The Malloch Challenge Trophy is Scotland's most prestigious award for salmon fishing. The award is given for the largest salmon caught on the fly and safely returned to the water in Scotland each year.
The award was founded in 1972 by the noted fishing tackle manufacturer and retailer Mallochs of Perth and first presented to Lady Burnett for a 43lb salmon caught on the Tay. Over the years winning fish have come from a number of Scottish rivers, including the Dee, Spey, Tweed, Tay and Naver. In 1999 the trophy ceased to be awarded due to a combination of loss of sponsorship and stringent conservation measures but was acquired by the Tay foundation in 2009 who reinstated the competition with a change to the criteria to require fish to be returned to the water. In recent years the trophy has been sponsored variously by Savills and FishPal. There is also a junior version of the award.
List of winners of the Malloch Trophy
| Year | Winner | Weight | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sandy Walker | 32lbs | River Lochy |
| 2010 | Huston McCollough | 36lbs | River Spey |
| 2011 | Sam Valentine | 43.5lbs | River Nith |
| 2012 | Jim Reid | 50lbs (est.) | River Tweed |
| 2013 | Shamus Jennings | 50lbs | River Tweed |
| 2014 | Wayne Longstaff | 33lbs | River Tweed |
| 2015 | Tom Buchanan | 35lbs | River Lyon, a tributary of the River Tay |
| 2016 | John MacIssac | 38-41lbs | River Spean |
References
- ^ "Salmon angling trophy resurrected". BBC News. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- Mack, Gordon; Williams, Martin (10 January 2009). "Coveted salmon trophy is brought back to help fish conservation". The Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ "Salmon trophy leaps back to prominence". The Scotsman. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ Mills, Naomi (13 December 2011). "Prize winning salmon caught on the River Nith". Deadline News. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ "The 2014 Malloch Trophy". Fish and Fly. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- "FishPal - Scotland - Malloch Trophy - History". www.fishpal.com.
- ^ "Gillie wins prize for salmon caught on River Spean". BBC News. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ "Malloch Trophy - Winners". Fishpal. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- "Picture:largest salmon caught in Scotland this year". The Scotsman. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- Urquhart, Frank (16 December 2013). "50lb salmon 'biggest caught in Scotland in 2013'". The Scotsman. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- "The FishPal Malloch Trophy 2015 Winner". South Chesthill Estate newsletter. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2023.