New Scottish Open Fly Fishing Championship is a welcome initiative from Scotland international Ben Robertson

There are no internationals scheduled for 2021 so Ben decided to organise the inaugural Scottish Open Fly Fishing Championship.

It will take place at the Lake of Menteith near Stirling next year and there will be three heats featuring 20 boats, with 30 going through to the final (10 from each heat).

Anglers can enter only one heat and the boat draw will take place live on Facebook a week before the heats.

The first two fish caught will be timed and all fish are counted by your boat partner. In the event of a tie then the timing of the first and even the second fish will decide the winner.

Heat winners will receive £100 cash with the first in the final receiving £2,000, second £1,000 and third £500.

Whitburn-based Robertson said international fly fishing rules apply and hooks are either barbless or debarbed.

He said: “Anglers will record the time of their first and second fish and score cards must be signed by the boat partner.”

The entry cost is £60 per angler for a heat and £35 per angler for the final

The heat dates are: Sunday, May 16 (9.30 to 5.30), Sunday, May 30 (9.30 to 5.30), Sunday, June 13 (9.30 to 5.30), with the final on Sunday, 12 September (9.30 to 5.30).

The event is sponsored by Glasgow-based trout fly -ying company Fariofly.com and Robertson explained: “There has been no competition fishing this season because of the world-wide pandemic.

“Guys want competition angling. I have one Scotland cap and was due to get a second this year. That did not happen and I won’t get one next year as there are no internationals planned.

“So, I thought, organise one. The Lake of Menteith is in the centre of Scotland and easy to get to and when I approached them they said they had been thinking of doing something like that.

“Money is tight so we’ve kept the costs down as much as we can.”

Robertson, who is originally from Penicuik and fishes with the Dalkeith-based Black Bull Angling Club as well as on local waters like Allandale Tarn near West Calder, hopes to take the competition forward after the first year.

He said: “The initial reaction has been great. I’ve launched it on Facebook and we’ve had a great deal of interest and we hope to get more once word-of-mouth and the media picks up.”

Meanwhile, anglers may have time to cast a line during the Christmas and New Year period and several fisheries will be open.

Allandale Tarn is currently closed every Monday and Tuesday over the winter period, 9am to 4pm. Otherwise, the fishery will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Popular Rosslynlee near Penicuik will, be closing at 1pm on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day but will reopen on Boxing Day at 9am and close at 2pm.

On Sunday, December 27, Rosslynlee be open from 8am till 4pm and then usual hours until closing at 1pm on Hogmanay. Rosslynlee will be closed New Year’s Day and on the second and will re-open at 8am on January 3.

Bowden Springs will be closed on Christmas Day but open on Boxing Day and that is the same for Tweeddale Millennium near Gifford which will host a Boxing Day competition with a £100 first prize, £75 for second and £50 for third, and a bottle of whisky or vodka for the first three.

Entry is £25 and anglers kill the first two fish and count the rest. Incidentally, the fishing has been good recently with damsel, fab and buzzer tempting trout, some of which were on top of the water.

Fishing has also been good at Markle near East Linton where Haddington angler Derek Demarco has landed two cracking fish, one of 17lb and the other 11lb. They will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Clubbiedean, above Bonaly in Edinburgh, is closed until early in the New Year.

Remember, you can buy permits online at www.fishforth.org to fish for grayling from December 26 on the River Esk or for brown trout, sea trout and salmon on the eight miles of The Almond in West Lothian. Fishing there starts in February. Permits for the Tyne in East Lothian also also available on the fishforth portal.

Finally, Aquamarine Charters of Eyemouth have confirmed seasonal sailings from 8am to 4pm on December 26, 27 and 28 and December 31. Cod captures have been good recently.