6th Leg Winter Accumulator & North Norfolk National Sea League Round 5

Sunday 8th February 2015 - Kelling

 

At this time of the year we are all at the mercy of the weather on the North Norfolk shingle and this match was no exception.  Any hint of north in the wind on this coastline and everyone is scouring the web for a forecast that at least gave a decent prediction for the impending match.  With the previous match at Trimingham cancelled because of serious northerlies a few of the hardened anglers were getting nervous even as early as Monday about the prospects for the coming Sunday.  Surprisingly, one or two were suggesting cancellation at this early stage but the majority of captains opted to make a decision closer to the weekend.  By Saturday the wind had dropped slightly and with overnight forecast of 20+mph northerlies easing off mid-morning there was no real debate about not proceeding with the match.  As it happened they were almost spot on with this forecast so being patient this time allowed us to go ahead with the match as planned and satisfy all those who were already getting withdrawal symptoms from the Trimingham cancellation.

 

Pegging for this match was starting west of the small cliff in front of the aerials, under the small cliff through to and just past the wreck.  However, during pegging it was soon apparent that the overnight wind which was still strong had created a serious swell with 8-10 foot waves sporadically coming ashore in groups of three.  Although there was no white water off shore the waves were thundering against the shingle, a situation that deters the flatties on this beach and the good old reliable dab was to be our main quarry for the day, it did not look good.  Fishing top down on a big tide meant the swell was hitting the bottom of the cliff so to avoid fishing from the” car park” it was agreed to start ½ hour later at 10:30.  This would also allow the wind to drop slightly which it did and for the swell hopefully to ease which it did not.

 

With the arrangements agreed all were soon gathering at the Muckleburgh Collection gate and it was good to see a few additional members in the new teams.  With an extra ½ hour to while away some were soon shooting off to the local hostelry for lamb mince pasties and coffees, with others in full banter mode discussing the presentation evening, bass festival, Orford trip and other topics that do not need to be mentioned here.  With draw made and bait distributed by the top local supplier all were soon leisurely making their way to the “authorised car park” past the coils of pure copper that will link Dudgeon Wind Farm to Swaffham. In the meantime Mr Organiser was doing his usual post draw activity and assisting the local Coast Guard with a Muckleburgh gate key problem. However, on descending though the dusty terrain he was surprised to see a small lynching mob waiting for his presence.  Must admit the sea did not look too good, easily fishable, a good summer bass sea but not really good for our friendly flatties.  It was soon apparent that the tide had not dropped sufficient to allow safe access and set up on the shingle, assume they were just joking with the rope!

 

With the wind starting to drop, all were soon off to their allotted slots with all apart from the odd one deciding to park way up the shingle well away from those big swells.  At the whistle all had decided to bang it as far as possible particularly with a stiff northerly and heavy swell.  The objective for most was to keep the bait in the water rather than have it washed up the beach.  Surprisingly, with a good 5-6oz lead keeping the trace fishing was relatively easily and the majority had little problem holding bottom.  However, it was soon evident that the main problem was finding the fish which can be notorious at coming and going.  A few, very few were coming ashore early on but as the sea dropped they really did disappear, all of them.  Patience can normally produce a fish and leaving bait out for 20-30 minutes usually yields a dab or two but as the match progressed this general rule was certainly broken.

 

Zone E was in front of the wreck and this typified the state of play in all other Zones along the stretch with a few fish in the first hour and half and then not even a touch or sniff of one for the rest of the match.  With this Zone being a potential hot spot John (C) (Gutter Bashers) was ecstatic about being offered end peg 39 instead of his usual Zone A peg but his euphoria certainly dimmed as like many others his card remained empty at the end of the match.  The same could be said for the Browns with Daniel (B) (Sabre Tackle B) on peg 37 and Shane (B) (Sabre Tackle A) on peg 38.  Empty cards but young Daniel worked tirelessly throughout the match to locate a fish to no avail, well done Danny!  One of Holt Crack Offs leading lights Dick (E) was also having a similar day on peg 25 and alongside him was Shane (S) (Sabre Tackle A) on peg 35 who had only come for a pleasure session decided the swell was not to his liking and opted for a more comfortable position at home, both returning empty cards.  Then there was the man who decided to be a bit of a King Canute being that person who parked himself down the shingle bank probably to save his legs. This was Martin (W) (Avenue Angling) on peg 33 who got more than he bargained for when Mr North Sea didn’t like where he was and crushed his buddy.  Well he did keep his card dry but again to no avail as this renowned big dab & whiting catcher like many others did not need it.  Star in this Zone was the unstoppable Mike (W) (North Norfolk Lads) on peg 36 who found 4 dabs early on for 58 points with one dab of 28cm (8oz) the heaviest flat and fish of the match.  Now this single fish shows how bad the match turned out to be!

