Maurice repeats 2001 bass success

ALDERNEY angler Mick Maurice has achieved the incredible feat of winning the Phoenix Fish Bass competition for the second year in succession. It is also the third year running the top award has gone to an Alderney shore-caught fish.

Maurice did it in some style for his winning fish weighed 16-3-12.

It was just as well for he had to beat the best-ever catches in the 34-year history of this popular and prestigious event.

The competition's annual presentation evening was held at the Cobo Bay Hotel where Dave Sebire, from the Guernsey Anglers competition committee, presented a whole series of breathtaking statistics on the 2002 contest.

The competition attracted 32 entries, 14 up on 2001. No fewer than 29 were fish over 10-0-0, easily a competition record.

There were eight shore-caught entries and 24 boat-caught specimens.

For the first time ever the average weight for bass had climbed over the 11-0-0 mark, going up from 10-9-9 in 2001 to an amazing 11-7-9.

The second-placed bass was also a shore-caught fish, a specimen of 14-8-4 caught by Mark Amies.

The top boat-caught fish came third overall, the 14-1-0 bass landed by Neil Corbet.

The top three in the competition received suitably engraved tankards and the top 10 were each presented with a case of beer.

The good news was that Phoenix Fish would support the event again this year.

Every year the sponsors give their agreement to permit the occasion to be used to present the top awards in the Fish of the Month competition.

The Tiny Rogers Memorial Cup for the best fish by a junior went to Lee Crocker for his boat-caught ballan wrasse of 7-13-2 worth 96.99%.

The Bert Pike Trophy for the top fish of the winter 2001-02 went to Sark angler Roseanne Guille whose shore-caught 6-8-6 black bream scored 110.38%.

The Players Nob Cup for the best fish of the summer went to Paul Priaulx for his 132-13-3 blue shark worth 110.68%.

The evening's top FOM award went to Andy Fallaize. He won the Harold Bewey Memorial Trophy for his shore-caught thin-lipped grey mullet of 2-3-3 which scored a massive 142.89%.

The competition committee has had a busy time for it has also judged the March Fish of the Month competition.

The top prize went to a fish caught on the last day of the month.

Colin Mechem was spinning with a rapala artificial lure on a shore mark near Perelle and it was seized by a 4-13-8 fish, which was either a salmon or a sea trout.

The identification was to be crucial for the sea trout Bailiwick record stands at 4-11-2 and the salmon at 5-0-13.

Sadly for Mechem, a detailed inspection of his catch proved it to be salmon, so his chance for a record was lost.

However it did score 95.89% and gave him the Shakespeare Award for the top overall fish and the J. Meerveld and Sons Tankard for the best shore-caught fish.

The Peter Frise Tankard for the best boat-caught fish went to Mark Page for his 17-6-0 pollack which was worth 67.47%.

The two runner-up prizes of Bucktrout's Bass beers went to Andy Le Lerre's 2-12-0 shore-caught golden-grey mullet, 91.19%, and Richard Seager's 16-9-9 boat-caught pollack, 64.45%.

Six grey mullet were the total catch when the West Coast Sea Angling Club fished its first Herm match of the season.

The all-day shore event attracted nine members but only three found fish.

John Rothwell won the competition with four mullet, weighing 13-14-0 to score 135fi.

Andy Le Lerre was second with a grey mullet of 4-4-0 for 37 points and Steve Huxster third with a 3-10-0 fish for 34fi.

The competition kitty was shared between Rothwell who had the heaviest mullet, a 5-0-0 specimen and Le Lerre whose 4-4-0 fish was the second heaviest.

The result had no effect on the leaders in the club's overall championship.

Sam Robins remains in top spot with 229 points, Mark Le Page is second with 140 and Geoff Le Page third on 138fl, but Rothwell's 135fi point catch has rocketed him up to fourth place.

In view of the poor shore fishing being currently experienced, the club's members did well to find 13 fish during March to enter in the winter league and what's more two were new club records.

Craig McGrath created one when he caught a 3-4-4 lumpsucker, while Le Lerre pushed the club's golden-grey mullet record up to 2-12-0.

The latter also entered a 4-12-6 grey mullet.

Shane Bentley entered the most fish, a 2-0-3 lesser-spotted dogfish, a 2-2-9 golden grey mullet and a 1-4-0 three-bearded rockling.

Le Page entered two, a 5-8-0 ballan wrasse and a 2-0-0 golden-grey mullet, Robins a 3-8-0 plaice and Tim Cotterill a 6-10-4 bass.

Other mullet came from Huxster - a 3-10-0 grey; Rothwell - a 5-0-0 grey; and Fallaize - a 2-2-3 golden-grey.

The winter league runs from January to March and October to December. At the halfway stage Le Page is leading with five species for 284.45% and is closely followed by Huxster with five for 263.08%.

The Bailiwick Bass Club has had a very quiet start to their new season.

During March, the first month in its competitive year, the club members struggled to find fish and only two bass were entered in the competitions.

Colin Patch won the Coast Road Motors Bass of the Month award for his 6-6-5 specimen, while Martin Hillman entered a 4-14-0 fish.

Some flatties are being caught, but they are not numerous and are proving difficult to locate.

The Royal Fathomers AC members had a trip to Godine and Brecqhou but failed to catch any turbot or brill.

The catch consisted of four whiting, six pollack, two lesser-spotted dogfish, one mackerel and one ballan wrasse.

Another group of anglers, afloat near Sark, fared only a little better for a visiting angler found one turbot, an 8-0-0 specimen.

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