This Is Guernsey

By Len Le Page

Brendan Zabel scooped five of the nine junior trophies. (0363955)

STUART Tostevin and Brendan Zabel dominated the prize list at the Guernsey Sea Anglers Club’s annual dinner and presentation night, held at La Villette Hotel.

Tostevin had almost a clean sweep of the top senior awards. He collected eight trophies including the club’s overall and boat championship competitions.

Peter Frise, who had won the championship for the last eight consecutive years, for once had to take a back seat, although he did win the shore championship which prevented Tostevin having the complete grand slam.

Brendan Zabel scooped five of the nine junior trophies. (0363955)

STUART Tostevin and Brendan Zabel dominated the prize list at the Guernsey Sea Anglers Club’s annual dinner and presentation night, held at La Villette Hotel.

Tostevin had almost a clean sweep of the top senior awards. He collected eight trophies including the club’s overall and boat championship competitions.

Peter Frise, who had won the championship for the last eight consecutive years, for once had to take a back seat, although he did win the shore championship which prevented Tostevin having the complete grand slam.

Zabel won five of the nine junior section trophies, including the junior overall and boat championship awards.

Zahrah Nicolle also did well, winning the women’s overall and shore championship. Sue Le Billon took the women’s boat award.

The club’s new president, Adrian Sarre, welcomed everyone to the function and was able to report on a good year for the club. The only big disappointment had been the cancellation of the annual Fur and Feather Open competition due to severe weather conditions.

Thanks were expressed to the boatmen who took the club out on their boat competitions, and the two retiring officers on the club committee, ex-president Mike Weysom and competition secretary John Hatton who had worked so hard for the club during the years in their posts.

Words of appreciation were given to John and Alma Davey and all the senior members who helped to run the junior section.

The prizes were presented to the junior section winners by Richard Keen and to the senior prize winners by the Lt-Governor’s wife Lady Malbon.

LOCAL anglers have enjoyed considerable success in recent years by entering fish in the competitions run by the national angling press and some Sunday newspapers.

Bailiwick caught specimens, including a number of British records, have won a great selection of top-class tackle and other prizes.

However, anglers may be surprised to learn that such successes are not just a fairly recent trend.

A copy of the Angling News dated 5 December 1936 includes news of a number of ballan wrasse, that had been submitted by Guernsey anglers for inclusion in the papers ‘Big Fish List’.

The top three were a 5-14-0 fish caught at Grandes Rocques by H. Wilson and two from St Peter Port Harbour, 5-10-0 by H. U. Rose and 5-0-0 by C. G. Collenette.

A year later in the 4 December 1937 issue, the following statement appeared: ‘Our wrasse list has received a considerable bump-up this year from the Channel Islands. Last year we had five from the CI, this year 29. Our readers will remember a letter from a CI angler a year ago promising (we thought a little rashly) that this island would give the wrasse list a lift in the following 12 months. This promise has been redeemed nobly – this year’s list shows 29 from the CI out of a total 41.’

It would seem that wrasse were the most prolific or popular species in those far-off days, for no other species from the CI’s are listed in the available pages of these old Angling News.

Article posted on 27th March, 2008 - 2.29pm