Boat League

Boat Section Organiser
Dan Davies - DANFISH79@hotmail.com

NOTICE TO ALL BOAT MEMBERS
Boat owning members should apply to the Harbour Master's Office for an application form for a launch permit. When applying state that they are a member of CBVSAC. Completed form to be sent back to Harbour Office along with a photocopy of club membership ( must be current for 2009 ) and a photocopy of boat insurance.
As from 2010, all members will  have to pay a registration fee, currently £20, but this will be detailed on the form, members living in Conwy County no longer receive this free of charge. Once registered the boat is also registered within Gwynedd and Denbighshire as they have a reciprocal agreement.
Boat launch permit then permits boat owners to launch at any slipway in Conwy County free of charge ( a list of slipways is given with the application form).
This permit can only be used by boats going to sea with the purpose of fishing. Boats attempting to launch that are obviously not going fishing will be charged or turned away at the slipway.
For launching in either Gwynedd or Denbighshire the boat owner will still have to pay the appropriate fee but will not have to register.
Address for forms: The Harbour Master's Office, Conwy Quay, Conwy. Tel 01492 596253.

2012 League

The boat section will be holding a meeting at the clubhouse on Friday 10th February 2012 at 8pm to pick dates and venues for their 2012 league.

The meeting will also be a chance to discuss any rule changes for the 2012 league.

If you are a new or prospective member, interested in fishing the boat league this year, you are more than welcome to come along and find out more information and meet a few of the salty old seadogs who fish regularly.

Match Results 2011

Match 9 Straits - 13/11/11

5 boats fished the ninth and final leg of the 2011 boat league in the Straits yesterday, with Bass Hunter missing. Get well soon Bob!

As normal, we fished for the boat in a species hunt format, but this match incorperated the fur and feather, so each angler was trying to catch the heaviest combined roundfish and flatfish for positions in their position in that contest.

With this in mind, most of us opted to go all out for a decent fish from the start, meaning the species hunting wasnt given the same amount of effort as usual.

With this in mind, Lady M cemented their league championship with another win. A bag of 10 species for a weight of 13.01.12lbs gave them 50 points.

O2B@C finished second with 7 species for 06.09.04lbs and 40 points.
Hannah Lou were third with 6 species for 04.13.08lbs and 35 points.
Jo-Amm caught 4 species with 1 specimen, for a weight of 06.01.04lbs and 33 points with Goldilocks in fifth with 5 species for 04.04.00lbs and 31 points.

This gives Lady M the league title for this year with 405 points from the 9 matches.
Congratulations to Roger, Mike and Jay!

O2B@C finish in second position with 352 points and Bass Hunter were third overall with 333.
Jo-Amm finished fourth with 208 points, Goldilocks fifth with 180 and Hannah Lou sixth with 109.

The £10 a man species sweep was won by Lady M with a total of 28 species from the 9 matches. O2B@C again in second with 23 species.
Bass hunter 22 species
Jo amm 17 species
Goldilocks 9 species
Hannah lou 9 species

Onto the individual results for the fur and feather.
1st Mike Robinson 07.08.00 Huss
2nd Andy Lee 02.13.08 Ballan
3rd Jason Phillips 02.13.04 Huss
4th Rog Edwards 02.07.08 Huss
5th Simon 2.07.00 Huss
6th Malcom Nield 02.00.04
7th Kev Jones 02.00.00 Wrasse
7th Dan Davies 02.00.00 Codling
9th Andy Wallis 01.11.08
10th Ritchard Brownson 01.09.08
11th Adam Davies 01.07.08
12th John Wallis 01.06.04
13th Pete Roberts 01.01.08
14th Lewis Brownson (j) 01.01.04

The date for the fur and feather presentation and a few pints is pencilled in for Saturday 17th December in the clubhouse, but i will confirm this date and the time once we have spoken to Steve at the clubhouse.

Thanks to everyone who fished this year from Dan. Hope to see you all again for the boat section meeting sometime in March next year and back on the water for the 2012 boat league.

Match 8 - Straits - 16/10/11

5 boats fished match number 8 in the straits last Sunday.

The fishing was hard for most of the boats but Lady M found it a bit easier and took the honours with a creditable 15 species. 

1st Lady M 15 species, 11.12.00lb, 67 points
2nd 02b@c 9 species, 1 specimen 14.03.08lb, 50 points
3rd Jo Am 10 species, 07.03.08lb, 47 points
4th Bass hunter 9 species and 1 specimen 06.10.08lb 46 points
5th Goldilocks 4 species 07.04.08lb, 30 points

Heaviest round fish went to o2b@c with a Huss of 09.02.00lb and heaviest flat fish went to Jo Am with a plaice of 13oz.

Match 7 - Straits - 7/8/11

The forecast didn't look good again so it was back to the straits yet again!

4 boats fished the match.

