Micky's Pembrokeshire
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Cole is King in Welsh Cod (Boat) Championships
The Annual Welsh Cod (Boat) Championships were recently fished out of Birkenhead in the River Mersey, for the eighth year running and Pembrokeshire angler Haydn Cole came from behind on the second day to win with an impressive fight back to take the coveted gold pin.
Though the number of cod caught was down on 2010 they were of a better stamp.
95 cod in all were measured and released over the two days; an average of nearly six cod per angler with very few small ones. The biggest on the first day was 55 cms in length and on the second day 57 cms. The weather over the two days was good, once again, being dry, but there was a bit of wind which proved a little problematic in that the boats took longer to turn with the tide than would have been ideal. No snow this year though, making the journey for Pembrokeshire anglers relatively uneventful by comparison with 12 months ago!
Panic as no bait appeared!
Saturday morning dawned and panic set in as the boats were waiting to be filled up with eager anglers. The lugworm hadn’t turned up, having been promised faithfully by the usual supplier, who, as we were to learn later, thought we were only fishing on the Sunday! So, frantic phone calls by Kevin Preston and Rod Adamson, those with local knowledge, saw Kevin and John O’Connor haring off to Tranmere to the Wirral Angling Centre to pick up the 102 packs required.
Thanks must go to all those involved for getting us fishing on that first day. Later Rod, with a few phone calls on the boat, had Sunday’s bait procured within one hour of the start and thanks must go to Tony Parry for supplying Sunday’s bait and Kevin and Rod for fetching it at an unearthly hour on Sunday morning!
Close fought affair
Once again, after day one, the previous year’s runner up, Kevin Preston with eight cod for 337 points, held sway from chief organiser Phil Lustig with six cod for 284 points, with 2010’s winner Rod Adamson lying in third on 249 points with five cod. But there was still a day to go. In the end the fifth placed angler, Haydn Cole, with five cod for 237 points, added another six cod to win with 530 points from Kevin on 506, who could only manage four cod on the second day and ended up being pipped for the third year running.
Nice double for ‘King’ Cole
So, Haydn took the Gold pin and Kevin the Silver and, consolidating his third position, taking the Bonze pin, was Rod Adamson with 438 points. Rod also had four cod on the second day. Rod’s son, Rod junior, fished this year for the first time and took a very creditable fourth position with eight cod over the two days for 357 points. Tina Lustig had the longest cod on Day One and Alan Porter the longest on Day Two. The pairs’ section was won by Haydn Cole and Rod Adamson junior, from Rod senior and Phil in second, with Kevin and John O’Connor, winner in 2009, in third place.
Osprey comes out top
Top boat was Osprey with 43 fish for 1976 points from Ocean Star and Tuskar with 27 fish for 1249 points & 25 fish for 1252 points, respectively. Our thanks go to Phil for organising it, Stan Kucyj for helping get the bait, Ken Gainfort and Barrie Senior for taking the photos, the Central Hotel, Birkenhead, for their usual hospitality and the Skippers, Stan Dickinson (Tuskar), Ray Spotswood (Ocean Star) and his son (Osprey) for finding the fish. We look forward to more and even bigger fish next year and hopefully a bigger entry.
PHOTO:
Pictured (left to right) are Phil Lustig (Chairman & chief organizer),
with the pin winners, Kevin Preston (Silver), Haydn Cole (Gold) & Rod
Adamson (Bronze).
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