The 76th Club AGM Part 1 and Eddies Tackle Review

AGM

The 28^th of October saw the 76^th gathering of members to formulate and rubber stamp future policy. The well attended meeting saw a rich and varied spread of views which can only be to the benefit of the club. The Presidents review of the year told of record revenue burgeoning membership and this was not a complete year as the date of the AGM has been changed from February to the preceding October! There was wholehearted support for the robust Muppet busting policies we have adopted.

Some discussion concerned internal club issues and then came the main points for the coming year.

On the advice of the committee the meeting approved a considerable amount of money to be used to purchase 2 Lomond type boats along with two outboard motors and the upgrading of one of our "Blue" boats following procedures laid down by the Australian government. This upgraded boat will be based on the Loch o the Lowes. These moves alone will create a considerable amount of work and we really need member participation to ease the workload on the willing horses.

It looks as though our hatchery in the boathouse will be in use towards the end of 2010 but whether it will be used for Arctic Charr or Brown Trout has yet to be determined. Much work and research now has to be carried out to get the system working and understand the rearing process to minimise problems.

I wonder if the "concerned" club member and the ex club member anonymously leaving derogatory comments on an earlier post would care to comment again, based on the factual results attained by the club? Methinks not, humble pie can be quite unpalatable in large helpings!

A six monthly newsletter will be issued to all members but those of you with internet access need only check in here weekly to keep up to date.

Members are reminded that all renewal subscriptions must be made to our treasurer by 31/01/2010 see last week's post for the contact details.

Tackle review by Eddie I

Hi folks, for as long as I've been pike fishing I've struggled to get to grips with front alarms. I tried to get the best alarm I could afford and usually ended up with a fox micron. Don't get me wrong these were good alarms if you were carp fishing and using a baitrunner but for me I always fish with an open bail arm and swinger to minimise resistance, this always ended up with line skip where the line fails to turn the wheel hence no sound.

I recently found myself in need of a new alarm so after some saving and a lot of pleading with the princess i bought a Delkim plus. I know they are not cheap but this is the best alarm I've ever used! With the volume control turned up they will easily wake you in the middle of the night and you can set the tones to distinguish between alarms, but for me the best thing is it has no moving parts it simply senses vibrations, this has solved my problem with line skip. If your line is pulled from the swinger the alarm sounds and won't stop until you pick up your rod to strike. They also register drop backs instantly.

There is also the TXI model available with a remote sounder box but they are more expensive and frankly if you need a sounder box on your pillow to wake you it's probably best you bring the rods in at night.

Unlike carp fishing where the fish normally hooks its self, a pike run has to be hit straight away, not after you fumble about for five minutes looking for your wellies. At about 80 to 90 quid as I said the Delkim plus is not cheap but I think worth it. Good bite detection results in fewer deep hooked fish and you can't put a price on that. Surf the web for best prices. (Eddie I).

Cheers Eddie, another pragmatic review from a man in the field who uses the products he reviews, making for a more comprehensive review on which buying decisions can be made.

Remembrance Day

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them!

Photos of leaping fish taken by my good mate Mo absolutely stunning cheers mate!

One step closer to Arctic Charr in St Mary’s Loch, October angling report and another tackle review.

I went up to Moffat on Tuesday to meet with the country’s leading experts on Arctic Charr. Below is an excerpt from the minute of that meeting.

Arctic Charr Meeting Buccleuch Arms Hotel Moffat 27/10/2009 15.30hrs

Resume of meeting with Professor Colin Adams and Liz Etheridge (Glasgow University), Dr Colin Bean (Scottish National Heritage), Alex Lyle (independent consultant responsible for the translocation of Charr to Megget Reservoir), Professor Peter Maitland (The Fish Conservation Centre), Richard Plisga (St Mary’s Angling Club).

We discussed the reasons by which the Arctic Charr may have become extinct in St Marys loch. The consensus was that as there were no industrial processes hence pollution in the area at the time of extinction it was undoubtedly down to overzealous netting in the little Yarrow. Date about 200 years ago according to social records.