O2b@c had there 1st win of the year with 13 species and 1 specimen for 16.09.04lbs, 61 points.
Lady M took 2nd, just missing out on weight points with 13 species and 1 specimen for 13.04.00lbs, 60 points.
Bass Hunter came 3rd with 11 species for 05.06.08lbs, 50 points
Goldilocks came 4th with 9 species for 18.01.08lbs, 47 points

Goldilocks cleaned up on the fish pools taking the heaviest round fish prize with a conger of 11.12.00lbs, and a Dab of 6oz won them the roll over flatfish prize.

Match 6 - Straits - 24/7/11

5 Boats fished this one, again in the straits due to the wind.

Lady M took the honours again with 13 species and 1 specimen for 19.14.4lbs, 62 points.
Bass Hunter were 2nd with 10 species and 1 specimen for 17.14.00lbs, 52 points.
O2ba@c were 3rd with 10 species and 1 specimen for 7.14.00lbs, 51 points.
Jo-Amm were 4th with 5 species and 1 specimin for 4.3.12lbs, 35 points.
Goldilocks were 5th with 2 species for 2.12.00lbs, 22 points.

The heaviest round fish went to Bass Hunter with a Conger of 10.12.04lbs.
No flatfish were caught so the prize gets rolled over to the next match.

Match 5 - Colwyn Bay - 10/7/11

Match 4 - Straits - 19/6/11

Match 3 - Trearddur Bay - 5/6/11

Finally a we got a half decent forecast for match number 3, with a North Easterly forecast 6 boats fished Trearddur Bay, the offshore wind was fresh in the morning but it turned out to be a nice summers day by dinner time with the wind dropping and the sun breaking through, I think we all went home with burnt faces at the end of the day!

There were a good variety of fish around if you could find were they were. Hannah Lou managed to find some nice cod around the 5lb mark, there were a few nice Huss, Pollack, ling, smoothhound, ballans, and plenty of minis.

Lady m won for the 2nd match on the bounce with a creditable 12 species and 1 specimen for 13.9.0lb
Bass hunter came 2nd with 7 species and 3 specimens for 16.9.0lb
02b@c were 3rd with 8 species and 1 specimen for 14.3.0lb
Hannah lou were 4th with 9 species for 13.15.12lb
Jo- Am were 5th with 4 species for 4.5.8lb and were unlucky with a few other species they had but were just undersize.
And Goldilocks was 6th with 1 specices for 1.5.4lb

3 of the boats found smoothhounds and these were quickly photographed and returned to the water without them having to come in to the scales.

Heaviest fish of the match was a Huss of 8lb 9oz which was caught on o2b@c

The heaviest flatfish went to Bass Hunter with a Dab of 7oz and that won them nearly £50 because of 4 rollovers! Jammy gits they are!! The lads on Jo-Am also had a dab but a little bit smaller at 5 and a halve oz’s, unlucky lads.

Lady m 59 points
Bass Hunter 50 points
O2b@c 46 points
Hannah lou 45 points
Jo-Am 28 points
Goldilocks 18 points

Match 2 - Straits - 22/5/11

Boat match number 2 was fished in the straits due to high winds for the 2nd match in a row!

We had a quick look at what the conditions were like in Moel-Y-Don but it was a little bit to rough to launch there so we headed to Menai Bridge and had nice easy launch. Conditions were pretty good in the middle of the straits but at each end it was rougher.

Only 2 boats turned up due to 1 reason or another (Bass hunter and Lady m)

The fishing was better than the 1st match but it still wasn't great. Lady m took 1st place with 7 species (Dog,Corkwing,Goldsinney,Bass,Tompot,Cod,Scorpion.) They also had the heaviest fish with a dog of 2.0.12.

Bass Hunter brought 4 species back to the scales (Ballan,Dog,Tompot,Goldsinney)

Hopefully we'll have better weather for the next match.

Match 1 - Straits - 1/5/11

5 boats fished the first match of 2011 which was held in the Straits due to the strong easterly wind which had been blowing all weekend.

We fished mainly on the ebb, and all boats really struggled to find species big enough to bring to the scales.

Hannah Lou took top honours with a Dog and a specimen Ballan ( the only wrasse to be weighed! ) Bass Hunter were second with a Dog, a Pout and a Sea Scorpion. Lady M took third with a Dog and a Pout. The new boat Jo Am took fourth with a decent sized Dog and O2B@C were fifth with a little Dog.

There were loads of Dogs and small Codling around, but very little in the way of anything else. Even the minis were still on there summer holidays.

Match Results 2010

Match 7 - Straits - 14/11/10

Hopes weren’t high for the seventh and final leg of the boat league in the Straits.

Fresh water coming into the straits at both ends and the colder weather meant the fishing wouldn’t be up to its usual standard.

Due to the reduced daylight, we met at Moel Y Don and were on the water for 8am with a finish time of 3.30pm.

Everyone set off for their marks and soon realised that there were plenty of Dogs and small Codling, but finding other species would be a struggle.

Back at the weigh in, Bass Hunter were victorious with their 9 species and 1 specimen for 50 points. The specimen Ballan of 4lb taking the roundfish pool too.

