FISH were hard to come by when the West Coast Sea Angling Club members fished an all-night on Guernsey roving shore match.
It was well supported with 24 turning out, but only seven found fish, with the catch consisting of small rocklings.
The total catch was six bearded rocklings, eight shore rocklings and one pollack. The biggest rockling was the 1-2-0 three-bearded landed by Matt Mahy.
The winner was Simon Fletcher who had three of the three-bearded species for 3-0-0 and 36 points.
The competition kitty went to the two heaviest bags, Fletcher with his 3-0-0 winning catch and Lee Gillot whose pollack and shore rockling weighed 2-3-0.
As a result of the competition Gillot has become the early leader in the club’s overall and shore championships.
STEVE FALLAIZE has caught a record rare bream in his nets set north of Guernsey.
Earlier in the month he caught a 2-7-2 two-banded bream, which was the first recorded in British waters.
His latest capture was a 1-3-15 bogue bream. This species is not as rare as the two-banded.
It is common in the Mediterranean and along the eastern Atlantic shoreline up to the Bay of Biscay.
Nevertheless it is extremely uncommon in Bailiwick waters and has been for many years since they have been taken locally on rod and line.
However, they do appear on our record lists.
The shore record of 1-15-4 is also the British record and was landed by Steven Torode at Pembroke Bay on 19 November 1978.
The Bailiwick boat record is a fish of 1-10-10 caught by Simon Martel in Grande Havre on 19 August 1985.
The British boat record of 1-13-0 was caught off the Eddystone Reef in 1981.
There is something of a mystery surrounding this species. All the reports of the bogue’s capture, from both commercial and sport fishermen have come from a comparatively small area north of Guernsey.
What attracts this species to this area and nowhere else on its occasional visits is open to conjecture.
ANGLERS have been saddened to hear of the death of Bill Dowinton.
He was a keen angler who loved all aspects of his fishing, but mulleting was his real passion.
He was a member of the Guernsey Mullet Club for many years and enjoyed considerable competitive success.
He won many prizes, including the GMC championship in 1993 and 1994, the club’s pairs championship, partnered by his son Mick, in 1989 and the GMC Mullet Open in 1988.
His presence around the harbours, looking for the elusive mullet will be missed, and all anglers will wish to pass on their sympathy to his family and friends at this sad time.
Article posted on 18th February, 2009 - 2.29pm
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