A donor site suitable for obtaining stock focussed on Loch Doon as this is where the Talla and Megget introductions originated. The introduction of Charr was successful in Talla and remains unknown in Megget. Hydroacoustic scanning and possible gill netting on Megget is proposed to take place in the near future to verify the status of Megget.

We then discussed the echo sounder results found by two of our members

(a) The fish at depths of 80-100ft could easily be Charr, but it is extremely unlikely that this is the original population of St Marys Loch; rather more likely to be migrants from the Megget introduction in the eighties who have subsequently built up a new colony. The escape of Charr through dam structures has been well documented previously on a number of occasions.

(b) They could easily be Perch. Perch will reside at such depths especially in the cooler months and if any of our members have a recording facility on their echo sounders it might be possible to discern the species. Please get in touch if you have such a device. stmarysloch@gmail.com

Action required in St Mary’s Loch

What requires to be done initially is hydroacoustic scanning and on locating a shoal, gill netting to identify the deep dwelling fish. If they are Charr then the process ends for us as a club as our question is answered! Glasgow University however would wish to obtain a few specimens to confirm they are Megget migrants.

If they are not Charr then the restocking scenario beckons - around 80 cocks and hens would have to be gill netted on Loch Doon and stripped within a day of the actual spawning time (end of October, this is a very tricky manoeuvre). High numbers of donor fish are crucial to obtain a wide gene pool otherwise problems can arise similar to inbreeding in humans. The fertilised eggs can be reared on in a hatchery such as ours and around May/June released into the loch.

Club Action- An initial letter to SNH should be composed stating our wish to ascertain if the loch does indeed contain Charr and the implementation of the above if it does not. The system would work as follows - SNH may pay for the investigations and stripping of fish and we as a club would have to rear the fry on our own with input from Glasgow and SNH. We would also need to inform the Ayr Fisheries Trust and the River Tweed Commission and to secure licences for movement of eggs from Loch Doon to St Mary’s which would need to be obtained from Marine Scotland Science (an arm of Scottish Government). There is the possibility of asking more than one SNH local office to help with grant funding (Dumfries, Galashiels and Ayr area offices and it is worth contacting all three if this project goes ahead.)

Verdict of academic panel

Pike and Perch which were introduced into the loch in the late 1800s as sport fish and not present when the original Charr population was resident, will to an extent predate Charr. The adaptability of the species however will result in the Charr residing in the deepest areas of the loch for sanctuary minimising the attention of predators and as the Loch Doon population are not the stream spawning variant (as the original St Mary’s Charr were), netting out in the Little Yarrow as before is not a consideration. Many other Scottish lochs have Charr populations coexisting with Pike, Perch and Trout, all of which given the opportunity will predate Charr.

CONCLUSION

The project is viable and subject to funding from SNH should go ahead.

Minute written by Richard Plisga, verified and approved as a true record by Professor Adams.

So there you go the leading authorities on Arctic Charr give their backing to our project. There is a huge amount of work to undertake in the near future but we now have a team of enthusiasts who are ready to give all they have to progress the project.

October Catch Report

With the Trout season at an end only Pike and Perch feature this month no Eels having been recorded..

Member Tommy B from Jedburgh landed 7 Perch in short order last week easily claiming the Perch king prize for the month, average weight around 12oz, well done Tommy!

Pike

This month sees a drop in the numbers of small Pike and an increase in the bigger variety. Robbie C from Dalkeith our newest member takes the crown for the heaviest Pike of the month at 17lbs 6oz. Well done Robbie! The runner up was a visitor from Cumbria with a 16lbs 5oz fish.

Totals were 15-18lbs 4 fish, 10-15lbs 6 fish, 6-10lbs 12 fish and 4 fish were recorded under 6lbs. Angler days were recorded as 42 for the month.

I’ve tried it and I like it!

