PHOTO: (Left to Right):  EFSA Wales Chairman and EFSA Shore Festival Officer and the winner Steve Lewis (Picture Tina Lustig)

This year, the weather had relented for most of the important fishing competitions but it didn’t for the first leg of the EFSA Wales Shore Championships fished on a Saturday in February at the Mumbles.
 
It had been due to be fished at Aberavon but, not for the first time it was blown off to the reserve venue.
 
But for the second leg,  fished two weeks later at Dale Beach it was much more clement, being balmily warm, with very light winds, though it was very foggy.
 

First night at The Mumbles there were fish galore . . .

 
The first night, at the Mumbles, in the dark, fishing 2 up 2 down over high water saw all anglers catch fish  over the 20cm minimum size, others being measured and released.
 
There were Whiting, Lesser Spotted Dogfish, Dabs, Rockling and one Codling of 29cm, caught by Andy Young (Llanelli), in contention for the longest round fish pool. The Dab of 27cm for Tina Lustig meant she was favourite to take the longest flatfish pool as flats were not expected to be caught at Dale.
 
The leader after this first day was Andy Young with 10 sizeable fish to put him on 430 points. Second was Steve Lewis (Penally) also with 10 fish but for 388 points, with Stan Kucyj (Milford Haven), who had 8 sizeable fish for 318 points in third, there being one point per centimetre of length and five points per fish.
 

. . . And the same at Dale on the second night!

 
The second leg at Dale, also in the dark, fishing 2 up 2 down over high water, again saw good numbers of fish, Whiting and Lesser Spotted Dogfish, but no flatfish, enough for the first two places to change though not enough for others to catch the first three.
 
So, at the  final whistle, Steve had won the coveted Gold Pin, Andy the Silver and Stan the Bronze Pin. As expected Tina picked up the longest flatfish pool with her Dab of 27cm and Stan also won the longest round fish pool, managing to winkle out a 38CM Whiting.