Denis Thompson and Dave Ward snap up top WSAA League match honours

Dave Ward with his Heaviest Fish 5 lb 1 oz

The unseasonal weather continued for the Wednesday and Sunday WSAA League matches as the low pressure systems continue to dominate.

On Wednesday fishing started 90 minutes after high water, flat calm, crystal clear sea state, writes Peter Horbury.

The only thing in favour was the tidal pull, 4.2 metres between low and high water to encourage the fish in to feed. As the tide ebbed there was little to no option to reach any marks with access to tangle beds.

At the scales, of the 14 rods only seven members had a weigh-in, four codlings, one pollock, one blegg and two rocklings.

Man of the Match Denis Thompson, Lythe, took both Heaviest Bag of Fish and Heaviest Fish with a single pollock 4lb 12oz.

Secretary Peter Horbury, Whitby, finished second, and he had a 3lb 2oz codling in his (2) 4lb 4oz bag.

Singles Knockouts semi-finals results: Dave Perrett 1lb 1oz (1) beat Brian Harland 0; David Ward 8oz (1) beat Dave Hambley 4oz (1)

On Sunday a few members fished the Filey Open Heaviest Fish match, Denis Thompson 12th - 3lb 6oz, and Dave Ward 18th - 2lb 2oz.

Both returned to the shoreline to fish the evening match.

Gentle SSEasterly wind, close to shore SSE localised swell, crystal clear waters and full cloud cover.

Remarkably on such a poor night, there was one ‘double-figure bag’ at the scales which pleased Bernard Vasey.

Dave Ward, Guisborough, recalled how a pollock nearly ripped his rod from his hands, it had tipped the scales at 3lb 10oz.

Ward also weighed-in two codlings, and a rockling, his best codling 5lb 1oz for a surprising 10lb 1oz bag.

A well earned Man of the Match, and Heaviest Fish, his first wins in-both this season, with Ward saying: “It’s about time.”

His codling now leads in the Monthly Sweeps for November.

Total weigh-in for both matches 17 codlings, two pollock, one blegg, one billet and six rocklings for 38lb.

Top five on leaderboard: 1st - Dave Hambley - 39 fish 78lb 12oz; 2nd - Dave Perrett - 34 fish 61lb 10oz; 3rd - Ryan Collinson - 41 fish 53 lb 7oz; 4th - Brian Harland - 40 fish 52lb; 5th - Davey Turnbull - 12 fish 36lb.