Robertson's nine trout earn top spot in first boat competition
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A “weel drookit” group of anglers presented themselves at the weigh-in following Dounreay Fly Fishing Association’s first boat competition of 2021 last Saturday.
After a week of strong, cold winds it was relatively pleasant as the members prepared their boats for a 9.30am start on Loch Watten. With a light south-east breeze and gin-clear water, conditions were reasonable but they didn’t last long before the wind began to increase from the same direction.
As this was more or less straight up the loch from the village end, the waves soon built up and the clear water became cloudy. To add to the spray when boats were moving, it started to rain shortly before lines up at 4pm.
After wisely staying at the village end all day to fish around the Island, Railway Bay and Target areas, George Robertson presented a fine basket of nine trout weighing 10 lb 11.5 oz to claim first place and 18 points. (This may seem a strange score for first place but the scoring system is now based on the number of competitors in an event; a 12-inch minimum fish size for Loch Watten was also in place for the first time.) George had used an intermediate line with Orange Muddlers and a Kate McLaren Sedgehog flies.
Alex Donald secured second place (16 points) after fishing the opposite end of the loch from Sandy Point to the north end. His choice of flies – again on an intermediate line – were various colours of Hoppers and Muddlers, giving him seven fish for 7 lb 2.5 oz.
Another angler favouring the north end, Ian Cannop, used a DI 5 Sweep line and later a floating version with Hulk, Peter Ross and Loch Ordie flies to give him a total of four trout for 4 lb 14.5 oz and 14 points for third place.
A close fourth place fell to Toby Bracey on three for 4 lb 14oz and this included the best trout of the day at exactly 2 lb that gave him 13 points plus the single bonus.
Scott MacColl also finished with three fish – for 3 lb 1.75 oz and 12 points for fifth – and, on his first competition with the club, Ewen Harding took sixth (11 points) with another bag of three for 2 lb 6 oz.
Also putting fish on the scales were Kevin Imlach, Adam Koziol, Bill Thomson, Aivis Kreslins, Callum MacKenzie, Neil Clyne and Peter Creasey.
Before announcing the results, a club official welcomed eight members who had been fishing a DFFA boat competition for the first time.
The club’s next event is a bank competition on Loch Toftingall on Saturday, May 15. This will be the second event of the bank championship as the first took place on Loch Calder at the end of April when Les Robertson recorded his first win in a DFFA event. His bag of five trout also included the best of the day at 2 lb 8.5 oz.
