Keen angler Mark Fraser has written to the Largs News with a request for stories concerning coarse fishing in the area.

He said: "I hope your readers will be able to help me with a request on your letters page if possible. I am currently writing a book on Coarse Fishing in Ayrshire and would like to make contact with the fishermen who take up this branch of the sport.

"I have a website which is www.ayrshirecoarsefishing.org and a busy Facebook page. I am looking for picture of coarse fish from ten, twenty years or more ago, I have many from the present years but in order to try and see how coarse fishing has developed in the county it would be nice to hear from people.

It is not the most popular branch of the sport and only gaining popularity in the last five or so years to the extent that Ayrshire now holds the biggest cash prize in course match fishing.

I am also looking for old stories of big pike, eels, perch legends and folklore surrounding these fish. Any funny stories, anything connected with the sport. Ayrshire once held the Scottish perch record with a fish caught from the Gooseloan area near Kilwinning, if anyone has any information on this I would appreciate the contact.

I already have a wealth of information from anglers and my own experiences, and here I am trying to reach those people I may have missed."

Mark Fraser www.ayrshirecoarsefishing.org markbenjaminfraser@outlook.com