Members Magazine with Reviews, Articles & Club News
PIKE ANGLERS ALLIANCE FOR
SCOTLAND
Winter Issue 2016
INSIDE:
THE GOLDEN TICKET GOING AFLOAT KYLE’S FIRST PIKE
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PIKE ANGLERS ALLIANCE FOR SCOTLAND
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COMMITTEE CONTACTS CHAIRMAN Steve Tapley
chairman@esoxecosse.com
GENERAL SECRETARY Stewart McMath
gensec@esoxecosse.com
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
Christopher Sharp asstsec@esoxecosse.com
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Brian Gerrard memsec@esoxecosse.com
MAGAZINE EDITOR Ciaran Wilson
editor@esoxecosse.com
TREASURER
**Position to be Filled** EVENTS MANAGER
Kris Smith / Michael Melors events@esoxecosse.com
PIKE ANGLERS
ALLIANCE
For SCOTLAND
Inside Issue 64 WINTER 2016 Committee Reports Branch Reports Events Reports Annual BBQ The Golden Ticket BOAT FEATURE-”Going Afloat” Kyle’s First Pike Mugshots Pike Angler of the year Hungry Pike want Spoon Feeding Wild Fisheries Reform
4-8 10-12 14-17 18-21 22-26 28-31 32 34-37 38-41 42-44 46-48
PRODUCTS MANAGER
Donald Murray products@esoxecosse.com
BRANCH CONTACTS CENTRAL central@esoxecosse.com GLASGOW glasgow@esoxecosse.com TAYSIDE tayside@esoxecosse.com
PAAS SENIOR FELLOWS
Mark Carpenter, Declan McCusker, Don McGurk, Ralston McPherson, Jim Morrice, Donald Murray, Derek Smith, Steve Tapley, Joe Toner, Ron Woods, Scott Kelly, Scott Lawrence.
CHAIRMANS REPORT This will be the last Chairman’s report before the Festive Season is upon us and it does not seem that long ago from the last one to be honest. I get the feeling the years are just flying by! It was a very slow start to the year for me but gathered pace after a few inspirational blanks that I always feel helps you concentrate your efforts further. By getting no results, you realise that you need to change things and up your game to start catching again. I knew I was on the right waters it was just a matter of patience and waiting for the fish to feed and wake up from their cold slumber. We had a very cold end to the winter and I believe the fish kind of knew that. One spot I fished did not fish well until I started pre-baiting with a about a dozen or so fish pieces twice a day. I am thinking this caused the fish to stop instead of just swimming right on by and missing my one or two offerings on the bottom. It has turned out alright in the end and I have banked over 200 fish this season to date so not all is lost from a slow start at the beginning of the year! The main focus for the Committee of late has been producing a fantastic magazine for the membership to read and I hope you would all agree that both Ciaran and Chris have done an excellent job in doing just that. Once again the advertising revenue is going a long way to pay to produce the magazine. This is in itself is an excellent achievement in these trying times where most angling shops tend to be turning towards other cheaper media outlets to attract their customers to buy their fishing tackle and needs. So, Ciaran must put in a lot of hard work with fresh ideas to keep our advertisers interested. We are also looking and planning ahead for the 2017 Half Yearly Meeting and the 2017 AGM. The Committee has been discussing the turnouts of the past few years for the Half Yearly Meetings in January or February and how they have been dropping away consistently. The 2016 Meeting saw the attendance go up due to the discussions on Loch Lomond with the LLAIA Chairman, which were forth coming and very worthwhile. There
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is a view that perhaps the meeting should be shifted to fit in with dates that make it a true Half Yearly meeting. There was a topic for discussion on the Forum suggesting we either think about cancelling it altogether or shifting the timing to more October/ November of that year. The feeling was it was still a worthwhile meeting amongst some and that the meeting was Constitutional so we would need to put the item on the Agenda of the 2017 AGM for discussion before being able to remove the event. I personally feel the Meeting is very worthwhile but there is no doubt that many within the membership have drifted away and no longer want to go. I saw one remark that quipped we must have provide content within the meeting that will make people to want to go. Good call but the meeting was originally set up for the membership to bring their input to the Committee at these meetings. The Committee could then act upon any topics the meeting brought forward with possibilities of changes for the better to be tabled at the AGM. It was also designed for Branch Secretaries to attend to give the Committee feed back but most of the Branch Secretaries are already on the Committee anyway these days. With all the above in mind the Committee are asking for ideas for discussion for the 2017 Half Yearly Meeting in January/February next year. Of course, the proposed Half Yearly Meeting move will be a topic for discussion on the day. Elsewhere, the new events lads are doing their bit by looking for new waters for the membership to fish and they are looking at all sorts of options and writing to the people involved. I will leave it to them to highlight exactly what they are looking into….. Loch Lomond and the LLAIA Several of the PAAS Members that volunteered to represent the club at LLAIA meetings have since stepped away due to, amongst other things, changes in family circumstances. This didn’t all happen at once but over the last year or so the volunteer’s family lives altered to an extent that they could no longer make the meetings. It is also the case that the LLAIA changed one or two meeting dates at short notice and this wasn’t ideal for our guys seeing as they had already organised shift swaps to go to the meeting etc. I would like
to thank these people for at least making some of the meetings and Si Lawson put suggestions forward on some of the aspects on the Loch that should be improved for the Pike Angler. Si hasn’t completely vanished from the scene which I am eternally grateful for. Now some of you who view other forums will know that there has been some civil unrest within the LLAIA Committee. I think this has been caused by the Fishery being classed as Category 3 by Marine Scotland, after the Wild Fisheries Review on Salmon related issues. The Lomond Catchment area has been saddled with no option but 100% catch and release for all Salmon caught. Certain aspects of the LLAIA Committee felt that this categorisation will have a negative impact on renewals for next year’s full memberships, which the Association rely on heavily just like any other club. A closed-door meeting was called and some hard decisions were made including a proposal to reduce the fulltime bailiff squad to 1 from 2. As far I was made aware this was on a reality if the memberships weren’t renewed in the numbers required to suite their employment. The down side from this was that a couple of the Committee were not in favour and have since resigned, including the head bailiff. I think the meeting broke up and people went away very unhappy and went to seek support. Per the information a vote of no confidence was raised and an EGM was called for. Apparently, the EGM is no longer required as the whole LLAIA Committee have agreed to stand down and neither the Chairman or the Vice Chairman are seeking re-election at the 2017 AGM in January. On a happier note our own Committee are aware of another PAAS Member who would like to attend the LLAIA Committee meetings and represent PAAS. The LLAIA Committee are not people to fear and they are very interested in our input when we are asked for it. I attended the last open door committee meeting in August and I was made very welcome by all. Perhaps there will be another meeting in December that we can attend and find out the full story and what all the excitement is all about. I personally think it’s a shame that the current Chairman and Vice Chairman are being displaced a year before they should be. I believe both have acted in good faith
for their membership and are only preparing the Association for a worst-case scenario situation. Perhaps the Lomond Salmon anglers will come to terms with the facts that the Salmon aren’t returning in numbers any longer and a few years of 100% conservation might help numbers increase and improve their fishing. After all, Pike waters that are clobbered season after season and suffer bad handling practices soon go into sharp decline and drop off the fishing radar. Often, after a few years’ rest and neglect with no interference the Pike Fishing soon bounces back for the better. Talking of bad fish handling practices there is a water on the west side of the country that is suffering at the hands of a trout club that does not hold Pike as a fish species in high regards. This is causing some concern amongst Pike anglers and Stewart McMath, General Secretary along with Alan Armstrong from the Glasgow PAC are going to be considering the matter, hopefully looking for a resolution, but that might take a little time. I think the PAAS boys had a great day on the ‘Lake’ and there were some lovely fish caught and congratulations to all the troops that caught fish, especially the ‘bigger girls’. I can assure everyone that the PAAS Committee are actively engaging the Mentieth Management on the issues of the anchors. All that is required is patience and it will unravel itself to everyone’s satisfaction in the end. Well my fishing has tailed off a little as I have not been in the Country for a while but that will be all changing soon I hope. I will have visited most of the Branches in one way or another to see new friends and old alike. The Glasgow Branch have a very interesting angler gracing the Iron Horse Bar very shortly and I will say it should be a very informative talk on mostly river fishing which he is very successful at. Hopefully I will have seen quite a few of you there…. Tight lines,
Steve Tapley The Chairman, PAAS.
