Local venues have been confirmed for the The Scottish National Stillwater Championship qualifiers and the winners will represent Scotland in the Home Internationals.
Brian Quinn, well-known for his fund-raising activities for the Scotland youth team, is masterminding this year’s event and the pressure is on as Scotland host the competition.
The Scottish competition is open to anybody over 18 who has lived in Scotland for four years, but Quinn stressed that if an angler qualifies from one of the six heats then his or her name will be taken off the list for another heat.
The organiser is anxious that as many people as possible get the chance to stake a claim and the team will be made up of the top six plus a reserve from the final. Eight anglers qualify from each heat and there will be two semi-finals with 24 in each with 12 from each qualifying for the final.
Scotland have finished last in the previous two events and the qualifiers start at Wormit near Newport-on-Tay on Sunday, February 19 (ring 07709 235 088 to book), Drumtassie (pictured by Nigel Duncan) at Blackridge, West Lothian, on Sunday, March 5 (07939 249 481), Loch Insch near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire on Saturday, March 11 (07398 054 287), Allandale Tarn at West Calder on Sunday, March 19 (01506 873 073), Burnhouse near Bonnybridge on Sunday, March 26 (07889 603 160), Waterfront near Ayr on Sunday, April 2 (01292 571268). The semi-finals are at Kingennie by Broughty Ferry, Dundee, on Saturday, April 22 and Kinross on Saturday, April 29 and the final at New Haylie near Largs on Sunday, May 14.
Registration is at 8am. The briefing is at 8.45am and fishing is from 9am. Anglers fish six pegs at 30 minutes each in the pre-lunch session and then six pegs for 30 minutes each in the afternoon session.
A £20 deposit is required to secure a place and it is non-refundable and Scottish Anglers National Association (SANA) membership is included in the £40 entry fee.
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