouth with those tactics and was rewarded with a magnificent fish into double-figures, the heaviest of the season at the time of writing.
In fact, Charlie and his partner Hugh Shaw boated three trout for 171b-a superb catch of wild browns, and all returned safely.



On my trip, buzzers were hatching in some profusion for awhile along the Hole of Inch, but I failed to get the message. One of our club members who did switched to a slow- sinking line and Buzzers, taking three lovely fish, more like sea trout, in the 2lb class.
The wind died and the sun shone; conditions which are the worst for catching on Loch Leven. However, it did give us a chance to visit various parts of the great water, looking for a puff of wind. I was on the engine, and insects hammered into my face, and when we came to the back of Castle Island, the number of empty buzzer shucks on the water beggared belief.
It’s no surprise then that Buzzers have been doing well for some anglers, with Rod McLennan and Rab Walls taking 12 fish. Others have found the sinking lines and lures doing well, though, and Lewis Kerr and Connor Campbell drifted from the East Buoy to the Elbow Buoy using Snatchers and small lures and a best rimfire scope on Di-3, Di-5 and Di-7 to catch and release 17 trout. Later in the month, Tony Black and Stevie O’Neill also fished the East Buoy and caught 22 browns on Di-7 lines and mini lures, all fish save one returned.
On the same day, Brendan McWilliam had another beautiful trout of 71b 120Z, this one fell for an Orkney pattern, the Merkister Maid, in the Hole of Inch area.
But it’s not only been on Leven that Buzzers have been catching. Most reports from Lake of Menteith have headlined their dominance, and Linlithgow Loch has had the most amazing season for these insects right from the word go, on March 15.
Some competitions have already taken place, especially on the Lake itself, Scotland’s top tournament water. Thirty anglers competed for the National Championships For Anglers With A Disability, fishing a two-fish limit then catch and release. Over 135 fish were caught, 81 of which were returned and those ubiquitous Buzzers played a major part. Champion was Jim Crawford of Ayr, with 12.
The top seven anglers and one reserve are invited to represent Scotland in the Home International, held at the Lake. Qualifiers are Jim Crawford, John Hood, Dave Stewart, Ossie Smith, Glen McHattie, George Bell, David Malcolm and Stuart Fraser.

In the Scottish Police Recreation Association National, the winning team, comprised Ronnie Turnbull, Bob McLean, Keith Anderson and Jimmy McBride, the latter was top individual with 15 fish. These anglers represent Scotland in the 2016 National at Chew Valley. Top tactics were, believe it or not, straight-lined buzzers...

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