Sunny Rhyl Sea Fishing Diary
Rhyl Charter - Suveran - 24/08/2007
Venue - Rhyl
Duration - 8 hrs
Bait: Frozen Lug, Frozen Squid, Fresh Mackerel, Ragworm, Feathers
Boat - Suveran
Skipper - Simon Parry
Event - RAF Sealand Sea Fishing Championship 2007
There was a distinctly competitive edge to todays charter. It was the 24th running of the RAF Sealand Sea Fishing Competition.
This year was to be a species competition.
With all to play for, we left Rhyl Harbour and headed out to the first mark of the day, a small flattened wreck.
At anchor we all dropped down feathers and instantly hit into the Mackerel.
Monsters they were too!!!!!!!
With enough for bait, the feathers were swapped for a variety of traces.
I had a 2 up, 1 down flapper baited with small sections of worm. Sinbad favoured a 3 hook boomed paternoster with Mackerel strips.
The bites were instant. Pouting were here in numbers. As were Whiting, Dabs and Black Bream.
With the smaller species showing well, next target for the species hunt were the Gurnards.
Most people had Tubs. Paul took the only Grey of the day, as well as a few nice Reds.
Surprisingly, the Dogfish were proving elusive. Most of us eventually landed one, but I had to specifically target them with Squid head to tick them off the list.
As the tide started to run, we headed off to mark number 2.
Larger baits were recommended at this mark.
Wes had been persevering for the big stuff and was rewarded with a screaming run. Alas, it all went quiet and eventually he reeled in his Mackerel bait to see the tell tale teeth marks of the Tope that got away.
Meanwhile, the Bull Huss were now showing. All caught on varying sizes of Mackerel baits.
The competition was very close. With only a few fish in it, we headed for the final mark of the day.
Most will know it as the Smoothy mark, but the generel fishing here is good too.
Within minutes of dropping down, Sinbad was into a Tub Gurnard, a fish that had elluded him all day.
Next drop, a Bull Huss brought him right back into the frame.
I could tell he had the bit by the teeth by the speed of him baiting up his 3 hook flowing trace. It was like watching a chef chopping an onion!
I was getting anxious when he had another good knock on his Conolon. Surely not another species?
It was!!!!!!! The first Thornback Ray of the day.
James was next with the new species.
The one and only Tope landed all day.
Sinbad fishes this mark in his Kayak. He'll be fishing smaller baits next time after catching his 3rd Thornback from this mark on a scratch rig.
With the shout of 'Rods in', the competition was over and it was time to head back in and tally up.
Back in the harbour, Simon read out the results.
It was all very close, but with 10 species apiece, Sinbad and I were equal. The decider then was the biggest fish of the day between us.
It fell to me with a 7lb Huss just beating Sinbads 6lb Huss.
So with the crowds assembled, I had finally claimed my first competitive Sea Fishing Trophy.
Many thanks to Simon for administering the whole event and also chosing some great marks that kept the fishing both varied and non-stop.
I look forward to defending my title in 2008 :)
Species caught today were..........Pouting, Mackerel, Bream, Dab, Red Gurnard, Grey Gurnard, Tub Gurnard, Poor Cod, Whiting, Dogfish, Bull Huss, Thornback Ray, Tope.
Happy Days!!!!!