Skegness Pier Angling Club fished their latest match a Huttoft Beach on Saturday 12th April. Eighteen anglers fished in cool dry conditions with a southerly wind, competing for the Tom Senior Cup.
The format of today’s match was a species hunt, in which each angler received 10 points for the first species of fish they caught and one subsequent point for each fish of the same type. The anglers changed baits and tactics throughout the match fishing the best baits for specific species to catch as many different ones as possible. The species on offer today were Dabs, Dogfish, Codling, bass, flounders, smooth hounds and whiting the small dogfish dominating the catches.
The leaders pushed ahead onto three species with little problem with different combinations of fish all trying to find the elusive fourth species. At the same time trying to catch numbers of fish in case of a draw, when the total fish caught would be the decider.
Huttoft Beach
Karl Nangle started with sandeel, blow lug, and fish baits on his standard long-range three-hook clip-downs, using a larger bait on the lead to target a ray. By the halfway point, he had caught a few small dogfish and whiting but needed a flatfish, so he switched mostly to worm baits. After catching a dab, he stuck to long-range casting, looking for the fourth species. Believing by keeping his baits at a distance, he would attract a wider variety of fish and possibly a ray, hound or bass. The fourth species didn’t show up, but it didn’t matter as nobody else caught four, so Karl won the match with his total number of 10 fish.
Match Winner Karl Nangle
Adie Cooper employed a completely different strategy at the far end of the match length. He made full use of every meter of the beach in front of his pegs and kept track of who was catching at various distances. His continental style setup featured long flapper rigs for inshore fishing, while he alternated casts with his Zziplex M4GT equipped for long-range clipped-down loop rigs. His bait selection included fresh peeler crab, maddies, ragworm, blow lug, black lug, whites, as well as frozen squid, mackerel, and sandeel. Adie managed to land a flounder right at the end, securing three species and a total of nine fish, earning him second place.
Dan Cressey sat on two species with an eight fish card of doggies and whiting. Right at the end of the match Dan went short, targeting a flounder or dab close in, on a flapper and single blow lug. His rod bounced once and then kept going over and after a brief tussle a cracking 60cm codling rolled out of the surf. This fish gave Dan three species and pushing his total to 9 fish, putting him into 3rd place just ahead of fellow Reckitts S.A.C club member Scott Richardson.
Scott had a good start with a first cast codling, then catching a doggy on crab followed up with a small hound of 50cm. He switched over to fish baits as he needed a whiting then alternated on worm to try for as dab or flounder. Scott was unlucky and didn’t find the extra species he needed and finished in fourth with three species and 7 fish total.
Dan Cressey with the best fish of the match a 5lb 4oz codling
Match organiser Russ Parsons had fished every range with baits such as fresh blow lug, frozen black lug sandeel and squid and had carded three species with a total of 7 fish for fifth place just behind Scott on total length.
If the match was fished to our normal rules the George Smith would have come out in first place, fishing a selection of baits at all ranges he managed eleven fish for 427cm which was a mixture dogs and whiting. Unfortunately he didn’t find a third species and finished in sixth. It was great to see the England International fishing with us today.
Several large fish were hooked today but lost, George Smith had a big hound bite on crab, but the fish shed the hook. Dave Shorthouse also had a huge banging pull down bite, followed by a slack liner which sadly straightened his hook, possibly a big bass or a cod.
First cast in the chilly southerly breeze
Another highlight of the day was junior angler Zac Short who fishing in a talented field of anglers still managed a respectable tenth place with a 200cm catch of dogfish and whiting. Zac alternated rigs between a three hook clipped down rigs and a Penel rig baited with fresh ragworm. He fished at all ranges and kept going all match, without giving up. His efforts were rewarded in winning the longest round fish prize for a 63cm dogfish.
John Spalton had a bit of a disastrous start with bite a chuck from the start but couldn’t connect with any of them! At high water he landed a 51cm Dogfish and finished in eleventh place with 2 species and 3 fish. Whilst talking to John I bumped into Vern from Vern’s Sea Fishing YouTube channel, who shares our match reports on Facebook. Thanks Vern, it was nice to meet you and maybe to see you at one of our future matches.
The rest of the field down to thirteenth place could only catch two species. Three anglers caught just one and one blanked.
Many thanks to all those travelling to fish with the club today we really appreciate the support. Thanks to Adie for pegging out the beach and to Tina for the great photos. We would like to say get well soon to Tracey who couldn’t fish today as she has a flu. Chris Allsopp has hardly missed a match until today but sustained a nasty back injury on Thursday, so couldn’t fish. Chris came down to walk the match stretch and say hello this evening. Great to see you Chris and we all wish you a speedy recovery.
The match results
It was great to welcome Scott Richardson, Dan Cressey and Scott McKinley, fishing with us for the first time today. They fish with the Reckitts S.A.C in Hull and are very capable anglers indeed, hopefully we’ll see you at more matches. Squids In Sea Baits, Goxhill is well worth checking out if you are in the area for quality bait.
The next match is back to our usual total length measure and is planned for 26th of April at North Shore Road, which should fish well, we look forward to seeing you all then.
