DAVID GUY MEMORIAL SEAHAM SAC OPEN NOV 27, 2019, DENEHOLM TO HENDON, 405 ANGLERS
Speculation was rife on social media during the run-up to the Seaham Open, one of the largest events in the North East. Many were convinced that the onset of a northerly blast would definitely throw a spanner in the works and scupper proceedings by ultimately seeing the competition being cancelled.
However, the fishing gods were on their best behaviour on the eve of the match, and the winds suddenly slowed and decided to veer to a more westerly direction, going back to a north-westerly later on.
On the day, conditions were just about perfect, allowing 405 anglers to venture to most marks and, more importantly, the local North Pier was deemed accessible too.
With 73 anglers lucky enough to draw tickets stamped with ‘PIER’, together with the peg number, that left 27 still in the box and unsold.
Those competitors who had tickets stamped ‘BEACH’ were free to roam between Deneholm Pipe at Horden in the southern boundary, and Hendon Groyne in the north.
HOPES WERE HIGH
The match kicked-off at noon, and with a full five hours of fishing ahead, hopes were high that the cod would be feeding. Those on the pier soon found small coalies and undersized codling close to the wall.
Local angler Richard Stephenson, peg 72 on the pier, was fishing at extreme distance and
started well with a 36cm codling, that fell to a yellowtail lug on his first cast.
North East match angling legend Jim Dobie, from Peterlee, has won just about every open event in County Durham, and was trying again to get his name on the trophy. He fished at the base of the pier at a mark called The Spiles and landed a 37cm codling using a lug and peeler crab cocktail.
Sunderland angler Robin Greenhow was on the pier’s peg 60. Small fish were becoming a pest for him, but he eventually located a sizeable codling at 36cm using a large cart bait.
Reports began filtering through that the occasional better fish had been caught from rough ground marks, especially around the Green Wall and Blocks. However, the drum of the North Pier was proving to be a hotspot. Seaham SAC secretary Rob Davison was on peg 1 and found himself going head-to-head with Peterlee angler Grant Watkins, who was on the next peg.
Using a mixture of yellowtail lug and cart or peeler crab, the pair found the going hectic as they located codling and coalies feeding in the tide. It would be Davison who would edge it at the end, with one more codling in his bag.
BETTER CODLING
As the tide peaked near the end of the match, anglers fishing closer to the beach found a few better codling among the rocks and kelp.
Andy Robson, who owns A&D Tackle in Newcastle, landed a codling close to 3lb with a black lug and mussel cocktail. As did Derek Russell, from Sunderland, who chose to fish at The Spiles. He located a codling nudging 4lb, with yellowtail lug and peeler crab again proving to be a successful combination.
The match ended with most competitors having at least a fish to take back to the weigh-in. Winner was Ian McLaughlin, who decided to fish at the Chemical Beach and took a decent codling weighing 5.62lb.
Runner-up was local lad and Seaham SAC member Dave Borwell, who also fished close to Ian and landed a cod weighing 5.39lb. Third place went to Hartlepool angler Toby Lee with a 5.35lb cod that he caught from the rough ground near Hawthorn Hive. ■