Bull huss record last just 24 hours

THE Bailiwick boat-caught record for bull huss has been beaten yet again. Last week it was reported that Bob Bannister had brought in a 14-15-10 fish to beat the old record of 14-5-0, but within 24 hours it was raised again when Jonathan Beck returned with a 16-5-0 specimen.

It was caught at the same mark off Sark and had been tempted by a mackerel flapper bait.

This is now the fifth bull huss record to come from the mark over the last three years.

Currently it is a real bull huss bonanza with dozens being caught on each trip to the mark.

Beck and the party of anglers out with Richard Seager lost count of the number being boated as a steady stream of bull huss mostly in the 8-0-0 to 10-0-0 range came over the gunwhales.

All were returned alive, even the record fish, which went back into St Peter Port Harbour after all the weighing and identification formalities had been completed.

Although the record has now been pushed up by a total of 2-0-0 it still falls short of the 18-13-0 Channel Island record.

Needless to say Beck's catch has become a June Fish-of-the- Month entry.

There could have been another record claim last week for there was an unsubstantiated report that a 32-0-0 turbot had been caught on a bank near Sark.

None was received in respect of the flattie and no entry made in the Fish-of-the-Month competition.

If the report of the catch was true, the captor missed out on a whole range of prizes and awards.

Such a fish, if entered in the numerous competitions in the national angling magazines, could have won prizes well in excess of £1,000, as well as picking up a prize in the local FoM and would also claim the Bailiwick and Channel Island records.

It's extraordinary why this happens. Anglers opt out of an opportunity to win big prizes and honours simply because they can't be bothered to spend a little time having their catch formally weighed and identified and filling in a few simple forms.

In some instances an angler will decide to return his fish alive as a conservation measure and forgo the chance of awards, but that wasn't the case in this instance, it is understood that the flattie was brought ashore.

n STUART TOSTEVIN has won the John Tyler Rose Bowl, awarded for the Guernsey Sea Anglers Club's second boat match of the season.

His winning bag was 18 pollack and one cuckoo wrasse for a weight of 26-10-0 and 166.5 points.

The three hour evening event attracted 25 members and all but one found fish to bring to the weigh-in.

The three charter boats took the anglers to the Fourquie in the Big Russel where they caught 172 pollack, one cuckoo wrasse, one red gurnard, one mackerel and one turbot.

The catch doubled the result of the club's first match, fished a week previously but was still well down on the equivalent competition in 2005.

By far the best fish of the night was the 9-5-0 turbot caught by Zahrah Nicolle which gave her the heaviest fish kitty on Lord Gray. Peter Frise took the equivalent prize on Discovery with a 5-4-0 pollack, while Shane Brehaut took the kitty on Margaret K with a 3-4-0 pollack.

The result meant Stuart Tostevin went to the top of the championship list with 222.5 points. Gary Le Page, who finished second on the night with 15 pollack for 22-4-0, has taken the second place overall with 180 points.

The club had a busy week for they also fished the Herm Trophy, an all day roving, non-championship match in the smaller island.

The match attracted nine anglers but only four weighed in. The total catch was four pollack, three ballan wrasse, two mackerel and one garfish.

The winner was Peter Frise with two wrasse and a pollack for 7-5-0 and 44.25 points. Lee Vaudin was second with three pollack and a mackerel for 4-0-0 and 31 points. Mike Weysom had a 4-0-0 ballan wrasse which gave him third place with 22 points, and the competition kitty for the heaviest fish. Len Hall was fourth with the garfish and one mackerel for 1-4-0 and 13 points.

nMICK DAMARELL has strengthened his lead at the top of the Bailiwick Bass Club's shore championship list.

He topped the catch list in May with three bass for 18-12-10 and his heaviest fish was a 7-5-14 specimen giving him the Collenette Jones best bass-of-the-month award. His overall total is now six bass for 36-5-1.

His nearest rival is now Richard Exall who had three bass for 15-3-2. Three members entered two bass, Sam Robins 5-0-6 and 4-8-11 and Mark Amies 4-3-6, 4-8-4 and Daryl Butcher 4-0-1 and 4-4-6. Three had one each Andy Le Prevost 5-10-0, Paul Arnold 4-11-0 and Shane Bentley 4-10-8. The total number entered in May was 15.

The club is now gearing itself up for the Quayside Marine and Leisure Open Bass Challenge. It will be held from 6pm on Friday 23 June through to 9.30pm on Monday 26 June.

Registration is on the Friday and the weigh-ins on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 9-9.30am and 9-9.30 pm will take place at the control centre opposite Channel Television at Bulwer Avenue.

There will be separate boat and shore sections, with prizes of £400 plus tackle for heaviest bass, £200 for the second, £100 for the third and tackle prizes for the fourth and fifth in each.

There will be separate prizes for women anglers, juniors under 15 and juniors under 11 and a pairs competition.

A bonus award of at least £1,000 will go to the captor of the heaviest shore-caught bass over the Bailiwick record.

A competition between the BBC and the Guernsey Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society will be run in conjunction with the event.

The competition will be brought to a conclusion with the presentation night which will be held at L'Eree Bay Hotel on Thursday 29 June at 8pm.