Anglers see off Dounreay
Last weekend Shetland Anglers Association hosted a visiting team of six anglers who represented the Dounreay Angling Club.
The teams were in Shetland to fish a two-day bank fishing competition for the Inter-Club Trophy.
It was the 12th time the event had been fished and the results have traditionally been close.
The members of the visiting team were paired with a local angler and each pair was then allocated a specific area of the Mainland in which they could fish.
Fishing conditions on the first day were reasonable with a moderate north wind and this resulted in a total catch of 70 trout.
After the weigh-in the visitors demonstrated they had mastered the Shetland lochs by notching up an apparently unassailable lead of 6lb. The best baskets were taken from the North Mainland lochs and anglers struggled on the West Side lochs.
The second day saw both a change of fishing partners and fishing areas. At the start, there were signs that the members of both teams were passing on information and (supposedly) killer flies in order to influence the outcome.
Shetland had managed to claw back a first-day defeat the last time the competition was fished here – but nothing like the 6lb lead now held by what was undoubtedly the strongest team Dounreay Angling Club had ever sent north.
At the weigh-in Shetland had 42 trout weighing 26lb 4oz and the visitors weighed in 29 trout for 17lb 11oz. This dramatically overturned the overnight lead to earn the Shetland team the trophy with a lead of over 2lb.
The best baskets on the day for Shetland were Bobby Irvine with 6lb 10oz, mostly from Eela Water, and Kevin Robertson making a splendid team debut with 6lb 7oz from Roer Water.
At the presentation function Magnus Reid, the senior member of the Shetland team, accepted the trophy on behalf of team mates Bobby Irvine, Billy Reid, Mark Sandison, Peter Laurenson and Kevin Laurenson.
Magnus expressed his appreciation of the splendid meal, particularly the tasty puddings and deluxe coffees, apparently an integral part of his specialised training diet for the event.
Kevin Porteous and Dennis McIntosh of the Dounreay Club were respectively awarded the trophies for the heaviest basket over two days and the heaviest fish.
The owners of the Research were thanked for generously providing the accommodation for the visiting team.
Association members are reminded that the annual inter-club competition against Whalsay takes place tomorrow – check in at Tingwall at 9.30am.
There will also be a bank league competition on Thursday with the check-in at the West Burrafirth junction at 6.15pm.
On Saturday 25th July a spinning competition will be held on the WestSide with the check-in at Bixter Hall at 10am.
