Holt SAC 5th Leg Winter Accumulator (Report)

Sunday 29th January 2017 - Trimingham

Just for a change Holt SAC were on the sand at TRIMINGHAM for the 5th Leg of the Winter Accumulator. A match that was in doubt mid-week due to just 3 members registering to fish but then rain was promised on the south coast and the southerly wind blew in a few “Fountaineers” giving a respectable turn out in the end. Clear blue skies from the start with next to no wind and even the sun when it appeared above the cliffs had some strength in it, quite balmy considering of late. No rain forecast for the match but we were promised some right at the end which duly arrived but nothing serious.

Fishing all the ebb is the only way to fish Trimingham in a match and we certainly got that right. An almost flat sea with just a hint of a swell as the tide dropped.   Pegging was initially in the 1st bay to the West (Overstrand) but with serious weed here and after discussion with the less able members it was shifted to the 3rd bay West. Here the revetments have all been wiped out and the beach built up so it was easy to peg on the clear beach in front of the ex-revetments. It is quite easy to see how the revetments were doing their job as the cliff here was being quickly eroded whereas in front of the remaining revetments not so. No attempt has been made to repair the revetments so I suppose it’ll soon be like poor old Salthouse where we’ll soon be fishing on the marsh at high water. This is what they call managed retreat, retreat to where? Especially for the caravans on the edge of the cliff at Trimingham.

Anyway back to the fishing as the reasonable turn out soon gathered at Vale Road car park and welcome aboard to yet another new member in Bevan Self from Gt Yarmouth way. All were soon on their way with a few moans after Mr Organiser had taken them probably a bay too far but at least it was hard sand and not shingle. The moans soon subsided as everyone was able to set up on the open beach in one bay and apologies to Richard Ling for sticking him right on the groyne, it won’t happen again. For the majority this was a new venue so from the off it was matter of experimenting.   However, thankfully the threatened weed didn’t really materialise although some did appear towards the bottom.

For most rods started to rattle from the off which resulted in a few small whiting being carded although the odd serious fish was being recorded.   For some the first couple of hours were a struggle and it was only towards the end and a change of tactic provided some result. However, it was the old “silver fox” himself in John Neave our octogenarian super star who used his vast knowledge of the beach to find some quality flat fish. He struggled at the beginning and one lesson learnt from this is never feel sorry for anyone who is in this situation as they’ll come back and whop you as happened here. As the tide dropped he found these point earning Dabs & Flounders at his range to take the match with 4lb 3oz. Runner-up was previous week’s John Lacey Memorial’s Gorleston winner who used his skill at various ranges to bring in a steady flow of fish throughout to end up with 3lb 12oz. Having a difficult time of late, Paul Tovell managed the final podium slot when after a slow start managed to find decent fish at range ending with 3lb 1oz. Heaviest round was a 34cm (9oz) Whiting shared by John Carter and Bevan Self and heaviest flat a 30cm (11oz) Dab to John Neave. Altogether 99 fish (63 Whiting, 32 Dabs, 2 Flounders and 2 Rockling) were recorded weighing just under 21lb.

On the pegs, John Carter was on peg 1 and was having a torrid time. No real fish for the first 2 hours but 3 good whiting including that one of 34cm boosted his confidence. Having noticed high flat sand in front of him he decided to start his Norwegian trip early and hiked out there for more range and found more whiting. His final total 1lb 13oz from just 6 fish putting him in 7th place at the end . In contrast Bevan Self (peg 2) was enjoying his Club match debut with small fish thoughout. A nice 27cm Dab towards the end helped him to 2lb 13oz from 15 fish and 4th in the match. Another Gt. Yarmouth contender in Neil Smart (Smarty) was on next peg 3 and has really got into this Club match scene. That 34cm Whiting came on his first cast but then things slowed down but a steady flow of fish at the end brought him back up with 2lb 11oz from 15 fish and 5th place. Peg 4 saw Tony Thomas start off with a steady flow of whiting and few reasonable ones followed by a double shot of reasonable flatties. However, this did not continue with just 4 fish in the last couple of hours resulting in 2lb 7oz from 13 fish and 6th in the match.

Star of the day was definitely John Neave on peg 5 who was struggling to find a fish at the start. Then the fish came to him in the form of small Dabs and then a 29cm Whiting which was followed by a succession of treble shot whiting and Dabs. These consisted of some good points earning Dabs, a 27cm Flounder cumulating in that 30cm Dab worth 32 points. He easily took the match with his 4lb 3oz from 17 fish. After a slight struggle to get to his peg 6 Paul Tovell also struggled at the start of this one. In contrast to John his consistent range stuff was only producing those odd small whiting. However , as the tide dropped those distant decent whiting came into range with ones of 27, 29 and 30cm appearing on his card. A total of 3lb 1oz from 14 fish gave him 3rd place overall. A steady start from Keith Morley on peg 7 set the pattern for his match with some reasonable Whiting early on. This pattern continued throughout the match finding them at all ranges ending up with 3lb 12oz from 18 fish for 2nd in the match. Final member on peg 8 Richard Ling was having a torrid day seeing his rods smashed to the sand early on in frustration. Probably doesn’t want to be reminded of this one so all we shall say he found just one sizeable fish for 8th place.

Again an interesting match and shows the Club can have a competitive match on the sand when the conditions are right. Probably a bit of a hike too far but at least we stayed clear of most of the dog walkers. The weather was for a change kind to us with that rain just starting to appear in the last half hour. The Club will certainly be back at Trimingham at some stage in the future.

Salthouse beach is now accessible so the next Club match will be at SALTHOUSE for 6th Leg Winter Accumulator on Sunday 5th February fishing 10:00-3:00 HW 12:56 4.0m which is ½ hour early than advertised in the fixtures. Draw will be on the beach road from 8:30. The following Sunday 12th February is 5th round of the North Norfolk National Sea League at KELLING fishing 10:00-3:00 HW 7:26 4.9m an hour later than advertised. As this is an Open there will be a number of Individual pegs and with no East Anglia League match anyone wanting to fish this one MUST text 07780793141. It is planned for the draw to be in the Muckleburgh Collection Café from 8:15 and it is expected that breakfasts will be available from 7:30 … Tony T  

Top 5 Individuals (on the day) …

1…John Neave……..4lb..2 2/3oz…..(17 fish)

2…Keith Morley…….3lb..12oz……….(18 fish)

3…Paul Tovell……….3lb.. 2/3oz…….(14 fish)

4…Bevan Self……....2lb..12 2/3oz..(15 fish)

5…Neil Smart………..2lb..11 1/3oz..(15 fish)

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