No doubt, it’s a win for Thomas at windy Barry

THERE was a good turnout for the Cardiff-based South Wales Sea Anglers presentation night where Gareth Davies from Total Sea Fishing magazine came along to hand out the awards and the hard work and dedication to sea angling of Club Chairman Robert Cole was recognised by him being made a Life Member.

John Fishlock, from Cardiff, was the year’s most successful member and received the champion’s cup.

Tim Theyer, from Barry, was runner up and Cardiff member John Howcroft third. Species trophies were presented to Robert Cole and Shane Boxall and also to Tim Theyer who received the award for his Welsh open ground boat record conger eel from shark fishing legend Andrew Alsop.

Richard Cox from Garry Evans Fishing Tackle presented special awards to the club’s leading junior members 15-year- old Jack Boxall for his second Junior International cap and 16-yearold Zac Lia who is making his first appearance in the junior international team. The second round of the WFSA East Region Shore League takes place at Marcross and Monknash on Sunday.

The draw to leave starts at 9am at Marcross car park and the fishing times are from 10.30am to 3.30pm with the fishing limits from the slipway at St Donats to Wick Ledges.

All weight cards must be at the Three Golden Cups match HQ by 4.30pm and pouting is the nominated species for this round. Undersized cod kept the rod tops nodding when Newport and District SAC fished at Sudbrook; but when the final whistle sounded only two members had fish big enough to go on the scales.

Tony Hart, from Caerphilly, caught a cod and three flounders to win with 2.72kg and also pick up the pool money for the most fish and Steve Allen beached a 1.04kg cod.

Penarth SAC members also had plenty of attention from small cod but the only sizeable ones caught were the matching pair weighing 4lb 12oz that Fred Chick beached at Ranny Pool. THE fourth match in the Glamorgan AC winter series was a windy one at Sue’s Pond, Barry, and won by Caerphilly member Gareth Thomas with 56lb 8oz of carp caught by casting a feeder to the reeds from peg 25.

Cardiff member Robert Michael drew the point peg and pole fished close in for the second best weight of 39lb and after that it was Russell Palmer, from Rhiwbina, with 33lb and his father Jim in fourth place with 27lb.

Ian Heaps was back at number one in the latest open match on the Match Lake at his Holgan Farm Fishery.

He overcame a freezing gale force wind to catch 58lb 14oz of carp on waggler and pellets and beat

Derek King with 47lb and placed Ryan Jones with 22lb.

The White Springs Open was on the New Canal and hard work in cold, driving rain.

Jim Hart switched between pellets and maggots to do best with 28lb; Alan Godrich was in the money again with 22lb 4oz and Andrew Ford third with 18lb 4oz.

Aberglais AC was also at White Springs and it was a 34lb mixture of carp and bream on feeder and

pellets from the Match Lake that gave first prize to Mark Jones.

Second home was Paddy Payne with 23lb and in at third was Frank Davies with 20lb 8oz.

The wind was so strong along the third canal at Cross Keys that competitors in the Pontymister AC match couldn’t reach across to the far side with a pole before the tackle was blown up into the overhanging trees, so it wasn’t surprising that only small fish were caught.

Tristan Walters caught 1lb of small roach to win from a peg at Hall’s Road; Pontymister tackle dealer Steve Byatt was two ounces behind and Phil Thomas third with 11oz.

The Newport Spring Series started with a match at School Pool and a win for 17-year- old Aidan Williams.

Heavy rain had put a cocoa colour into the water but the fish still fed and the top catch was 45lb of carp caught on pellets fished close in at peg 40.

Mark Barrell was runner up with 33lb and Rob Sims third with 31lb 12oz.

The section winners were Jeff Parfitt, from Risca, with 18lb 14oz and Cardiff Nomads member Richard Candy with 17lb 4oz. The second round is at Woodstock Pond on Sunday, March 19.

There was a close finish to the Saturday open on Meadow Lake at Riverside Fishery; but regular winner Dennis O’Leary still managed to be ahead with 19lb 1oz.

The Ebbw Vale angler used whip and maggots to catch roach, small bream and a 1lb 14oz fish that took the pool money for the heaviest perch.

Runner up Richard Candy had 18lb 11oz of roach while it was feeder caught bream for Blackwood’s Tony Birt in third place with 18lb 6oz.

The open at the Maesycwmmer fishery tomorrow is on Riverside Lake and can be entered at the 8am draw.

The Silver Fish League at Worcestershire fishery Woodland View has attracted a number of entries from South Wales and in the final match Ian Swanson, from Ebbw Vale, was third with 14lb 8oz of roach and bream.

Danny Baker, from Tredegar, was also match fishing in Worcestershire.

He took part in the Grand Master qualifier at Larford Lakes and booked a place in the big money final later in the year by finishing third with 103lb 3oz of carp.

The fishery’s angling coach Bob Mitchell won the previous week’s match for the over-50s at Cefn Mably Lakes with 56lb and then upped his weight to 69lb of carp in the latest Wednesday fixture to be the first to complete a hat-trick of wins.

Paddy Payne, from Merthyr, weighed in 61lb for second place and Steve Jones was third with 48lb 8oz. The silver fish pool money went into Dennis O’Leary’s pocket after he put 11lb 8oz of bream and roach on the scales.

Chris Telling’s decision to use maggots as bait in the Wednesday open at Redhill Fishery was a winning one because they attracted bream and roach along with the carp to give him a winning total of 58lb 2oz from peg 6 on Penny’s Pond.

Jason Evans was on the opposite bank and runner up with 54lb and then came Alan Davies with 47lb 5oz and Andrew Williams with 38lb 15oz.

The Sunday match at the Monmouth fishery again needed three ponds to accommodate the entry.

Molly’s Pond provided Mike Yandle, from Tredegar, with another win and it was a convincing one as his catch of carp added up to 101lb.

The next best effort came from Sophie’s Pond where another on form angler, Abertysswg’s Mark Williams, had 80lb 5oz of carp then it was back to Molly’s for the third best catch of 56lb 2oz taken by Cefn Fforest AC member Gafyn Jones. The best catch on Tilley’s Pond was John Dunlop’s 37lb 3oz.