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GEN SEC REPORT A very warm welcome to the latest edition of Esox Ecosse! Once again, it’s that happy time of year when the wee chap with the white beard gets us all to dig a little bit deeper into our wallets than we probably want to! It is often a very busy time for most of us with work and family commitments and although it can be hard to fit some fishing in, it is definitely one of the most enjoyable times of the year I’m sure you’ll agree. As the New Year approaches we are starting to organise our next AGM, which again will be held at the home of the mighty Glasgow branch - The Iron Horse pub in West Nile Street. We have compiled a short list of speakers to choose from and we are hoping that Steve from Franglais will bring his wares up for you to grab a bargain. We will have the usual mega raffle and a hopefully another grand prize draw. This year we are looking to hold it on the first Saturday in May, so as to avoid any major sporting events or bank holidays that are held towards the middle/end of May; Full details will be posted in due course. Before then we have the Half-Yearly meeting, which has been pencilled in for Saturday 28th January. There has been a bit of chat lately regarding whether we need to keep the Half Yearly as interest in it has been pretty poor over the last while. No doubt this will be a topic of discussion on the day. If anyone has anything they would like raised at this meeting, please let myself or another committee member know. Agenda and timings will be posted on the forum in due course. I am happy to see our new events guys have settled in well to their role, with a new water already on the agenda and another few possibilities, it is all good news. It really is good to see how enthusiastic Kriss and Michael are about the job. On the one position still to be filled (Treasurer) we hope to make a positive
announcement very soon. The PAOTY event at Ederline loch was the first I have attended and I must admit I enjoyed it thoroughly (nothing to do with being on the winning side, I might add!) I wonder if we could have such an event that it would be possible for the whole membership to be part of. (Over to our events guys maybe?) I would like to say a few words for one of our old members who sadly passed away. Chris Biggam was born on the 9th May 1958 and he died on the 28th November 2016. Chris was one of life’s genuine guys, he hardly had a bad word to say about anyone, he was a member of PAAS for a number of years before his illness and he loved pike fishing. Chris caught loads of big fish and included three fish over 30lbs , I spent a number of days with him on the bank and in a boat and enjoyed every minute of it, one time while in the boat on Cobbinshaw he was mucking about with something and his sardine was just dangling an inch or two under the surface when a pike grabbed it , 23lb !!! I called him some choice names but he insisted it was “pure skill big man “ . To all who knew him and that is many,he will be sadly missed , we send our sincere condolences to Chris’s family. RIP Chris . Finally, I would just like to wish all our members a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.
Stewart McMath
EVENTS REPORT Black loch was a success and we are happy with the way everything went with it being our first event. We have secured some further dates on the loch for 2017; application forms are included with this magazine: Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th March - bait and lure session. Sunday 2nd July & Sunday 6th August - lure evening sessions (17:00 - 23:30) We are still in the process of trying to gain access to a water
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that we think will be popular with the members. If any of the members have any waters that they would like us to approach to try and gain access please email: events@esoxecosse.com Regards,
Kris Smith & Michael Mellors
EDITORS REPORT Season’s greetings and welcome to issue 64 of Esox Ecosse, our vaguely festive themed issue! The traditional Pike season is now well and truly underway and I hope all of you have been getting out and landing some nice fish and if not, that you have at least been enjoying getting out! Remember, if you have had a nice fish or two recently, the best place to showcase them to your fellow members is in the mugshots section of the magazine, so don’t be shy! My own fishing has been restricted to Club events only lately – with a new baby at home, it has been harder to get time out on the water but having reset my priorities somewhat, I have greatly enjoyed the few sessions I’ve had, regardless of the pretty average catch returns. I am pleased to say that our newly introduced material incentive has so far proved a success, with a definite increase in interest in this area. One lucky
member will win a £25 voucher for his or her efforts per issue, with the possibility of winning a further £100 at the AGM. The winning author for this issue will be named in issue 65, with the winner being decided via a poll on the forum. If anyone wants to cast a vote and needs forum access, please email Brian Gerrard – members@esoxecosse.com who can help. You can of course vote for yourself, so no excuses! So, what can you expect from issue 64? Our Chairman Steve Tapley has written a piece on Boat fishing which hopefully will interest beginners and more seasoned boat anglers alike. Over the next few issues we hope to run a regular feature on fishing from boats, assuming we receive sufficient material. John Somerville has kindly written to us to tell us about his son Kyle’s first Pike. Having recently joined the Club, John & Kyle joined the Central Branch guys on an outing and Kyle had a day to remem-
ber, well done Kyle! Greg Wojtas was the lucky winner of our Grand prize draw and recently returned from his trip to County Mayo in the west of Ireland. Read his report to see how he and his mate Dave got on….. Keith Reid follows on from our recent spate of lure related articles by considering one of the greatly overlooked, but timelessly effect lures – the humble spoon. Keith provides an insight on how to get the best out of his various favourite patterns and also gives us a few hints and tricks to try along the way. Finally, I’d like to welcome our new advertiser, Online Baits UK and take the opportunity once again to thank our regular advertisers for their continued support throughout the year. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!
Ciaran Wilson
ASSISTANT SEC REPORT Hello and welcome to your festive edition of Esox Ecosse, I hope you all enjoy the magazine, it is always a pleasure to look through the great articles, mugshots and reports and bring them all to you on these pages! It's been a whole year since I first started producing the magazine for PAAS and it has been a very enjoyable time. I have met many of you at the events and even managed to make a few friends. This year has been a massive learning curve for me in terms of magazine production and Pike fishing in general. I have be shown more than I'll remember when it comes to
fishing afloat, working lures and general tips and tricks and for that I'd like to thank you. (you know who you are) As I write this report I am working away on producing this issue and in the works is an article for the next issue, using an experimental rig. The incentive we have put in place for articles has shown some great interest and I'd like to thank those that took the time to write something up, however small it may seem. Kyle's first Pike in this issue was an article that brought home what fishing really means to me. Strip
away all the politics and bickering, you are left with why we do it. It’s a hobby, something to look forward to at the end of a long week. It's that moment your float slips away, you forget all of your worries and the anticipation of what might be a fish of a lifetime takes over. Anyway, enough of my ramblings, I wish you all the best for the festive season. Get out fishing and forget your worries!
Chris Sharp
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MEMBERSHIP REPORT Hi guys and a welcome to issue 64 (Winter) of your exclusive Esox Ecosse magazine; I hope you enjoy your read. I will start with an update on our member’s total, currently sitting at 188 which is already up on last year’s figures. We still have a predator day and another GAC open weekend to go, so hopefully we will finish the membership year over the 200 mark. This report will likely be my 3rd last as my 3 year tenure is up in May and at this moment in time, I have no intentions to continue after that period (work and other interests have gathered pace) as I am struggling for time to stay fully committed to the role and feel it would benefit the club if someone with more time stepped in. However, I won’t be leaving the club in a difficult situation - if no one shows an interest in replacing me I won’t just up and leave. I will continue in a temporary role, handing over when someone feels ready and comfortable
stepping up, so if anyone has an interest in the position, please get in touch asap - the sooner someone gets on board, then the sooner the person can become familiar with the role. Contrary to what you may be told, the role is rather enjoyable and would benefit anyone with an interest on Pike Angling. I have had three outings with the club since the last time we spoke and the highlight would be taking the Pike Angler of the Year heaviest fish trophy. While we fished a familiar loch, It’s the first time I have fished this event and I believe a little bit of beginners luck helped me on my way as the two events after I only had a 9lb trout but no pike to the boat. When you join the main club, you have the option to join in at your local branch, where they have monthly meetings and outings and where you will be made to feel more than welcome. There are currently 3 branches; Glasgow, Central and Tayside, details of who to contact are
as follows: The Central branch meets in the Oxgangs hotel in Grangemouth on the first Tuesday of each month Contact - Darren Inglis or Colin Campbell at central@esoxecosse.com The Glasgow branch meets in the Iron Horse pub in Glasgow on the second Thursday of each month. Contact - William Edgar at glasgow@ esoxecosse.com The Tayside branch meets in the Old Reid park bar in Forfar. Contact - Donald Murray at tayside@ esoxecosse.com So until my penultimate report I bid you a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year, tight lines and Keep on, Keep on Fishing on!
Brian Gerrar
PRODUCTS REPORT The Products department hasn’t changed much lately, it’s still pretty slow with only the odd order going through. I’ve had a couple of issues with the time taken for clothing to be dispatched, which is all down to stock carried. I only carry a limited stock of various items, meaning if I don’t have your item here I have to order it from our supplier who sends it out directly to the member. If our supplier doesn’t have your order in stock, they
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have to order it from their supplier, hence sometimes the time taken for you to receive your order can be a few weeks. I can only apologise for this, but out of my hands I’m afraid. We have a couple of ideas in the pipeline, which we can hopefully highlight in a future issue of Esox Ecosse. In my opinion, every member should be wearing the PAAS colours and promoting your club. So let’s pay a visit to our online shop at www.
esoxecosse.com I’d like to wish everyone all the best for the fast approaching festive period, and tight lines for the coming year.. Products Contact : Tel 01738 637586 email products@esoxecosse.com
Donald Murray
THE LAKE OF
MENTEITH Privileged access
BLACK
LOCH Privileged
Access
MARCH Bait & Lure Event Venue: Lake of Menteith Date: Saturday 4 th March 2017 Times: 09:00 to 17:00hrs Charge: £64 per Boat (£32 per person) * Please Note: If oversubscribed, a draw will take place at the Half Yearly.
