NEWS 2007

Club Championship Positions at End of Season

1. Kevin Porteous 112 points

2. Toby Bracey 103 points

3. Tony Chalmers 99 points

4 = Bill Robertson 75 points

4= Jan Hughes 75 points

6. Neil Clyne 74 points

7. Dennis Macintosh 68 points

8 .James Simpson 63 points

Over the winter committee members continue to look after the interests of the Club. A wealth of experience and expertise has gone in to ensuring that all the Club boats are in peak condition for the coming season :-

Despite, or because of, the above axe treatment the refurbished Dubh nam Geodh boat is looking very smart. It will be on the loch by the 2nd of May.

Saturday 28th of March -- temperature 2C, hail showers and strong wind -- ideal for outdoor activities. This was the day chosen to build the new turning area and car park at the Stemster road end.

Fortunately a JCB was on hand so not too much manual labour was required :-

After three hours of work ( and standing around ) the job was completed :-

Great piece of work by all concerned. This improvement will be much appreciated by Club Members who fish the loch.

Calder Bank Competition (The Rusty Cup ) Saturday 18th April

Sixteen anglers were met with the usual April conditions on Loch Calder -- overcast and cold easterly winds.

The NE corner of the loch was the most unproductive but fish were found in most other areas. Kevin Porteous came out the winner, fishing a floating line along the entrance to the New Bay and the West bank. The successful flies were Clan Chief and Soldier Palmer. James Simpson, fishing the SE bank, took second place and Bill Robertson followed in third.

James on the left and Kevin on the right.

Is that a rival to Bruin, I see ?

Neil Clyne landed the heaviest fish at 1lb 5oz

1st of May -- opening day on Loch Watten

If this is a sample of things to come on Watten for the remainder of the season, it should be an improvement on last year :-

Captured by Dougie Shanks while bank fishing around the Laide Bay

Heaviest fish 2lb 15oz and other 1lb 15oz

President's Quaich All Lochs Saturday 9th May

Winner :- The weather

!st Place 80 mph wind gusts

2nd Place Stemster, Olginey and St. Johns unfishable due to mud

Competition postponed for one week

President's Quaich All Lochs Saturday 16th May

Winner :- The Weather

!st Place 50 mph winds

2nd Place Mud again

3rd Place Torrential Rain

Competition reconvened in the Bahamas

BF Trophy Toftingal Saturday 30th May

Global warming has arrived !!!

The sun shone continually throughout the day accompanied by a strong south easterly breeze. Not conducive to productive fly fishing but at least the competition was not cancelled.

At the loch-side weigh in the winner was Kevin Porteous with five fish for 3.75 lb caught with a nymph on a sinking line. Runner up was Toby ( Second Place ) Bracey with four fish for 3.28 lb and the heaviest fish fell to James Simpson with a trout of 1.3 lb.

The winner, Kevin Porteous on the right with runner up, Toby (SP) Bracey on the right. Heaviest fish by James Simpson in the centre.

Not everyone was dedicated enough to fish for the whole day and some time was spent reminiscing about better times in the past.

Loch Dubh nam Geodh 31st May

A nice basket of four fish taken in bright sunshine by Ian Cannop. Heaviest 1 lb 2 oz.

Ian Hanna Trophy All Lochs Friday evening 5th June

Postponed again due to weather

Ian Hanna Trophy All Lochs Friday evening 12th June

Amazingly the weather was almost favourable for the first boat fishing competition of the season.

Fish were caught in all of the lochs that were included in the competition , with the winner, Evan Park weighing in a basket of three fish weighing 3.77 lbs from Watten. He also had the heaviest fish of 1.83 lbs. Second and third place, Toby( Second Place ) Bracey and Kevin Porteous, fished Stemster and fourth place, Tony Chalmers fished Calder.