We were second with 9 species for 46 points with Lady M finishing in third place.

Congratulations to Bass Hunter who win this years boat league, with O2B@C in second. Full results will be published soon!

That’s it for this year apart from the Fur and Feather which will take place on Sunday 19th December and is heaviest round and flatfish combined.

The boat league meeting to pick next years match dates will be held early next year and will be publicised once arranged.

Match 6 - Straits - 17/10/10

We saw four regulars and the return of Goldilocks, albeit with a new skipper and crew for the sixth match of this years boat league, which was fished in the Menai Straits.

The crew of Goldilocks were there to get the feel of the matches and suss out a few marks so didn’t take part in the match, but knew there were plenty of us on hand with advice if they needed it.

We were all on the water and away before 9am and were back at the slip for 5pm. 

After weighing and counting the fish, O2B@C were the winners with 12 species and 1 specimen for 59 points.
Bass Hunter were second with 11 and 1 for 55 points, with Lady M third with 9 and 1 for 48 points and Hannah Lou fourth with 38 points from 6 species and 1 specimen.

The heaviest fish was my Conger of 10-04-04lbs.

The flatfish pool went to a Dab on Bass Hunter which was the only flattie caught.

Lewis Brownson took the junior prize. His catch included this specimen Wrasse of nearly 3lb!

Match 5 - Straits - 5/9/10

Just 3 boats fished the fifth match of CBVSACs boat league which was the fourth to be held in the Straits due to the poor weather conditions this summer.

The rain held off all day but the wind was fresh in the morning and strengthened as forecast in the afternoon.

We launched just before high water and the 3 boats all sped off to their chosen marks.

The fishing was best on the start of the ebb with things quietening off towards low water.

Bass Hunter won with 11 species and 1 specimen for 55 points. We managed second on O2B@C with 53 points and Hannah Lou were third with 9 and 2 for 51 points and Lewis Brownson was top junior.

Dans Conger of 11-8-0lbs won the roundfish pool and Hannah Lou won the flatfish pool with a Dab.

Richie, skipper of Hannah Lou with his Trigger Fish which was returned alive.

According to the grapevine, just over 60 anglers fished the Brynsiencyn Open while we were there with only 25 weighing in but there was a small Tope and a couple of Smoothies caught and released.

Match 4 - Straits - 8/8/10

Four boats fished the fourth leg of this years boat league in the Straits.

We had hoped to launch from Colwyn Bay but with a bit of a surf on the flooding tide and the high risk of losing a vehicle or worse if conditions were no better at the end of the match it was decided to head for Moel Y Don and the comfort of the Menai Strait.

Everyone has their own favourite marks in the Straits but with todays flatfish pool being a triple roll over of £37 it would be worth trying for a flattie for half an hour so this was on everyones agenda.

Back at the weigh in, Frank and Bobs decision to head towards Puffin Island to fish proved to be a good one, with 12 species including 1 specimen in their match winning bag aboard Bass Hunter. They had a Dab in their bag too which was unfortunately beaten for the pool by my Flounder, which was part of our nine species haul aboard O2B@C for second spot and Rosea were third and Lady M fourth.



The point scores were-
Bass Hunter - 59 pts for 1st place
O2B@C - 49 pts for 2nd place
Rosea - 45 pts for 3rd place
Lady M - 35 pts for 4th place
Heaviest roundfish pool - Bass Hunter with a ballan of 2-11-08
Heaviest flatfish pool - O2B@C with a flounder of 1-08-00 (triple rollover)

The league after 4 matches is;
Bass Hunter - 206 pts
O2B@C - 187 pts
Lady M - 177 pts
Rosea - 123 pts
Hanna Lou - 63 pts
Lazy Days - 28 pts

Match 3 - Straits - 11/7/10

Five boats fished the third leg of Colwyn Bay Victoria Sea Angling Clubs boat league in the Menai Straits earlier today.

The fresh breeze kept the temperature down and the fact that we were mainly fishing the ebb meant the fishing could be challenging to say the least!

Back at the slip it appeared all five boats had been struggling to find the fish, with three boats catching eight species making it tight for top spot. Only one boat managed to find a specimen and that and top weight gave Dan Kev and Adam on O2B@C 47 points the no 1 spot. Rosea took the runners up prize with their 43 points and Bass Hunter took third with 42 points.

O2B2C took the heaviest fish pool with a conger of 8-04-04. 

Once again no flatties were caught so there will be a double rollover on the flatty pool at the next match.

Match 2 - Straits - 6/6/10

Meeting at the little chef Llandegai near Bangor for 0800hrs, five boats made the trip and after a brief discussion a bit of banter and a cup of overpriced coffee we decided to launch at Moel y Don, this is a beach launch, access is fairly restricted with limited parking on the top end of the beach. The launch itself is pretty easy with compacted shingle and a fairly gentle slope, 15 minutes or so saw all five boats on the water, a quick radio check and we were all off to our chosen marks.

The fishing was slow with small fish forming the majority of catches. It was a struggle to find in size fish for most boats but some did better than others.

