Poole Bay Doggies Match Newsletter. Stumpie’s Day

The Poole Bay Doggies Angling Club chose to enter the Poole Small boats open on the 12^th November in conjunction with their own league.It was the start of a perfect day (Sunday morning dark and not even the bloody birds have woken up) but nevertheless the Poole Bay Doggie taxi choked into life. Soon we were to reach our first destination the mooring berth of the fine vessel named Silver Spray and Wiley old sea dog of a Carrick crunching Cornishman Skipper. Ok not so old! (It’s a long swim from Lloyds Bank). Soon an opportunity that could not be missed appeared. Our distinguished chairman phoned the taxi driver enquiring about eta. Being up since before the dawn chorus awake was he! The reply was swift and coherent (Uh what time is it?) Needless to say with a bit more prefabrication of the situation and co-operation from the secretary and the skipper himself when receiving desperate calls from our chairman the stage was set for a Mike Bird melt down.So as not to be reported to the RSPCB the taxi showed up at Baiter car park and put him at ease. Soon with subs paid, bacon butties consumed and our usual stand off with our friend at the Hotel car park negotiated we were on the boat.Soon we were on our mark and the great white hunting began!!! Paul White Harris (PWA) at last relinquishing his ground baiting obligations to Ian Pinnock, Alan Pleasants & later to the lovely Sheryl set off in earnest to catch a fine pout of 1lb 10oz. Soon the heavier stuff was tempted by our fine fare. Theo the Taxi driver caught Stumpie the conger who must have at some time got too close to a Great white. The damned thing weighed in at 25lb 3oz cos it was only 4.5ft long. (I mean to say what else would try and eat a bloody conger for heavens sake?) Not long after that PWA’s rod bent over and following a superb demonstration of bullying a fish to the surface a fine 11lb Pollock thumped down on the deck. By now rubby dubby was flowing but it was the flood tide and I am sure that there was no risk to the coast line of the IOW or Calshot spit.After a long period of Mike Bird tempting fry into the boat under the disguise of Dog fish, pout & wrasse, & Ian Pinnock running out of ground bait and doing some serious fishing by landing a scale thumping 1lb 8oz Mackeral, PWA became snagged. He pulled this away, he pulled that away, then he just went for it and bent the rod for all its worth. (Not a lot after that), with a gentle B-tang it snapped in two. The snag was free and not to be out done PWA fought with the crippled rod and then breaking the surface was the mighty fine dog fish of 1 lb + . Could this have been the sucker that had stumpie’s tail I wonder? This put a smile on his face or he was gritting his teeth not sure really but another point in the bag all the same. With the orange P Pot made redundant to save Sheryl’s blushes the skipper came out of the bog & came PWA’s rescue. "Now use a decent rod" as he handed over the Ugly. With some trepidation our unlikely hero set about the ugly. It soon bent & bent however our hero was reluctant to Bully and just eased up a 9.5 lb Pollock. He confessed to not entering the comp and we all changed the first vowel of the fish. We returned we landed & we posed. The taxi flew down to baiter for the auspicious weigh in. Our chairman gagging to weigh the Doberman of doggies, the mackerel fed on ground bait was next. Finally Stumpy got his turn for glory! Thump went the scales down to a pig sickening 25lb 3oz. Yes Stumpy for all his girth fell short of the heaviest fish by 1lb 9oz. If only he kept his arse end he might have been covered in glory. But it was not to be his day the unknown predator of years gone by had cost Stumpy and the Taxi driver dearly. The presentation was held, beer was flowing, except for our tea totalling chairman who wanted to be sober to pick up his prize for Bonzo the 2lb 3oz doggie. Sausage & chip butties were consumed again except for our Chairman who by now was quivering in excitement and could not face food. Yes he did it! one place behind the ground baited mackerel Bonzo came in with a £25 voucher. As for Stumpy……aching heart no arse and in Sheryl’s freezer.

Poole Small boats open results
 The prizes were awarded in succession alternating between Round and Flat fish, with the biggest % of specimen size starting the prizes. However, with only 6 Flat fish recorded this year the remaining prizes after 11th place went to Round fish.
Seniors
1st prize - Graham Bealing, Flounder, 3lb 3.5oz, 128.75%
2nd prize - Fred Smith, Bull Huss, 10lb 12oz, 107.5%
3rd prize - Fred Greenough, Flounder, 3lb 0.75oz, 121.88%
4th prize - J Packer, LSD, 2lb 15oz, 97.92%
5th prize - Mark Huxford, Flounder, 2lb 0.5oz, 81.25%
6th prize - Dave Mayne, Undulate Ray, 13lb 0oz, 92.86%
7th prize - Anthony Holt, Plaice, 2lb 11oz, 59.72%
8th prize - Rich Swain, Bull Huss, 9lb 4oz, 92.50%
9th prize - Pete Whelan, Flounder, 1lb 4.75oz, 51.88%
10th prize - Clive Tyler, Pouting, 2lb 11oz, 89.58%
11th prize - Jan Tryska, Flounder, 1lb 4oz, 50%
12th prize - Gordon Moore, LSD, 2lb 4oz, 75%
13th prize - Ian Pinnock, Mackerel, 1lb 8oz, 75%
14th prize - Mike Bird, LSD, 2lb 3oz, 72.92%
15th prize - Paul Dore, LSD, 2lb 1oz, 68.75%
16th prize - John Young, Pouting, 2lb 1oz, 68.75%
17th prize - Tony Harvey, Conger, 26lb 12oz, 66.88%
18th prize - Paul Frey, LSD, 2lb 0oz, 66.67%
Juniors
1st prize - Ryan Way, LSD, 2lb 3oz, 72.92%
2nd prize - Ryan Way, Pouting, 2lb 0oz, 66.67%
3rd prize - Ryan Moss, drawn.
4th prize - Robert Fuller, drawn.
5th prize - Dan Chapman, drawn.
Pool Cash Prizes
Heaviest Round Fish - Tony Harvey, Conger, 26lb 12oz
Heaviest Flat Fish - Graham Bealing, Flounder, 3lb 3.5oz
New this year was the B.A.S.S Catch & Release Prize.
The winner was Gary Austin with a Bass of 1lb 12oz, winning the B.A.S.S Trophy and a Tackle Voucher of £40.