Watten Thursday 16th July

A nice brace of trout caught by Mike Russell Jnr, caught just down from the island. Heaviest 2 lb

Hugo Ross Trophy All Night Competition Friday Night 26th June

As if to make up for the extremely poor weather of previous competitions, the conditions were near perfect for fly fishing.

At around 9:45 pm there was a good cloud cover, and a warm SE breeze.

10:01 pm Heading out from Watten Village end

!0:30 pm Sun still not set but conditions looking favourable for a good basket of trout.

Sunset at last.

Weather conditions remained ideal throughout the night with the temperature never dropping below 12C - in contrast to many previous all night competitions where near Arctic conditions have prevailed.

With " lines up " at 7 am on Saturday morning, weary anglers started to drift into the Brown Trout Hotel for the weigh in. The heaviest basket went to James Simpson with 12 fish weighing 11.09 lbs. Most of his trout fell to a Peter Ross. Heaviest fish was 2.09 lb to Alan Porteous

KML Trophy Evening Competition Friday 17th July

PRESIDENT WINS TROPHY AT LAST

Yet again, the weather was not favourable for fly fishing with an easterly wind and heavy rain at times during the evening. Very few moving fish were seen throughout the loch.

At the weigh in the winner was Ken Macleod with a basket of four fish weighing 3.75 lbs. Second place was Anson MacAuslan weighed in three fish for 3.24 lbs. The heaviest fish was taken by Toby Bracey at 2.05 lbs.

Ian Hay Hill Loch Competition Saturday 1st of August

Loch Arichlinie near Kinbrace

This year our Hill Loch Competition was delayed to the beginning of August in the hope that the weather would be more equitable and the trout better fed.

At 09:15 the hopeful anglers met at the Achentoul Estate Fishing Hut beside Loch an Ruathair. 15 anglers set off for the one and three quarter mile hike to the loch side over a rough, boggy track. Fortunately, for the "older " members, the Estate kindly provided transport there and back

Loch an Ruathair

The long muddy track

The weather conditions in the morning were favourable with cloud cover and a southerly breeze. Initially, most anglers settled for the East and Southeast banks of the loch but Dennis Macintosh headed for the Northern bay where he caught most of his fish. Towards mid-day the sun emerged and the wind lessened allowing anglers to fish all round the loch.

At the weigh in beside the Boat House, Dennis had the heaviest basket of eight fish for 4.19 lbs., the runner up was Alan Porteous with nine fish for 4.14 lbs. The heaviest fish at 0.73 lbs was landed by Dave Savage.

Parry Trophy Saturday 15th August

Again weather conditions were not favourable on Loch Watten with bright sunshine throughout the day.

Tony Chalmers and Jan Hughes made the most of the conditions by fishing at the north east end of the loch and Tony weighed in the heaviest basket of 11 fish for 8.77 pounds. In the same boat, Jan came second with nine fish for 5.86 pounds. The heaviest fish of 2.03 pounds was landed by Bill Robertson.

President's Quaich Saturday 12th September All Lochs.

Having been twice postponed in May because of high winds, this competition was finally held in September. Due to high winds and the previous heavy rainfall, the competition was limited to Lochs Calder and Watten.

The first four places all came from the two boats on Loch Calder with Tony Chalmers again taking first place with 15 fish for 8.00 pounds. Runner up was Toby (2nd place) Bracey with eight fish for 4.70 pounds. The heaviest fish of 1.41 pounds was taken from Loch Watten by Edward Beattie.

Last Saturday of the Season on Watten

Neil Clyne landed this fine specimen trout, weighing in at three pounds ten ounces. It was attracted by a Christmas Tree fly fished at depth.

GORDON DOUGLAS 1926 -- 2009

Anyone who was fortunate to meet and get to know Gordon would agree that he was blessed with a wonderful but subtle sense of humour along with kindness and thoughtfulness towards his fellows.

