Lone star Dave Hambley nets Whitby Sea Angling League win on Sunday

Dave Hambley nets his Sunday winning 3 lb 12½ oz

Sea state, flat calm, no colour. With HWater only 1¾hrs back, 5.8 metres, it was a case of fish a HWater mark and then travel once cut off points were safe to pass, or stay at home and start an hour or so late, writes Peter Horbury.

Sofa Hole was very popular, during the day many members had fished the Jamie Richardson Memorial match (Heaviest Single Fish), 130 seniors and a junior fished with just 12 weighing-in, won by Freddie Barker, Scarborough 4lb 7oz 2drms. This left just 10 WSAA members fishing the evening match.

The catch forecast was extremely low. Little to no wind, 100% cloud cover it was a pleasant enough evening until 20.40hrs when a very brisk and extremely cold Southerly wind picked up.

Members reported the tide flew out, (the biggest ebb this season 0.9m, coupled with high pressure) quickly revelling kelpless gullies!

For a while now members have been reporting marks have lost all their kelp beds, the acres of waving fronds have gone, leaving stalks.

At the scales, a stunned Dave Hambley, Staithes, asked: “You are joking, I’m the only one with fish, wow?”

He was indeed the only one to weigh-in - 3lb 13oz, two codlings, his best 2lb 08 oz.

Hambley now has eight Heaviest Fish and seven Heaviest Bag of Fish wins.

His average fish is 2lb 1oz, a long way from Davey Turnbull’s 2lb 15oz.

Dave now tops the Sunday League leaving a 2 lb 06 oz deficit for Brian Harland.