SEA LEAGUE

Britain’s big shore event is on its way back - what you need to know...

Britain’s top sea angling match event, the Penn Sea League, will resume in September following a suspension of competition during the Covid-19 lockdown. Weekend and bank holiday shore events from September 5 will be eligible for Penn points. Organisers should notify Sea Angler of changes to their fixtures as soon as possible. An updated fixture list will appear in our next issue.

When match fishing came to a halt once the Covid-19 lockdown measures were announced on March 23, the leading angling organisations – the Angling Trust, Irish FSA, Scottish FSA and Welsh FSA – issued directives that all national, regional and club events should not take place until further notice. Since then, limited match fishing has been allowed in some countries, mainly England.

As a result, Sea Angler decided to suspend the Penn Sea League competition, consisting of two divisions, until further notice. Now, a resumption in September will mean the 2020 competition will last only seven months (January to March, and September to December), with December 28 the last eligible day for matches to qualify for points in 2020. The 2021 event will start on January 1, 2021.

The Penn Sea League final, featuring the top 35 from the 2019 Premier Division and best five from Division One, planned for August 1 at Chesil Beach, Dorset, was also postponed. Qualifiers will be informed if this year’s final will go ahead at a later date.