Fife towns host weekend of sea fishing in memory of Methil international angler

Kirkcaldy Promenade is the venue for day one on Saturday, November 19, with fishing from noon to 4pm and Leven is the venue on day two on Sunday, November 20, fishing from noon to 4pm. Registration for both days is from 10am to 11am at the end car park at Kirkcaldy Promenade near Morrisons supermarket and this is a measure and return event with all fish of a minimum of 15cm counting.

Lugworm and mackerel are the only baits allowed and there are prizes for the first, second and third, zone and the heaviest flat fish. Entry is £40 for both days and the presentation is at 5.30pm at Burt's Bar, Buckhaven.

David Dobbie, one of the organisers, said this was a Penn Sea League points counter and that the memorial match was a key event in the sea fishing competition calendar. A total of 58 anglers have already signed up, including top fishermen from Newcastle, Sunderland, Cumbria and Edinburgh and Lothians.

Barry McEwan from Port Seton, who made his debut for Scotland in the Home Internationals last summer, is in the field along with Edinburgh fisherman David Cooper who won the first and seconds legs of the inaugural Edinburgh Winter Shore Angling series at Portobello Beach and Newhaven.

The organiser of that event, Ian Campbell, is also listed along with members of the Scottish ladies sea angling team who won silver in the Home Internationals in Weymouth last summer.The annual competition is in memory of Ian Reid, an international angler from Methil who was a regular fisherman along the Fife coastline. He passed away and Buckhaven-based David Dobbie, Iain's best friend, decided to start the annual event in his honour.

It has been held for the past seven years and has quickly grown in stature. Leven has been the only venue until this year but Dobbie said that Kirkcaldy had been introduced this year to provide a different test for entrants.

It was also, he said, another location to showcase the sport to the general public as Kirkcaldy promenade is normally busy on a Saturday.

High tide at Kirkcaldy on November 19 is 10.55am with sunset at 15.58. High tide at Leven on November 20 is 11.44 with sunset at 15.55.