Calum casts his line to land top prize in national youth competition
Winning young angler Calum RobertsonA FISHING-MAD teenager who won a prize at Golspie Gala Week’s angling competition has gone on to achieve national success in the sport.
Sixteen-year-old Calum Robertson took the top honours at the Scottish Youth National Fly Fishing Competition, held recently at the Lake of Menteith, near Stirling.
The win has gained him a place on the Scottish Youth Fly Fishing Team and he will compete internationally in 2012.
Calum lives in Lenzie with his dad, David Robertson, the co-director of a small Glasgow engineering company.
The family are frequent visitors to Golspie where Mr Robertson was brought up. His parents – Calum’s grandparents – are Ernest and Mary Robertson of 6 Fraser Street.
Young Calum, a fifth-year-pupil at Lenzie Academy, caught the angling bug around three years ago and has since devoted practically all his spare time to the sport.
His dad says: "He just decided that he’d like to take up fishing and it went from there. We bought him a rod and he dabbled around, teaching himself as he went along."
Calum soon decided to take it a step further and joined the Caurnie Angling Club, one of the largest in Scotland.
The club leases Antermony Loch in Milton of Campsie from the council and stock it annually with brown trout and rainbow trout.
"He’s come on a lot since joining the club, thanks to the support and help of the members who have done their best to encourage him," says Mr Robertson.
The teenager also honed his skills on visits to East Sutherland where he has fished practically every body of water in the area.
"You name it, he’s been there," laughs his dad. "Little Ferry, Culmaily Burn, Big Burn, and Lochs Horn, Brora, Buidhe, Lunndaidh and Lannsaidh - he’s been to them all. He caught a nice salmon on the River Helmsdale this year."
"I go fishing but am bored after around two hours. Calum can sit there for 12 hours, not bother with his lunch, and still want to keep going."
Holidaying in Golspie this summer, Calum won Golspie Gala Week’s angling competition.
Two months ago he competed in the Scottish Youth National Fly Fishing Competition, run by the sport’s governing body SANA (Scottish Angling National Association) and held over two days at the Lake of Menteith.
Calum was entered for the competition almost a year in advance after being judged by his club to have reached the required standard.
Around 30 young people took part with the aim of qualifying for the national team.
And the Caurnie club’s faith in Calum was justified when he won the Top Rod, Heaviest fish (with a 4lb 10oz trout) and Best Newcomer trophies.
As part of the Scottish team, Calum will take part in an international competition scheduled to be held next year in Ireland.
And his plans for the future? On leaving school Calum hopes to gain a place on the gamekeeping course run by the North Highland College UHI at its Thurso campus.
≈~≈The Daily Catch Team≈~≈
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