Merkister Cup
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Top rod Ian Hutcheon |
IMPROVEMENT IN RETURNS FOR MERKISTER CUP
A much better fishing day greeted the 20 anglers fishing for the Merkister Cup, a rearranged fixture from the previous week. With this the penultimate competition, there was plenty to play for regarding team places etc for 2025, with every fish crucial.
For the 12am start, boats were split between the open water drifts and the shorelines, especially on the west side of the loch, with Lochside, Bochan and Ess Holms busiest. It was the areas with least boat pressure that proved most productive with the best baskets coming from Laithe and Merkister Bay. There wasn’t much of a hatch of sedge or buzzers with just a few rising fish to be seen when it went calm but it was short lived.
Top rod on the day with a fantastic basket was Ian Hutcheon, with quality rather than quantity, weighing in 8 fish for 11lb 8ozs, which included the best fish of the day at 1lb 15ozs, a quite astonishing haul, securing the Merkister Cup. Runner up was Ian’s boat partner, Sandy McConnachie with 9 fish fir 8lb 6ozs, obviously a great days sport in that boat! John Munson with 9 for 7lb 15ozs, Andrew Morgan with 10 for 7lb 9ozs and Jim Harcus with 6 fir 5lb 6ozs we’re the best of the rest.
Area was key to success with Ian and Sandy fishing a small area up at Laithe, and John Munson having Merky Bay all to himself. The popular deep water drifts were definitely off with most fish caught in the shallows and skerries.
Sinking lines were still successful for some in the shallower water but it was Hedgehogs and Muddlers on tip lines which worked for most.
It’s all down to the wire for the last competition off the season, the popular Any Loch, next Saturday, and with a few stalwarts missing due to another competition down south, things could get very interesting, tight lines to all, and hope you choose the right loch for a start,
KK
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