Sea and trout fishing latest plus retail news

Match 5 of the seven leg Edinburgh New Year Shore League is at the west end of  Portobello Beach on Friday, fishing from 7pm to 10pm. The competition is sponsored by The Edinburgh Angling Centre, The Fishing Megastore and Cox and Rawle.

Mike Kyle from Easthouses leads the race for the title with 22 points, ahead of Edinburgh angler Stevie Souter, who also has 22 points, with Gordon Lyall, also Edinburgh, third with 19 points.

Steve Potts from Tyneside is fourth on 14 points and organiser Ian Campbell from Falkirk has climbed to fifth and is on 13 points.

Organisers of the Bass Rock Shore Angling League host the final leg of their winter league on Wednesday, February 28 at a venue to be decided.

Chris Empson, a Scottish international angler, won leg nine with a whiting of 9oz on a difficult night at Dunbar.

Elsewhere, Ian Crombie won the winter trophy and sweep organised by St Serfs Sea Angling Club in difficult conditions in the Forth.

Meanwhile, West Lothian Angling Association said their permits are now available for fly fishing on The Almond online at Fishing Around the Forth and at outlets including The Edinburgh Angling Centre, Gamefish in Edinburgh, and West Lothian Angling. The cost is £15 for over 50 miles of fishing on the Almond and tributaries.

Incidentally, West Lothian Angling have new and bigger premises but are still in Nasmyth Court in Livingston.

PICTURE: Ian Campbell, organiser of the Edinburgh New Year Shore League. Contributed.