Back on shore, the calculations were done and Bass Hunter won their first match of 2010 with 11 species and top weight giving Bob and Frank a winning 53 match points, second spot was taken by Lady M with 9 species and 2 specimen fish 18 weight points for a total of 51 points, third place was O2B@C with 9 species and 1 specimen 19 weight points for a total of 49 all pretty close in the end for the top three, top junior was once again Lewis Brownson fishing with his dad on Hanna Lou, The heaviest fish pool was split 50/50 between O2B@C and Bass Hunter and the Heaviest flatty pool will be carried over to the next match.

Thanks to all who took part.
The next match on the 20th June has been postponed because we have the presention awards at the clubhouse on the previous evening the 19th.

Match 1 - Colwyn Bay - 23/5/10

Great forecast for the first match of the 2010 boat league but we still could only attract 12 anglers fishing off four boats, meeting at the slip next to Colwyn Bay pier for 8-00am the boats were promptly launched and we were on our way to our chosen marks for 8-30, the sea inshore was like a mirror, the only fly in the ointment was the only to obvious algae bloom, a lot worse than i had imagined.





Back at the slipway Lady M had a fairly good day catching twelve species which included a bass taken out of the murky waters off Llandulas which took the heaviest fish pool, their twelve species and 56 points was enough to win them the day, Bass Hunter was a close second with ten species and one specimen giving the crew 52 points, O2B@C took third with eight species giving them 42 points and Hanna Lou was fourth with five species and 32 points, young Lewis Brownson won the junior prize so well done Lewis.

Thanks to all who took part, i'm sure the fishing will improve and maybe we will have a few more boats at the next match in a fortnight.

Match Results 2009

Boat Match 10 - Menai Straits - 8/11/09

XC/Weather were predicting fresh northerly winds early with conditions improving later in the day so once again we are off to the Menai Straits.

Five boats turned up at the Little Chef to book in so after a quick coffee and a bit of banter we set off to Moel y Don to launch the boats and get the match started.

The boats were off to their chosen marks before 9-0am we were only fishing to 15-30hrs today with the light fading at 16-30ish we had to give ourselves time to recover the boats and do the weigh-in.

Back on the beach the boats were loaded on the trailers and made ready for their journey home then we started the weigh-in.

It became apparent that a few of the crews had struggled to raise their species count today, this was a crucial match for the two leading boats in the league, O2B@C and Bass Hunter were within a few points of each other going into this final match and with Dan and Adam having good form at this venue on the two previous matches the league title looked well within their grasp but even with the help of guest crew Wayne McGill they just couldn’t manage to hang on to their form. 

Bob and Frank off Bass Hunter brought 10 species and 1 specimen to the scales to win the match and take the league title with their 52 points on the day, Ian and Gary off Rosea took second spot with 9 species and 1 specimen for 50 points, they also took the heaviest roundfish pool with that conger of 9-09-04, Lady M took third with 8 species and 1 specimen giving them 44 points, Lady M also took the rollover flatty pool with a very rare dab of 0-08-00, young Lewis Brownson took the junior prize fishing off his dad’s boat Hanna Lou. Lewis also caught a specimen Ballan of 2-05-06.

All in all a very pleasant day and even a bit of autumn sunshine for the last couple of hours, thanks to all who have fished the matches this year, congratulations to Bob and Frank on taking the league and hard luck to Dan and Adam but I think you managed to cling onto 2nd spot in the league.

Boat Fur & Feather to be held on Sunday December 20th, Loads of prizes to be presented at the clubhouse.

Boat Match 9 - Menai Straits - 11/10/09.

With a fresh west north westerly forecast for Sunday is was back to the Menai Straits for match no 9.

Sunday morning arrived wet and breezy, pretty much as forecast but it was supposed to brighten up later in the day which it did so after the damp start it turned out a very pleasant afternoon, flat calm in the sheltered waters of the Straits and a fair bit of sunshine, right down to the fishing.

Rumour's of some quality cod showing at this venue had us keen to bag our share, although all the boats caught codling to size the best of these fish would only have made two pounds on the scales, loads of small plump codling in the 6-8oz bracket were taking the baits sometimes three at a time, some quality fish were taken with a few bass being caught, the best of these was a fish of 6-02-08 caught by Dan Davies on O2B@C.

At the weigh-in Lady M had 14 species which included a specimen Trigger Fish of 2-02-00 so Roger and his crew took first place with 64 points, 02B@C took second place with 13 species including a specimen Ballan of 3-02-02 giving Dan and Adam 62 points, 02B@C also took the heaviest fish pool with a conger of 10-03-08, Bass Hunter managed to hang on to third spot with their 12 species giving them 54 points, once again no flatfish caught so the pool gets carried over.

Thanks to all who fished.

Boat Match 8 - Menai Straits - 16/08/09

Another iffy forecast for this match so were off to the Menai Straits once again. Launching at Moel y Don conditions were not too bad once you were on the water and the rain held off so all in all not too bad at least we were fishing.

