Angling for a win

THEY'VE sat through lightning, hail, rain and even a waterspout.

But still these men and women keep fishing: casting out, reeling in and, if they are very lucky, scoring an entry on the island's hallowed leader board.

The Alderney Angling Festival kicked off on Saturday and participants are reporting that 2011 is shaping up to be a classic year.

More than 100 of them have established positions in closely guarded spots around the island's shores and most of them are repeat visitors, coming back for anything between the second and 20th time.

What is it that keeps them coming?

Green Army A are a four-strong team who have made the trip from Guernsey.

'A bad day in Alderney is the best day you'll get anywhere else,' declares Steve Greenway, a warden from St Sampson's. 'Go and look at the leader board – where else would you get that?'

So far, the most talked about catch on the board, which is mounted at Braye Harbour, is a bass pulled out of the water near Commercial Quay. It weighed in at a hefty 15lb 6oz. The same night and spot also saw a 39lb conger eel hooked, while mullet and pollock have also had a strong showing.

Steve has made the board with three fish: a 2lb 11oz bream, a 5lb 2oz thick-lipped mullet and a 9lb 6oz pollock.

Like everyone else, he and his team have had to put the hours in: the sort of long, brain-draining hours that separate the hobbyists from the, quite frankly, fanatical.

The previous evening saw the team out fishing until 2.30am.

They were back at the water's edge for 7am and fishing right through to the evening, despite the fact that for six hours at a stretch, they often hadn't had a bite between them.

What keeps them going?

'Red Bull,' says Sam Robin, a storeman and driver from St Peter Port. 'Red Bull and the thought that the next time you reel in, you might have caught something. That's what you're always thinking.'

The dream is to scoop the Best Channel Islands or UK Angler award, which sees the winner's name engraved on a trophy. The prize money runs to £2,000 for a new British record and £500 for a new Alderney record, which most years is scooped.

'The prize money is nice and it's nice to have that as part of it, but you don't do it for the money,' said David Vaudin, a butcher's manager from St Sampson's.

'A week here costs us £1,000 each, once you've got the van over and paid for accommodation. We love it and if you love fishing, you want to come.'

'The fishing is good but for people like us, it's the craic,' adds Sam.

'Coming here with the boys from Guernsey, doing something we love – it's just good fun.'

With a scan of the leader board and a quick cup of tea, they head back out, all thoughts on the big one waiting to be caught.