How many times in the depths of winter have you struggled with undoing a link swivel due to numb fingers? Well I for one have. That was until Fox brought out their Kwik Change Trace Links. You don’t have to open these simply pull your swivel round and its secure.

I've never had a problem while using these and in my opinion they are a good quality product. They come in different sizes and cost about 3-4 quid for ten. I know there are other similar products but I can’t comment on those but if you can and want to please send a review and let us know what you’re using and why you like it. The sharing of information helps us all. (Eddie I)

Once again thanks Eddie for that useful tip I’ve no doubt a few anglers will be trying them out, and as Eddie says send in your reviews short or long term you may just help out another angler which is what real angling is about!

Next week the report on the clubs AGM and the implications!

Tight Lines!

The Enigmatic Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) + new series of members tackle reviews

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It’s been a vexed question for many a year as to whether or not they are still in the loch. We have had the very occasional angler who insists that they have caught Charr but the vital scales/photo or even complete fish are always missing.

Yes we have had reliable anglers report shoals of fish at depths you would not associate with fish in the loch other than Charr, but again none of these fish came to the net so again no proof!
Is it possible that they were fished (netted) out in the Little Yarrow that joins the two lochs as they moved in to spawn? The council notice board at the head of the loch postulates this theory but is it possible that a few specimens remained and continued to build up the population in the murky depths way below the attention of angler’s baits. It is a credible proposition but in the absence of hard evidence that’s all it is, a theory!

The information board states that they were fished out in the 1900s and it would be correct to say that no validated specimen has been caught since. A very interesting snippet from a colleague down in Wales who is involved in a Charr rearing project at Lake Padarn and Cwellyn is that the Charr moved into the spawning stream to start the reproductive process between the 13th and the 16th of December every year irrespective of temperature, weather and water conditions! If this applied at St Mary’s then they would have been easy targets for over zealous netters.

Research has shown that even very deep dwelling Charr move up and down through the depths of water searching out food, if and when it becomes necessary. A study of a strain of dwarf Charr in Sweden found that whilst their preferred residence was 300 feet below the surface they regularly moved up to the different layers in search of food. Indeed when the stomach contents of caught Charr were examined they contained up to 30% of surface only dwelling insects/organisms, which shows a huge propensity for the adaptability of the species.

It was thought at one time up to 15 different species existed in the UK but it is now thought that these are simply variants of one species where the necessity for adaptability through evolution has caused these changes to better adapt to their own particular environments.

Whichever way you look at it the need for hard evidence one way or the other is crucial.
There was an introduction of Arctic Charr into Megget in the 90s but the information we have from the Tweed Foundation is that the project was unsuccessful; the method by which this decision was arrived at is unknown to us. Certainly it is possible that Charr could have migrated into St Mary’s loch from Megget and established a new colony.

How can the conundrum be resolved?

We have established contact with Dr Colin Adams at Glasgow University one of the leading lights in Charr research, who recently (June09) hosted a worldwide symposium on the subject of Arctic Charr and he has kindly agreed to meet us on Tuesday in order that we can pool information and seek the best way forward to establish if indeed there are populations of Charr in the loch and if none are present the best way of reintroducing them.

The methods used to determine whether or not a population exists in the loch would consist of hydroacoustic scanning of the deep areas of the loch, the use of fish traps, angling by conventional methods and the most common method of gill netting. If a population can be located then the hydroacoustic method would be very useful in determining rough numbers and age groups.

This is a very exciting time for us because hopefully, soon we will know with a degree of certainty whether or not we have a population of Charr in the lochs.
If we do not hold populations of Charr, the wish of the angling club and the local community is that they are reintroduced to complete the aquatic community.

No one has really fished for Charr at depth to my knowledge I myself have only spent two days fishing at depths of around 100ft in both basins of St Mary’s both times coming off the boat empty handed. My own view is that Charr no longer exist in the loch; I would have thought that there would have been one or two recorded “accidental” catches over the years but none have been irrefutably recorded. None of the elder statesmen of the club, two of who have fished for over 70yrs have ever hooked a Charr in the loch which further reinforces my view that they are no longer present!

