Lothians angler Jamie McHale was among the prize winners in the Arbroath Winter Cod Open last weekend.
McHale from near Gifford was second in the event won by Seve Segdin who pocketed £450 when he landed the heaviest cod in tough conditions in the sea fishing competition.
His fish weighed 4.77lb and was hooked during the six-hour event held between wind-lashed Carnoustie and Ferryden on Saturday.
The heaviest bag prize went to Ian Hardie from Forfar who won £250 for hooking into 22.31lb of cod and McHale, a regular competitor in the Bass Rock Shore Angling League based in East Lothian, tempted 19.18lb of cod and he took home £160.
Third was Tony Cook from Tyneside who landed 11.08lb of cod for £130 in the popular competition sponsored by fishing accessory firm Seaglo.
Over 40 anglers cast a line in high winds and driving rain with a heavy swell on an ebb tide and all juniors who took part went home with £10, a goodie bag from the sponsors, and a pick of the table of rods and reels.
Allan Saunders and Stewart Falconer, who are both from Arbroath, were the organisers of the event in which anglers used one rod with three hooks maximum and Falconer said: “The conditions were wild and the guys did well on a difficult day.”
PICTURE: cod taken along the East Coast. Contributed
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