StormCats Islay Tope Fishing Festival

The event gets bigger and better. This year the StormCats Islay Tope Fishing Festival, kicked off to the 10am air horn when 26 boats all with eager sea anglers braved the rather lumpy seas on Saturday 25th in pursuit of The Tope. Undeterred by the ones that munched their way through the traces or just famously ‘got away’ fishing continued in earnest with the first Tope being caught by Peter Bartlett (picture left) and weighing an incredible 66lb. Rising to the challenge, soon afterwards, was Kevin Wiggins landing a 51lb Tope! The weather changed for the better, with boats even waiting on the starting line on The Sunday. Four more Tope were caught with the third joint heaviest being caught by Annie Gredley – it was longer than she is tall and Jonathan McArthur who also won the U16 prize. Brian MacAulay deserves the patience is a virtue prize – having stayed in the same spot all day he finally landed a 33lb Tope. Perseverance paid off for the Chasemore team of ‘Bad Habits’ who landed a very fine 26lb Tope.

Annie Gredley scooped the board with not only joint third prize in the main category but also winning biggest Tope caught by a female, and also the Biggest Bag of the weekend. The largest fish, other than a Tope, was caught by Andrew Bauld Jnr. and the prize for the Tope that had travelled the furthest before being caught was won by the patient Brian MacAulay! There was a lot of fun in the awarding of the novelty prizes from the prettiest fish to the ‘Ard est Beggar’ to catch. The festival would not have been possible without the generosity Team StormCats and that too of St James’s Place Partnership for the substantial monetary donation for prizes, and to all of the distilleries, Ian Laurie, John Campbell, Jane Mitchell, Minty, Jean the Fish, Islay Woollen Mill, East-Wood Glass Design, Islay Ales, Boat Fishing Monthly Magazine and Bowmore Harbour Association. Festivities continued into the evening with a prize giving ceremony together with a BBQ supplied by Ideas, Bar by the Feis Committee and PA by Ringo.

All proceeds from the event will be split between the RNLI and Islay and Jura Sick Children’s fund.

This press release was submitted by Jane McAfee, Marketing Manager StormCats Ltd, from StormCats Islay.
Many thanks Jane!

The Tope Fishers at Bowmore harbour, see any familiar faces?