BaitBait & Lure Events MARCH & Lure Venue: Black Loch Date: Event Saturday 11th
Sunday 12th March 2017 Venue: Lake of Menteith Times: 08:30 to 17:00hrs Date: Saturday 4 th£22 March 2017 * Charge: per person Times: 09:00 to 17:00hrs Venue: Black(£32 Loch Charge: £64 per Boat per person) * Date: 24th June Please Note: If Saturday oversubscribed, a draw will take place at theSaturday AGM. 5th August 2017 Times: 17:00hrs to Dark Charge: £22 per person *
Application forms for these events are included with this magazine. Please send completed forms with payment to Brian Gerrard. Alternatively, successful applicants can pay through PayPal.* *Those paying through PAYPAL please add an extra charge of £1.50* 9
TAYSIDE BRANCH
Away Cup. Our annual Away Cup event took place on the weekend of the 12th. 13th & 14th August 2016. Four members of Tayside Branch made the journey to the chosen venue on the Friday morning, with Paul Phizacklea, John Phizacklea, Arran Murray and Myself (Donald Murray) in attendance. We were met with horizontal rain and high winds, which did clear away for a couple of hours, long enough for us to erect our bivvies and get settled into our chosen swims. The wind and rain returned with a vengeance for the duration of Friday. It is the first time I’ve ever had to dig a moat round my bivvy to divert the rainwater, in fact Paul Phizacklea had a water feature in his bivvy, needless to say that bivvy is now in retirement and has been replaced. We had fish up to 11lb between us with John Phizacklea banking the heaviest basket weight, well done John, another Trophy for the mantelpiece. It was our intention to stay until the Sunday, but due to the adverse weather conditions we headed home Saturday evening.
Pike Angler of the Year 2016.
There were three teams of three involved in this event; Central, Glasgow and Tayside. Definitely a better way of organising this outing with drawing Branch pegs, to save the “whacky races.” Team Tayside for the Pike Angler of the Year 2016 event were, Arran Murray, Donald McKeracher and myself. This event took place at Loch Ederline on the weekend of 3rd/4th September 2016. Arran got off to a good start for Tayside banking a few fish in the opening hours of the Saturday. Not a lot of action for Donald McKeracher or Myself, apart from a nice Eel on Saturday night and watching an Otter early Sunday morning. Congratulations to Darren Inglis and Central for winning the Cup, and to Brian Gerrard for heaviest fish. As always a great weekend getting the branches fishing together.
September Outing.
Our September outing for the 2016 campaign took place on the weekend of Friday 24th / Saturday 25th September and this was to be our last overnighter of the year. John Phizacklea, Jim Morrice, Andy Elliott and myself fished this event on the set date, where Paul Phizacklea fished it midweek prior using the flexible option we have for these events. This means you can fish the outing a week prior or after the set date.
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A fine day on the Friday for our arrival with winds getting up later in the afternoon, and no fish to report. Very heavy rain on the Saturday meant another early one home I’m afraid. Paul Phizacklea managed to bank a couple of fish for his efforts during the week, well done Paul full points and stretches his lead at the top of the league table.
Meetings.
Tayside Branch haven’t had a meeting for a while due to my summer work hours, so now I’m into winter hours we are to have a meeting in December to be announced.
Looking Forward:
We will have our November outing on Sunday 27th, We will have a meeting in December date to be announced. December outing also to be announced.
Members in the Tayside Area: Any PAAS members in our area
want to get involved at Branch level please get in touch through the contact at the front of this issue of Esox Ecosse. I’ll take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best for the festive period and tight lines for the coming year. That’s all from Tayside…
Donald Murray
CENTRAL BRANCH
August's outing saw the Central lads fishing for our lure trophy and there was no better place to do it than on Loch Ken. All the members had plenty of fish on all types of lures but stealing the silverware this year was Stewart McMath with a well-marked fish just over 10lb’s - well done Stewart! I would also like to say well done to our youngest member of the branch, Kyle Sommerville, for schooling his dad John on how to catch pike! The September outing fell on quite possibly the worst days weather of the month. For the brave souls that fished the local water they did catch fish, albeit small ones, but hey a fish is a fish - cheers to all the guys for turning up and braving the elements. September also saw the branch send 3 of our members to compete for the PAOTY branch trophy, which I am proud to say they won, but more about that elsewhere in the magazine. Thanks to Darren Inglis ,Kev Lawlor and Stewart McMath for representing the branch so successfully. The October outing took us to a water that nobody in the branch could even pronounce the name of and if you decided not to have your Weetabix in the morning, you’d probably never get to it. Stewart was right when he said bring two rods, travel light. All members had two fish each for their hillwalking troubles. Into November and I'd like to take this opportunity to say a massive well done to our branch member Krissy Smith for landing his new PB with a lump of 22lb 14oz on the recent Menteith bait day. Last but not least I would like to welcome our newest members to the branch. Central branch has been growing steadily over the past few month so for anybody thinking of joining us, meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at the Oxgang Hotel in Grangemouth. Tight Lines,
Darren “Doreen” Inglis 11
THE MIGHTY
GLASGOW
BRANCH
Night raffle with others pledging to bring gifts along on the night. Thanks guy’s, your donations are very much appreciated. A quick demonstration on how some Members make jerk and dead bait traces was given to the attending Members. For some, it was very helpful and for others it was similar to what they were already doing. For those that missed it and would like to find out more, please contact a Member of the Committee to arrange another demonstration.
September 2016 Branch Meeting With a good turnout, the September meeting saw several key topics discussed. More so the poor results from the Club PAOTY on the 3rd & 4th of September where The Mighty Glasgow Branch failed miserably in their attempt at taking a clean sweep of accolades from the weekend. Poor leadership from our Team Captain Tony “The Housewives Choice” McTaggart being the general feeling for the results (sorry mate but the bucks got to stop with someone lol). Joking aside, it was very enjoyable weekend and great to have a catch up with the other Branch’s taking part. It’ll come home next year !!!
30LB 7 STRAND DEADBAIT TRACE
September 2016 Branch Outing With the August outing break behind us it was time to get back into the swing of things, so what better way than a two day outing to a large wild water located within Argyll & Bute. Weather wasn’t great but several members made the trip with a number of fish making an appearance over the weekend. Biggest fish of the weekend went to Joe Toner with a lovely 16lb 12oz fish. This earns Joe £30.00 worth of Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers. Well done Joe.
100LB TITANIUM SWIMBAIT TRACE
October 2016 Branch Meeting 4 new members joined the Branch during October. John Tang and Mark Rankin joined in the days leading up to the Branch Meeting with Gary Clark and Johnny McMillan joining on the night. Again, welcome to PAAS and the Glasgow Branch - good to have you guy’s onboard. On the night we didn’t get the greatest turn out from Members, which was a bit disappointing, considering the new members coming on board. The Cup Winners Cup was scheduled for 22nd & 23rd of October but it ended up being cancelled due to lack of interest from the 2015 Trophy winners. New dates will now be pulled together and offered to the participants before the end of the year. October 2016 Branch Outing With winter starting to creep in as each week passes, the Branch headed to the Scottish Borders for yet another 2 day outing. Between the poor weather and the Loch in question, only 3 Branch Members made the trip. Catch returns were even worse with no fish being caught. That’s fishing for you ??? This means that the Monthly £30.00 Glasgow Angling Centre voucher will rollover to November.
175LB STAINLESS STEEL JERKBAIT TRACE November 2016 Branch Outing The last Branch outing of the year took the Glasgow Branch back to Argyll & Bute. And with those final Claymore Trophy points and £60.00 worth of Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers up for grabs, it was no wonder that several Branch Members took the opportunity to fish the outing. Weather wasn’t great but it didn’t stop Greg Walker landing the biggest fish of the weekend. Weighing in at 17lb 2oz this earns Greg £60.00 worth of Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers. Well done Greg. On behalf of the Glasgow Branch Committee I would like to wish all Members the very best over Christmas and New Year and we look forward to seeing you at the January 2017 Monthly Branch Meeting.
