We held our meeting a week later than usual on Tuesday 13th October to make way for a charity fundraiser. The Marina Bar have always been very supportive of SMAC so that was the least we could do.

We opened with the Club Standings as usual, see below. If you look back at previous years, you can see the catch trends – loads of bream and bass, but plaice and cod are rare catches. It’s encouraging to see that we have 20 Specimens registered so far this year, and there is a fight at the top of the Species Hunt but Peter Churchill still leads (by 6) with 38.

Fish Of The Month had some worthy contenders: Sam Cofie’s Red Mullet of 1lb 7oz but not quite a Specimen; Pete Churchill’s Stingray 34lb – 136%; Andy Bird’s Mullet 5lb 11oz – 142.1% and Pete Churchill’s Gilthead Bread of 3lb 3oz – 159.3% which won FOTM by a vote. Congratulations Pete.

Treasurer’s Report in summary is as follows:

  • 50 Members (we will have a recruitment push in early 2027)
  • £469 for our charities of GAFIR and RNLI
  • £1,401.66 in the account to cover Presentation Night 2027 and prizes
  • We aim to have a bank account in time for the next round of membership subscription payments

The Inter-Club Competition was held on 4th October, hosted by last year’s winner LHFA but based from Southsea Marina. It was won by Wayne Comben with a Bull Huss of 11lb 7oz so next year’s Inter-Club will be hosted by ECA.

The Cod Pool is now live, standing at £140. It will be fished until 31st January. First place takes 75%, Second Place takes 25%. If you want to enter, take your £10 to the Marina Office where the Cod Pool Tin lives. Marina staff can sign you up, which just means putting your money in the envelope and your name on the front. We like to keep administration simple.

The Open Cod Competition will be held on Sunday 29th November, and there are nice colourful posters available if anyone would like to help with publicity. The Competition Team are busy collating a Prize Table from our sponsors. Dave Newnham has confirmed he is sponsoring a £100 cash Fuel Draw for all attendees of the Cod Comp Prizegiving, so that will be worth staying for. Thank you Dave!

There were three items in AOB:

Peter Atkinson, who holds a Bluefin Tuna licence, is offering tuna hunting trips for the cost of a fuel contribution only, dates to be offered by Peter. These are called tuna hunting trips because we are still exploring tuna opportunities so catching a tuna can’t be guaranteed, although it is always a possibility! Peter’s boat Dotty is a luxurious platform to fish from anyway.

Sam Cofie queried the Club Records Listings. These are displayed on the Club Notice Board and if you catch a bigger fish than the record, members are welcome to claim it. Only those species listed are eligible, because we want to encourage Catch and Release for fish not destined for the pot. They must be weighed on the Club Scales and witnessed as usual.

Finally, Sam also requested a Leaderboard for the Specimen Fish caught during the season. This can be accommodated, and due to a slow night shift we already have a list growing on the Club Standings!

Please Note: The Marina Bar will introduce Winter Hours from November, closing early on weekdays. However they will stay open for us on Club Meeting Nights so our meetings will move to 6pm on 3rd November and 1st December. They will also keep the kitchen open but if you want to order food it’s best if you order before 6pm. Please support the Marina Bar and the club by coming along!