The Heron Autumn Beach Festival should perhaps be renamed the Whiting festival after the numbers caught in this years event on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th November bordered on the obscene.
Eleven anglers took to the beaches from Reculver to Studd Hill, both days taking part in darkness.
With whiting numbers reaching near plague proportions, there’s no wonder only a very small number of dogfish made it to the scales, D. Morris took the heaviest from Albany drive at 1lbs 5.8oz, no other species were landed.
T. Morris led the way on Saturday with a very impressive haul of 61 fish for 25lbs 15.6oz from Queensbridge Drive whilst S. Stephenson followed closely behind with 23lbs 7.8oz and B. Morris in 3rd with 20lbs 14.2oz, both fished the kings hall area.
A change of location for B. Morris on Sunday however paid dividends as he fished the harbour arm and returned with 75 fish for 30lbs exactly, winning the day.
With S. Stephenson landing 25lbs 2.8oz and T. Morris 20lbs 5.6oz it was also enough for Ben to win the tournament overall.
Full results including class winners as follows;
(Elimination rules apply)
Saturday 3rd;
1st- T. Morris, 61 fish, 25lbs 15.6oz
2nd- S. Stephenson, 53 fish, 23lbs 7.8oz
3rd- B. Morris, 49 fish, 20lbs 14.2oz
4th- L. Perry-French, 40 fish, 17lbs 1oz
5th- B. Perry-French, 38 fish, 15lbs 15.8oz
6th- K. Morris, 36 fish, 14lbs 10.8oz
7th- D. Smith, 22 fish, 9lbs 2.4oz
8th- A. Wood, 23 fish, 8lbs 14.6oz
9th- D. Neiles, 11 fish, 4lbs 5.4oz
Sunday 4th;
1st- B. Morris, 75 fish, 30lbs
2nd- S. Stephenson, 56 fish, 25lbs 2.8oz
3rd- B. Perry-French, 59 fish, 25lbs 2.2oz
4th- T. Morris, 49 fish, 46lbs 5.2oz
5th- L. Perry-French, 42 fish, 17lbs 11.4oz
6th- D. Morris, 33 fish, 16lbs 1.8oz
7th- D. Smith, 15lbs 14lbs 14.2oz
8th- K. Morris, 38 fish, 15lbs 9.2oz
9th- I. Morris, 30 fish, 12lbs 11.6oz
Class winners;
Class 1, Aggregate
1st- B. Morris, 50lbs 14.2oz (£50)
2nd- S. Stephenson, 48lbs 10.6oz (£30)
3rd- T. Morris, 46lbs 5.2oz (£20)
Class 2, Heaviest Catch (1 day)
B. Morris, 30lbs
Class 3, heaviest fish
D. Morris, 1lbs 5.8oz
Class 4, Greatest No. (1 day)
T. Morris, 61 fish
Class 5, Greatest No. flatfish (1 day)
Not won
Class 6, Greatest No. on Sunday
B. Perry-French, 59 fish
Class 7, Heaviest Catch by a Lady (1 day)
Not won
Class 8, Heaviest Catch by a Junior (1 day)
L. Perry-French, 17lbs 11.4oz
Class 9, HeaviestCatch by a Senior (1 day)
K. Morris, 15lbs 9.2oz