Tuesday will give us a rough map of what can be done to answer this vexed question that has been ever with us over the years! As a club we will gladly offer any assistance to Dr Adams and his team in this venture to establish one way or the other the existence of Arctic Charr in St Mary’s loch. Roll on Tuesday!

This week sees the introduction of a new series of member’s articles under the heading of

“I’ve tried it and I like it"! by Eddie I

The first item I would like to review is fishing line. All too often I read on the blog about "anglers" using 10, 8 or even 6lb line. This simply is not on; the clubs rule says you must use no less than 20lb mono or 40lb braid. This is due to the snaggy nature of the bottom and subsequent risk of break offs. I don't use braid myself because of its low abrasion resistance but that’s a personal choice. The line I use is Krystonite fluorocarbon coated mono. You can get this line in 20lb breaking strain from Fishtec online http://www.fishtec.co.uk/?gclid

It’s not the supplest line but has good abrasion resistance and I find it suits my needs. It’s clear in colour and costs £18 for a 1000mtr spool. So if you’re struggling to find a good line this is a product to consider.

Eddie I

Many thanks Eddie, now if there are any other members out there with a good product don’t be shy write in and share your find with others it’s what angling is all about!

Membership renewals
Membership renewals can be made at the AGM on the 28th of this month (Wednesday) and thereafter by sending your details to include name, address, telephone number and e mail address if you have one along with a cheque for the correct amount (To be fixed at AGM) to our treasurer –
John Wright 8 Castle Place Dunbar EH42 1JD

Please note the cut off date for renewals is 31/01/2010! Anyone not having renewed by this date will be considered to have left the club unless there are exceptional reasons for not having done so!
Season ticket holders should send the above and the names of two referees (club members) to John at the above address.

Greed or what!
Came across this photo on a Barbel forum, its of an 18lbs pike who took an anglers dead bait whilst having a partly digested (estimated at 6lbs) Pike in her gullet. How she was even able to clamp on to the dead bait never mind swallow it is beyond me! A case of the eyes being bigger than the stomach methinks!

Memberships, updates

We are getting many applications from anglers for admission to the club. We are currently full up but the following is the system in use for applicants seeking club membership. New applicants will be offered the chance to purchase a season ticket (up to the limit we have set) which currently stands at £50.00 for a full years fishing which is very reasonable indeed. At the end of this period you should have made enough contact with two members who would be prepared to propose and second you to club membership. Remember that in asking members to take on this function you are placing their names on the line as their credibility will be called into question if you are found to have leanings towards Muppetry!

So in fact the season ticket is a precursor to club membership subject to places being available, so if your year as a season ticket holder has been unblemished you will be considered for club membership.
We were forced to implement this regime after what were termed as the “Black days” when Muppet types infiltrated club membership. We will not allow this situation to occur again! The season tickets run from January to December the same as memberships so prospective candidates should be aware they can apply at any time but in all cases the period will terminate at the end of December. Season ticket holders may not attend the clubs AGM.

The supreme Muppet!
Another comment received from the Muppet "Uranob" this week, unfortunately it is incoherent and interspersed with Anglo Saxon expletives and as such is not suitable for publication here. It has however been added to the up and coming restricted access blog where only selected individuals can read the contents. People such as psychiatrists, psychologists and those who informally study human behaviour will find this collection an Aladdin’s cave of the depraved and bizarre side of human nature!

The “Graveyard” Swim.
The steel arrived today which will be used to block access to the “graveyard” a folding lockable post will allow us access for boat recovery and maintenance issues!

Meetings
A committee meeting will be held on the 21st of this month at Glengaber Cottage starting at 19.00hrs. Glengaber cottage is around half a mile beyond the Browns cottage when you see the Chrome sign proclaiming Megget dam you are there.

