Sunday best helps Dave Hambley net win to regain pole position In Whitby League

Some WSAA League members had elected to travel north and fish the Amble Open, writes Peter Horbury.

Either way the conditions were the same, day or night, the sea state was flat, strong SSWesterly wind, gusting 30mph with the threat of a rain shower on the evening.

Four hours fishing, all ebb, water thick with colour, match started 1hr after HWater, and consequently catch forecast was again understandably low. Unable to gain access to the scaurs until well into the match, leaving piers, and cliff marks the best options to maximise fishing time.

A hard time of year, and as yet no whitings have shown on local beaches.

The waning ‘Wolf moon’ made a brief appearance above the horizon before heavy cloud cover thankfully obscured it.

Alternating a two hook flapper and a single pulley rig, fresh mussel and frozen blacks got the most attention, however only from small bait robbing fish.

The hours soon passed, and at the scales Dave Hambley, Staithes, took his sixth Man of the Match, and seventh Heaviest Fish of the night wins.

His best 6lb 3oz and another 2lb 6oz made the winning bag 8lb 9oz (2). In total five codlings, five rocklings and a billet were weighed-in from nine members for 15lb 7oz.

Hambley has retaken top spot on the leaderboard leaving Davey Turnbull, with a 6lb 5oz deficit.

Over the Christmas break members had chance to fish a couple of Open matches.

WSAA Member David Ward, Guisborough, taking part in the Redcar & Cleveland Sea Anglers match on December 27, weighed-in the Heaviest Fish - 4lb 13½oz, now recorded as Heaviest Fish caught Out of WSAA Competition for the David "Sten" Stonehouse Memorial Sandsend Trophy.

Then in the Cloughton Rock Anglers Festive Sweepstakes Fri December 30, he won the Heaviest Bag of Fish match - 10lb 15oz.

Sunday’s results: 1st Dave Hambley - 2 codlings 8lb 9oz, 2nd Ryan Collinson - 1 codling, 2 r’lings 2lb 7oz, 3rd - Colin Stainthorpe - 1 billet 1lb 5 oz, 4th - Dave Ward - 1 codling 1lb 2oz, 5th - Jonny Watson - 1 codling 1lb, 6th - Dave Perrett - 1 r’ling 6oz, 7th = Jason Ebison - 1 r’ling 5oz, 7th = Brian Harland - 1 r’ling 5oz.