Once again we found the fishing very patchy struggling to get our species count up to a respectable figure.

At the weigh-in one boat stood head and shoulders above the rest, Dan and Adam on O2B@C had managed an impressive 15 speciesfor 65 points, six species more than Rosea in second placed with 9 and 1 specimen giving them 48 points. Bass Hunter was third with 9 species and 46 points and Hanna Lou fourth with 8 species and 44 points.
Bass Hunter took the roundfish pool with a Huss of 4-06-08 and O2B@C took the triple rollover flatty pool with a Flounder of 1-01-04 just to prove that there is something flat to catch in the Straits. Last but not least young Lewis Brownson took the junior prize. Thanks to all who attended.

Boat Match 7 - Menai Straits - 02/08/09

Weather conditions sent us off to the Menai Straits to fish the seventh match of the league, with three boats fishing we were soon launched and away to start the hunt. The fishing was similar to the last match here, very slow with only the odd fish to size being taken and at the weigh-in yet again no flats caught, Bass Hunter did well in the conditions bringing 12 species to the scales to give Bob and Frank 54 pts and the match, Rosea took second spot with 8 species and 1 specimen a ballan of 3-06-08 giving them a total of 46 pts, O2B@C also landed 8 species and the top weight to give them 44 pts and third place, Dan also took the heaviest fish pool with a Huss of 7-02-12.

Boat Match 6 - Menai Straits - 19/07/09

Forecasts were all over the place leading up to the match so we really couldn't predict were we would be fishing until late Saturday then it was not great news as it looked highly likely to be the Straits, with all the rain we had had over the previous few days and the swollen rivers spewing fresh water into the venue it did not bode well for the fishing but it's the same for all and it's great having a day on the water.

At the weigh-in it proved a very close match with two boats catching nine species and the other two on ten, Rosea just took the honours today with ten species a specimen ballan and top weight giving 53pts.
Bass Hunter took second with ten species a specimen ballan and second best weight.
Lady M took third spot and O2B@C fourth.
Rosea took the heaviest roundfish pool with a ballan of 2-13-08.
The flatty pool has once again been carried over fishing from this venue, bit of a concern really when you consider this area was once paved with quality flatfish and now it seems there are very few!

Boat Match 5 - Colwyn Bay - 05/07/09

With UK windmap giving 8-10mph southerlies throughout the day for Sunday conditions looked near perfect to fish our home waters off Colwyn Bay so a few phone calls on Saturday night to the boat skippers would save the trek down to Llandegai our usual meeting point,
Five boats and crews met up at the pier slipway at Colwyn Bay for 8-0am on a bright but fairly breezy Sunday morning, the wind was a tad more than the forecast i had seen but it was blowing offshore and the venue was definately fishable, so with the boats all on the water and trailers and vehicles neatly parked up for just after 8-0am the boats scattered all heading for their different marks.

Back on the beach Bass Hunter and O2B@C both had 11 species each but Bass Hunter pipped it with an extra specimen, O2B@C were 2nd, the pools for the heaviest round and the heaviest flat were both taken by Rosea with a huss and a dab of 13 oz, Lewis Brownson won the junior prize fishing off his dad's boat Hanna Lou.
Five boats fished the match today which is the best turnout of the year to date but i am hoping that the boats fishing are on the up with a fair bit of interest being shown, in my opinion you nead 6+ boats fishing on a regular basis to create a competetive league and interesting matches.
Enjoyed the day and the company, thanks to all who fished.

Boat Match 4 - Menai Straits - 21/06/09

The fourth match of the league was held in the Menai Straits, the results were as follows;
1st Lady M with 8 species for 43 pts
2nd Rosea with 7 species for 41 pts
3rd O2B@C with 4 species and 1 specimen for 33 pts
4th Bass Hunter 4 species for 29 pts
Lady M took the rollover flatty pool with an 8oz dab
Bass Hunter took the heaviest roundfish pool with a Bullhuss of 4-01-00.

Boat Match 3 - Colwyn Bay -07/06/09

It was decided this match would be void for the league due to the poor turnout of 5 anglers on 2 boats.

Boat Match 2 - Colwyn Bay - 24/05/09

With the forecasters promising very favourable conditions for Sunday we opted to fish the local patch and meet at Colwyn Bay slipway at 08-00hrs, they were not wrong with not a breath of wind and blue skies to welcome our arrival, the only downside is where are the boats? Perfect conditions and only two boats, Dan & Adam on O2B@C and Ian, Roger and Gary on Rosea, it seamed pretty pointless having a competion with just the two but we went through the motions even though the match was void.

After plenty of moving around, trying out new spots, Rosea ended the day with 10 species, while O2B@C struggled to get through the Dogs, Whiting and Dabs, with only 5 species recorded.

Its just a shame more boats couldn`t have turned up to take advantage of the glorious weather, but if they don't want to fish in these conditions i'm afraid the future of the boat section looks pretty grim.