Members should be reminded that the AGM will take place at the Tibbie Shiels Inn on Wednesday the 28th of this month commencing at 19.00hrs.

Nature’s rich harvest.

This week’s photos show a Dog Rose with a few flowers and many rosehips, you don’t often see Dog Rose flowers in mid October up here, and a bountiful crop of haws from the Hawthorn tree. There has also been a heavy crop of Brambles which although punishing to pick, is made worthwhile when the time comes to munch! I’m told the Romans used Bramble bushes as barbed wire, which without question must have been very effective.

Numerous Pigeons/Pheasants under Beech trees usually indicate a heavy crop of Beech mast and indeed it has proved to be so with an abundance being apparent. Hazel trees have also cropped well the nuts being eagerly collected by the resident mice. The pink feet Geese were seen last week and today which along with the white frost (minus 3 degrees) is a sure and irreversible sign that summer such as it was has gone.

Decent bloke
Had a good blether with a local walker called David today who was on his way to Innerleithen on foot, rather you than me mate! Got a call around 6pm to say he had arrived safely, somewhat “knackered” and ready for a long cool beer with a good twenty miles under his belt. He used to fish the salmon beat below the one I fish on Tweed small world indeed. Well done mate, today (Saturday) was a super day for a refreshing walk! Oh and we will have your season ticket waiting for you in December.

Another decent bloke and a real angler!
Spoke at length to one of our members from Glasgow this morning Eddie I, on a two day session having not been able to visit for a good few months due to family illness. Just about to finish when I passed, total catch- nil!
He stopped on the way home for a blether and to give me an update - got a 4 pounder whilst reeling the rods in, disappointed? Not a bit of it, this is natural fishing the way it’s meant to be! Aye Eddie you are what’s known as a true angler – no “plastic” pike, no weighted balance towards the angler, no photo album of meaningless soft flabby pike just you, your guile pitted against a truly wild adversary every bit as cunning as yourself through having to stalk and hunt! This is real fishing where a 4 pounder is every bit the equal of a dozen engineered double figure “plastic” pike! A proper angler indeed!

Cut off date for renewals.

The cut off date for membership renewals will be posted next week any member not having renewed by this date will be deemed to be a lapsed member and deleted from our membership list. This excludes a lapse due to illness etc.

Cloth Eared Paddlers, Meetings and Appointments

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St Mary’s loch and the loch o the Lowes are most definitely places of great beauty and attract a wide variety of people seeking some recreation on their days off from the mundane but usually essential requirement of work. As such we see many a diverse hobby taking place at the lochs, with a surface area of over 700acres you would think there is ample room for all to enjoy their pursuits in peace, yet today demonstrated quite clearly for some there is not!

Two canoeists prattling and paddling in a completely aimless fashion oblivious to all around them paddled through the lines of two my four rods today unclipping two of the drop offs! Naturally I responded pointing out to them in a mildly irate state that they had impinged on my space, upset my sport and were guilty of crass carelessness and acting in a fashion of self-gratification to the exclusion of all other water users, or words to that effect!

Their response left me completely exasperated - a mere shrug of the shoulders followed by ploughing through the other two of my lines! I was left musing just who do these people think they are? They do not pay a fee to participate in their sport, they just drive up launch their canoes anywhere and then go and do as they like. Oh don’t get me wrong there are some canoeists who are clued up and keep their wits about them and their eyes peeled, but not this pair of jesters!

Staggeringly when I nipped up to the Lowes for a blether with one of our members Paul R they had done exactly the same with him and after he verbally informed them of the error of their ways they blundered on and did the same to me at the “Graveyard”!

Unfortunately this was not a one off occurrence it has happened many times before!
You see it is really quite simple if an angler casting his bait with 4 ounce lead attached were to hit the side of the canoe the velocity of the projectile would be more than sufficient to hole the craft probably on both sides what then? It doesn’t happen because as responsible anglers we ensure that care is taken to avoid this happening, why isn’t this duty of care reciprocated?

