2024 Veterans Cup Round 7 Lake of Menteith

Update from Jock Royan.

Round 7 and the final round of the Military Veterans Cup. All 7 rounds have been fished at the Lake of Menteith with an average of 22 anglers participating each round.

We were greeted with misty haar-like condition and a flat calm. Thankfully the wind did pick up in short spells throughout the day but overall the boats were moving pretty slowly, which normally makes locating pods of fish quite tricky. Various methods were successful but predominantly Dries and slow tips with buzzers/nymphs on washing line.

The Scottish Ladies National Championships and 2nd round of their eliminator was also taking place so we all made a conscious effort to avoid their drifts where possible.

JP Maestri & the Rose House in Perth provided a delicious breakfast role before we headed in various directions. The boats split 50/50 between the Eastern Basin and Gateside Bay. With a post-match Venison Curry to accompany the Prize-giving, we decided to fish straight through from 9am - 4pm. Normally the lunch break is used to share knowledge, information and flies however today, it was a simple case of each boat to their own.

I fished with Glen Lamont and we had a great day together, sharing ideas, flies and lots of banter! Glen fished very well with 1 “purple” patch around 11:00 then an excellent last hour. 10 fish for his day was very respectful and rather than his last win in the dodgy single-boat, every fish was verified 😂

As the boats returned, it was clear that many had struggled in the changeable conditions. Hot on my heels in the overall points, Jock Kettles had suffered from rubber-hook syndrome, dropping 5 in play. Apparently the fish sensed his boat partners eau de Laphroig and cartwheeled around the boat slipping the hook!

Today’s Results

Glen Lamont 10 Fish = 1 Point

Jock Royan 7 Fish = 2 Points

Jock Kettles 6 Fish = 3 Points

Lee Hollis 3 Fish = 4 Points

Stevie McArthur 3 Fish = 5 Points

Geoff Allen 2 Fish = 6 Points

JP Maestri 2 Fish = 7 Points

Graham Steele 2 Fish = 8 Points

Byran Yip 2 Fish = 9 Points

Eddie Fullerton 1 Fish = 10 Points

Dave Penny 1 Fish = 11 Points

Ian Howland 1 Fish = 12 Points

William Shepherd Blank = 20 Points

Jim Watson Blank = 20 Points

Gordon Lannigan Blank = 20 Points

Eck Moffat Blank = 20 Points

The overall Veterans Cup result was similar to 2023 in that the Championship was determined by a single point.

1st. Jock Royan - 6 Points (2 x first place & 2 x second place)

2nd. Jock Kettles - 7 Points (2 x first place, 1 x second place & 1 x third place)

3rd. Glen Lamont 10 Points (2 x first place, 1 x second place & 1 x sixth place)

A presentation was made on behalf of all our members to our Chairman JP Maestri for providing delicious lunches throughout the year and for all his hard work behind the scenes. 👏👏 His 16-Year Old Laphroig won’t even touch the sides but we’re confident that his second gift of a box of top-quality dry flies will last significantly longer!

Finally, it’s clearly evident by this year’s participation and results that many of our members have significantly improved their Loch-style technique. Hopefully with continued exposure to competitive angling through our Veterans Cup, the Menteith Boat League and other less formal competitions, our knowledge base and strength in depth with continue to develop. 2 years into this new organisation, the future is rosey and we remain optimistic that our teams will become more competitive.