14th October 2013
HERNE BAY ANGLING ASSOCIATION
HERNE BAY KENT
Charlesley Cup Report 12th October 2013 24 anglers made their way across from the clubhouse to compete in the Charlesley Cup, this year limited to the harbour arm. For a year in which beach fishing conditions seem to have varied from the uncomfortable to the downright farcical, this time we got a break and a perfect evening for October. The torrential rain and regular gale force NE winds that have played a consistent role during the year miraculously subsided by Saturday morning and the beach was soon busy with bait diggers Saturday morning keen to enjoy the rattling rod tips that whiting fishing can provide. As it turned out, not only did we attract 24 members fishing, but we also saw at least another dozen anglers walking along to check out everyone’s progress ahead of what should be a really exciting two day beach festival in November, making it as much a social event as a competition. As it started, Emma Rolfe took the lead in the competition with four Whiting in the first 15 minutes, Michael Ferrier was soon to catch up though as the flood tide progressed and then this years’ standout angler, Dean Amos, began his inexorable run to further glory putting together a run of fish to lead at high tide with 9 Whiting. Keith Neame found a decent sized Dogfish to boost his bag, while out of nowhere, Charles Emersons’ bait was hit by a runaway train (not literally!) dead on slack water. The result was a chunky 2lb Bass that took a bait probably fished off the bottom. Together with Dabs and an eel, the competition has already seen 5 species landed. As darkness fell and the tide ebbed, the lingering summer weed became a problem for many anglers who couldn’t find a fish, but as the tide eased, so did the weed and Dean, Michael and Trevor Kennedy started catching again. The final result saw Dean claim another great cup win with 18 whiting for 8.60lbs, while Michael Ferrier and Trevor Kennedy both landed 13 fish, Michael’s bag proving slightly heavier at 6.21lbs. Charles did indeed win the heaviest fish with his Bass of 2.27lbs, but as well as dogfish, it was also great to see at least 6-8 Whiting weighed as between 0.9lbs and 1lb, a cracking stamp of fish for the beach. Obviously, given his run of white hot form, Dean would find the fractionally the biggest of those to nick third heaviest fish with 0.98lbs! With twenty four anglers fishing, we also paid out to the top 6, so a number of anglers took something home. Overall, it was a really good competition, great to see Barry Palmer and Ken Royden coming down to support us as well as Stuart Fuller and Matt Sargeant joining us for a beach comp. We have also seen a couple of non-members join the club after being so impressed with the camaraderie and set-up, so a big pat on the back to all you (even Mikey Ferrier!) for making the competition an enjoyable event. Now, on to the beach festival for which forms/rules will be available in the next week. Charlesley Cup Top 10 (21 of 24 anglers weighed in) – 1st Dean Amos 8.60lbs (18 fish) 2nd Michael Ferrier 6.21lbs (13 fish) 3rd Trevor Kennedy 6.01lbs (13 fish) 4th Keith Neame 5.04lbs (8 fish) 5th Lee Todd 4.87lbs (8 fish) 6th Michael Chalk 4.78lbs (10 fish) 7th Wesley Cheeseman 4.33lbs (8 fish) 8th Keith Johnson 3.94lbs (8 fish) 9th Dave Andrews 3.86lbs (9 fish) 10th Matt Sargeant 3.72lb (8 fish) Heaviest Fish – 1st Charles Emerson 2.26lbs Bass 2nd Keith Neame 1.56lbs Dogfish 3rd Dean Amos 0.98lbs Whiting
Report from Michael Chalk