I will tell you why, it’s because they have not researched their sport to any extent, even the most basic canoeist should be familiar with the countryside code of conduct which states that canoeists should be aware of other water users and not disrupt their sport, in other words this pair behaved like floating Muppets with tunnel vision which is exactly what they are! Like the Muppet Uranob in an earlier article, these people have no respect for others whatsoever, they live in their own little worlds and to hell with everyone else!

What is to be done about it? It doesn’t appear that there is much that can be done, as they are all individuals and do not come under the banner of an umbrella organisation, they can launch their craft anywhere and apparently do as they like! Since they can launch from any point on the lochs notices would be of no use because where would we put them? There is no governing body like the Federation of Clueless Canoeists to write to and complain. No, one day a canoeist will really screw up an angler’s day, it will be the straw that broke the camel’s back and the consequences could be serious! So let’s try and avoid this scenario. Here are some common sense guidelines for canoeists
(1) Do not canoe within one hundred and fifty yards of the bank unless there is a compelling reason to do so, that way at that distance it is unlikely you will inconvenience an angler!
(2) If you must canoe close to the bank keep your eyes on the bank side looking out for angler’s rods usually the first thing you see
(3) If you are in close to the bank and see rods in front of you, you should immediately stop and back paddle for 100 yds then turn at right angles and head out at least one hundred and fifty yards paddling calmly and not thrashing the water to froth!
(4) Anglers are not fishing at the tip of their rods (as one female sailor thought and said to a colleague of mine) for goodness sake what would be the point of that, fishing in three inches of water! Typical distances can range from 10yds to 130yds from the bank.
(5) Fish are easily spooked by turbulence above them; you will completely ruin an angler’s day by paddling about above their baits! Now you can maybe see why anglers get narked when such an event occurs!
(6) If you do cross anglers lines at the very least apologise profusely, it’s simply a matter of common courtesy and more importantly please learn from your mistakes!
If you are an angler you must re educate these individuals every time they disrupt your sport this is the only way that their errors can be pointed out and rectified!

A considerable amount of ill feeling has been generated by canoeists who are oblivious to the rights and wishes of other water users, there are over 700 acres available to canoeists there is absolutely no need for these instances to occur! As anglers we pay for the privilege of fishing on the lochs, we do not take kindly to having our day’s sport ruined! As anglers we do not disrupt your sport of canoeing please do not disrupt ours! Its time to get this sorted!

Meetings
A committee meeting will be held on the 21st of this month at Glengaber Cottage starting at 19.00hrs. Letters have already been sent out.
Members should be reminded that the AGM will take place at the Tibbie Shiels Inn on Wednesday the 28th of this month commencing at 19.00hrs.

Appointments
We are pleased to announce the assimilation of two further committee members to augment and further strengthen the existing team, Alistair White who has been acting as interim club secretary and biology advisor, and Les Henderson who brings with his appointment a wealth of experience in all matters to do with fishing. Welcome aboard lads we very much look forward to working with you both!

Angling report September 2009. Club AGM and a couple of champions!

This month sees the close of the 2009 season for Brown Trout and the start of the Pike period when most anglers target the species. The Perch and the Eels also become less evident in anglers catch returns at this time.

PIKE
This month saw the appearance of a number of good fish and a decrease in the number of jacks recorded. Quite a number of anglers blanked in pursuit of the Pike whilst others were gifted with two or three in a session. What’s the answer? I’m afraid I don’t have the answer but as always it would appear to be a case of being in the right place at the right time! Recorded Pike were as follows - above 17lbs one fish, 14 – 16lbs 4 fish, 10- 14lbs 8 fish, 8 – 10lbs 13 fish, 6 – 8lbs 4 fish, no fish were recorded below 6lbs! Angler days were recorded as 42 for the month. Best Pike of the month - 17lbs 4oz caught by a visiting angler from Edinburgh.