 

Zone D fared slightly better but pleasure seeking David (L) (Sabre A) on peg 30 was soon to join his compatriot on the dusty road as the swell became too uncomfortable.  A similar outcome of an empty card was to beset Paul (H) (Gutter Bashers) on peg 31 and David (P) (Sabre Tackle B) on peg 29 who tried in vain to tempt just one fish with their pristine lug baits.  Just like Holt Crack offs’ star performer Ivan (A) on peg 26 who could not find a single fish.  In contrast, Phil (I) (Holt SAC) on peg 27 did manage to find that single fish, a 19cm dab and with 6 points took third in the Zone.  Likewise, Willy (G) (North Norfolk Lads) on peg 28 found that elusive dab, one of 22cm for 10 ponts and second in the Zone.  Unfortunately for them, Jeff (S) (Avenue Angling) on peg 25 found one more and with a 23cm and 25cm dab they gave him 28 points and the Zone win. No real dramas in this Zone and like Zone E just 4 fish recorded.

 

In contrast, the drama was about to unfold in Zone C as the swell continued to steam up the beach.  The unfortunate victim here was Mark (B) (Sabre Tackle B) on peg 21 who decided to venture down the shingle to recover some gear when Mr North Sea decided to send one of his swell trios inshore.  Mark is not to steady on his legs these days and the sudden surge of all this water unbalanced him and dumped his in the stuff.  Assistance from those around prevented Mark from being sucked further into the briny and an even worse catastrophe.  A rather soggy Mark was helped off the beach by Kevin (G) and Paul (K) for a rather early hot bath, thanks lads for your quick actions!  Mark is a beach stalwart and knows these beaches backwards but you can never be sure what mother nature can throw at you.  The club’s “Safety & Risk Assessment Statement” emphasises the diligence required in sea states such as this.  This has to be a wakeup call for all of us, be careful in such seas!  After this experience Paul (K) (Sabre Tackle A) on peg 22 decided that maybe he should play safe and took the dusty road home.  Like his other team members, Tom (G) (Holt Crack offs) on peg 18 was having a dire day and yet another empty card was being handed in.  Fortunately,  peg 20 with Kevin (G) (North Norfolk Lads) on it was producing a result as he managed to find a good 27cm flounder the only one of the match and a couple of dabs to give him 42 points and second in the Zone.  Back on match form was Peter (F) (Avenue Angling) on peg 17 who managed just two casts with fish but these were a double and treble shot for 71 points and the Zone win.

 

Zone B was certainly the worst in this match where like Zone E just one person managed to find fish.  Here Peter (M) (Gutter Bashers) on peg 15 failed to repeat his performance of the last match at this venue from an almost identical peg and joined the rest of his team mates by handing in a blank card.  The same could be said for Mark (Be) (Holt Crack offs) on a similar peg to that match where he found a 34cm flounder and was probably praying for something like that again but no such luck as he too handed in his empty card.  Another following the trend of the majority was Charlie (N) (Sabre Tackle B) on peg 13 who although being a previous podium winner here repeatedly states he does not like the venue, can see his point!.  Mind you, although his card was empty he did manage to hook a razor fish and head hook a yellow tail, yes yellow tail! Whatever bait was he using?  A single fish would therefore take the Zone and that old “sea dog” Trevor (E) (Avenue Angling) on peg 9 duly found not just one but 3 of them for 26 points to do the business.

