Hampshire anglers showed a touch of class during the Pro Angling Charity Open held at Southbourne with Ian Golds from Portsmouth landing the £1,000 top prize and Fareham's Tony O'Grady taking the runner-up position.
Golds, who will be setting off for Portugal in a couple of weeks' time for the World Shore Angling Championships, has certainly got a golden touch when it comes to catching garfish.
He has now won the event for two consecutive years by targeting these long-nosed species. On this occasion, he used a specialised designed long pop-up rig to temp 13 garfish weighing just over 4lb to collect the top prize while O'Grady used a similar rig to land a number of gars. The duo also teamed up to win yet another £100 in the pairs' section.
Generally the action was disappointing with just 27 competitors returning a smattering of garfish, flounders, plaice, codling and tub gurnard to the scales. The pools for the heaviest flatfish was collected by R Wood with a 1lb 3oz flounder while the round fish pool was won by R Powell with a 1-13 codling. The top junior was Dan Pope who landed a 11oz tub gurnard.
Prizes were awarded by representatives from the Victoria School for Handicapped Children and also Jim Lonegan from Pro Angling at Christchurch, who sponsored the event.
Results: 1 Ian Golds 4lb 0.50oz, 2 Tony O'Grady 2lb 12.75oz, 3 Dave Lane 1lb 15.25oz, 4 R Powell 1lb 13oz, 5 J Maynard 1lb 9.50oz, 6 R Wood 1lb 3oz, 7 N Panther 1lb 1oz, 8 L Gatrell 1lb 1oz, 9 M Mockridge 15.75oz, 10 J Seviour 15.50oz.
A brace of cracking rays were caught by anglers afloat local charter boats, with Richard Wall bagging a 27-4 blonde ray while Mick Stroud took a 17lb 8oz undulate ray.
Wall, a British Telecom engineer, was fishing from the Lymington-based boat Tomkat skippered by John Skeggs when he caught his hefty ray which was temped on a fillet of mackerel presented on a running ledger. The fish, which took 20 minutes to land, was return alive.
Not to be outdone, Mick Stroud from Romsey went afloat from the Keyhaven-based boat Dulce T skippered by Ron Bundy for his specimen from a mark just off The Needles. Again the fish which was tempted on mackerel bait was returned alive.
Quality flounders should figure on Sunday when Hamworthy Royal British Legion SAC stage their annual Poppy Appeal Open shore competition in two zones at Baiter and Rockley - the Hamworthy section will be a free zone. The event doubles up as a Penn Point fixture and fishing is from 8am-3pm. Tickets for the K G Brown (Southern Ltd)-sponsored event have been set at £8 plus a £2 pool. Junior tickets are £2 plus a £1 pool. Booking is in the main Hamworthy car park at 7am. Details on 01202 668244.
Action was disappointing at Sammy's Super League fixture at Southsea, where just a few bass, sole, red mullet, silver eels, rockling and plaice were caught. Leigh Durrant won the event with 2lb 14oz to nudge out Dave Edwards 15oz, Duncan Beck 14oz and Daniel Mogridge 13oz.
The next match in the series is tonight at Stokes Bay with fishing from 7pm to midnight.
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