Gordon was born in Fife on the third of February 1926 where he spent his formative years and where he started on his lifelong association with the sea and fishing. At the age of 15 he started his apprenticeship on the Clydeside as a fitter. On completion of his training he joined the Merchant Navy with the Brocklebank Line , plying mainly between the UK and the Middle East. He left the company in 1954 with a Chief Engineer's Certificate and joined a boiler insurance company in Glasgow for six years before making the long journey north to Dounreay. From early beginnings as a charge hand fitter in the Main boiler house in 1962, he progressed from foreman at DFR. to shift operations at PFR before taking early retirement in 1989.

Gordon, of course , will be known to D.F.F.A. members for his long and untiring contribution to the welfare of the Club.

He was an active member of the Club during its formation and development in the early sixties and held many posts till retiring from the committee in 2001.

TREASURER 1968

CHAIRMAN 1969 -- 1972

COMMITTEE MEMBER 1973 -- 1975

SECRETARY 1976 -- 1985

SECRETARY 1988 -- 1992

VICE PRESIDENT 1993 -- 1994

PRESIDENT 1999 -- 2001

During his tenure as Chairman and Secretary many improvements were made to the organization and facilities of the Club. Thanks to Gordon, permission was granted for the construction of a stem on Stemster Loch and after tireless work by Gordon and the Committee Member volunteers the job was completed. Those involved will remember the typical Caithness weather in which the stem was constructed.

Gordon was also instrumental in ensuring the continuation of the Club and retention of the boats after the demise of the Dounreay Sports and Social Club.

Much of the above information is expanded in the " HISTORY " section of this website, written by Gordon, although in his characteristic unassuming way, he did not mention his own contribution.

Gordon died peacefully in Caithness General Hospital, Wick on the ninth of June 2009.

Ken Macleod

NEWS 2009
	Competition Dates for 2009 Competition Date /Time Loch Meeting Place Rusty Cup 18th April 09:30 Calder Loch Calder South President's Quaich 9th May 09:30 All Lochs Janet St. Thurso BF Trophy 30th May 09:30 Toftingall Entrance Gate, Toftingall Hoskins Trophy 5th June 18:30 All Lochs Pre allocated Hugo Ross Trophy 26th June 21:30 Watten Pre allocated KML Trophy 17th July 18:30 Watten Pre allocated Ian Hay Hill Loch 1st Aug 09:30 Loch Arichlinie Parry Trophy 15th Aug 09:30 Watten Brown Trout ENTRY FEE FOR ALL COMPETITIONS, EXCEPT IAIN HAY HILL LOCH, £3 News 2007 News 2008