 

Zone A managed to produce fish for some but for others it was a very empty day.  Particularly, for Peter (L) (Gutter Bashers) on peg 7 who had relinquished his usual hot wreck end peg for one where he could sneak in the gutter but his plan misfired as there was nothing there and yet another empty card for his team.  With a similar result Richard (E) (Holt Crack Offs) on peg 2 resorted to a spot of sun bathing as well as a long saunter along the match stretch to spread mischief about non-existent catches on other pegs to try and entice a lonely flattie onto his bait with no success.  However, not quite the case for a rather frustrated Alan (D) (Avenue Angling) on peg 1 who eventually and it really was eventually, managed to find a small 19cm dab for 6 points and third in the Zone.  In contrast, lucky Christian (B) (Sabre B) on peg 5 managed to find a small 20cm dab in the first few casts although the hook was not quite in its mouth but he did not care, a fish on the beach and on his card, he could relax with that extra cm giving him second in the Zone.  Winner of the Zone was Tony (T) (North Norfolk Lads) who managed to find a treble shot of dabs on his third cast followed by two more on separate casts shortly afterwards.  Like everyone else it was barren from then until three casts from the end when he found a nice and very important 26cm dab to give him 76 points for the match.

 

It was that last dab that enabled Tony Thomas to be the individual winner with 1lb 9 1/3oz from 6 fish followed very closely by Peter Fairclough with 1lb 7 2/3oz from 5 fish.  For once Mike Watts had to be content with the final podium slot with 1lb 3 1/3oz from 4 fish.  The team winners on the day was a tie between Avenue Angling & North Norfolk Lads with 6 penalty points with Sabre Tackle B third on 23 penalty points with that 1cm extra single dab caught by Christian Bulch at a dubious angle being the podium winner for his team.

 

On the club front, the result was the same as the teams match.  Heaviest club flat of the day went to Mike Watts for his 28cm (8oz) dab and there was not one round fish caught.

 

Total number fish caught was just 26 with one flounder and the rest dabs weighing a paltry 6lb 12oz.  This probably was one of our worst North Norfolk Sea League matches ever but you can never predict what the weather will do to our sport.  2 weeks previous at the same venue and match stretch we had nearly 200 fish and good weights.  In 2 weeks time they could all be back and once again it is dependent on the weather.  The flatties do not like the big swells at this venue particular on the ebb as the water recedes which was shown at this match.  High Pressure which we had also seems to deplete catches demonstrated by the fact that another match of top match anglers at Sizewell at the same time had an even worse result.  We must not be too despondent from one small blip in our league matches on the shingle it will certainly all change.

 

Back into known and welcomed territory for some for the Final Round 6 which will be at Bacton via Castaways on Sunday 8th March fishing 11:00-4:00 with HW 8:47 & LW 2:32 with a 4.8m tide (please note fishing times may change after the club’s match at this venue two weeks earlier). There will be a buffet and the league’s annual meeting after the match along with the usual presentation of league prizes.

 

Next Club match and Sabre Tackle Winter League is at Cley on Sunday 15th February  fishing 10:00-3:00.

 

Individual Result Top 5

1st Tony Thomas               1lb 9 1/3oz     (6 Fish)   - North Norfolk Lads

2nd Peter Fairclough          1lb 7 2/3oz     (5 Fish)   - Avenue Angling

3rd Mike Watts                  1lb 3 1/3oz     (4 Fish)   - North Norfolk Lads

4th Kevin Green                 0lb 14oz          (3 Fish) - North Norfolk Lads

5th Jeff Stannard                0lb 9 1/3oz     (2 Fish)  - Avenue Angling

 

Teams Result

1st=  Avenue Angling         6 points

1st=  North Norfolk            6 points

3rd  Sabre Tackle B           23 points

4th   Holt SAC                   24 points

5th= Gutter Bashers          28 points

5th= Holt Crack Offs          28 points

5th= Sabre Tackle A          28 points

 

Teams to date

1st     Avenue Angling        40 points

2nd    North Norfolk Lads    47 points

3rd     Holt Crack Offs         69 points

4th     Gutter Bashers         76 points

5th     Sabre Tackle B         89 points

6th      Sabre Tackle A      115 points

7th      Holt SAC               129 points

 

Please note team’s worst score is yet to be dropped.

 

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