Match angler Mark Taylor had a tussle on his hands last Sunday fishing at Hessle. While using light for eels and flounders, he had latching to something much bigger and stronger. Mark was when it turned out to be a very unusual catfish around 5lbs. At 57cms it turned out to be the longest round fish of the day. There were complaints that Marks unusual capture was in fact a freshwater fish and should not count. Neville Charlesworth rightly said that Mark had caught it square and fair and that it should count.
I have seen a photograph of the fish and I am not sure that it was a wels catfish but there are species of cat that live in brackish water and it could be one of these that had made its home in the Humber. I think that we would be surprised to learn the full range of what species that reside the River Humber! Individually, Simon Drayton won the match, with Jack Morris second and Richard Leek third.
Simon Drayton emerged winner of series, while Simon and Neville also won the pairs competition. Richard and George Smith took the mystery pairs. Richard Foster from Newcastle was second in the series with Richard Leek third. Forth slot was tie between three anglers on 6 points: Neville Charlesworth, Jeff Volley and George Smith. Thanks go to Bob Tarvert at Cleethorpes Angling Centre for sponsoring the event and supplying the prizes.
Humber SAC fish a match at East Halton Skitters and Jack Barlow took first place with sixteen fish for 5lb 6oz. Second was John Gore 2lb 15¾oz, with Del Boy third on 2lb 12½oz. The club’s next match is this Saturday on the beach at Cleethorpes from Brighton Street Slipway. Fishing times are 6.15 to 10.15 and meet at the RNLI from 5pm.
The wind stopped boats trying for the tope, but this weekend sees very high tides and inshore bass are a more likely target given this week’s big tides.
Skegness Pier Angling Club members have been active recently in the annual open RNLI / Carnival match held from Mogg’s Eye, Chapel and a casting tournament held at Bircham Newton in Norfolk. Croxton’s Dave Burr was top man at Mogg’s Eye, winning one of the RNLI silver spoons with two decent smoothhounds weighing 11lb 9oz. Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse won the other spoon with a single hound and a couple of flounders for 6lb 7oz. Some way behind in third place was Wrangle’s Alan Steadman who landed a smaller hound and a tiny weaver weighing in at 3lb 12oz. Alan also took the heaviest round fish award for his 17cm weaver, as smoothhounds are ineligible. Completing the prize-winners was another visitor, Corby’s Paul Marshall, who scooped the heaviest flatfish prize with a nice 1lb 1oz flounder.
After many years absence from the fixture list a S.P.A.C casting tournament was held under the auspices of Anglia Sportscast, casting over grass at Bircham Construction College. Members were casting for the Vanguard Trophy, with the trophy being awarded to the longest cast of the day, irrespective of weight used. Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse showed why he is such a force to be reckoned with on the shore, with a series of long casts, topped by a fine winning effort of 199.96 metres (218 yards). In second place with 182.12 metres (199 yards) was another top local caster, Friskney’s Mark Holmes. SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble struggled in the early rounds due to lack of practice and a borrowed rod, but eventually managed to get a reasonable cast away, to take third spot with 164.56 metres (180 yards).
