Joanne Barlow has been confirmed as the first member of the Scottish Ladies Carp Fishing team and the Brighton-based angler qualifies because of Scottish parents.
Team bosses, however, want other women to join Joanne who has a wealth of experience. She and her husband run the British Carp Angling Championships (BCAC) and Joanne results include being the 2016 British Carp Cup Mixed Pairs Champion; 2017 British Carp Cup Mixed Pairs runner-up and the 2018 and 2019 British Carp Cup Ladies Pairs Champion
Joanne will also captain the team and she and team manager, Kevin McConnell, are determined to put Scotland ladies on the map at world level sooner rather than later
A big date for the ladies likely to be between September 1 and 5 when the first world championships are held in England.
The men’s team – who have two West Lothian anglers in the 12-strong squad, Drew Taggart, owner of West Lothian Angling at Livingston, and Ewan Roberts, who lives in Uphall – made their debut at world level last year in South Africa, and are hoping to improve on their 17th place. They are in the Ukraine this year.
Kevin, who is the team manager for both the men’s and ladies teams, said: “I would love to have a women’s team representing Scotland in September.
“We’re starting to recruit now so we have time to build a team and give them as much experience as we can.”
Anybody interested should contact Kevin on carpteamscotland@mail.com or on 07541 643329.
Meanwhile, Raith Lake now have two boats available for a heat of the Scierra Pairs on , one of Britain’s top fly fishing events, at the water near Kirkcaldy on Saturday, April 18.
Our picture shows Eliburn Reservoir at Livingston a popular venue for carp fishermen. Open every day and permits are £5 a day and available from bailiffs who patrol the lake.
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