Heaviest cod earns £1,000 in Xmas competition

The organisers are determined to re-generate the event which has one of the biggest on the competition calendar.

And this year the single heaviest cod will win the £1,000 cash prize.

George Harris, secretary of the Kirkcaldy-based club, said: “In addition, cash and tackle prizes will be awarded down to tenth place, as in previous years.

Portobello Beach at dusk in one of the earlier rounds of the Edinburgh Winter Shore League

“The only difference is that there are no bag prizes.”

The club committee met on Wednesday night and Harris said that the heaviest fish format will benefit conservation of fish stocks given that between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of fish landed will be returned.

And he said: “It will improve the value of the competition element of sea angling in the longer term by targeting the larger fish and not just numbers.

“We look forward to welcoming the many anglers who have supported us over the past 25 years, together with any newbies who come along for the first time.”

Harris added: “We want to give as many existing and new participants as possible the chance to take part in what has become one of the best supported events in the Scottish sea angling calendar.

Registration is at Anstruther Golf Club from 9.30am to 11.30am and fishing is from noon to 6pm. The weigh-in is between 6pm and 7pm at the golf club and entry is £15. Juniors fish for £5 and all receive a prize.

Boundaries are from Elie to St Andrews and harbours and piers are included.

A range of rods, reels, terminal tackle and bait will be available to buy at the registration point supplied by Deals on Reels of Cowdenbeath.

For the record, this match counts for points towards the national Penn Sea League and further information is available from Harris on 07801 951805.

St Serfs recently held leg six of their league in a stiff breeze on the Fife coast and Harris emerged the winner with seven fish for 8lb 10oz with Keith Crombie second with four fish for 7lb 11oz and the heaviest fish of 3lb 1oz.

Ian Crombie was third with a fish of 2lb 8oz and the next leg is between Arbroath and Montrose with fishing from noon to 5pm on November 10.

Also on the East Coast, the two-day Iain Reid Memorial match is on Saturday, November 9 from noon to 4pm at Kirkcaldy and Sunday, November 10 from noon to 4pm at Leven and registration is from 10am to 11am on Saturday at the East End car park at Kirkcaldy Promenade.

The 60 pegs will be set out from the Kirkcaldy Harbour end and are set to be filled for this is a measure and return match with a fish minimum of 15cm. Undersized fish earn five points for each fish.

Bait restrictions are mackerel and lugworm and there are prizes for first, second and third plus zone prizes and a heaviest flat fish award. Entry is £40 to include both days and this is also a counting match towards the Penn Sea League.

Contact David Dobbie on 07940 111729 for details.

Anglers are asked to bring raffle prizes to help fund-raise for the Scotland ladies international team and this will be drawn on the Sunday.

A reminder that Mike And Chris’s winter heaviest cod league starts of Saturday, November 16 and the boundaries are from Carnoustie to Ferryden Lighthouse with fishing from 16.00 to 21.00. Registration is at the Victoria car park in Arbroath between 14.30 and 15.00 and everybody leaves at 15.00. Low tide is 20.04, by the way.

There are four other legs, December 14, January 11 and 18 and February 8 and entry is £15. One rod and three hooks maximum and message or call Chris on 07872 944807 for details.

East Fife Sea Angling Club host the Elliot Beach Open near Arbroath on Saturday, November 23 with fishing from 2pm to 7pm.

Registration is at the Railway Bridge car park in Arbroath from 12.15 to 12.45pm and there is a 50 peg limit. Pre-booking only.

Rules are on rod three hooks and there is an 18cm minimum size limit. Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers rules apply and prizes will be awarded on a Continental zone-style payout determined by how many entries are received. There will be a longest fish award. Contact Chris on 07872 944807.

Locally, leg three of the Edinburgh Winter Shore League is on November 8 at Newhaven (west) and registration is from 6pm to 6.15pm at Western Harbour Breakwater EH6 6PA. Fishing is from 7pm to 10pm.

Falkirk-based Ian Campbell, the organiser and retail manager of the Edinburgh Angling Centre, one of the sponsors, tops the current standings with 13 points with Dunbar angler, Chris Empson, second one point behind.

Schoolboy, 15-year-old, Eryk Janik, is third on 11 points with Neil Cutler from Tyneside fourth on eight points.

The rest of the top ten are: 5, Stevie Souter 8 points; 6, Stephen Barrett 8; 7, Chris Anderson; 8, Brian Hambling 6; 9, Alan Haggon 5; 10, Steve Potts 4; 11, Chris Barrett 4; 12, Stuart Macfarlane 3.

Two local anglers had pleasing returns in The Arbroath Winter Cod event last Saturday. Craig Ogilvie from North Berwick was third in the heaviest bag section with eight fish to the scales, six codling and two rockling, for 14lb 8oz in a field of 175 anglers.

William Stafford from Edinburgh was ninth overall with six fish after a slow start to the match won by Barry Morgan from North Yorkshire who pocketed the £1,000 prize.

Organisers of the 47th Open event at Amble, which can attract over 400 entrants, have confirmed the date which is Sunday, January 5 with fishing from 10am to 14.00. The total prize fund will be around £7,500.

The entry fee is £15 for all classes and the heaviest fish winner nets £1,000, second £250 and third £100. The heaviest bag prize is £500 with the runner-up pocketing £300 and third £150 and the heaviest flatfish earns £250. The runner-up gets £100 and third £50.

Ladies and junior prizes are also on offer with the top woman earning £75, second £50 and third £25 with the junior winner netting £75, runner-up £50 and third £25.

Registration is at local tackle shops from December or from 7am on Sunday, January 5 at The Radcliffe Club, Charles Road, Amble NE65 0RA. The weigh-in is at the club from 14.00 to 15.15.

Boundaries are the south side of Seahouses Harbour to Cambois Pier excluding all piers and rivers and the match is a counter for the national Penn Sea League.