GO Angling charters

	GO Angling charter services Winter League - Leg 1	Holyhead Marina
	Tel: 01248 716315 \| Mobile: 07971 924046	gethyn@goangling.co.uk

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Friday October 23rd 2009 - 5.30pm till 10.30pm

Following the success of our previous winter league, and talking with Welsh International anglers Chris Hamblin and Robbie Roberts, we decided to run another league during the winter of 2009. Again the format would be based on approximately 4hrs fishing on a Catch & Release points system.

The angler is thereby rewarded for all fish caught, based on the agreed format. With six legs to be fished, scores are converted to percentage, with the winner receiving 100% and each anglers score a percentage of his catch; your best four legs to count and any ties at the end, sorted through fish count.

A keen match angler myself, the lure and success of the previous league and watching our various matches through the years was always hard. So a brief chat with our second Skipper Paul, and it was clear, he would be happy to take the helm thus allowing me to take part in the fishing. I hadn't fished a competitive match since the World Championships of 2005, so was keen, yet nervous to see how it would go against some good opposition within Welsh Boat Angling.

It didn't take long before Chris had filled the spaces on the boat up.

Following some windy weather during the week, the winds eased off to leave a glorious calm evening for our first official match. Sadly though, we forgot to inform the fish (I blame the skipper, lol!). Our first mark was the mud banks just outside Holyhead Breakwater and the fishing was very slow indeed. Sadly the 28ft tide didn't get moving and left us fishing in very slack water for the hour we had there.

Never the less everyone managed to put a few fish on the score sheet to start the campaign off, mainly dogs and whiting, with Jon Law showing some skilful fishing to land a thornback ray of around 6lb, on a light sensor tip rod and size 14 hook.

Our 2nd anchor was to fish the mussel beds a couple miles NW of Holyhead Breakwater. Here the fished played ball a little more, with the mainstay being dogs with a few whiting. It seemed nip and tuck through the match, with many calls of dogs for our Steward Jamie to note. Chris Hamblin looked to be edging it at one stage with a double shot consisting of a conger around 15lb and small huss. These 2 fish alone giving 17points to Chris' tally. Colwyn bay angler Glyn 'Fester' Hughes, lost a very good conger during the match, with Mark Williams, owner of Winnies Worms in Holyhead, losing what we thought to be a late Holyhead Bay tope. His line pulling off the reel and rod nodding to the tune of a quality fish. Sadly, with us only fishing small hooks, the beast managed to straighten Marks hook, leaving the accomplished shore angler to reel in a solitary dogfish.

With Arthur Beechey and Fester providing additional entertainment throughout the evening, bickering in a way that had all on board in fits of laughter, the league was off to a reasonable start. Hard fishing it certainly was, finicky bites and few fish you had to work hard to land every catch.

Top rod and the first 100% went to Jon Law, carrying on his winning match form. With myself picking up a credible second on 89% and Robbie roberts, the Welsh boat Team manager in third place and 64.36%.

Full Results

		Points
		1	2	4	5	6	7	8	10	Total	Total
			whiting			all wrasse		all ray	spur, tope
Pos	Name	pout/pcod	not listed	dogfish	codling	poll, coal	huss	all smooth	conger	points	fish	%
1	Jon Law	1	6	20	0	0	0	1	0	101	28	100
2	Gethyn	0	5	20	0	0	0	0	0	90	25	89.11
3	Robbie	1	6	13	0	0	0	0	0	65	20	64.36
4	Chris	0	2	9	0	0	2	0	1	64	14	63.37
5	Glyn	2	4	10	0	0	0	0	0	50	16	49.50
5	Arthur	2	1	9	0	0	0	0	1	50	13	49.50
7	Mark	0	2	8	0	0	0	0	0	36	10	40.00
8	Alan	0	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	18	8	17.82

	Totals	6	33	90	0	0	2	1	2		134

Sadly the weather put paid to the remaining legs in 2009.

We will be running a open league match throughout 2010 - for more details please click here

GO Angling Charters, Dalmuir, Chapel Street, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5HW