The Ellem Fishing Club is steeped in formality and ritual. At the core of today’s Club activities is annual member participation in several organised fishing outings. There is friendly competition for several medals and trophies which themselves are steeped in fascinating history
The affairs of the Club are managed by a President, a Chairman and five other members, with one to be elected as the Treasurer. The management team run the Club in accordance with its Articles of Constitution. The Articles of Constitution may be amended subject to agreement by the members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Treasurer presents the Club’s financial accounts at the AGM.
An Outings Secretary is appointed within Club’s management team to arrange the annual outing events, which will often include a meal afterwards at a nearby restaurant.
The Club is pleased to announce this year’s programme of events:
| EVENT / COMPETITION | DATE | LAST BOOKING |
|---|---|---|
| Watch Fishery | Wednesday, 9 April | 25-Mar-25 |
| River Competition | Thursday 15 May | – |
| ** Loch Leven | Thursday, 29 May | – |
| Glencorse Reservoir | Thursday, 12 June | 29-May-25 |
| Coldingham Loch | Tuesday, 1 July | 17-June-25 |
| Lake of Menteith | Wednesday, 6 August | 23-Jul-25 |
| Coldingham Loch | Tuesday, 2 September | 19-Aug-25 |
| Chatton Fishery | Thursday, 2 October | 18-Sep-25 |
| Annual Dinner | Thursday, 16 October | – |
| AGM | Wednesday, 22 October | – |
Members will be advised by email or letter on how to make bookings. Please note the closing date for each event. All competitions are a 4 fish limit and then catch & release. ** indicates an additional non-competitive event.
Bookings will be accepted on a ‘first come, first served’ basis with members taking priority over guests. Emails or letters confirming bookings for each event will be sent out after the closing date with a request to pay the appropriate fee.
Members participating in a stillwater event are kindly requested to familiarise themselves with the Rules of the fishery. The Berwick and District Angling Association and the Whiteadder Angling Association have kindly permitted Club members to fish the Annual River Competition without a permit. However all members are requested to abide by the Rules of both organisations during the Competition.
The criteria for awarding the medals and trophies are listed in the Club’s Articles of Constitution.
The original Club Medal was presented to the Club by Mr Marshall a Jeweller from Leith in 1830. This medal has had 5 outer rings added to it over the years to accommodate the names of the winners.
By 2015 the 5th outer ring was full and It was then decided by a majority of members that a further ring addition was too expensive. Going forward a smaller Gold Medal was purchased and used to continue to record the winner’s name.
From its inception the Gold Medal was awarded to the successful competitor at the Annual River Competition. However in 2020 it was decided that the medal would be awarded to the angler with the most points from the Annual River competition and their best two Stillwater competitions. View all our Gold Medal winners from 1830 here.
In 1835 Mr George Trotter of Broomhouse Paper Mill presented a medal to be called the Trotter Medal which was originally awarded to the competitor with the heaviest bag of 12 trout, other than the Gold Medal winner.
This has been reduced to the heaviest 2 trout, done in stages over the years as a conservation measure which has always been part of the Club’s DNA.
Presented to the Club in 1886 by Mr. George Dundas, Sherriff Substitute of Berwickshire, the rules for this medal are that the member must be over 40 years of age and is to fish for no more than 3 hours on the day of the Annual River competition.
