Bullen Cup
GOOD WIN FOR JOHN MUNSON IN BULLEN CUP
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John Munson takes top points on Harray |
When Saturday morning dawned, it looked as if another competition was going to be ruined by the poor weather. Any other loch would have been brown and turbid, given the pasting the islands had taken by gale force winds the previous couple of days. Harray was remarkably clear, and this gave hope to the 38 anglers assembled for the 11am startDue to the strengthening westerly wind, many boats made for sheltered waters at the start, with Josey’s, Scarataing, Bankhead and Bochan the favoured drifts. Many anglers were into fish early on while it took others some time to find feeding fish. Once the squally showers passed through, things settled down the sun came out, and bizarrely, the angling improved for many. Most of the successful anglers soon discovered that there were large numbers of trout feeding hard on the weather shore, in the wildest of water, whether it be on the face of a skerry or the shore itself.
Heaviest basket of the day came from John Munson, who took most of his fish between the Biggings shore and Merkister Bay, totalling 20 fish for 14lb 8ozs, in fact he and his boat partner, Brian Thomas, were by far the best boat with Brian weighing in 21 for 14lb 5ozs. Other good baskets came from Ian Robertson with 18 for 14lb 4ozs and Andrew Morgan with 21 for 12 lb 5ozs. Other good areas were Scarataing, Ess Holms, Ballarrat and Bochan.
It would appear that there was no one definitive method which prevailed, as many successful anglers fished different lines and flies. It would be fair to say that the fish were certainly looking for flies being “swooped” up and held at the surface, and some anglers did this with intermediate lines while others short lined faster sinkers. Whatever, there were not many anglers who did not enjoy there day, as Harray proved that she is on top form from the start of the season again. She certainly justifies her claim to be, as one renowned angling writer proclaims in his latest trout fishing guide as, “one of the best trout fishing lochs in the world”, who could argue.
With it being the Bullen Cup, the annual Kirkwall V Stromness thing, there were some arithmetic to do before the cup could be awarded, as it is the average basket of each angler which decides the outcome. Thanks to Norman Irvine, the official weigher, for the result which was as follows. 24 anglers fishing for Kirkwall averaged 7lb 3 1/2 ozs , and 14 anglers fishing for Stromness averaged 7lb 9 ozs, so it was fitting that John Munson also won the Cup, especially as his basket was taken out in the coarse, open water, and not in the sanctuary of the “Paddling Pool”.
KK
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