ALAN Stanley landed the top fish of the day at the HCA Winter League boat fishing match last Sunday.
It was a good day with very little wind and not too cold, although the anglers were mainly catching whiting which meant you had to work hard for cod.
Seventeen anglers fished the match, and Stanley – on board his own boat, the Georgie Dee – caught a cod that weighed 7.15lb gutted. Tony Hogg, right, got the next two biggest fish, of 6.15lb and 6.3lb.
Paul Sekka once again showed what a quality angler he is by catching the biggest bag of the day, at 34lb.
Stanley was in close pursuit with 32.9lb. Richard Stanley was third with 29.11lb. Next in was Hogg with 29.10lb, so it was a very close match.
On to the shore scene, and things did slow down as expected on the Yorkshire coast.
However, there is still cod being caught and I would expect that they may show up again in numbers on the lower tides. It depends on where the food is for the cod.
They will be following shoals of smaller fish such as sprats, which usually come into the river at this time of year.
Humber SAC fished a match on Courtaulds Straight. It was a very good turn out, but someone had forgot to tell the fish that there was a match on.
It was a struggle for most of the competitors. Geoff Hill managed to find nine fish for 3.15lb, and Jon Gore was next in with seven fish for 3.5lb. The ever-present Adie Cooper was third – he had eight fish for 2.7lb.
The biggest round fish of the night was a 38cm whiting caught by Simon Drayton.
The next match in on Sunday at Humberston Creek fishing 11am-3pm. Meet at the car-park from 9.45am.
The club were holding their AGM on Thursday night, so it will be interesting to see what new developments have taken place and if a successor to the chairman has been found.
Latest SPAC match report as follows:
Stafford's Dave Shorthouse was runaway winner of the first Skegness Pier Angling Club (SPAC) match of 2013, held in ideal conditions at Chapel Point.
Dave beached seven whiting and 11 dabs for an excellent bag weight of 8lb 6¾oz, adding the C Smith Cup to his growing hoard of silverware.
Some way behind in second place was Wrangle's Alan Steadman, with a nine-fish mixed bag for 5lb 3oz.
Rapidly improving Friskney match angler Rob Ward came in third with ten fish weighing 4lb 5oz, and also won the heaviest flatfish prize for his second match on the trot, with a specimen 15oz dab.
Match organiser Mark Holmes took the heaviest round fish award with a 1lb 3oz whiting.
The SPAC AGM will be held on Saturday, February 23, commencing at 7pm in the New Park Club, Scarborough Avenue, Skegness.
All current and prospective members are invited to attend. The annual trophy presentation and social event will take place immediately after the AGM, including a grand raffle and buffet.
The next SPAC match will be held on Saturday, January 26, from 3pm-7pm at Trunch Lane, with club members fishing for the Coleman Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in.
For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com
