THE annual Big Cod Open boat match was finally held after bad weather had seen it cancelled several times this year.
Last Sunday, around 120 boats took to the water in pursuit of the £1,000 first prize – donated largely by the three sponsors; Baitbox, Cryotect and BJB Lift Trucks.
Without their continued help, the competition would certainly not be as prestigious.
With conflicting weather reports, it was touch and go whether the match would go ahead once again, but I am pleased to say it did – even if some anglers were affected by the conditions.
Many boats went in search of sheltered water, but within half an hour the wind died and the sea calmed.
However, while the radio waves are usually very busy with anglers' tales of catching fish, there was ghostly silence as the fishermen initially struggled.
The boats were scattered all over the Humber, with just the odd fish being caught – different tactics were used in different locations, but results stayed the same.
Grimsby angler, Rob Skelhorne, was fishing from Bob Bellamy's boat – and he knows the river better than most competitors on show.
He decided to fish from the Grimsby middle on the last cast of the day, and he ultimately managed to get a proper bite.
Skelhorne – using his many years worth of experience – patiently played the fish on to the boat. A huge head appeared, with an 11lb plus cod the end result.
Was this going to be the winning fish?
At 6pm the match ended – back at the weigh-in it was uncertain how many fish had been caught, but as usual the skilled anglers had found some decent fish, with several double-figured cod being brought to the scales.
Top man on the day was Grimsby's Alan Jones, who used his detailed knowledge of the Humber to catch a 12lb 5oz cod that netted him £1,500.
Next in was Skelhorne, whose cod weighed-in at 11lb 3 1/2oz.
In third, there was a tie between Dave Haile (from BJB Lift Trucks) and Yorkshire-based angler Steve Ackroyd, who both had a 10lb cod.
With a fantastic prize table provided by Hull's Fishing Basket, the successful anglers had plenty of reward for their efforts.
Proceeds from the day, totalling £1,400 – including the £500 of cod that was caught – was passed on to RNLI, which is a fantastic cause.
A big thank you must go to the sponsors, but also the organising committee made up of Tony Hogg, Clive Glover, Chris Banks and Tim Burgess.
Meanwhile, on the shore side of things – Humber SAC were in action on the Humber Bank Wall.
The fishing on the night was not brilliant, and it was the flounder that gave anglers the limited sport available.
In-form Steve MacGregor kept his winning run going with seven flounders for 2.8lb, including the biggest fish of the evening – a 33cm flounder.
Next in was Adie Cooper, who had five fish for 1.8lb.
Tomorrow's match is at 'The Woods', Stallingborough. Fishing between 1pm and 5pm, anglers are expected to meet at the waste ground from 11.45am.
