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EFSA Wales Shore Championships:

Tucker takes Welsh shore fishing gold

The 2010 EFSA Wales Shore Championships, previously postponed because of bad weather, finally got under way recently at Pendine Beach and then Freshwater East the following evening, with Steve Tucker as the eventual winner.

O’Connor takes an early lead

The first day, the fishing was at Pendine beach and though there were moderate numbers of fish, the majority were undersize, even though this catch and release event was being fished to a minimum length of only 20cm. The leader after this first day was last years runner-up John O’Connor (Pembroke Dock) who managed to winkle out three flounder in size, including a double shot last cast, to put him on 116 points, there being one point per centimetre of length and five points per fish. It meant a lead of 35 points over Tina Lustig (Pembroke) at the adjacent peg, with two nice flounders. Most other anglers also troubled the scorers with one or two sizeable fish each including Leigh “Yubby” Rogers, who was only two points behind Tina in third.

All still to play for

So, it was all still to play for on the second evening at Freshwater East, where more fish could be expected, especially where the Dogfish to turn up once it went dark
The weather on both evenings was fairly pleasant being fairly still, with only a gentle breeze, and, as expected, the dog fish did turn up after dark, though not in massive numbers.
The overnight leader, John O’Connor managed to record another four fish to take his total points to 276, a very useful total in the conditions and with the limited fish available.

Superb Steve

But it wasn’t to be enough since Steve Tucker had a superb evening’s fishing Having only caught one sizeable flounder on the first evening, for 39 points, he managed to land eight dog fish, two whiting and a dab, all at distance for 399 points, making his total 438 to get him the coveted Gold Pin, which is awarded for first place.
John O’Connor had to be content with the Bronze Pin for third, into which place he was just pipped by Leigh Rogers who, having managed two flounders the first evening for 79 points, winkled out five dogfish, worth 200 points to take the Silver pin for second with 279 points, a margin of only three points.

So the final placings were:
1st & Gold Pin winner             Steve Tucker               5 fish for 144 points
2nd & Silver Pin winner           Leigh Rogers               4 fish for 110 points
3rd & Bronze Pin winner         John O’Connor           3 fish for   93 points
Longest Flatfish                      John O’Connor           Flounder of 43cm
Longest Roundfish                 Haydn Cole                 Codling of 25cm
Pairs event                               Steve Tucker and John O’Connor

PHOTO: Pictured (above) is the winner Steve Tucker (left) receiving his Gold Pin from organiser, EFSA Wales Chairman and EFSA Shore Festival Officer Phil Lustig.