The 3rd Felinfoel Brewery Double Dragon RNLI Annual Fishing Open, organised by members from Pembroke & District Angling Club, Osprey Sea Angling Club, Haven Angling Group and West Wales Match Anglers, was held recently on Amroth beach in South Pembrokeshire.
Well, what a difference a fortnight makes as just two weeks earlier the best catches of Flounder for nigh on twenty years were recorded at the Air Ambulance Open, yet in this competition only 13 out of the 71 anglers that fished, which included 2 Ladies & 8 Juniors (7 boys & 1 girl), managed to weigh in just 19 fish.
The weather and conditions were fairly similar, though this time there was, what should have been, a more favourable westerly wind which prevailed all day. However, maybe the surf was a little larger and longer and this may have had the effect of keeping the fish further out.
Either that or they weren't there!
Had the beach been netted in between the 2 comps? Was it the surf? Was it too late in the year with most of the fish having left to spawn in deeper water?
We'll probably never know but it was disappointing for both the organisers and the anglers, especially those that had fished previously as their hopes of a good catch must have been fairly high. What happened to the saying "when the wind is in the west the fish bite best" eh?
The winning angler who managed to land 3 smallish flounder for 1Kg 75gms was local Milford Haven rod Derek "Del Boy" Gregory, netting him the first prize of £250.
The biggest flounder at 785gms went to another Milford man Max Capes; I believe only fishing for the second time, so he took the pool of £71.
In a close second was Swansea angler Barry Beatrup, with 2 slightly larger flounder for 1Kg 30gms, allowing him to pick up the runner's up prize of £50.
In third place by an even smaller margin was Cardiff‘s Franco Attanasio, who also had 2 flounder but for 1KG 25gms, just 5 grams less! However, it was good enough to get him the third prize of £25.
Franco also won the pair's competition with his fishing partner Andy Young with 5 flounder for 2Kg 30gms picking up £40, with Del & Chris Daines second with 4 flounder for 1Kg 565gms netting £18. Unfortunately, no juniors or ladies caught.
However, the most important result on the day was that the event raised just £3 shy of £800 for the Angle and Tenby lifeboats.
To thank for this sterling effort we must first thank our main sponsor Felinfoel Brewery along with their rep, Jamie Owen, for continuing to sponsor this event and congratulate the anglers from the organising clubs, you know who you are, together with Roger Harris of the Amroth Arms who always puts his premises and valued support at this event's disposal.
Also, we must again thank all the kind and generous sponsors of the event, including those already mentioned, who donated cash, made collections and donated prizes for the mega raffle which ensured continuation of the event's great success.
These were, in no particular order, Shane Tucker, Pembroke Angling, Roger Harries (Amroth Arms), Franco Attanasio, Andrew Skeels, Alex Nicholas, Martin & Sandra Thompson of Anglers Corner Milford Haven, John O'Connor, Cameron Pritchard, Mervyn Davies, Mark Josey, Nigel Goldsmith, Norman Johnson, Denis Nicholas, Simon Nicholas, Gerald Wickland & Leigh Rogers.
If anybody feels aggrieved that they have been missed off this list and we hope there isn't, we are truly sorry, but thank you, most warmly, for your continued support.
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