Trout
Traditionally this is when the bigger Trout make an appearance and true to form a number of heavier Trout were recorded, but due to low angler numbers the number of recorded Trout was low. The recorded Trout were as follows 1 – 1lb 10oz 4 fish, 12oz – 1lbs 6 fish and 8oz – 12 oz 3 fish. Angler days were recorded as being 8 for the month. Best trout for the month 1lbs 10oz caught by our very own Elliot F.

Perch and Eels
No dedicated fishing appears to have taken place for these species this month 23 Perch and 6 Eels were recorded by anglers fishing for other species.

Guns on the loch!
Incredible as it may seem a number of youths were detected with what turns out to be an airgun on Sunday! They came to our attention having been spotted down at the “graveyard” swim with their vehicles. This is an illegal act in itself as they were more than 15yds from a public road onto private land!
The police were called due to the weapon being involved and whilst the miscreants had bolted by the time the police appeared they were traced from their vehicle registration numbers later that evening. The police phoned on Monday to see if we wanted to prefer charges with regard to being on private ground unlawfully and being in a public place with a weapon when they had no permission to be there!
After some discussion with the loch keeper we decided not to prefer charges due to the time involved in attending court etc and that the miscreants were suitably remorseful. We asked the police to impress upon these individuals that they must not return to the lochs and that any further transgression of the law will result in automatic prosecution irrespective of how sorry the perpetrators were!
The police were happy to do this for us on this occasion, but please be aware that anyone spotted with a gun of any description will be reported to the police! Similarly anyone with a vehicle down at the graveyard swim will also be reported. Act in a proper fashion and you have nothing to fear, act like a Muppet and you will be brought to book!

Champions
Was speaking to Viv B from Sunhope yesterday, the proprietor of Tweedhope sheep dogs on the banks of St Mary’s loch.. http://www.bordercollierescue.org/vivbillingham/ She had in the van a gleaming trophy which she and her dog had just won in the sheepdog trials to add to the many she already has, well done Viv! Without a doubt she is a dog trainer of the highest calibre. We gave her a large bag of apples for her horse Arrabella, mentioned in previous posts much to the delight of both owner and pony! Of note for anglers Viv also does bed and breakfast at a very reasonable cost. Click the link above to find out more.

Les H one of our members appeared on these pages around this time last year having won the Gala angling clubs outing competition. Well he’s done it again today winning the competition at Kailzie pond with two hefty Rainbow Trout one at 6lbs 4oz the other at 3lbs 6oz which was enough to lift the trophy for the second year running.
Congratulations and well done mate! I am going to copy the above text and just paste it in for next year to save me having to type it out again.

AGM
The club AGM will be held in the Tibbie Shiels Inn commencing at 7.00pm on Wednesday the 28th of October. Any member having any relevant issues should e mail us in the first instance. Letters will be issued to all members shortly.

Tackle dealers
We have received three nominations for tackle dealers to be visited, one from Galashiels, one from Edinburgh and one from Glasgow. Unfortunately Glasgow is out with the range that our anglers will travel to view/buy tackle and so the shop will not feature in our articles. We will enter the articles once the shops have been visited. Thanks to the lads for the nominations.
Till the next time Tight Lines!

Good Tackle dealers and more real anglers!

This week we start a new series of articles on tackle shops in the area that we like and would feel comfortable about recommending to our anglers. Starting the series off is Fishers in Penicuick. It is a well-stocked outlet recently opened and run by an angler well versed in all aspects of angling.

How it works is that our anglers suggest an outlet and when time and commitments permit we pay them a visit and evaluate the store, contents, demeanour and knowledge base of the vendor. So if you are served by a dealer that you rate drop us a line and within the constraints above we will pay them a visit.

Fishers is Midlothian’s only dedicated fishing tackle store, recently opened in John Street precinct, Penicuik, Fishers stocks a wide range of fishing tackle as well as clothing and accessories.

The town centre business is owned and managed by Mike Wilson who has worked in the fishing tackle trade for over 15 years, the knowledge and experience gained in this time has made him aware of the pricing and brands customers are looking for.