Boat Match 1 - Menai Straits - 03/05/2009

A very poor turnout for the first match of 2009 with only four boats making the effort, the worst attendance for the first match of the year since I have been a member of the club which doesn't bode well for the future.

With fresh north westerly winds forecast for Sunday the only choice was to fish the Menai Straits and early May would not produce the best from this venue but there should be a few species knocking about, Launching at Moel y Don opposite side to Port Dinorwic we soon had the boats launched and the trailers parked up at the top of the beach ready for a hard days fishing.

Back on the beach, Bob & Frank on Bass Hunter had continued into 2009 with their good run taking a match winning eight species and 44 points, Roger and Jason aboard Lady M took second place with seven species giving them 40 points, Rosea took third spot with seven species and 39 points, Dan & Adam on O2B @ C took fourth place with five species and the only

Closed Fur and Feather - Menai Straits - Sunday 21st December 2008

The event was in doubt at one stage with strong to gale force southwesterly winds forecast and with low water around 11-00am this meant we would have at least two hours of wind against tide conditions in the Straits, not pleasant at all. But we decided to take a look and proceed with the match.                                          

Thanks to all the 18 anglers who fished, we decided to fish a four hour match finishing at  1pm, which was plenty in these conditions.

Right now down to the fishing or the lack of it, the format for the F&F comp is you bring in your best round and flatfish and the combined weight gives you your position in the match, it is done on an individual basis not as a team event like the league so basically it’s heaviest weight wins the match.

Glyn Hughes took top honours on the day fishing aboard Sea Pigeon. He boated a 15 ounce dab to take the heaviest flat pool to add to the heaviest round pool he took with a 4lb+ huss earning him the first prize hamper with his combined weight of 5-05-00 so well done Fester you did it in style today when fish were hard to find.

In second spot with a huss around the 3-08-00 was skipper of Sea Pigeon Mark Singleton.

To complete the hat trick James Singleton on Sea Pigeon took the junior prize.

Gary Jones fishing on Rosea took the last of the hampers with a huss just over 3 pound.

Cheryl Beerkamp took the ladies prize fishing off husband Marks boat Tiradu.

2008 Boat League Results

The results of the 2008 boat league are as follows, these results are based on 9 matches with the best 7 scores counting.

1st	Bass Hunter	393 pts
2nd	Goldilocks	370 pts
3rd	Rosea	345 pts
4th	O2B@C	329 pts
5th	Garramma	165 pts
6th	Mr Fish	98 pts
7th	Hannah Lou	81 pts
8th	Sea Pigeon	47 pts
9th	Genesis	34 pts
10th	Lady M	24pts

Congratulations to Bob & Frank on Bass Hunters well deserved success

Boat Match 8 - Menai Straits - 07/09/2008.

With a week of non stop rain and strong northerly winds prospects for Sunday were looking bleak but you have to give it a go don’t you, a very disappointing turnout again with only four boats turning up the only option was to fish the Straits. Launching at Moel y Don into the flat calm Menai Straits was a doddle, and all four boats were on the water before 9-0am. After all that fresh water flowing into the Straits the water was a murky brown in colour and the fishing was very poor as a result of this, normally September I find is the most productive time for this venue with codling starting to show plus the usual summer species knocking about but today fish were few and far between excluding the dogs and huss which didn’t seem to bothered with the water quality.

Right down to the results, Bass Hunter continue their good form to take the match with ten species and two specimens for 54points, let’s hope they can keep it up for the Cork small boat’s festival to be held in a couple of weeks time, to say we are looking forward to that is a bit of an understatement, Bass Hunter also took the flatty pool with the only flat of the match a plaice of just over minimum size,
Rosea took second spot with eight species and two specimens not including the smoothhound, which was photographed and returned and awarded three points, Rosea also took the heaviest roundfish pool with a conger of 9-04-00.
Goldilocks was third with five species and Garramma 11 was fourth.

It turned out a very pleasant day in the end, thanks to all who fished.

Boat Match 7 - Menai Straits - 10/08/2008.

Not such a good forecast for match no7, strong south-westerly winds making the venue selections a bit awkward, force 5-6 making it a bit too uncomfortable out in Colwyn Bay so we opted for the Menai Straits, even this venue can be a bit lumpy on the ebb but with low around 11-0am it would flatten with the flood to give us some comfortable fishing. Launching at Moel y Don wasn’t an option with this forecast so we had no option but to launch at Menai Bridge, this once very convenient slipway is now best avoided with parking very limited since the developers moved in building flats with restricted parking to the front and with the local council putting signs up banning the parking of trailers on the top of the beach.

Down to the fishing, not brilliant with most of the boats not staying on any of the mark to long and a lot of moving around trying to find the fish, at the end of the day Bob and Frank on Bass Hunter maintained their run of good form to win the match with eleven species, one specimen and top weight to give them 56 points followed by Gwyn and Fishy on Goldilocks with ten species and one specimen giving them 52 points, Dan and Adam on O2B@C where a close third with ten species and one specimen and 51 points, they also took the heaviest roundfish pool with a nice Ballan wrasse of 3-05-08, Mr Fish took the heaviest flatty pool with a dab of 00-08-12 the only flatty of the match.
Thanks to all who took part!

