The latest Skegness Pier Angling Club match was fished at Trunch lane on Sunday. Filled with encouragement by the recent influx of smoothhounds along the coast seventeen anglers fished for the Mrs Wheatcroft Shield.
The match stretch looking South
With the success of the last match expectations were high for a re-run in what appeared to be textbook hound conditions with a fresh offshore wind and a calm sea. However, the hounds did not show in any numbers and even the most experienced angers caught just a single fish or blanked. Bites came right at the start then nothing over the top of the tide and only in the last hour when the tide pull returned did the bites started again. Anglers down to tenth place caught one smooth hound each and eight anglers blanked.
The match winners Lee Williams (second), Adie Cooper (match winner), Karl Nangle (third), Bob angler not Dangler Foster (fourth), Arty Arkrill Longest Flat Fish
In first place with four hounds for 353cm was Aide Cooper who fished for smoothies all match using his long casting to pick up four over the back of a large sandbar which was in front of his peg. Aide used a single hook rig baited with small fresh peeler bait. Aid caught his last hound in the last minutes of the match with his characteristic persistence paying off with a match win. Aide also picked up the longest round fish prize for a 100cm hound.
Lee Williams in second place with 336cm pictured with a hound
In second place was Lee Williams with four hounds for 336cm. Lee had reduced the size of his fresh peeler crab baits and switched to a 3/0 circle hook, dongle rig for this match to gain the extra distance. He found he didn’t need it today finding the fish in a scoured out hole at around 90 meters in front of his peg. He was unlucky to miss one shy bite early on and dropped another fish on the retrieve which cost him the match win.
In third place was Karl Nangle with two fish for 175cm including two hounds the best at 88cm at long range on crab.
Karl Nangle in third place with 175cm, with a hound
In fourth place ‘Angler Not Dangler’ Bob Foster who fished a completely different tactic to the rest by concentrating on the smaller species no more than 25 -30 meters out. Fishing a three hook flapper with small strips of prawn and frozen black lug bob managed to catch a 24cm flounder and then added an 85cm hound beating all those on single hounds.
Arty Arkrill with the longest flatfish 25cm flounder
Longest Flat was won by Arty Arkrill with a 25cm flounder and picked up a schoolie bass fishing super close range and notice a lot of tiny whitebait washed up on the shoreline with small fish feeding on them in the edge.
Many thanks to Aide for pegging out the beach and to Russell for running the match. Thanks to Chas, Tina and Tracey for the great pictures and to all those anglers travelling to fish with the club today. The next match is in two weeks at Marsh Yard (Moggs) and we look forward to seeing you all then.