November 2016 Branch Meeting
Until next time…
November’s meeting focused mostly on the fast approaching 2017 Angling Night and the long awaited Trace Making Demonstration. Several Members brought along gifts for the Angling
William Edgar
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Branch Secretary
Glasgow Branch Membership Announcement Although our membership year runs from the start of April to the end of March, I would like to remind all non Glasgow Branch Members that it’s still not too late to join The Mighty Glasgow Branch a be part of the 2016/17 Membership year. As a Branch we offer the following to all members… 1. The opportunity to interact with experienced members of all disciplines. All of whom, are more than willing to help and support those new to the sport or those already in the sport that just need a little advice… 2. Busy well co-ordinated Monthly Meetings... 3. Our own Limited Access Events... 4. A Member’s Only Facebook page... 5. Quarterly Branch Meeting Guest Speakers… 6. The opportunity to fish for 9 Trophies throughout the year... 7. Well co-ordinated Monthly Branch outings with a gift voucher going to the angler with the heaviest fish caught... 8. A FOC “AMAZING” Annual BBQ, Boating & Social weekend... 9. End of Year Angling Night (that includes a Big Name Guest Speaker / Buffet / Mega Raffle/ etc...etc…). As you see, there is lot's going on throughout the year for our existing members but we're always looking to add to our membership in order to keep moving forward. The time to join is now. And in doing so, you’ll be in a great position to take full advantage of all 2016 activities. Monthly Meetings are held in the Iron Horse Bar - 115 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2SB. With our next Branch meeting taking place on Thursday 12th January 2016 @ 19:30pm Why not come along and see for yourself what goes on at The Mighty Glasgow Branch. Should you have any questions about joining – Please contact our Membership Secretary Mr Graeme Arnott using one of the follow methods. • Email – arnottgraeme@hotmail.com • Text or Phone – 07799 890 490 • Main Club Forum Private Message
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EVENTS REPORTS
THE BLACK LOCH BLACK LOCH, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th October 2016 The Black Loch is a new event for the club and with 2 days access secured, anticipation was high with a large element of the unknown regarding what might be caught. This was to be the first time the venue had been fished for Pike in five years, since it was established as a trout fishery. A total of 17 boats fished the Saturday, setting off from the jetty in foggy and chilly conditions. As might have been expected, the boats were distributed pretty evenly all over the loch,
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with most pairs moving around throughout the day in an attempt to find some fish. There were plenty of fish caught with top fish on the day falling to young Rocco Chambers, who landed a new PB Pike of over 15 pounds – Well done Rocco! Final figures saw 8 Doubles and 79 Jacks caught. The conditions facing the 13 boats who fished the Sunday were much brighter than the previous day. Unsurprisingly, the fishing proved a bit tougher with only 3 doubles and 20 jacks being landed. Well done to Scott Lawrence and Davy Turley, who each managed a nice mid double for their efforts.
With it being our first event as events managers, we were really happy at the support especially given the relatively short notice provided to the members. We would like to thank the staff at Black loch, Davie, his lad Marco and Scott, who couldn't have done any more for us. The facilities were great and it was generally agreed amongst many of the members who caught fish that they were in pristine condition - we look forward to going back next year!
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EVENTS REPORTS
THE LAKE OF MENTEITH LAKE OF MENTEITH, Saturday 12th November 2016 It was a full house as usual on the Lake of Menteith, with unseasonably mild and calm conditions facing us as we gathered for the off.
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Fishing was a little slow to start with a few boats seemingly having more luck than others but as the afternoon wore on, some of the Lake’s larger residents started to put in an appearance (any takers for the moon theory?) Top fish on the day was a cracking specimen of 30.10 that fell to Martin McNeil, while Simon Meadows managed a similarly chunky fish of 27 pounds. Mark Carpenter landed a pristine fish of
26 pounds while Bruce Turnbull left it late to bag a 24 pounder, as the “super moon” began it’s ascent in the sky. Graham Barstow managed a fine brace of twenties while Tommy Thompson added another. Last but not least, event’s organiser Kris Smith managed a new PB of 22.14. Overall results for the day saw the one thirty & seven twenties complimented by 57 doubles and 159 jacks.
Many thanks to Quint, Douglas and all at the Lake of Menteith fishery. Cheers, Kris.
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Annual BBQ August 20th & 21st August 2016
With such positive feedback from the 2015 BBQ & Fishing Weekend, it was unanimously decided to again hold the 2016 BBQ & Fishing Weekend at the Torran Bay Hostel facility. And in keeping with previous years, the weekends fishing and BBQ will remain free of charge to members and £15.00 to Branch Members bringing along a guest(s). With light rain and dry spells forecast from the Friday through to the Sunday, it didn’t stop members making the 2hr + trip to Loch Awe. Typically, members started to arrive on the Friday in order to make the most of the weekend or to avoid an early drive on the Saturday morning or just to get away from the Mrs. But more than likely, to make sure they get some of Malcolm’s “famous” South African Stew. Even though there was lite rain and clouds of midges on the Friday night, it didn’t stop the members from having their customary pre BBQ Weekend “Beer & Banter” session. Sticking with the South African Stew, it was fantastic once again and thoroughly enjoyed by all that managed to get a bowl or 3. I’m sure everyone will agree, taking the time to prepare and cook it for the Branch Members was a great gesture and one that was very much appreciated. Cheers Malcom…roll on 2017 ;)
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Agenda for the weekend Saturday 20th Fishing – Daylight until 18:00pm. BBQ – Starts around 18:00pm. Trophy Presentation – 20:00pm. Drinking & Piss Talking – Throughout. Sunday 21st Fishing – Daylight until Dusk (Claymore Points count) Accommodation choice for the weekend was mixed as usual, some opted for the comfort of the Torran Bay Hostel, others slept on boats and some kept it real and bivvied up. Regardless of the
choice of accommodation, the facilities at the Torran Bay Hostel (toilet / shower / kitchen) were made available to all PAAS Glasgow Branch Members for the duration of the weekend. The Trophies up for grabs… Boat – Biggest Lure Caught Pike. Boat – Biggest Dead Bait Caught Pike. Bank – Biggest Dead Bait or Lure Caught Pike. As usual, anglers were up and out sharp and heading to where they thought that Trophy winning fish was hiding.
The BBQ
Other than 6 or 7 jacks, nothing much was caught on the Sunday. But that’s Loch Awe for you, can be very much famine or feast for many at any time of the year. Regardless, well done to the guy’s that fished on the Sunday. Looking forward to 2017… January sees the committee planning Events for 2017 and the BBQ plays a big part of those discussions, so if anyone has any suggestions or ideas for the 2017 BBQ Weekend, please get in touch with a member of the Committee. Your suggestions are always welcome.
Special thanks
For many the fishing was painfully slow, so it wasn’t any great surprise to see anglers back at the Torran Bay Hostel looking for a beer before 18:00pm (I was one of them). And it wasn’t long before the BBQ itself was kicked off in anger with burgers, chicken, ribs and dare I say… SWEETCORN…filling hungry angler’s plates. Everything seemed to go well on the night with many taking full advantage of the food and booze, none more so that our ex Treasurer David Hendry (sorry David but I had to mentioned it – how you managed to stand up never mind walk to your room still amazes me). So I think I’m safe in saying it was another successful BBQ for The Mighty Glasgow Branch.
the “Biggest Bank Dead Bait or Lure Caught Pike” – with a real belter of a 20lb fish. Cracker Jim…absolute cracker. A big well done to all that fished – better luck next year.
The Sunday
Malcolm Paterson for his South African Stew once again, along with his help and support with the BBQ. But most of all…for just being you Malky ;) Graeme Arnott & Will Gallacher for their help organizing the weekend and there helping hands throughout. Most importantly, the Members that came along and made the weekend
Trophy Presentation With light fading and the last remnants of the food being finished off, it was time for the Trophy Winners to be announced. First up was Tommy Smith with the “Biggest Boat Lure Caught Pike” - with a well-earned 6lb fish. Well done Tommy. (insert pictures Tommy's well earned 6lb'er & Tommy being presented with the Boat Lure Trophy) Next up was our very own Membership Secretary Graeme Arnott with the “Biggest Boat Dead Bait Caught Pike” - a very hard fighting 16lb fish. Great fishing Graeme, you deserved it mate. Last but not least was Jim Cosgrove with
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what it was. Really appreciated guys. None more so than Tracey, Tommy and young Johnny who literally travelled from one end of the UK to the other to support and attend BBQ Weekend. I hope you enjoyed it guys ???