Boat Match 6 - Colwyn Bay - 27/07/2008.

A cracking forecast for match no 6 of the boat league, Sunday came without a breath of wind so we decided to fish our home waters out from Colwyn Bay, the only downside was that we only had four boats turn up to fish the match.

Nice easy launch straight off the slip into a flat calm sea, all boats launched and ready to go before 0800hrs that must be the earliest we have ever started a match, three of the boats headed towards Llandudno bay and then on to the Orme while Gwyn and Fester decided to bite the bullet and steam out to the wreck of the Dublin (I think) which is situated fairly close to the gas rig around fifteen miles off Colwyn Bay, this was the day for travelling them sort of distances, probably only about thirty minutes steaming in Goldilocks, they were joined on the wreck a bit later in the day by Bob and Frank on Basshunter, the journey out to the wreck paying dividends with both boats catching good numbers and variety of fish there.

All the boats headed east to the area’s around the wind farms later in the afternoon, it fished fairly well around the area with plenty of fish but we were struggling to catch the variety of species there so we decided to finish the day close in to Rhyl

At the weigh in Bob and Frank had done the business bagging sixteen species and one specimen to give them a match winning 71 points, Gwyn and Fester on Goldilocks came a close second with fifteen species and two specimens for 69 points, Dan and Adam were third with thirteen species and 2 specimens for 64 points. They also lifted the heaviest fish pool with a cracking huss of 13-09-04 Lbs,

Ian, Roger and Gary on Rosea were in fourth ( last ) place with twelve species for 53 points, but they did have the consolation of winning the rollover flatty pool with a flounder of 1-3-4.

Well done to Bob and Frank on a good win, i've just had a quick tally of the species caught and would you believe 25 species over minimum size, who says there's no variety out from the Bay. A cracking day lets hope it’s the same again in a fortnight. Thanks to all who supported the match.

Boat Match 5 - Menai Straits - 13/07/2008.

Boat match no5 was fished in warm calm conditions with blue skies, so we decided once again to launch the boats at Moel y Don in the Straits, for those who don’t know it’s the slipway across from Port Dinorwic.

It looks like this slipway and access point is now secure for public use after a campaign by local’s and other’s against it’s sale to a private buyer so a big thanks to all who were involved in that successful campaign.
No limits were put on the boats today so after launching they could go out of the Straits on either side.

At the weigh-in Goldilocks had done the business catching thirteen species with one specimen and top weight for a total of 62 points so well done to Gwynnie, Fishy and Steve, Rosea were in second spot with 9 species and two over specimen size and second best weight giving them 52 points, Basshunter was third with 9 species, Goldilocks took the heaviest roundfish pool with a conger of just under twelve pounds, the heaviest flat pool will be carried over to the next match as there were no flats above minimum size caught.

At the end of the day it wasn’t brilliant fishing but it was a great day to be out on the water, enjoyed it.

The next match is on the 27th July.

Boat Match 4 - Menai Straits - 15/06/2008.

With the forecast of north-westerly for Sunday we decided to give the Menai Straits a crack for the fourth match of the league, we were guaranteed near flat calm conditions with any wind blowing over the top, launching off the beach at Moel y Don the five boats were on the water in no time, handy little slip this but there are plans to sell it to a private enterprise then it would be lost to the members of the public who use it, there is a petition being organised to object to the sale of this facility, petition forms are in local tackle shops so if you come across one please sign it.

Bob and Frank on Bass Hunter were the match winners. They caught 10 species with 2 over specimen size plus they had the top weight to give them 56 points, Rosea was second with 9 species and 1 over specimen weight and O2B@C was third with 10 species, the heaviest flatty pool went to Dan and Adam on O2B@C with a flounder of 1-02-0, the heaviest round fish pool went to Bob and Frank off Bass Hunter with a fine Huss of 8-10-0.

Boat match 3 - Trearddur Bay - 01/06/2008.      

Boat match no3 was held on Sunday 1st June out of Trearddur Bay, forecasts were once again giving north-easterlies 3-4 so it was decided to give this venue another chance after the poor show on the last match two weeks earlier.
Six boats entered the comp and once again all boats were on the water before 9am, the fish were not prolific and once again the majority of anglers were finding it difficult to catch the fish they were targeting.

At the start we went drifting on the sand just off Porth Dafarch hoping to pick up a plaice, dab, grey gurnard and possibly an insize whiting but the problem was the fish hadn’t read the script and we were still there two hours later, eventually we managed a couple of the species that we were after but this was the story for most of the day for us, spending too much time in areas were we have caught certain species but not catching them or spending too much time catching, but that’s the way it goes sometimes anyway that’s enough of the excuses all the boat’s didn’t fare as badly as us. Gwyn, Fishy and Steve on Goldilocks managed to find twelve species and one specimen to take the honours which was a good result on a day when species were hard to find, there was a points tie for second place between Owie, Elwyn and Dewi on Garramma II and Dan and Adam on O2B@C , Dan and Adam took the second position because even though the two boats had equal points Dan and Adam had caught more species, so well done to them for bouncing back from the poor show at the last match. O2B@C also took the pool for the heaviest fish with a Huss of just under ten pounds. The pool for the heaviest flat was taken by Rosea with a plaice of just over a pound. There were some quality wrasse caught, with the best of the bunch a fish of 3-14-08 taken by Elwyn bach on Garramma II.

