This Is Guernsey

By Len Le Page

BRENDAN ZABEL is the new Guernsey Sea Anglers Club’s junior champion and Yusuf Ikirmawi has won the Bachmann Cup for the shore championship.

Zabel’s winning score in the overall championship was 528.25 points. That was only 3.75 over the 524.5 gained by Samuel Robert Teed in second place.

Teed had a somewhat frustrating season for he had finished runner-up to Zabel in the boat championship, having been beaten by only 7.5 points, and also ended in the runner-up spot in the shore championship, 50 points behind Ikirmawi.

The overall and shore championship positions were decided after the youngsters fished the last two shore matches in the four-leg Bachmann series.

The Bachmann three match was fished on St Peter Port Breakwater in late September. Nine juniors weighed in fish, the total catch consisting of one ballan wrasse, seven mackerel and 53 garfish. It was this match that gave Ikirmawi a real boost in the shore championship chase for he won with 17 garfish and three mackerel for 10-12-0 and 95 points, 50.75 clear of second placed Thomas Fisher and even more against his main rivals.

The President’s Prize went to the top two heaviest bags, 10-12-0 by Ikirmawi and 5-9-0 by Fisher.

In October the youngsters went to the breakwater again to fish the fourth and last competition in the Bachmann series. The result of this competition was much closer.

Teed won with 14 garfish for 6-14-0 and 55.5 points. This was just two clear of Ikirmawi in second spot, obviously not enough to dent Ikirmawi’s overall winning lead.

Once again nine young anglers took part, the total catch being 59 garfish.

The President’s prizes went to Teed and Ikirmawi, who had identical winning bags weighing 6-14-0.

ALAN DOWN had no idea what fish he had caught when he legered a live sandeel in the Amfroque area.

The 16-and-a-half-inch-long specimen was creamy in colour, with irregular oblique dark markings on its sides and a dark, almost black, first dorsal fin.

When placed on the Record Committee scales, it was a weight of

0-13-14. Its identity was confirmed as a greater weever. There is a Bailiwick and Channel Island record for the species, a 1-0-5 fish boated by Paul Berry on the Casquets SW Bank in July 2004. The British record is a 2-2-7 specimen boated off Cornwall in 1999.

The greater weever is every bit as dangerous as its cousin, the lesser weever. Both have venomous glands in the first dorsal fin, which can cause excruciating pain if handled.

The lesser weever prefers shallow water and buries itself in the sand with just that dorsal fin showing. Bathers are the most vulnerable for when the weever is stepped on, it will cause severe pain to the foot and lower leg.

Luckily the greater weever frequents deeper waters and its contact with humans is rare.

Sadly for Down his catch is under 1-0-0 and cannot be entered for the Fish of the Month.

Ironically, in spite of its bad reputation, it makes delicious eating although somehow the expression weever and chips doesn’t seem to ring true.

Article posted on 24th October, 2007 - 12.00am