Torran Bay Hostel I’d like to a moment to mentioned Torran Bay Hostel and its great facilities but most of all its proprietor Mr Joachim Brolly. Joachim again supported the Branch with special rates for fishing, boat hire and accommodation. Anglers looking to stay and fish at the southerly end of Loch Awe should certainly get in contact with Joachim. Contact Details are as follows… Mr Joachim Brolly Telephone: 01546 810133 Mobile: 07768895113 Email: torranbayhostel@mail.com Thanks to everyone that supported the BBQ Weekend in one way or another. I cannot say it enough – it’s really really appreciated. I’m already looking forward to next year…
William Edgar
Glasgow Branch Secretary
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21
THE GOLDEN
TICKET
22
It all started with a raffle ticket you know, the one you buy, put away and never think you’re going to win anything with, happy at least that you are helping your club. However, this time I got that magic phone call then all the wheels went into motion. I made a call to Kenny Sloan, booked my fishing dates, booked the ferry and then all I had to do was to wait several months. I rang my fishing pal Dave and asked him if he fancied a fishing trip to Ireland? “I’m skint!” said Dave, “It’s free,” I tell him “Ok, I’ll go then!” The magic day arrived and we were off to the ferry, next stop Kenny’s house. 6 hours later we were knocking on the door and were given a warm welcome and introduced to his fishing cave, with pictures of all his pike and salmon that he had caught, rods, reels, rigs - home made and bought. The boat was outside ready for the following morning, we were like kids in a sweet shop
and couldn’t wait for tomorrow. Kenny then took us to the plushest B&B we have ever stayed at, MOLONEY’S LODGE, to meet Eddie and Pauline who made us feel very welcome and showed us to are separate rooms. Thank god too as Dave snores really badly! We had something to eat then we were off to bed as we had to meet Kenny at his home at 8am, not before seeing off a mega breakfast and collecting
our packed lunches. DAY 1 - We got to Kenny’s and within 20 minutes we were putting the boat on to the Lough. Fish finder on and there we were casting lures in about 6-8 feet of water over rocks, when BANG first fish to Dave. We hadn’t seen it yet but it put up a good fight! It went about 11 lb’s but fought really hard and as Kenny said, would never have seen a hook before. Couple of drifts more and then we were on to Kenny’s favourite method, float trolling. He is really set up well for it; planer boards were put out and the home made rigs on, baited with brown trout and roach set at about 12 foot. BANG, we were in again – a fish of 17.8 lb, followed by 5 or 6 mid doubles. The fight off these fish was unbelievable - always tail walking, you just had no idea how big they would be until they were in the boat. WOW, mad fishing! Then it was lunch time and we hopped off the boat for a cup of really hot tea and a sandwich. Afterwards, we drifted over a weed bed near a river mouth and WOW – BANG, BANG - a fish every drift! We 23
lost a few, however the fish in the boat again were about low to mid doubles. Fantastic fishing and after casting all day I was now ready for my evening meal and a pint to finish a great day. We said our goodbyes and said we would see Kenny again in the morning. DAY 2 – The weather was still good and we were back on the water again, trolling using GPS and after the magic 20lb fish. Would we be lucky enough today? Again 2 or 3 low doubles started us off and taking the trolling hits in turns, BANG went the rod again and it was Dave’s turn. This fish stayed deep and took line under the boat, giving Kenny the chance to show off his boat skills, as the place is full of rocks. The fish eventually came to the top; is it the one? She looked very close - into the boat, onto the scales and YES!! 20 lb 1oz well done Dave, you got that magic fish in the boat. Pictures were taken and back she went strongly!! Time for a very, very hot cup of tea and lunch. We then went out into the 24
middle of the lough and fished over 6-10 feet of water using the lures. Several more hard fighting doubles were caught; these fish have never seen a hook before and are bionic fighters in fantastic condition. What a great day, looking out over the mountains to see the sun setting in the west with not a boat or fisherman in sight – it was all ours! Back to shore and Kenny gets the boat
in quicker then we get changed, top bloke and we would be back again in the morning. DAY 3 – The weather was not too good today; north east wind and rain. They say that if you don’t like the weather in Ireland, just wait an hour, but unfortunately not this time. So we tried another part of the lough that is more sheltered. Back on the trolling and trying to find the fish, all Kenny’s skill and knowledge would be needed today. We followed a few contours around the islands in 15-18 feet of water then BANG first fish of the day, a lovely fish of 17lb that tail walked around the boat. She was netted, a quick photo taken and back she went strongly. On the next troll over the same spot (we can’t tell you as we’re sworn to secrecy or DEATH!!) and BANG, my go on the rods. This fish stayed deep with a lot more power than the other fish, my heart started to pound wondering if this would be my big fish. Around the boat she went, lunging deeply, as Dave gets that net ready. Up to the top she came, a big fish, long but
lean into the net she goes. YES, THIS IS THIS MY 20 POUNDER!! We lift her into the boat and it’s onto the scales - 19.3lb, so near but yet so far!! Still, a great fish though and anyway it was time for a very, very hot cup of tea and lunch. Back out we went for the afternoon session, where we picked up a few more fish, mostly small doubles but very welcome. I still can’t get over how hard the fish fight and how clean they are! We just got back to the shore in time before the weather moved in to end another brilliant day on Kenny’s pond!
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Day 4 - Our last day and the weather was poor again, with rain and wind but we wouldn’t let that stop us!! We hit it with lures and trolled some new spots, picking up a few small fish, before we went over some big plateaux’s and I connected with my best fish on the lures - a hard fighting 18lb fish. I was really made up with this fish on a lure on a very hard day. Anyway it was soon lunch time and a very, very hot cup of tea was in order. We tried everywhere all afternoon until dark but it became clear the place had switched off. 10 miles of lough for 4 days, all to ourselves – HEAVEN! A fantastic guide, a great place and as the man said I WILL BE BACK! Thanks Kenny and all the lads at the PAAS for making this trip possible – We finished our trip with 28 fish in total but we must have lost at least another 10 along the way! GREG WOJTAS & DAVD ELLIOTT
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BOAT FEATURE
GOING
AFLOAT
Now, just for the record and before I start this article, I must admit that I am by no means a boat fishing expert and this piece will probably prove that. However my method works for me and, demonstrates how I have morphed from a bank fisherman to fishing afloat without too many problems. I have even owned two boats, one of which I still have, and some hard lessons have been learnt along the way but I have also had some great laughs with some very good anglers… When did it all start? Well I suppose it all started on a smallish water called Craiglush, in Perthshire. The loch back then had a boat that we could use as bank fishing wasn’t allowed. From these humble beginnings the bug was about to bite and after probably one season afloat on the Loch I bought my very own 10 foot dinghy. In those days it had to be light and easily manageable with me just pulling it along, which it certainly was. I went everywhere with this boat and I was even foolish enough to have it on Loch Lomond in some good blows rowing a boat with oars but that little dingy just rode the waves quite literally like a cork at both ends of the loch and amazingly we actually caught some fish. However, the favourite locations remained Lochs Marlee, Clunie and Craiglush. With permission gained I would go afloat and catch many good fish, expanding further the water craft that would benefit me later from the bank and shining a light on why some bank areas were so productive. There were of course some disasters but I can now look back on them with fond memories; Two of the most memorable ones were the purchase of my first depth finder when I left the house in such a hurry, got to the water and launched the boat only to find I had left the oars behind in the garden. That didn’t stop me though as I paddled out using my hands, with some degree of success I might add, only to be seen by another Tayside Member who spent the best part of ten minutes rolling about the ground laughing once he found out what I had done. I digress as I still caught a couple of fish and the bug had bitten. The second event took place sometime later; I had taken a junior lad out fishing on Loch Marlee. On hauling the boat up the hill through the field with all our gear in it I plonked her onto the hitch at the back of the car. I plugged in the electrical socket, loaded all the gear and off we headed for the lads house in Coupar Angus. On arriving at his house I jumped out
and took his gear out of the boot to realise there was no boat at the back of the car; I just about fell to the floor in disbelief! With the lads gear off, I flew back towards the loch not knowing what to expect as it was pitch black by now with not a light in the sky. As I veered and weaved my way through the roads back to Marlee, I made it back to Blairgowrie with no sign of the boat and I was beginning to panic by now. On rounding the last bend in the road before dropping down the hill to the loch there she was nestled at the side of the road in one piece and thankfully no poor driver wrapped around it in the dark. I turned the car around and approached the boat from the stern went past it and reversed back towards the hitch. On inspecting the boat I had a very lucky outcome and the only damage was the cable to the trailer board had some wires bared and with only a little electrician’s tape out of the boot of the car required to put that right. I had stupidly not fastened the boat to the ball of the tow bar and just driven off….. what a plonker!! As time moved on a new Hummingbird ID10 fish finder was purchased and a whole new world soon opened up, although it very nearly didn’t make it beyond its first night in the house - the constant beeping of the simulator function very nearly had the portable finder pitched out into the garden with me not far behind it by ‘she who must be obeyed!’ Over the next couple years’ the learning curves started to equip me with more experience and knowledge on how to kit myself out. Fortunately, I was fishing with others who owned boats and we learnt an awful lot off one another as we went along. We started to fish bigger waters and the little dingy was just far too small for these vast expanses of water and I needed a better and bigger boat with a superior engine for getting about. The Loch Lomond adventures had taught me to treat bigger waters with some respect and getting me out of that dreadful habit of saying “it will never happen to me!” Eventually I bought a 14 foot Dell Quay Dory with a 25HP on the back. The boat was fine but the engine was, to my mind, a tad too under powered so when one of the boat crowd in the group wanted the 25hp for his boat, I ended up purchasing a short shafted mariner 40hp electric start engine from a Nimrod Pilot in Lossiemouth. Now I was sorted and with the purchase of a proper Lowrance fish finder with GPS providing the facility to record waypoints and ability to put the information onto a memory card, I was set for new adventures. These adventures came thick and fast with a few minor disasters along the way. They are too numerous to mention here although one day I might write another article because some were very informative and others were quite honestly damn funny. The most common thread of these incidents taught me to always equip myself with vital spares to avoid the problems I wasn’t prepared for, such as spare wheel for the boat as most of my travelling was done
