14/03/2026
It was typical early spring weather as Scotland’s top anglers descended on Burnhouse Lochan for the first of the Scottish National Fly Fishing League’s (SNFFL) premier division 2026 events.
Overcast at times, bright, breezy, cold wind and squally rain made conditions very difficult. However, as you would expect from Scotland’s best anglers, they managed to land and record a rod average of 5.9 fish per angler… not a record breaker, but, given the conditions, very respectable.
The competition was fished over two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, where anglers fished a total of six half-hour pegs in each session. Between pegs, they were expected to prepare any new casts, sort out tangles, change flies and rethink tactics.
The only truly fresh peg is the first one of the day, the rest have been heavily fished by the time they reach them; and, as any top angler will tell you, this makes the ability to adapt and rethink tactics a vital part of their armoury.
The morning session was won by Michael Low, with an impressive eight fish, and second and third went to Iain Lindsay and Mike Cordiner with six and five fish respectively.
There was a bit of a flip in fortunes in the second session, where Michael Ward took first place with seven fish, a huge turnaround from his single fish in the morning session, Robert Maxwell was hard on his heels with six fish, and Derick Logan took third with five.
When the scores were totted up, it turns out that Robert Maxwell now sits atop of the league with nine fish and eight place points; Michael Low second with twelve fish and nine points; and Mike Cordiner third with nine fish and nine points.
This first session has set us up for a cracking season, with, I’m sure, a few twists and turns yet to come.
Tactics overall was a mixed bag, but most anglers stuck to sunk line work, pulling lures such as minkies and damsels; however, the b**g featured heavily too… mainly in and around the margins. There were reports of decent numbers falling to buzzers, but, given the changeable conditions, adapting and switching between methods was the order of the day.
I couldn’t possibly do a report on Burnhouse without thanking Maisy May and her staff, and her incomparable buffet lunch. This truly is one of Scotland’s premier small Stillwater venues and is fast gaining such a reputation amongst discerning anglers from all over the country – just watch that waistline if you decide to visit the place too often!
If you haven’t tried the place yet, give the fishery a call, there will always be a warm welcome and some cracking fishing to boot.
