2025 Veterans Cup Round 7 Lake of Menteith
Today was Round 7 and the final Military Veterans Fly Fishing Cup match of 2025. All matches have been fished at Scotland’s premier Lake of Menteith Fisheries and with the top 4 scores from 7 rounds counting, it was always going to come down to the wire and final day. Allan Gamble & Ian Macgregor had fished very consistently throughout the season and were in pole position, but there were a pair of old Jocks hanging about in the wings with a fair bit of experience between them.
Fishing had been tough recently due to the water clarity but we all knew that the Lake was well-stocked with fish widely spread so although they wouldn’t be crawling up the line, they were there to be caught.
At the pre-match brief anglers were informed that we’d be fishing from 9-4 with no customary stop for lunch. Our legendary lunches have been a huge part of our season all generously provided by John and Audrey Maestri and The Rose House in Perth 🙏 No stop today however made the match even more exciting as nobody really knew where the leaders were or how they were getting on.
I shared a boat with Jim Carruthers who was a delight to fish with. Jim had a very unlucky day, losing 4 fish in play but he remained up-beat and we had a great chat about his recent MCFFC UK Champs trip to Clywedog, which I missed. Jim has refined his technique over the season and gained a great deal of experience, so we’re looking forward to seeing him climb the leaderboard in 2026.
The weather forecast was dodgy at best but fortunately the rain held off until 16:00 when the heavens really opened. The wind actually dropped over the last couple of hours and we were lucky to find some feeding fish in the middle of the east basin. The swifts were working hard so on went the dries and up came the fish! Who says dries don’t work 😂
At we headed toward the beach at 16:00 the scent of curry greeted us as far out as Shear Point! Full steam ahead and most of us just about managed to stow the kit before the deluge. It was obvious from the results that the fishing had been extremely challenging and with 7 blanks, the reality hit home that occasionally the fish win.
The post-match Curry provided by Quint Glen and his team was absolutely delicious. We passed on our thanks to all the Lake of Menteith staff for all their hard work in producing an exceptional season. Fishing has been consistent and the quality of fish outstanding. 👏👏
As anticipated, the 2025 Veterans Cup final results were again very close with only 4 points separating the top 3 places. Unfortunately Al and Ian had challenging days and I found a few fish which were more willing. The Top 3 Individual places went to the RAF which caused a few grumbles at the Prize Giving but truthfully, we wouldn’t have it any other way!
We now look forward to our 2 teams fishing in the Scottish Clubs final on 26th September and our match against a Scottish Select team on 15th October. Good luck to our Chairman John Paul Maestri who is fishing in the Scottish National Final this coming Saturday. He’s been drawn with Ronnie Gilbert, one of the most consistent anglers ever to fish the Lake of Menteith so all fingers crossed for them both.
2025 Veterans Cup Results
Champion - Jock Royan (8 points)
2nd Allan Gamble (11 Points)
3rd Ian Macgregor (12 Points)
Today’s Results
1. Jock Royan - 1 Point
2. Kenny McClymont - 2 Points
3. Graeme Sharp - 3 Points
4. Stevie Mcarthur - 4 Points
5. Graham Fulton - 5 Points
6. Sandy Campbell - 6 Points
7. Allan Macleod - 7 Points
8. Dave Rogers - 8 Points
8. Jock Kettles - 9 Points
9. Glen Lamont - 10 Points
10. Jim Carruthers - 11 Points
11. Eck Moffat - 12 Points
12. Graeme Ferguson - 13 Points
13. Albert Graham - 14 Points
14. William Sheppard - 15 Points
15. JP Maestri - 16 Points
16. Ian Macgregor - 17 Points
17. Graham Steele - 18 Points
18. Joy Penrose-Stupard - 19 Points
19. Byran Yip - 20 Points
20. Geoff Allen - 21 Points
21. Al Gamble - 22 Points
22. Cammy Duncan - 30 Points
23. John McCauley - 30 Points
24. Ian Howland - 30 Points
25. Jim Watson - 30 Points
26. Eddie Fullerton - 30 Points
27. Tony Smith - 30 Points