Club Championship Positions at End of Season 1. Kevin Porteous 112 points 2. Toby Bracey 103 points 3. Tony Chalmers 99 points 4 = Bill Robertson 75 points 4= Jan Hughes 75 points 6. Neil Clyne 74 points 7. Dennis Macintosh 68 points 8 .James Simpson 63 points Over the winter committee members continue to look after the interests of the Club. A wealth of experience and expertise has gone in to ensuring that all the Club boats are in peak condition for the coming season :- Despite, or because of, the above axe treatment the refurbished Dubh nam Geodh boat is looking very smart. It will be on the loch by the 2nd of May. Saturday 28th of March -- temperature 2C, hail showers and strong wind -- ideal for outdoor activities. This was the day chosen to build the new turning area and car park at the Stemster road end. Fortunately a JCB was on hand so not too much manual labour was required :- After three hours of work ( and standing around ) the job was completed :- Great piece of work by all concerned. This improvement will be much appreciated by Club Members who fish the loch. Calder Bank Competition (The Rusty Cup ) Saturday 18th April Sixteen anglers were met with the usual April conditions on Loch Calder -- overcast and cold easterly winds. The NE corner of the loch was the most unproductive but fish were found in most other areas. Kevin Porteous came out the winner, fishing a floating line along the entrance to the New Bay and the West bank. The successful flies were Clan Chief and Soldier Palmer. James Simpson, fishing the SE bank, took second place and Bill Robertson followed in third. James on the left and Kevin on the right. Is that a rival to Bruin, I see ? Neil Clyne landed the heaviest fish at 1lb 5oz 1st of May -- opening day on Loch Watten If this is a sample of things to come on Watten for the remainder of the season, it should be an improvement on last year :- Captured by Dougie Shanks while bank fishing around the Laide Bay Heaviest fish 2lb 15oz and other 1lb 15oz President's Quaich All Lochs Saturday 9th May Winner :- The weather !st Place 80 mph wind gusts 2nd Place Stemster, Olginey and St. Johns unfishable due to mud Competition postponed for one week President's Quaich All Lochs Saturday 16th May Winner :- The Weather !st Place 50 mph winds 2nd Place Mud again 3rd Place Torrential Rain Competition reconvened in the Bahamas BF Trophy Toftingal Saturday 30th May Global warming has arrived !!! The sun shone continually throughout the day accompanied by a strong south easterly breeze. Not conducive to productive fly fishing but at least the competition was not cancelled. At the loch-side weigh in the winner was Kevin Porteous with five fish for 3.75 lb caught with a nymph on a sinking line. Runner up was Toby ( Second Place ) Bracey with four fish for 3.28 lb and the heaviest fish fell to James Simpson with a trout of 1.3 lb. The winner, Kevin Porteous on the right with runner up, Toby (SP) Bracey on the right. Heaviest fish by James Simpson in the centre. Not everyone was dedicated enough to fish for the whole day and some time was spent reminiscing about better times in the past. Loch Dubh nam Geodh 31st May A nice basket of four fish taken in bright sunshine by Ian Cannop. Heaviest 1 lb 2 oz. Ian Hanna Trophy All Lochs Friday evening 5th June Postponed again due to weather Ian Hanna Trophy All Lochs Friday evening 12th June Amazingly the weather was almost favourable for the first boat fishing competition of the season. Fish were caught in all of the lochs that were included in the competition , with the winner, Evan Park weighing in a basket of three fish weighing 3.77 lbs from Watten. He also had the heaviest fish of 1.83 lbs. Second and third place, Toby( Second Place ) Bracey and Kevin Porteous, fished Stemster and fourth place, Tony Chalmers fished Calder. Watten Thursday 16th July A nice brace of trout caught by Mike Russell Jnr, caught just down from the island. Heaviest 2 lb Hugo Ross Trophy All Night Competition Friday Night 26th June As if to make up for the extremely poor weather of previous competitions, the conditions were near perfect for fly fishing. At around 9:45 pm there was a good cloud cover, and a warm SE breeze. 