Tina takes Welsh Boat Fishing title
The Annual Welsh Cod (Boat) Championships was recently fished out of Birkenhead on the River Mersey, for the 14
th year running, with Pembrokeshire's Tina Lustig defying the elements to deservedly take the title.
14 anglers from the Welsh, English and Scottish sections of the European Federation of Sea Anglers (EFSA) competed and though the number of cod caught was well down on previous years they were a good bit larger.
Only 10 cod in all were measured and released during the only day (Saturday) that the weather allowed fishing to take place. The biggest was 65 cms in length and fell to Billy Murray, a Scottish International angler and member of EFSA Scotland.
The weather that greeted the competitors on the second day (Sunday) was appalling; with lashing rain and winds gusting at over 60 mph so the lead skipper was forced to call it off.
This meant an early presentation and home on the Sunday instead of the Monday for only the second time in 14 years, the last being 2012.
The winner, thus taking the coveted Gold Pin, from EFSA Wales and an International Boat angler, was Tina Lustig (Pictured) who managed to winkle out three fish for 163 points aboard ‘Wave Dancer’.
Second, taking the Silver Pin, with two fish for 135 points was another EFSA Wales International angler, Haydn Cole by 30 cm from EFSA England International Barrie Senior, who also had two Cod but for 105 points, giving him the bronze pin.
Top boat was ‘Girl Gray’ with six fish for 370 points from ‘Wave Dancer’ with four fish for 227 points.
Phil Lustig did a great job of organising the competition; Haydn Cole was thanked for helping with the bait, the Premier Inn, Bromborough, for their usual hospitality and the boat skippers, Steve Dalton (Girl Gray) and Chris Birmingham (Wave Dancer) for finding the fish.