Angler's monster salmon lands him award from North club
BETTYHILL Angling Club has honoured a veteran angler who landed a record-breaking fish in club waters last year.
Hugh Scally of Dalmellington, has just been presented with a special trophy in commemoration of his catch at Allie’s Pool on the River Naver in August last year.
Club day permit secretary, Ray Cooper, proprietor of ‘The Store’ in Bettyhill, handed over the trophy at a ceremony held last week at a spot above the pool where the monster fish was caught.
Also in attendance was club secretary Paul Butterworth of Newlands, Bettyhill.
Mr Scally battled for 40 minutes to land the hen salmon which measured an incredible 44" and weighed in at 32 and a half pounds.
It made the record books as the heaviest rod-caught fish ever landed on club beats,
The monster fish overtook the previous record, held by the late Charlie Mackay of Lairg, by exactly 1lb.
A cast of Mr Mackay’s fish can be seen on display in the Altnaharra Hotel.
Mr Scally’s salmon was released alive in accordance with the River Naver Fishery Board’s conservation policy. It is hoped that a brood fish of such a weight could make a difference in the breeding stakes.
The capture was made using a ‘Flamethrower’ fly, tied by former Syre gillie Tommy Shaw of Thurso.
He used a single handed trout rod to bring it to shore rather than the usual double handed trout rod.
2010 was a record breaking year for rod-caught salmon across Scotland with around 100,000 fish falling victim to the nation’s anglers. However overall salmon numbers remain nothing like they were 50 years ago.
Hugh’s catch was one of the heaviest in 2010 but he was still pipped to the post for the title of heaviest catch in Scotland.
That went to an angler who caught a 36lb fish in the Tay in May 2010.
The heaviest fish ever caught in Scotland also came from the Tay – a 64 pounder landed by a Miss Henrietta Ballantyne in 1922.