Boat match 2 - Trearddur Bay - 18/05/2008.

With a far from perfect forecast of easterly 3-4 occasionally 5 the best venue for match no 2 was Trearddur Bay giving us offshore winds and a chance of some half decent fishing.
Six boats turned up at Llandegai to sign in so we set off for Trearddur Bay with all the boats launched and on their way to their marks before 9-0am.
Conditions were not perfect but fishable nevertheless, with reports of Smoothhounds in excess of 20lb being taken in recent days and most anglers fishing with crab baits for most of the day no smuts showed on the inshore marks, I think Holyhead deeps would have thrown a few up but it would have been a pretty lumpy ride out there today and a small window to fish for them around slack water.
The fishing was fairly slow on marks which have been very productive around this time in previous years, put it down to that cold easterly. Listening to the vhf most of the boats seamed to be struggling and just picking up the odd species here and there, normally you would expect to catch thirteen or fourteen species and two or three over specimen size to win a match at this venue but Rosea was the top boat today winning the match with ten species and one specimen for 53 points, runner up was Goldilocks with ten species and one specimen giving them 52 points, in third spot was Basshunter with nine species and two specimens for 51 points, the heaviest flat pool was won by sea pigeon with a plaice of just under a pound and the heaviest roundfish pool was taken by Rosea with a huss just short of 10 pound.Well Done to James Singleton on Sea Pigeon for taking the junior prize.

Boat match 1 - Colwyn Bay - 27/04/2008.

The first boat match of 2008 was fished out of Colwyn Bay, on what was a hard day to find the species excluding whiting, dabs and dogs that is.

Dan and Adam on 02B@C came 1st with 7 species (dog, whiting, dab, sea scorpion, coaly, p'cod, pout).

Richy Brownson and Roger who fished on Hannah Lou second with six species (whiting, dab, dog, pouting, poor cod, grey gurnard). 

Bob, Frank & Gary on Bass Hunter were third with six species ( whiting, dab, dog, pouting, poor cod, sea scorpion). 

Heaviest roundfish pool was taken by Elwyn Bach (Selby) on Garamma with a dog of 2-12-04. Heaviest flatty pool was won by Josh Andrews (junior) with a flounder of 1-06-08, Josh who fished on his grandads (Gwynnie) boat Goldilocks, Josh also took the junior prize by catching four species.

All in all the fishing was pretty poor but it was good to get out we saw a group of porpoise about half a mile off the orme and some dolphin about six miles off, plenty of gannetts flying around, more than i have noticed in previous years

Dates for the 2008 boat league are as follows

1. April 27^th .
2. May 18^th.
3. June 1^st.
4. June 15^th.
5. July 13^th.
6. July 27^th.
7. August 10^th.
8. September 7^th.
9. September 21^st.
10. October 12^th.

 Reserve match date October 26^th.

The league this year will consist of eight matches with the best six results counting, this will leave two dates left to be used for matches with a different format, basically mini opens with the results not counting for the league.

The meeting place for this years matches is the little chef car park at Llandegai near Bangor, the days venue will be chosen taking account of up to date forecasts and the boats will be leaving at 0800 hrs at the latest so if you want a breakfast give yourselves plenty of time, if the weather is settled telephone Gwyn on 01745 823861 or 07912 420085 or Gary on 01745 826253 or 07748 841528 before 2100hrs as a decision could be made to launch the boats at Colwyn Bay but only in periods of very settled weather can such a decision be made the night before a match.

All boats will be checked at the first match to make sure that they are seaworthy and are carrying all the recommended safety equipment,(a list of this equipment is printed in the clubs handbook).

There may be an opportunity to have your boat checked by the R.N.L.I. at the first match if this can be arranged, so make sure your flares are in date, spare anchor and warp etc etc .

The club recommends that lifejackets be worn while taking part in club organised events.

This year any new boats fishing the league will be paired up with one of the more experienced boats giving them a chance to fish proven marks and hopefully the methods to fish these different marks successfully, they could also then save these marks on their chart plotters for future reference, boat names will be drawn out of a hat for pairing up.

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Please Note for your safety and to avoid disappointment:
All boat members be prepared to have your boats checked by the RNLI  for safety prior to the first match.

There will be a date organised for you, probably in the Colwyn Bay area, so please keep up to date by checking this page regularly.  

Also please note the useful links under Boat news & Safety in the blue section on the right of this page

The safety Committee will be posting a list of essential equipement in the near future.