Let it never be said that SMAC members are wimps. 17 brave souls defied snow and the Eastern Road gridlock to attend the meeting, and 14 of us enjoyed our Curry Night afterwards. Many thanks to the staff of the Marina Bar for staying open for us!

We started as usual with the current Standings, which Steve kindly prepared for us (updated version reproduced below). This was followed by Fish Of The Month and because of the dire December weather – which is easier to blame than dire angling skills – we only had three fish to choose from. Ray Plomer’s Bull Huss of 12lb 10oz was a clear winner at 107% of Specimen Weight (updated to add the photo above of the actual Ray Plomer and the actual Bull Huss).

We reported on the Mandela Cup previously, and we honoured the Stalwart Seven who fished bite-less on 28th December. Having been in the archives I noticed that not only was it traditional to fish between Christmas and New Year, it’s almost traditional not to catch anything either.

The Cod Competition still hasn’t been able to run, so we may consider a Saturday if Sunday forecasts remain iffy. However, there still seems to be cod around according to those like Tim Andrews who are catching them.

Next monthly meeting is our AGM where we appoint our Committee and review Club Rules. Following the resignation of our long-standing and brilliant Chairman Steve Kelly, we need to review roles and responsibilities across not only the Committee but also those members who are able to help out on an ad-hoc basis. It is important for the survival of our club that we are jointly able to keep it going by sharing the work involved – if we are able to do that then no single role need be too much of a burden. We will circulate a proposal for who does what so that members can consider any of these roles before the next meeting.

There are a couple of Rule amendments we may consider at the AGM:

  1. In the Winter period, when the Marina Bar shuts early and members are less inclined to attend a club meeting on a cold evening, to consider not holding formal monthly meetings in person and instead provide updates and interaction online.
  2. To consider including long-term Winter Berth holders (i.e. not monthly contracts) for Club competitions, which are currently restricted to Annual Berth holders only or members fishing from those boats.

Any proposed rules changes require a Proposer and Seconder, and will be discussed and voted on at the AGM before being adopted (or not).

Finally – a reminder that the SMAC season ends on 31st January, so you have the rest of the month to catch a cod for the cod pool, top up your Species count or fluke something big to mess up the Standings!

Next meeting will be our AGM on Tuesday 3rd February at 7pm in the Marina Bar.