Outdoor Sports News - with PembrokeshireSport.co.uk

Steve snatches the Gold Pin at the EFSA Wales Shore Championships 

Unlike the previous couple of years, the weather allowed the EFSA Wales Shore Championships for the year 2011 to actually be fished on December 27th & 28th at Aberavon Beach and Freshwater East, with Steve Lewis (Llangunnor), as the eventual winner.

Good numbers caught at Aberavon

Unfortunately, once again the entry was not high for various reasons, it seems that no time of the year is ideal to get maximum attendance at these events but the first day, at Aberavon, saw all anglers catch good numbers of fish over the 20cm minimum size being caught measured and released.

Out of the 84 recorded, 74 were whiting with 7 dabs and 1 flounder, dogfish and rockling. The leader after this first day was last year’s winner Steve Tucker (Skewen) who had 14 sizeable fish, to put him on 479 points, there being one point per centimetre of length and five points per fish. This was a good lead of 116 points over Haydn Cole (Lamphey), with organiser and EFSA Wales Chairman Phil Lustig (Stackpole) only 16 points behind in third. So, it was all still to play for on the second evening at Freshwater East, where it would either be feast or famine, knowing this beach, but if the fish did turn up there would be plenty of them, especially dogfish and especially once it went dark.

Even better catches at Freshwater East!

The weather on both evenings was reasonably pleasant, though a bit windy at times, , though luckily the wind was from behind so fishing conditions weren’t too bad. Freshwater East that evening, for once, fished its head off, there being 133 fish recorded, 115 dogfish, 12 whiting, 4 ray, 1 pollack and a coalfish. The overnight leader managed to record another 16 fish (13 dogfish and 3 whiting) to take his total points to 1117 but it wasn’t to be enough. Steve Lewis (Llangunnor), lying in fifth on 286 after the first evening, had a blinder, catching 21 dogfish and 2 whiting to take his total to 1187, to get him the coveted Gold Pin which is awarded for first place. Steve Tucker had to be content with the Silver Pin for second, with Haydn Cole back in third with 1024 points to take the Bronze pin.

 

So the final placings were:

 

1st & Gold Pin winner             Steve Lewis                32 fish for 1187 points

2nd & Silver Pin winner           Steve Tucker               30 fish for 1117 points

3rd & Bronze Pin winner         Haydn Cole                 28 fish for   1024 points

 

Longest Flatfish                      Steve Tucker               A dab of 30cm

Longest Roundfish                 Phil Lustig                   A whiting of 41cm

 

Pairs event                               Steve Tucker and Shaun Tucker (Father and Son)

 

PHOTO:

Pictured is the winner Steve Lewis (right) receiving his Gold Pin from organiser, EFSA Wales Chairman and EFSA Shore Festival Officer Phil Lustig.