Home star Brian Harland nets fourth Whitby Sea Anglers Association League title

Harland weighed-in three rocklings, and accepted the Lord Downe winner’s trophy from Secretary Peter Horbury.

The champion said: “It has been a very hard season with some challenging conditions.”

This is the fourth time Brian has won the championship.

Brian – like everyone else – was unable to maintain the 5lb average weigh-in, and finished the season with a 3lb 8oz match average weigh-in, which lead to an average fish of 1lb 9oz.

Sunday’s season finale had high water 17.30hrs, a growing Northerly ground swell (with colour), and swinging N-NWesterly winds 8-30mph with minimal cloud cover, very mild.

Largest tide of the month 5.7 metres between HWater & LWater.

The ebb was predicted to be fast over the four-hour evening match. Darkness fell at 20.00hrs.

Just eight members were fishing, catch forecast was low, last chance to protect a lead or make up a deficit.

Plenty of small fish bites just a lack of codlings which did not improve once darkness fell as the ebb was now in full retreat.

By 21.00hrs it had killed off the swell, time to start packing up, and face the long climb and walk back to the car, a disappointing finale.

At the scales the Man of the Match was Jason Ebison, with one billet and a rockling 2lb.

Heaviest Fish of the night fell to Whitby’s Rob Taylor, 1lb 5½ oz.

Jason has six Heaviest Bag of Fish wins while Rob has four Heaviest Fish wins.

On Wednesday, the penultimate match of the season, 11 members fished the three-hour midweek match.

Welcome long distance Northerly ground swell 3-4ft, however the late arrival meant crystal clear water, green in the sunlight.

Brisk SWesterly winds 15mph, a very mild 8°C, 20% cloud cover.

A red alert for an aurora had been received late afternoon, and another at the start of the match (which was short lived). Clouds on the horizon masked what colour could be seen through the gaps.

Despite the welcome sea state the weigh-in reflected the time of year as the season draws to a close - six codlings, three rocklings from five of the 11 fishing.

Man of the match was Rob Taylor with three codlings, including Heaviest Fish 2lb 8½oz for 4lb 15 oz

Stats: March’s catch - 64 fish - 65 lb 14 oz [Av 1 lb]

28 codlings, 27 rocklings, 4 billets, 2 bleggs, 2 dabs, 1 flounder.

March’s Monthly Sweeps:

HBoFish - Dave Perrett 6 lb 2 oz (5) - Sunday 2nd March

HFish - Dave Hambley - 3 lb 10 oz - Sunday 9th March

Season stats:

Season’s catch - 648 fish - 1,017 lb 01 oz [Av 1 lb 12 oz]

408 codlings, 158 rockling, 27 billet, 12 blegg, 5 LSD, 4 flounder, 4 haddock, 3 dab, 1 pollock, 25 whiting & 1 bass.

The ‘Sunday League’, kindly sponsored by Abbey Wharf £100 split £50, £30, £20 was won by Brian Harland, 2nd Dave Perrett, 3rd Rob Taylor.

HFish caught in a match Davey Turnbull 10 lb 10 oz Wed 8th Jan

HFish caught out of Match 11 lb 10 oz Dylan Goldsmith 30th Dec 2024

HBoFish Brian Harland 21 lb 05½ oz Wed 30th Nov 2024

Top eight trophy winners:

1st - Brian Harland - Lord Downe Tankard

2nd - Dave Perrett - A Lawson

3rd - Rob Taylor - Chas Rose

4th - Col Stainthorpe - Chas Prudom

5th - Jason Ebison - Bill Brown

6th - Peter Horbury - I Metcalf Bowl

7th - Denis Thompson - A Humble

8th - Davey Turnbull - Angel Hotel