History for Dai as he retains angling title

AFTER a year in Covid-19 lock down and seven qualifying legs in 2021, the 41st Garry Evans Seamaster final took place in conjunction with the The Barry Angling Festival.

Fishing the beaches of Cold Knap, Porthkerry, Rhoose & Fontygary, the match day weather forecast was not the best with rain showers predicted throughout the day and moderate south to south westerly wind.

However this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the anglers with a better than average turn out of 116 fishing the event.

Overall 53 anglers brought fish to the scales in this catch and release match where 13 different species of fish were caught: conger eel, blonde, small eyed and thornback rays, dogfish, bull huss, whiting, poor cod, rockling, cod, bass, pouting and ballan wrasse.

Total match weight was 147kgs.

For the first time in the history of the event, Angling Ambitions rod builder Dai Llewellyn from Barry, fishing for Holton Road SAC, retained the Seamaster Trophy.

He was also top points scorer for the second year in a row throughout the qualifying events.

To complete the treble he also won the Barry Angling Festival for the second time in a row.

Dai won the festival first prize of £500 with £115 pool money for the heaviest bag of fish of 10.11kgs, consisting of two blonde rays, a dogfish and a rockling.

He also retained the coveted Garry Evans Seamaster Title and won a £250 tackle voucher donated by the main sponsor Garry Evans Fishing Tackle Cardiff & Newport.

To complete the double hat-trick, Dave also picked up £100 for topping the Seamaster points table for 2020/21.

Second place in the Barry Festival was Barry legend Don Cook fishing for Seaview Lads SAC with 9.65kgs consisting of a bass and the heaviest fish in the match a conger eel of 7.25kgs, winning him £250 cash.

Festival third place went to Porthcawl angler Chris Stephens with a blonde ray and conger eel for 7.86kgs.

In fourth place was Bridgend angler Gary Parsons with five conger eels for 7.02kgs.

In fifth place was Bridgend team Sakuma angler Andrew Withey with two conger eels and five rockling for 6.6kgs.

The festival junior winner was Welsh Junior International angler Ben Beal from Cardiff. He weighed in two pouting, two rockling and a ballan wrasse for 1.34kgs.