ROSS MCKAY
ROSS MCKAY (OR ROSSCO AS HE’S known) is the go-to guy for rod builds and top quality repairs. He’s now one of the most highly regarded craftsmen in Scotland and, indeed, the UK.
A top angler as well as the organiser of one of the most fun sea fishing competitions seen in a long time, Rossco is one of the world’s ‘good guys’. Joe Whyte spoke to him about life, angling, rod building and everything else in between.
Q Firstly, tell me about your first steps into sea angling? Did someone get you in to it early on?
RM: I started fishing at the age of three. My dad gave me this lifelong hobby and to this day we still fish together when he’s up for it. I used to watch him go out almost every Saturday morning with all his rods and tackle box and couldn’t wait until he came home so I could watch him fill mum’s kitchen sink with fish.
One day he came home from work with a pair of wellies and said I’d need them for the weekend. I couldn’t wait. It was a club trip with The Albion SAC. Back then there was so much more interest in club fishing outings that we used to fill a double-decker bus, which was an exciting yet equally scary experience going up The Rest & Be Thankful (the highest point on the A83). Looking down over the glen from that height was not for the faint hearted. My first ever fishing trip was to Furnace Quarry on Loch Fyne, which
