Winners: Presented with prizes in Amroth

THE 9TH Felinfoel Brewery Double Dragon RNLI Annual Fishing Open, organised by members from Pembroke & District Angling Club, Osprey Sea Angling Club and Neyland Sea Angling Club, was held on Sunday (Feb 7) on Amroth beach in South Pembrokeshire.

This year, despite the date, the rugby and the weather, all of which one might have thought may have contributed to a decrease in both attendance and catches compared to last year and just four weeks earlier but, though attendance was indeed down, there were nearly as many fish caught at this match, despite the testing conditions, which though lovely at the start deteriorated during the day into a lot of wind and a raging surf.

However, the match was blessed in a way, in that it was fished in a just long enough break between storm Henry and storm Imogen.

The match also finished in time to watch the rugby on the big screen in the Amroth Arms, though the presentation and raffle had to wait until half time. Anyway, 22 out of the 68 anglers, compared to only 15 out of 78 in 2015, that fished, which included 3 ladies & 8 juniors (7 boys and a girl), managed to weigh in 26 sizeable fish as compared to 2015 when 21 were recorded and four weeks earlier when 23 anglers, from an entry of 91 weighed in 28 fish. So, as it turned out it, not a bad day all round.

The winning angler who managed to land 3 flounder for 1 Kg 160gms was a regular visitor from Bridgend, Jeff Stephens, netting him the first prize of £250. He also had the biggest flounder at 515gms taking the pool of £68. In second was a local angler, from Kilgetty, Andrew Jones, who landed 2 flounder for 885gms, allowing him to pick up the runner’s up prize of £75. In third place was another local and one of the organisers, Andrew Skeels who also had two flounder, but for 690gms, winning him £50.

No lady managed to weigh in but a couple of the Juniors did with John Mansbridge taking the £25 first prize with a fine Flounder of 500gms and Andrew Jones’s nephew Ryan taking the £15 second prize (both kindly donated by Shane Tucker) with a Flounder of 295gms. This, along with his uncle’s catch, was enough to give them the pair’s competition also, picking up another £60 for their combined 3 Flounders for 1 Kg 180gms. Second in the pairs was the other Andrew along with another of the organisers, John O’Connor, from Llanycefn, also with 3 Flounder, but for 1 Kg 085gms, giving them £40, with Jason Davies and Jamie Evans, third with 2 flounder for 830gms netting them £20.

However, the most important result on the day was that the event, which by the time the money is all in, will have raised over £800 for the Angle & Tenby lifeboats.

Thanks for this sterling effort go to our main sponsor Felinfoel Brewery along with their rep Jamie Owen for continuing to sponsor this event and congratulate the anglers from the organising clubs, you know who you are, together with Roger Harris of the Amroth Arms who always puts his premises and valued support at this event’s disposal, together with Liz Tallboys from the Tenby Lifeboat support group who ran the raffle.

Finally, we must again thank all the kind and generous sponsors of the event, including those already mentioned, who donated cash, made collections and donated prizes for the mega raffle which ensured continuation of the event’s great success. These were, in no particular order, Neyland and District Angling Club, Shane Tucker, Andrew Skeels, Steve “Paddy” Parry, Robbie Scale, Denis, Simon and Alex Nicholas, Haydn Cole, Roger Harries (Amroth Arms), John O’Connor, Leigh and Andrew Rogers, Andy Luxford, County Sports, Haverfordwest, Grainger Tubolt, Pembroke Dock, Country Stores, Gowerton, Ken Gainfort, The Brook Inn, St Ishmaels, The Sports Club, St Ishmaels, Peter Dunn Electrical, The Taberna Inn, Herbrandson, Dent Steel, Glyn Edwards Office Equipment, Milford Haven, and John and Sheila Mason. If anybody feels aggrieved that they have been missed off this list and we hope there isn’t, we are truly sorry, but thank you, most warmly, for your continued support.