We could not have wished for better weather for Southsea Marina’s third annual Fishing Show – bright sunshine and enough wind to keep anglers from being tempted out to sea. There was plenty to interest everyone, from the jumble stalls to talks, trade stands, demonstrations and some impressive boats.
The talks and demonstrations were very popular, with standing room only at all the sessions. Wayne Comben gave an informative talk on local fishing and inspired us with tales of giant sharks just off the Island.
I was particularly impressed by the demonstration of fish preparation by Johnsons Enterprises. I was even more impressed by the size of the plaice they used to demonstrate – caught by a local day-boat. There is hope yet!
The boat jumble was very popular. I was delighted to hear that Southsea Marina Angling Club raised £305 for the RNLI from the sale of donated items on their stall.
There were some interesting new boats too. You may be aware the Wilson Flyer moulds have been bought by Garry Bull, who is manufacturing them to order with some updated features. At the show, he was demonstrating the extended mould for the 24 foot hull which is now wider and much roomier. I am looking forward to seeing photos of the first build out of that mould, it will be huge!
The berth-holders are very lucky to have such a great team at Premier Marinas who made such a great effort to ensure the show was successful. I know how much work goes into running an event like this, and it is good to see all that hard work was worthwhile. Here is Rupert Bremer, the marina manager who can never resist dressing up. However, we usually use squid as bait so he is lucky he didn’t end up in the marina dangling from the crane after we had heard Wayne’s shark stories.
Finally, we must congratulate Lizzie Mitchell (PR and promotions for the Fishing Show) who got married before this show and will be having a baby before the next one! We wish you well Lizzie. Thanks for not giving up after the rain-soaked 2015 Fishing Show, and carrying on to make the 2016 and 2017 shows so successful. We look forward to the next marina event!
Neville Merritt
Rebel Runner
May 2017
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.