Saunders takes top FOM prizes

DAVE SAUNDERS has won the top prizes in the November Fish of the Month competition. The 8-0-8 shore-caught ballan wrasse that he landed while taking part in the Specimen Fish Hunt scored 92.57% and gave him the Shakespeare monthly angling award for the overall top fish and the J. Meerveld and Sons Tankard for the best shore-caught specimen.

The Mari Maeda Braby Tankard for the best boat-caught fish went to Alan Broe Bougourd for his 3-10-7 Couch's sea bream, which was worth 81.65%.

The two runner-up prizes of Bucktrout's Bass beers went to Peter Frise, 7-14-8 ballan wrasse, 91.92%, and Steve Robilliard, 2-8-6 lesser-spotted dogfish, 88.37%. Both were shore-caught fish.

The Aval du Creux Hotel angling award for juniors went to Sark youngster Jason Brehaut. He caught a 13-13-0 conger worth 20.95% at Maseline Harbour on a legered wrasse fillet.

The two unsuccessful entries were Len Le Page, 1-9-0 boat-caught cuckoo wrasse, 79.68% and Mark Le Page, 12-6-10 shore-caught bass, 67.48%.

Two shore-caught ballan wrasse, caught during the GSAC's Fur and Feather, have become the first entries in the December competition.

Daryl Butcher entered his 6-6-0 fish caught on legered crab on the east coast, while Dave Tostevin submitted the 5-14-6 specimen taken on crab, also on the east coast. Both will be judged against the 8-10-13 Bailiwick shore record.

Young angler Callum McLaren is hoping to win the Aval du Creux Hotel angling award for juniors for he has entered the 1-9-4 lesser-spotted dogfish he caught during the Fur and Feather.

It was tempted by a garfish strip on St Peter Port Breakwater and will be judged against the 2-13-11 Bailiwick shore best.

TOM OZANNE has made the longest ever officially recorded cast by a Bailiwick angler.

While taking part in the Jersey Open Casting tournament, he recorded at least five casts that beat the original best, a 204yd 2ft 9in cast made by Dave Saunders in Norfolk in 1991.

Ozanne made a 215 yard cast with a 75 gramme weight, 243 yards with 100 grammes, 244 yards with 150 grammes, 227 yards with 175 grammes and his top effort, 245 yards with 125 grammes.

His best cast meant he finished sixth overall in a field of 15 anglers.

The top cast of the day was 272 yards 2ft by Tom Jones, an angler who finished sixth at this year's world championships.

The top cast by a Bailiwick angler on Guernsey soil was the 184 yard 2ft achieved by Alan Drillot in 1987, while the best cast ever made locally was the 219 yards 2ft length made by Sea Angler instructor Mike Toomer in 1983, which is still Guernsey's all comers record.

It's certain that if a casting tournament was held locally, both Drillot's and Toomer's lengths would be beaten.