10:01 pm Heading out from Watten Village end !0:30 pm Sun still not set but conditions looking favourable for a good basket of trout. Sunset at last. Weather conditions remained ideal throughout the night with the temperature never dropping below 12C - in contrast to many previous all night competitions where near Arctic conditions have prevailed. With " lines up " at 7 am on Saturday morning, weary anglers started to drift into the Brown Trout Hotel for the weigh in. The heaviest basket went to James Simpson with 12 fish weighing 11.09 lbs. Most of his trout fell to a Peter Ross. Heaviest fish was 2.09 lb to Alan Porteous KML Trophy Evening Competition Friday 17th July PRESIDENT WINS TROPHY AT LAST Yet again, the weather was not favourable for fly fishing with an easterly wind and heavy rain at times during the evening. Very few moving fish were seen throughout the loch. At the weigh in the winner was Ken Macleod with a basket of four fish weighing 3.75 lbs. Second place was Anson MacAuslan weighed in three fish for 3.24 lbs. The heaviest fish was taken by Toby Bracey at 2.05 lbs. Ian Hay Hill Loch Competition Saturday 1st of August Loch Arichlinie near Kinbrace This year our Hill Loch Competition was delayed to the beginning of August in the hope that the weather would be more equitable and the trout better fed. At 09:15 the hopeful anglers met at the Achentoul Estate Fishing Hut beside Loch an Ruathair. 15 anglers set off for the one and three quarter mile hike to the loch side over a rough, boggy track. Fortunately, for the "older " members, the Estate kindly provided transport there and back Loch an Ruathair The long muddy track The weather conditions in the morning were favourable with cloud cover and a southerly breeze. Initially, most anglers settled for the East and Southeast banks of the loch but Dennis Macintosh headed for the Northern bay where he caught most of his fish. Towards mid-day the sun emerged and the wind lessened allowing anglers to fish all round the loch. At the weigh in beside the Boat House, Dennis had the heaviest basket of eight fish for 4.19 lbs., the runner up was Alan Porteous with nine fish for 4.14 lbs. The heaviest fish at 0.73 lbs was landed by Dave Savage. Parry Trophy Saturday 15th August Again weather conditions were not favourable on Loch Watten with bright sunshine throughout the day. Tony Chalmers and Jan Hughes made the most of the conditions by fishing at the north east end of the loch and Tony weighed in the heaviest basket of 11 fish for 8.77 pounds. In the same boat, Jan came second with nine fish for 5.86 pounds. The heaviest fish of 2.03 pounds was landed by Bill Robertson. President's Quaich Saturday 12th September All Lochs. Having been twice postponed in May because of high winds, this competition was finally held in September. Due to high winds and the previous heavy rainfall, the competition was limited to Lochs Calder and Watten. The first four places all came from the two boats on Loch Calder with Tony Chalmers again taking first place with 15 fish for 8.00 pounds. Runner up was Toby (2nd place) Bracey with eight fish for 4.70 pounds. The heaviest fish of 1.41 pounds was taken from Loch Watten by Edward Beattie. Last Saturday of the Season on Watten Neil Clyne landed this fine specimen trout, weighing in at three pounds ten ounces. It was attracted by a Christmas Tree fly fished at depth. GORDON DOUGLAS 1926 -- 2009 Anyone who was fortunate to meet and get to know Gordon would agree that he was blessed with a wonderful but subtle sense of humour along with kindness and thoughtfulness towards his fellows. Gordon was born in Fife on the third of February 1926 where he spent his formative years and where he started on his lifelong association with the sea and fishing. At the age of 15 he started his apprenticeship on the Clydeside as a fitter. On completion of his training he joined the Merchant Navy with the Brocklebank Line , plying mainly between the UK and the Middle East. He left the company in 1954 with a Chief Engineer's Certificate and joined a boiler insurance company in Glasgow for six years before making the long journey north to Dounreay. From early beginnings as a charge hand fitter in the Main boiler house in 1962, he progressed from foreman at DFR. to shift operations at PFR before taking early retirement in 1989. Gordon, of course , will be known to D.F.F.A. members for his long and untiring contribution to the welfare of the Club. He was an active member of the Club during its formation and development in the early sixties and held many posts till retiring from the committee in 2001. TREASURER 1968 CHAIRMAN 1969 -- 1972 COMMITTEE MEMBER 1973 -- 1975 SECRETARY 1976 -- 1985 SECRETARY 1988 -- 1992 VICE PRESIDENT 1993 -- 1994 PRESIDENT 1999 -- 2001 During his tenure as Chairman and Secretary many improvements were made to the organization and facilities of the Club. Thanks to Gordon, permission was granted for the construction of a stem on Stemster Loch and after tireless work by Gordon and the Committee Member volunteers the job was completed. Those involved will remember the typical Caithness weather in which the stem was constructed. Gordon was also instrumental in ensuring the continuation of the Club and retention of the boats after the demise of the Dounreay Sports and Social Club. Much of the above information is expanded in the " HISTORY " section of this website, written by Gordon, although in his characteristic unassuming way, he did not mention his own contribution. Gordon died peacefully in Caithness General Hospital, Wick on the ninth of June 2009. Ken Macleod