Fishers specialise in game fishing, which is fly fishing or spinning for Trout and Salmon. However, the shop also caters for bait fishing selling live bait and terminal tackle.

For the Pike angler there are stocks of frozen Pike baits along with the exciting new Greys Prowla range of Pike & Predator tackle. Pike anglers should check this range out it is very good and extremely well made, as you would expect from items bearing the Grey’s brand.

The shop stock’s leading brands including Hardy, Greys, Wychwood, Rio, Vision, Leeda, Maxima, Riverge, C&F, Fishpond, Lee Wulff, Airflo, Snowbee, Shimano, Veniard and Loon. There is a wide range of rods, reels, lines, leaders, flies, and bait as well as clothing, accessories, waders and luggage.

Fishers prides itself on its competitive prices, and caters for all levels of fisherman - from the beginner through to expert angler. There are children’s starter fishing kits from £12.99 and a large selection of more dedicated rod, reel and line kits and combo’s.

Fishing is the most popular participation sport in Britain and with a host of fisheries, reservoirs and rivers in and around Midlothian, Fishers is ideally placed to catering for a flourishing market. There is ample parking in the area to take the hassle out of travelling into Edinburgh for your fishing needs.

Permits for local waters such as the River Tweed. Edgelaw Reservoir & St Mary’s Loch /Loch o the Lowes can be purchased in our shop, where the staff can offer advice on fishing techniques and equipment. Fishers can also provide assistance when it comes to planning a fishing expedition to Scotland and have good relations with many reputable fishing guides.

The website and online tackle store is accessible 24 hours a day, updated on a regular basis. Fishers will keep you ahead of the game with new products & offers as soon as they become available.

Contact Details:
Fishers
10 John Street (Precinct)
Penicuik
EH26 8AD
Tel - 01968 672877
Web – http://www.fishersdirect.com/
Email – sales@fishersdirect.com

There can be no doubt that anglers dealing with this store in person or by visiting the online store will receive sound advice from the friendly and knowledgeable staff therein. So the next time you are looking for some quality gear. Pay them a visit either in person or via the web, you wont be disappointed. The service from the online shop is very rapid and the website easy and enjoyable to navigate.

Recommended both for game and Pike Anglers!

More Real Anglers.
As is now customary, I popped down to have a blether with some of our visitors. I met up with Ian Hogg, Jim Dick, Don Patterson and Keiran Allan all from the Carluke area, all having an overnighter looking to battle with some of our Pike. Indeed such battle took place with a number of our Pike, Jim losing a nice one (and almost his cool) which was doing the St Mary’s tail walk just prior to the net as the darkening came in (that’s fishing for you Jim!). However two Pike previously landed kept the interest going.
A barbecue, some ale, much banter interspersed with the odd sane comment and a couple of black bags for the remnants of the trip. Like the lads from RA52 PAC mentioned last week they know how to enjoy themselves and when required switch to serious mode when the Pike come calling!
Keiran obviously blessed with masochistic tendencies and a great deal of stamina, climbed a mountain in the time it took Ian to eat half a pig and believe me that’s no time at all! (See photo of the mountain above). Don the elder of the group was charged with keeping order (you have my sympathies mate) and did a great job even though he will need to splash out on a bottle of Grecian 2000 after this trip!
Just four decent anglers with the wide view of fishing that encompasses much more than being in the lens of a camera holding a soft and flabby engineered fish!
It is within the confines of such groups that more sense abounds than that which emanates from the corridors of Westminster! Like the lads last week you are most welcome at the lochs. Right-minded anglers with whom it is a pleasure to be associated with! Hope you enjoyed your visit lads it was a pleasure speaking with you all!

A week without Muppets, Noddys and Neds, Oh what joy!

News just in!

A potentially very serious situation developed at the lochs today and is now in the hands of the police as the situation is ongoing further comment is inappropriate at this time!