Osborne's catch to plug hole on boat-caught list

DEAN OSBORNE has submitted the second sea fish record claim of the year. He was legering a ragworm bait in Grand Havre Bay when he hooked a gilthead bream.

A number of shore-caught giltheads are landed each year, with the record being Bert Marquand's massive 8-2-2 fish, caught in September 1983.

Osborne's fish was a much more modest 2-3-14, but it is the first boat-caught specimen to be reported by an angler in local waters and will consequently fill a vacancy on the Bailiwick's boat-caught record list.

It is a long way short of the British boat-caught record, which stands at an incredible 9-15-8.

Sadly, Osborne cannot enter his fish for the July Fish of the Month as entries are welcomed only for species already on the relevant record list.

One final postscript, Osborne had no fewer than three species of bream during his angling session; besides his gilthead he had a number of blacks and Couch's sea bream.

IT'S going to be an exciting finish to the Guernsey Sea Anglers' Club's boat championship.

With just one evening competition remaining in the five-match series only 20 points separate the top four anglers.

Stuart Tostevin is in the lead by the slenderest of margins, half a point ahead of John Davey, who in turn leads Mike Weysom in third place, by 9/ points.

One must have sympathy with previous championship leader Joe Gomez. Due to work commitments he missed the fourth leg match and as a consequence dropped to fourth place, just 10fi points behind Weysom.

The match was won by Gary Le Page, who takes the GSAC Trophy for his 13 pollack catch which gave him 126fl points.

It was an extremely close event, for only three points covered the top three competitors.

Sue Le Billon did well to beat most of her male colleagues to finish one point behind Le Page, while John Hatton was two points further back in third spot.

The three-hour evening competition attracted 20 anglers, with 19 bringing fish back to the weigh-in.

Marks fished on the night included Petites Canupes, Tautenay and Rousse.

The total catch consisted of 122 pollack, six mackerel, eight bass, one black bream, one pout, two red gurnard and one Couch's sea bream.

The competition kitty for the heaviest fish on one boat went to Len Hall for a 3-8-0 pollack and to John Hatton on the second boat for a 2-5-0 pollack.

I had the heaviest bass, a 3-7-0 fish. However, the top fish of the evening was the Couch's sea bream, caught by Stuart Tostevin. The 1-12-12 fish was a new club boat-caught record, which gave him 30 bonus points in the competition, a big help in his quest for the boat championship.

THE Guernsey Bass Anglers' Sportfishing Society's Open Festival will take place over the last weekend of the month.

The event's main sponsor this year is Bucktrout's in association with Bass beers.

It will start on Friday 29 August at 7pm and finish at 7pm on Monday 1 September.

This year the registration, weigh-ins and presentation night will all be held at Blind O'Reilly's, South Side, St Sampson's.

Entry forms, which give all the details will be available prior to the event from tackle dealers.

One important difference this year, the registration time will be on Thursday 28 August, from 6 to 8pm, and not on the Friday as in previous years.

REEL Burners are through to the final of the Guernsey Anglers Team Knockout.

In the semi-final they defeated Sea Catchers by 132-12-0 to 1-6-8-0 in an all-day match fished east of Sark, the Blanchard and marks north of Brecqhou.

The heaviest individual catch was the 31-12-0 boated by Dave Slimm from the Reel Burners.

The total catch consisted of 110 pollack, five black bream, seven mackerel, eight pout, four red gurnard, five scad, one ballan wrasse and one tope.

Bob Kimber from the Sea Catchers had the most varied catch, landing no fewer than six species. He caught eight pollack, one pout, one black bream, one scad, one mackerel and two red gurnard.

Reel Burners' victory has prevented the final being an all Royal Fathomers AC affair.

The club's two teams, Sea Catchers and Lethal Lines, had both reached the semi-finals, but club representation in the final will now depend on the success of Lethal Lines in disposing of Black Sea Horses in the remaining semi-final match.