Baby Champion and Best Asagi: A Great Show Weekend for Byer Koi

While Amanda and I are deep in the busy season here at Byer Koi Farm working hard on the fry, we’re delighted to share that our koi have been making a splash further north—at the 2025 Scotland Koi Show! And not just any splash—two major awards were won by koi bred right here on our farm.

Baby Champion At The 2025 Scotland Koi Show - Bred By Adam Byer Koi Farm

We’re proud to announce another Baby Champion award, this time won with a Showa from our MGS line—a special milestone, as it’s our first Baby Champion that’s not a Kohaku. Congratulations to Jamie Adams for selecting this standout koi from our sales tanks and raising it so well to win such a prestigious award.

(Thank you to Joe Mitchell from The Koi Perspective for the photos)

We often have hidden gems in our tanks, and Jamie’s keen eye—on a visit all the way from Scotland—spotted one of them. At the time, we still had several Showa available from our last MGS spawning. This line is known for its slow-developing sumi, which can sometimes be overlooked in favour of koi with more finished sumi patterns. As a result, a few top-quality Showa were sitting right there in plain sight in the koi shop, waiting for someone with the vision to see their potential.

It was a great spot by Jamie, and we’re thrilled that it’s performed so well in the show scene.

This isn’t the first award for our MGS Showa line either—Craig Caldwell took 1st place in Size 2 Showa at last year’s BKKS National Koi Show with another fish from this line (see our blog for more). Following that with a Baby Champion award at the Scotland Koi Show is a fantastic progression.

Although the female parent from our MGS line has sadly passed away, we’ve kept around 10 Showa from her final two spawnings to continue her line. The slower-developing sumi is a trait we greatly appreciate, and the sumi style comes from the female parent, purchased from Ueno.

Best Asagi At The 2025 Scotland Koi Show - Bred By Adam Byer Koi Farm

The second major award went to an Asagi owned by Abby Bain, who purchased it from our Individual Koi For Sale page in March 2024 when it was 29cm. Just over a year later, it’s grown to 54cm and won Best Asagi in Show! This koi displays beautiful kado gin (the metallic edge along the scales), a broad, strong head, and excellent body shape. The beni (red) has developed beautifully, rounding out a very impressive Asagi with lots of potential for further improvement too.

Here's a picture showing the koi presented on the website at the time of purchase:

And if you'd like to see all the 'before' pictures, check out the original website listing here.

We’re incredibly grateful to both Abby and Jamie for their excellent koi keeping, and we thank them for not only selecting our koi—but for showing them so well and helping them achieve such standout results at the Scotland Koi Show.

Behind the Scenes — Why These Wins Matter

We love sharing stories like this because they’re not just about the trophies—they’re about the hands, the eyes, and the patience it takes to raise koi from fry to champions.

The first part of that journey starts here at Byer Koi Farm with the careful breeding work we put into each line. From there, it's over to our customers—people like Jamie and Abby—who select promising fish and take over the next stage of development.

Their vision, care, and dedication have helped shape these koi into worthy winners. It's a true collaboration, and a real credit to their commitment.

It’s also incredibly rewarding for us to see traits we’ve worked hard to develop—like the slower-developing sumi in our Showa, or the kado gin (the metallic edging on scales) in the Asagi—come through so clearly. And it’s even better when customers recognise those traits and are willing to invest the time to let them flourish.

So to Jamie and Abby: thank you for recognising the work we’re doing here at Byer Koi Farm—and for taking these koi to the show bench and presenting them so well.

9 Champion Awards Won With Koi Bred At Adam Byer Koi Farm

This latest win nudges our running total of Champion awards from 8 to 9—which means it’s time for a bit of website housekeeping! If you spot a stray “8” somewhere, rest assured we’re working on it… or feel free to let us know 😉.

But beyond the number, each of these awards represents something more meaningful: consistent, top-level recognition of our koi at major shows. For our customers, it’s a sign that the breeding work we’re doing here isn’t just theory—it holds up in the show ring, again and again.

When you’re buying koi, it’s worth knowing where they come from. These awards reflect the quality of our bloodlines, the health and strength of the fish we raise, and the passion we bring to every spawning season. Whether you’re after show potential or just a beautiful koi to enjoy at home, that same care is behind every fish we offer.