Scots-based pair Nuno Santos and Calum Culbert hooked into a major international triumph last weekend.
Glasgow-based Santos and Culbert from Aberdeen won the doubles title at the International Fishing Open, beating a quality field of nearly 200 from several countries, including the host nation, plus anglers from Gibraltar, Spain and France.
It is one of the biggest open matches in Portugal and the venue was the Praia da Manta Rota in the Algarve and the match, which attracted a quality field from several countries, was organised by the Praia da Manta Rota Sports Association.
Santos, who was born and bred in Portugal and was there on holiday, teamed up with his Scotland international colleague who had travelled to the venue specially for the match which stretched 3km over the extensive beach.
He did a recce with a friend two days before the match, just before a big storm hit, and the fishing turned out to be the same as it had been on the trial days, that made it easier for the winning pair who won with 4,392 points with Victor Pereira and Fernando Regateiro from the Praia da Tocha club were second with 3,821 points.
The duo formed by Filipe Coelho and Ricardo Verissimo from the Casa Aguia Club were third on 3,567 points.
Vitor Santos, Nuno’s father, teamed up with Billy Buckley from Uddingston, who has fished in the world championship, and they finished in 26th place, also representing the CAP Faro club, with 1,613 points.
Nuno, who is team manager for Scotland’s junior anglers, said: “I was on holiday and Calum and Billy came down. Calum and I won the match against 96 other pairs.
“The fish caught were mostly bream and bass, and some were really nice fish, and we were lucky to find them to win it.”
He added: “If you had asked me before the match, and after the peg we drew, I would not have thought it was the best peg. I thought the winner would come from the left hand side of the beach and we were centre right which is not often ideal, but the fish were there.
“Conditions were good and we had a nice feature in front of us. We made the most of it and I am absolutely chuffed to have won this event, one of the biggest in Portugal, in the company of my mate, Calum, who travelled all the way from Scotland for the match.”
Santos added that this was a boost of confidence for the Scots, doing well in a major international event, fishing against some locally-based international anglers.
He added: “It was good to beat them on home soil, so to speak. Yes, I was born and bred in Portugal, but I live in Scotland now and it was good to go back and win there against a really quality field.”
CHAMPIONS: Nuno Santos (second left) and Calum Culbert next to him at the prize giving. Pictures courtesy of the Municipality of Vila Real de Santo Antonio
