Nigel Bourgaize with his superb 17-5-12 boat-caught bass. (0670184)

TWO potential record fish took the main awards in the October Fish of the Month competition.

Richard Seager’s 14-3-0 boat-caught starry smooth hound scored 113.85% and gave him the Shakespeare Monthly Angling Award for the top overall specimen and the Select Decor Tankard for the best boat-caught fish.

Sam Robins won the J. Meerveld and Sons Tankard for the top shore-caught fish with his 1-12-12 twaite shad, which scored 108.49%.

It was a high scoring month as five other fish topped the 90% mark. The two runner-up prizes of Bucktrout’s Bass beers went to Shane Huxster 3-14-8 shore-caught common eel 98.81% and Peter Rihoy 1-12-15 boat-caught twaite shad 95.66%.

Ironically the Tackle Direct spot prize, which is selected by a draw involving all the entrants, also went to a 90%-plus fish, the winner being Shane Bentley with his 12-4-14 shore-caught bull huss, which was worth 92.86%.

Sympathy must be given to Nigel Bourgaize. In any other month this year his superb 17-5-12 boat-caught bass, worth 94.23%, would have given him a major prize, but with so many high-scoring specimens he was beaten back to fifth place and missed out on the awards.