29
out of normal opening hours for spares and help. A spare wheel hub and bearings in case of bearing failure (One of the group suffered this malfunction and it cost him dearly in time and spares). A spare ratchet strap for securing the boat to the trailer and a set of tools that would fit every nut, bolt and screw on and off the boat and trailer. A grease gun for greasing the bearings after pulling the boat and trailer out of the water, each bearing given squirts of grease until the water from inside the hub had been evicted with fresh grease. That little function saved me many a failure on the open road as some of the journeys home were over 150 miles plus. Most importantly for success with a boat was to buy a vehicle that can quite simply pull it and recover it from the water with ease. For years I struggled with a front wheel drive car until I finally found a vehicle that could pull a good sized boat with a biggish, heavy engine on the back out of the water, given the different types of boat yard material under its wheels. I eventually settled for an Audi A6 Quattro 2.5 Turbo Diesel Avant and this car towed that boat in and out of many a water in Scotland with no problems. The fishing was good too with plenty of doubles being boated and some lovely twenties to boot for
30
both I and many boat partners. I have witnessed two thirties in boats and my boat was truly christened when I netted Donald Murray's 32lbs 8ozs fish from Loch Tay. What a fish she was and caught on the very first cast of that session….. a magnificent start to the days fishing. My biggest issue now is keeping my boat tidy as I love my tools about me and that normally means a degree of clutter. Rods are thankfully kept out of the boat area with proper boat rod rests which are quite frankly a god send and were purchased in Houston, Texas in the Katy Mall Bass Pro Shop, like so many other parts of my boat equipment, such as marker buoys, cup holders and lure hangers. If I am using oars I tend to hang these outside the boat on made up bungee lengths fit for purpose and once again this maximises room in the smaller rowable dinghies that I fish in (the pictures I have provided show an empty boat before the loading of the gear and then a boat after loading it and ready for the off). Plastic boxes come in handy for keeping tackle in as they fit under the wooden seats and take up very little room plus keep the gear dry in the worst of down pours that we frequently get in Scotland. A net with floatation around the edges prevents me from losing it over the side, like I have done on many an occasion through clumsiness and not paying attention. I once got a net back that I lost over the side about 5 years ago when an 18 pounder I was playing inadvertently swam into it whilst I was playing her. Everything went solid during the fight and I thought the fish had snagged me only to reveal
on surfacing the net that I had lost in that same area previously. I had dragged that area with lures for many trips after losing but to no avail! I prefer the net to stay out of the boat and in the water just floating there tied to the rowlock with a bungee as it saves cluttering the boat up and it is easy at hand to land fish when they are ready to be netted. Once the fish are netted I leave them in there to recover whilst I get the unhooking gear and other gear ready. It’s true the fish when recovered fight like its round two but they are generally unhooked over the water with the net under the fish so if it kicks out of control all she does is slips back down into the net once again. This action therefore eliminates the fish ever being dropped onto the bottom of the boat. I once had a 9 pounder go airborne when swimming towards me that jumped high and straight into the boat and what a commotion that caused. After its ordeal and being unhooked the fish shot off indignantly none the worse for its episode I would imagine. I power my boats now with small 4 stroke outboard or an electric type engine for those waters that prefer me not to use petrol engines. It certainly makes life easier travelling around the loch especially against a reasonable wind that we seem to get most of the time on these Northern wind swept waters. Anchors for sitting still are once again a personal choice but I have found stability and a solid foundation through an 8kg Grapple anchor with 10 to 12 feet of ¾ inch link chain attached to approximately 60 feet of good rope for the bow end and the stern end is secured with 2
or 3 window weights attached to 25 feet of good rope. On any loch I fish I barely ever anchor in any water depth deeper than 10 to 12 feet; it’s just not necessary to mind but that is personal choice. I hope for those of you that may be considering going afloat or even purchasing a boat of your own that you have found this article somewhat interesting. It’s not designed to tell you how to do it but to let you know what to consider before going afloat and to learn possible short cuts from my lessons hard learnt. The only item I have left out is the need for a good suitable life jacket that will support you and keep your head clear of the water, just in case for some reason you might have been knocked unconscious on falling into the water. A point to remember is most anglers eventually drown after spending too much time in the freezing cold water and are overcome with hyperthermia which drifts you off into a state of unconsciousness and leads to drowning in the end. Statistics clearly show that too many water users in Scotland are still drowning from going afloat under prepared for what might happen……. At the beginning of this article that was me I am afraid. Please do not become one of Scotland’s ugly water statistics just because you went afloat under prepared - give your own safety the highest priority at all times.
Steve Tapley Chairman, PAAS.
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KYLE’S FIRST PIKE!
I wanted to put pen to paper to record a special day that we recently shared with the lads from the Central Branch. After joining PAAS a couple of months ago this was our first outing with the guys, I work three out of five weekends and often can’t make the outings. It was the first time I have fished Loch Ken and I was on a boat with my son Kyle. He is 14 and until last Saturday had never caught a pike. The session started off slow with
YOU GET...
32
just a few Crayfish to show, but as the day went on we started to get some small Roach & Perch. I am pleased to report that by the end of the day Kyle had managed to catch his first Crayfish, Roach, Perch and Bream, topping it all off with a fine 9lb Pike. I only managed a wee 4lb pike on a Lure! I would like to thank the guys for making us feel welcome and for the encouragement they gave Kyle once the heard it was his first pike. Cheers John Somerville
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Issue 81
N O E AS SU SE IS N ER PE P O UM B 29/05/2014
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MUGSHOTS
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Darren
Joe Toner 34
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Chris S
harp
Scott Gree
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Joe To
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bull n r u T e c Bru
lors
Mel w e h t Ma
Graha
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Graham B
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jtas o W g Gre
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Chris Shar
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Pike Angler of the Year By Darren “Doreen” Inglis
38
The Pike Angler of the Year competition started as it always does, at the Ford post-box. Myself and Kev Lawlor pulled up to meet Tony McTaggart and William Edgar from the Glasgow Branch, who had earlier on that morning been jumping into gardens and looking through bins trying to find the trophy from last year’s winner. We were soon joined by Brian and Stewart, followed by a “fashionably late” Tayside contingent. With everybody now here we got down to the important business of drawing out swims. Central managed to draw the roadside swim we wanted and with everybody knowing we had to be at the house for 3 o’clock, all the branches headed off in their own directions. Getting down to our swim was a walk in the park compared to Glasgow and Tayside’s swims and on arrival I knew we would be into some fish. Throughout the day we had plenty of fish, all the usual Ederline size but whatever the size, every fish was careful weighed and returned. With the loch being quite small we could see others running for rods and the only one keeping us worried was Tayside’s Arran Murray. As the day went on we knew we had put together a good bag of fish so we sent Kev on the chippy run. Chippy
39
eaten, we all recast and settled down for darkness, managing to catch a few before we called it a night but not forgetting to make lots of noise and to flicker the head torches to make others wonder if we were into a big fish! Morning came half an hour before my alarm with Stewart shouting "Doreen, Doreen get the net!" I shot out of my bivvy and grabbed the net just in time to see the hooks pull out the biggest fish of the weekend - Unlucky because it could of been a clean sweep with the trophies for Central. Early morning passed with another good amount of fish taking us into a slow, fishless afternoon. Deciding Central had done enough to take the trophy we packed up early and headed round to see what Tayside and the so-called
40
mighty Glasgow branches had caught. Also packing up was Tayside and after tallying up their weight it was down to see the desperate Glasgow branch, who fished right up to the bitter end. With all branches back at the big house it was time for the out-of-breath Tony to tally up his team’s weight. With Tayside finishing on 29lb 8oz, the so-called mighty Glasgow managing 68lb 5oz there was a clear winner and with 72lb 8oz, CENTRAL WERE CHAMPIONS! I'd like to thank our Chairman, Steve Tapley for taking the time to come and take some pictures and see the boys and also for the owner Angus for hosting the club on such a picturesque bit of water and also presenting the trophies.
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15/11/2016 15:22:25
HUNGRY PIKE WANT
SPOON
FEEDING Following Si Lawson’s article on his favourite lure in last month’s mag, I thought, hey, I could do one too. So here goes - Only I have selected 2 spoons.
I love spoons. Everyone has their favourite lures for pike, ones they reach for first from the Lure caddy, or in my case, A Homebase bucket. My favourite spoon is the now discontinued Masterline Toothy Critter “Mr.Muskie.” They came in a few sizes right up to 7”. However, the larger Kuusamo Professors also
42
work well, as do the largest ABU Toby Salmos, though the Tobys excel in slightly different circumstances. I prefer to make some changes, some improvements to shop bought spoons. Firstly I replace the swivel. The Mr Muskie spoons have a small swivel; I just don’t think they are strong enough. Then I replace
the treble with a nice Owner, VMC or Eagle Claw, as you prefer. Note that here I add a second split ring. This goes back to my salmon fishing days when I was advised by a very well respected salmon angler that the ABU Tobies I used were great attractors, but poor hookers. He advised me to add a 2nd split ring,
which I did and I have done so ever since. Pimp my spoon Spoons come in all colours but one pattern I have seems to fill me with confidence. I have used it on several waters, from small estate lakes to
canals to big lochs. Give it a try, it’s not complicated. I use petrol based (permanent) marker pens for applying this colour scheme. It stays on the metal well and smudges well for spots etc. I also add a large eye to the reverse side of the spoon, in addition to the one that comes attached to one side of the lure.
