Loch Fitty, near Dunfermline, was host to 37 flyfishermen from all over Scotland trying to catch the elusive trout with the price on its head.
The 1 1/2 lb trout had been taken to a veterinary surgery in Dunfermline to have a tiny microchip tagged onto its dorsal fin before being released into Loch Fitty under heavy security in the middle of the night – a policeman was on hand to make sure the chipped fish was indeed tagged and released into the water.
None of the anglers at the 170 acre loch could hook the fish. But it was all in a good cause as the fisherman raised more than £ 3000 for the Macmillan Cancer Relief Fund and did manage to catch plenty of other fish.
The event was the first in a series of a dozen charity fishing competitions across Scotland, each offering a £ 1000 prize tagged fish. The fund partnered with the Association of Scottish Stillwater Fisheries to organise the series, which got under way at Loch Fitty following the loch being ‘blessed with a dram’.
Grant Whitelaw, from Corstorphine, in Edinburgh landed the biggest fish of the day, a trout weighing 12 lb 8 oz. Grant, 39, used an intermediate line and an orange Montana and also won a bottle of malt whisky for the heaviest bag. He said, “We were an hour late in getting here but it was worth it in the end.
Macmillan’s area fund-raising manager, Wendy Fowler, said, “Everyone is a winner here today. The fishermen have had a great day out and the money they have raised will help.”
All of the money raised will go towards the fund’s work in Fife.
The Courier, Dundee
