The Malloch Challenge Trophy is Scotland's most prestigious award for salmon fishing.[1] [2] The award is given for the largest salmon caught on the fly and safely returned to the water in Scotland each year.[3]
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.[4] There is also a junior version of the award.
| Year | Winner | Weight | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sandy Walker | 32lbs | River Lochy[5] |
| 2010 | Huston McCollough | 36lbs | River Spey |
| 2011 | Sam Valentine | 43.5lbs | River Nith[6] |
| 2012 | Jim Reid | 50lbs (est.) | River Tweed[7] |
| 2013 | Shamus Jennings | 50lbs | River Tweed[8] |
| 2014 | Wayne Longstaff | 33lbs | River Tweed[9] |
| 2015 | Tom Buchanan | 35lbs | River Lyon, a tributary of the River Tay[10] |
| 2016 | John MacIssac | 38-41lbs | River Spean[11] |