When it rotates, there is always an “eye” for the pike to home in on; that’s my theory anyway! Added gills etc. are no doubt just for my benefit, but it gives me confidence, and that is just so important for any lure! Basically I use the marker pen in black to make a perch pattern on one side of the lure. I am no Picasso,
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don’t worry about “nice” artwork, momma pike don’t care! In murky or coloured water the usual silver or copper colours don’t always show up best. Here I have found bright pink to be a highly visible contrasting colour. I use a white humbrol type undercoat first then paint on model-making water based pink paint onto one side. I then apply a few stripes with a marker pen. These spoons show up really well in dirty water as the spoon turns and twists, the flashing pink side contrasting well with the water colour. Try it and see - If you don’t like it, the paint and marker are easy to remove! Spoon retrieves Spoons, we are told, are easy to fish. People often say just chuck ‘em out and reel ‘em in. I have found that this is just too basic. Yes they will
44
work but you’re not getting the best out of the lure. Just like Mantas or Burts or any other lure, there are subtle ways to make the lure really work. I cast out and unless weed prevents me I let it drop on a tight line to the bottom. It’s not unusual (no Tom Jones jokes please) to get a hit “on the drop.” Then I jerk and reel in, allowing the lure to flutter down before jerking it or winding it back, then letting it drop again, almost like sink and draw. A spurt of speed can induce a take but a spurt of speed followed by a fluttering drop often induces even more hits. Sometimes, like on one great October day at Chew, the pike want a fast retrieve, and here I prefer slimmer bodied spoons like the ABU Toby Salmo. I find I can retrieve this lure faster; it has a tighter wiggle and doesn’t wobble or swing about in such a wide arc on a fast retrieve. I think this makes it an easier target,
with a very good hook up rate, and the pike really hammer them! What is a fast retrieve though? This could vary from angler to angler, but I will say this. You will never “outwind” a pike. It can easily outpace your fastest retrieve. If they want a fast retrieve, give them one! The pike will have to make an instant decision, let a meal go by or grab it. And don’t forget, you can still stop the lure occasionally and let it hang or drop. “Wham bam thank you ‘mam” is sometimes the result! Troll ‘em Sometimes you need to cover a lot of water and trolling a big spoon works well. Big spoons are wide bodied, great for trolling, giving off a lot of flash and presence in the water. When trolling I have found that if you jerk them every so often and let them drop back you get more takes, just like on a standard cast and retrieve. Often this is achieved by
the well known method of trolling in an S shape, where the spoon on the outer curve increases in speed and rises but sinks and slows down when on the inside curve. However, jerking it has a more immediate effect. I do both! If the rod is in a holder just pull the line and let go occasionally. I have had too many hits doing this for it to be a coincidence. I think pike sometimes follow a lure for some distance and the jerk, or the spoon speeding up then fluttering back in their faces induces a hit which might otherwise not have occurred. Check on YouTube and you can see underwater films of pike following lures for several seconds before hitting it, or just pulling back and not hitting the lure. The “drop back” method might just turn some of those follows into hits. Give it a try, I’d love some feedback! I have to say that I favour a faster troll on most occasions, at least when the water temperature is reasonably high. Again I think the pike has to make its mind up quickly and instinct kicks in. If the pike want a slower troll, jerking the spoon, especially when on the slower inside of a curve, almost jigging it really seems to draw fish in. Finally, the proof of the pudding is in the netting, so go and give it a try, I am sure you won’t be disappointed. I would be very interested in your results!
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WILD FISHERIES REFORM November 2016
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I wish I could bring you news of positive progress, but the truth is that the last few months have been a frustrating period of delay and inaction on the WFR front. It was particularly disappointing to see that new fisheries law did not feature in the Scottish Government’s 2016/17
Programme for Government. This means no changes to primary legislation can be expected for at least another eighteen months, probably longer. In addition, the outcome of the public consultation on the WFR proposals that closed in May has still not been published. This is partly explained by the high response rate (around 650) but it’s hard to make progress on some issues until we have an analysis of these
47
replies. It was supposed to be out by late October but by the third week in November it had still to surface. Several working parties have been set up to consider particular issues arising from WFR. I represent SFCA on a group that’s looking at Transitional Arrangements, which has met twice and so far has mainly been discussing matters like harmonising the terms of employment etc of staff of organisations that come together to form the new FMOs. SFCA Chairman Gus Brindle sits on the group addressing Fishery Promotion and Development, which has also met twice and is presently concentrating on issues around the coaching and development of young and new anglers. Crucially, however, the working group that was supposed to look at Finance (which is without doubt the most important issue in the whole WFR programme) has not met, and is now scheduled to be amalgamated with the Transitional Arrangements group from December. The full Stakeholder Reference Group (on which I also sit) met on 25th August and again in October. Suffice it to say that the mood of the most recent meeting was one of frustration with the absence of progress on the finance issues. We
48
are due to get together again at the end of November so perhaps there will be something positive to report after that. You can find papers and minutes from these meetings on the WFR section of the Scottish Government website, and I’d encourage you to look through them for the latest info. One of the reasons for all this delay lies in staff changes. The senior Civil Servant in the relevant department has moved to another post, and while his successor is capable and experienced, he is new to WFR and may take time to get up to speed. In addition, a key member of the WFR team, who was seconded to Marine Scotland from the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards, has now returned to his old job and has not been replaced, leaving the Scottish Government resources devoted to WFR under considerable pressure. Throughout the WFR process I’ve always taken it as read that the single most important issue for pike anglers in Scotland is to get some form of legal protection for pike - in particular to control the indiscriminate pot hunting that has blighted so many waters in recent years; but also to put a stop to systematic culling and deter the casual
killing of pike by game anglers. Some aspects of this would require changes to the law and must therefore await the outcome of the WFR programme, but given the increasingly distant horizon for that to happen we in SFCA have been looking to pursue an alternative approach using the existing fish conservation legislation. Basically, if we can show that pike stocks in a particular water or waters are under threat we may be able to get a compulsory catch and release designation for pike in the water(s) concerned. This is not a perfect solution, nor is it going to be easy to achieve, but it could come into effect much quicker than changes to primary legislation. I’ve set the wheels in motion for an exploratory meeting with Marine Scotland officials in the next few weeks and will see how the land lies from there. As ever, it would be extremely helpful to hear your views and suggestions, so please take time to let me know what you think. You can send me any questions or comments by email (ronandseonaid@gmail.com ) or via the SFCA Facebook page, or through the PAAS Committee if you prefer.
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(For Fuji SiC rings please add £40)
TREBLE HOOKS Eagle Claw 974 2X straight point - 10pk Size 6 - £1.80 Size 4 - £1.80 Size 2 - £2.00 Size 1 - £2.00 Size 1/0 - £2.40 Size 2/0 - £2.60 Size 3/0 - £3.00 Size 4/0 - £3.60 Size 5/0 - £4.20
STAY-LOK POWER SNAPS £2.99 (Per 10) Size 1, Size 2 (Per 9) Size 3, Size 4 (Per 8) Size 4.5, Size 5
TOOLS AND STUFF
FOOLER - £130.00 6ft 6in, casts 28-70g - Top selling all-rounder
Long Reach pliers (straight): £7.50 Debarbing/crimping pliers: £4.95 Lazer split ring pliers: £11.50 Precision trace wire cutters: £4.95
SLEDGE-HAMMER 70L - £145.00 7ft 0in, casts 42-98g SLEDGE-HAMMER 66M - £145.00 6ft 6in, casts 56-112g
P-3 LOCH TAMER - £185.00 10ft, 3.5lb - Boat pike rod supreme. Nuff Said! P-4 LOCH TAMER LITE - £180.00 10ft, 2.75lb - Lighter action boat pike (and zander) rod.
SLEDGE-HAMMER 60H - £145.00 6ft, casts 70-126g. TRICKSTER H - £150.00 7ft 4in, casts 28-84g Two-piece, fast action multi-purpose lure rod. TRICKSTER L - £150.00 7ft 4in, casts 28-70g Two-piece, medium action multi-purpose lure rod.
POWER SWIVELS Size 14, 12, 10, or 8 £1.00 per 10 Size 14, 12, 10, or 8 £4.25 per 50
POLY BALLS Pre-drilled, white 30mm per 5 - £2.00 Pre-drilled, white 40mm per 4 - £2.00 Pre-drilled, white 50mm per 2 - £2.00
Swivels size 5 £1.25 per 10
FASTACH SNAPS
Size 2 - £2.99 per 12 Size 3 - £2.99 per 10 Size 4 - £2.99 per 10
Size 5 £5.25 per 50 Size 2 £2.00 per 10
LUREWEAVE MESHES Large - £24.50 Fits 42” triangular or 36” round frame. Now slightly deeper. Small - £22.00 Fits 36” triangular or 30” round frame.
P-5 - £185.00 11ft, 3lb - Multi-purpose boat/bank rod. Much recommended all round pike rod. BAIT BLASTER 1 (BB350) - £185.00 12ft, 3.5lb Big bait/long range predator rod.
