Our monthly meeting was preceded by the SMDAC Annual General Meeting where Chairman John Wearn was expecting to stand down. He wasn’t allowed to! John carries on for at least another year, which shows that if you do a great job there is no escape from it.

Steve Kelly chaired the SMAC meeting as usual, and we had a good turnout again. Standings are below and as you can see Peter Churchill is storming away in the Species hunt with 30 species but the Ladies Species Hunt could be interesting with Pam ahead of Eleanor by only one point.

Fish Of The Month had five entries and was won by Mark Banks with a superb pollack of 16lb 5oz. Congratulations Mark.

Our Summer BBQ had to be postponed due to a dodgy forecast, so we are hoping for better on the revised date of 13th July. If you haven’t booked your free ticket please do using this link, so we can make sure we have enough food!

The next event will be the SMDAC vs. SMAC Pier Competition on Tuesday 23rd July from 3:30pm to 9:30pm. We will have access to the fishing deck all the time, even though the pier officially closes at 7:30pm. Food and permits will be supplied by Best of British cafe and the competition fee of £15 includes hot drinks and a burger meal from the cafe. Fees must be paid in advance to Steve Kelly, and can be dropped off in an envelope for him in the marina office. Usual rules of two rods/three hooks applies, and the competition will be Best Specimen, Heaviest Fish and Most Species. The fishing deck has a grid base so if you don’t want to lose everything you drop, a groundsheet is recommended! Many thanks to John Wearn for setting this up, and his many trips to the cafe to double and triple-check the details.

Dan Lumsden is proposing a Sole Trip on the evening of 3rd August, details to follow nearer the date. This is usually a social, with boats going in convoy to a Solent or Southampton Water mark and returning at night.

The SMAC Open Species Competition is on Sunday 11th August, details here

In Any Other Business, Peter Atkinson (Anyfish) reminded us he has a special SMAC member price of £20 for a 5lb box of frozen squid. Contact Peter to order.

Our next monthly meeting will be on Tuesday 6th August at 7pm in the Marina Bar.