Sleights angler Spillam snaps up Whitby Open £750 first prize

Wednesday night saw the first snow, and the county grinded to a halt with Birk Brow, Blue Bank and Saltersgate impassable.

There were 28-33mph NNWesterly winds, sea state eight to 15 feet, thick with colour, 1°C which felt more like -3°C. Fishing a slow ebbing tide down to low water, and a half-hour of flood.

Numbers were well down with just seven fishing.

Man of the Match, with his first wins was Colin Stainthorpe, Whitby, with five codlings, and a rockling for the only double-figure bag 11 lb 5 oz which also included the Heaviest Fish of the night, 3 lb 10½ oz.

In the Doubles Knockout final Brian Harland and Mike Saunders beat Peter Horbury and Ryan Collinson 8 lb 14½ oz to 5 lb 3½ oz.

However, Ryan was unable to get to the weigh-in due to the heavy snowfall at 9.30pm, he had five codlings for 8 lb 9 oz, which would have given Peter and Ryan the win - 13 lb 12½ oz - that’s fishing!

On Sunday, Whitby Sea Anglers held their 46th annual Open match, and for the first time it was the captor of the ‘Heaviest Single Fish’ that won the first place prize of £750 sponsored by Wilf Nobles Plant Hire and Construction in conjunction with Mariner A.

Anglers woke up to heavy rainfall, which by match start 10am had started to ease and the day gradually brightened-up.

The early SWesterly winds 14-30mph shifted in direction but not strength, throughout the day, finishing on a NWesterly by match end 4pm.

Sea state, basically flat with some very localised SEasterly swell, thick with colour, which on the flood died off as the winds shifted.

Fishing the last 90 minutes of ebb and four and a half hours of flood 89 seniors and 4 juniors had six hours fishing ahead of them to catch that ‘one-fish’!

Twenty-six successful anglers ended up weighing-in 50 assorted fish - 36 codlings, eight bleggs, four whitings, one billet, and a wrasse for 94 lb 14 oz (an average of 1 lb 14 oz).

Local angler Andrew Spillam, The Carrs, Sleights, won the Open with a codling of 6 lb 3oz, winning the £750 first prize.

In the Superpool, sponsored by ticket sales, with the cash split two/thirds and one/third between the top two, went to Mark Thomas with 8 lb 1½ oz (5) and Phil France with 7 lb ½ oz (5), netting them £296 and £148 respectively.

Sadly, no lady nor junior angler weighed-in at the Open, and no flat fish were recorded during Sunday’s match.

Top 3 Heaviest Single Fish anglers:

1st - Andy Spillman, The Carrs - 6 lb 3 oz.

2nd - Pete Dunn, Scarborough - 4 lb 12 oz.

3rd - Josh Williamson, Bridlington - 4 lb 10 oz.