RIG STUFF Popper Beads 18mm - £2.50 per 10 Popper Beads 25mm - £2.50 per 6 Rigid Boom Tube - £1.40 per 5 Deadbait Elastic - £1.00 30lb DLST Trace Wire - £2.99 per 30ft Crimps - £2.50 per 100 AFW Surfstrand 30lb - £3.95 per 30ft Twidling Stick - £2.00 each Low Temp Shrink Tube (size 1) - £1.70 Low Temp Shrink Tube (size 2) - £1.70 Low Temp Shrink Tube (size 3) - £1.70 Rubber Beads (6mm) - £0.85 per 10 Rubber Beads (8mm) - £0.85 per 10 Plastic Beads (5mm) - £1.50 per 100 Plastic Beads (8mm) - £1.50 per 100 Large Eye Swivels - £2.95 per 50
CARRIAGE AND DELIVERY Orders under £25.00 please add £3.00 towards postage. Rods are sent by carrier at a cost of £10.00 per order. All rods built to order. Please enquire about build times—average is around four weeks. ALL OTHER UK ORDERS OVER £25.00 POST FREE Overseas carriage on rods (including Eire) by arrangement, other overseas orders please add 10% All weights and measures approximate. Prices correct as of 03/07/16. E&OE
Cheques/POs payable to D.L. Specialist Tackle please VISA/MASTERCARD and PAYPAL ORDERS WELCOME Shop On-Line @ www.dlstshop.co.uk
PAAS PRODUCTS
OFFICIAL PIKE ANGLERS ALLIANCE FOR SCOTLAND MERCHANDISE
CLOTHING
PAAS Hoodie £26.00
Add Extra Ecosse Logo £5.00 Red and Yellow Logos Available
HATS
£15.00
Bronx Beanie Peaked Beanie Standered Beanie Cloth PAAS Badge £3.50 Cloth badge for sewing onto clothing Baseball Cap Pewter Keyring 1 £2.50
£18.00
Pewter Keyring 2
PAAS Fleece
£30.00
Pike pin 1
£2.50
For personalisation of your contact Donald Murry for prices.
High quality pewter badge with solid pins
Pike pin 2
£2.50
PAAS Zip Hoodie
£27.00
High quality pewter badge with solid pins
double thickness fleece lined material and full length zipper and a big hood
Pike pin 3
£2.50
PAAS Light weight Softshell
PAAS Logo Keyring
£2.50
Double thickness fleece lined with a huge front pocket and a big hood
PAAS Sweatshirt
£23.00
Double thickness fleece lined
PAAS T-Shirt 100% cotten in seceral colours
PAAS Polo Shirt 100% cotten in seceral colours
£32.00
PAAS Heavy weight softshell £46.00
BADGES
High quality pewter, beautifully crafted.
£2.50
High quality pewter, beautifully crafted.
High quality pewter badge with solid pins Keyring showing the PAAS Badge
PAAS Enamel Bange
£2.50
PAAS enamel badge with solid pin
PAAS Car Sticker
£1.50
£12.50 £12.50 £12.50 £14.00
PAAS PENNANTS PAAS Triangle Pennant PAAS Banner Pannant
£7.50 £7.50
TO PLACE AN ORDER OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT DONALD MURRAY: TEL. 01738 637586 EMAIL. products@esoxecosse.com
01786 430 400 .co.uk
Same day dispatch before 3pm Live stock controlled website
BLACK SAVAGE
FOX RAGE SPIKEY SHAD FOX RAGE GRONDLE TWIST x2 sizes, x6 col - £5.99 x4 colours - £4.99
RAPALA WEEDLESS SHAD
x10 colours - £6.99
QUANTUM THE THING LURE
x4 colours - £12.95
RAPALA SNAP RAP x4 colours - £9.99
CRAWLING JACK PIKE x4 colours - £7.99
SAVAGE 3D SUICIDE DUCK was £18.99 - £15.99
SAVAGE GEAR 3D RAD was £20.99 - £18.99
RAPALA SHALLOW SHAD RAP x7 colours - £9.99
RATTLIN MINNOW SPOON x10 colours - £5.99
was £14.99 - £12.99
ROVEX TWIN TAIL LURE
MINN KOTA ENDURA C2 MOTOR 45lb & 55lb thrust options.
from £279.99
NUMAX SEALED MARINE BATTERIES 86 AMP
£110.00
Multi-disc, oiled felt drag system 7 BB + 1RB for ultimate smoothness Quick-Set anti-reverse roller bearing Precision machine cut brass pinion gear Corrosion-resistant graphite body Rigid, forged aluminium, black anodized handle design E handle knobs for comfort Lightweight, EVA Precision Elliptical Gearing system Machined aluminium, 2-tone anodized spool Heavy duty, solid aluminium bail wire RESII: Computer balanced Rotor Equalizing System Narrow Blade Body Design for reduced fatigue
x2 sizes - £5.99
x3 colours - £4.99
Taped seams Durable 100% nylon taslon shell fabric 2-tone colour design with DWR finish 100% waterproof with PU membrane of 8.000mm
x4 colours - £10.99
Variable speed settings Push-to-test battery meter Indestructible composite shaft Digital maximiser Telescopic handle Cool, quiet, power Lever lock bracket Power Prop 2-Year Warranty
MINN KOTA ENDURA MAX MOTOR 45lb & 55lb thrust options.
High breathability of 5.000mvp Soft full body deluxe 100% polyester mesh lining Sleeves 100% polyester taffeta lining Strong WR front zipper with under wind fillet
SAVAGE GEAR XTREME was £79.99 - £39.97
SAVAGE GEAR OFF ROAD was £119.99 - £99.99
TFGEAR SUPER TUFF was £39.99 - £34.99
TFGEAR EXTREME was £69.99 - £59.99
WYCHWOOD WATERS EDGE
FISHSPY CAMERA was £249.95 - £199.95
DEEPER PRO PLUS £195.00
DEEPER PRO £175.00
WATER WOLF HD 1.1 was £139.99 - £119.99
GOPRO HERO4 SESSION
DRENNAN PIKE WIRE £4.95
XL PREDATOR LIQUID £3.49
PROWLA UNHOOKING MAT £29.99
was £49.99 - £39.99
£159.99
from £319.99
NUMAX SEALED MARINE BATTERIES 100 AMP
£115.00
2 Bearings 1 Stainless steel ball bearing Varispeed AR-C line management system XT-7 body and spool Dyna-balance system Super stopper II system
NUMAX SEALED MARINE BATTERIES 110 AMP
£125.00
Oversized power roller Long life bail spring Internal drag system Free spool system Powerful, smooth and precise rear drag
Super strong Light weight Aluminium frame and net handle Nylon reinforced Carbon net block Rubberised knotless mesh Foldable head and retractable handle
XL Dimensions: Si - 70cm x 85cm Net Size Handle Length - 100cm-180cm
COMBO DEAL
x4 colours - £8.99
TSUNAMI HOLOGRAPHIC SWIM TSUNAMI SPINNER BAIT LURES ABU SVARTZONKER MCHYBRID
Indestructible composite shaft Cool, quiet, power Three reverse speed settings Lever lock bracket Five forward speed settings Power Prop Telescopic handle 2-Year Warranty
Large Dimensions: Net Size - 65cm x 50cm Handle Length - 90cm-160cm
+ =
SAVAGE 3D Lne Th ROACH
AirBail BR Clutch system Front Drag Twist Buster Infinite Anti-Reverse Soft grip knob Anodi Anodized aluminium spool Aluminium engine plate
Reliable Front drag adjustment Good line capacity Smooth clutch Free Spool Mechanism All black colour finish
LIQUID DYE x3 colours - £3.50
LIQUID OIL x2 colours - £3.50
BAIT POPPERS x2 sizes - £2.99
STEALTH CODE RED BRAID
EZ BRAID LO VIS GREEN x5 break strains £19.99
POWERPRO BRAID from £14.99
BERKLEY WHIPLASH PRO GREEN
MAXIMA FLUOROCARBON
PLATINUM BAIT 12FT 3.5LB
WHISKER PIKE BAIT now from £134.99
SPECIALIST PREDATOR ROD was £64.99 - £59.99
DEADBAIT ROD
ULTRON 2 PIKE SPIN ROD
From £49.99
£139.99
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER
Angling Active, Agricultural Centre, Stirling. FK9 4RN
All products subject to availability & price alterations. E&OE
£75
now from - £29.99
£3.70
from - £12.99
RAGE SPEEDFLOW LANDING NET
FREE UK DELIVERY ON
ALL ORDERS OVER
OIL & AIR KIT
WINTERISED OILS x7 scents - £4.50
was £29.99 - £14.97
Available in two sizes: Large and Extra Large Colour: Black Mesh size: 12mm
PROWLA LONG NOSE PLIERS DROP ARM INDICATOR MK2 £11.99 £10.99
£5
now from - £74.99
now from - £79.99