A date for your diaries: Our next SMAC Open Competition will be the hugely popular Bream Competition for the heaviest single bream caught from a boat. The competition will be held from Southsea Marina on Sunday 5th May with reserve dates the following Sundays in the event of unsuitable weather. £10 per angler cash entry on the day or on-line booking will be available for boats not starting from Southsea Marina. More details and prize table to follow.
We had a special guest at our March SMAC Monthly meeting: Dave Frey, the new manager at Premier Southsea Marina. Dave was invited along to meet and get to know the SMAC folk and also answer any questions from members.
After serving in the police force, Dave joined Premier Marinas first at Brighton then Gosport Marinas before moving to Southsea as Manager. Although there is a lot for him to catch up with at Southsea, Dave was very open to our questions and feedback. He was clearly very sympathetic to some of our issues being a boat owner himself. He explained that there are some company policies he is unable to change however although he is very willing to be a channel for our feedback to Premier.
There are local things that Dave can help with and we were pleased to hear that. He promised to look into the possibility of providing multiple “Lift & Scrub” packages; providing a new shed for our combined use and approaching LHB to see what can be done to remove the obstructions on the point that continue to ambush propellors at dead low water.
Unfortunately, some of our issues will go head-to-head with company policy. The restriction on overnight camper vans is unlikely to be relaxed, nor a time extension for boats on blocks.Although LHB show a reduced rate for harbour dues if paid through a club, this only applies if the club or business administers all the collection of fees. This would be a significant administrative overhead if Premier did this for 315 berth holders, because each one would have to be checked to see if they used the harbour. Liveaboards and boats stored afloat would not require harbour dues if they didn’t go outside the marina. It would probably cost more to do this than the savings would bring, so it isn’t a vaible option unfortunately.
Overall, it was good to meet Dave and I think we all felt it was a beneficial meeting. He is certainly more aware of SMAC now and we all look forward to getting to know him better individually.
Now on to monthly club matters. We all agreed that the Presentation Night on Saturday was a resounding success and the generosity of members with the raffle means we have a very healthy cash tin to support events and continencies. Our next events will be the Open Bream Competition in May, and the SMAC BBQ on a date to be agreed at our next meeting.
There being no fish weighed in during February, the Fish Of The Month Award was transmuted to Neville Of The Month Award. As only one of those was weighed in, he was given the medal in recognition of services rendered.
The SMAC caps and beanies have arrived and are on sale from the Club Shop (which is a grand name for a cardboard box) for £10 each, while stocks last. Kids sizes are available too.
Now that we are all enthused about club merchandise, we agreed to go ahead with the purchase of a small batch of SMAC burgees. These will go on sales at about £20 each. There was interest on both the Richard Pack design and the Bass design. We will be ordering a small quantity of each so everyone will be happy. We hope to have these available by the next meeting.
The next SMAC monthly meeting will be on Tuesday 2nd April at 7pm in the Marina Bar.
Saturday 2nd March marked the culmination of the SMAC and SMAC Fishing Year – the Presentation of Awards! Members and guests crowded in to the Marina Bar, lured I expect by a free drink and the Big Raffle. By the start of the ceremonies the room was rammed. After a welcome by SMAC Chairman Steve Kelly, SMDAC Chairman John Wearn thanked everyone in both clubs who had contributed so much to our enjoyment in the past season. We had a lot to get through including some very special guests – more of that below. I’ll list the prize winners in turn, with a carousel of photos below each section.
First up was SMDAC, and prizes were presented by John Wearn:
- Best Cod (or whiting) on Lady Elsa: John Calton
- Best Specimen (Undulate Ray 15lb): Frank Chatfield
- Most Species: Frank Chatfield
- Silver Fish Cup: John Calton
- Largest Fish From Lakes (Mirror Carp 24lb 4oz): John Wearn
- Mixed Lakes Cup: Frank Chatfield
- George Dominy Memorial Shield: Frank Chatfield
- Pier and Beach Cup: Ben Munday
- Combination Cup: Frank Chatfield
- Champion Runner-Up: John Calton
- Club Champion: Frank Chatfield
Or loyal band of helpers from SMDAC also folded 1,223 raffle tickets while they were waiting!
We then had a bit of a catch-up of monthly prizes and Angling Trust Specimen Fish Certificates which were presented by Rupert Bremmer from Southsea Marina:
- Luke Scott – Fish Of The Month (Brill 3lb 4oz – August)
- Kev Johnson – Fish Of The Month (12lb Bass – January)
- Mark Banks – Specimen Bream
- Stuart Newall – Specimen Bream
- Neil Glazier – Specimen Undulate Ray
- Peter Kinchin – Specimen Smoothhound
The next round of awards were for the SMAC annual cups also presented by Rupert, plus a new award which I’ll leave to the end because it is rather special.
- Pollack Cup: Darren Price
- Turbot/Brill Cup: Steve Tambling
- Ladies Cup: Eleanor Atkins
- Junior Cup: Jack Dickson
- Catch & Release Cup: Peter Kinchin
- Best Specimen: Kev Johnson
- Species Hunt: Joint Winners Peter Churchill and Dan Lumsden
- Junior Species: Jack Dickson
- Ladies Species: Pam Eskersall
(and it was Pam’s birthday so we all sang Happy Birthday) - Cod Pool: Runner up Tim Andrews, winner Dan Lumsden
- Nelson Mandela Cup: Shared between Ray Plomer, Luke Scott, Peter Churchill and Dan Lumsden
- Open Cod, Best Placed Member: Richard Pack
- Open Species, Best Placed Member: Peter Churchill
- Open Bream, Best Placed Member: Steve Tambling
- Plaice Cup: Dan Lumsden
- Bream Cup: Stuart Newall
- Bass Cup: Kev Johnson
- Cod Cup: Dan Lumsden
- Pairs Cup: Dan Lumsden and Steve Tambling
- Runner Up Club Champion: Mark Banks
- Club Champion: Dan Lumsden
There was one familiar face (and voice) that was sadly missed at this Presentation Night – Bill Arnold, who passed away last year. However, great friends may be gone but they are never forgotten, and Bill will stay with us through a new Bill Arnold Memorial Trophy. This will be awarded to the member who has made a significant contribution in some way during the season. The trophy itself was made by Peter Kinchin from Bill’s old reel, Bill’s old oak and bronze bearings from Kev Johnson. We were very honoured to have Bill’s Mum, sister Mary and brother Eddie with us to present the prize. After a very moving speech from Mary in which she thanked the club for giving Bill such enjoyment and company over the years, she then awarded the trophy to Luke Scott.
On 11th November, Luke was out fishing when he noticed smoke coming from a 58-foot power boat. He raced over at full throttle and was just in time to help the two crew members who had scrambled into a partly inflated life raft. Luke was able to pull them away from the blazing powerboat and kept the casualties calm until the RNLI arrived on scene to take over. This dramatic rescue was later covered by local TV news. Luke certainly deserves recognition for his bravery in this rescue and I’m sure Bill would have been very proud that Luke was awarded the Bill Arnold Memorial Trophy this year.
Finally, after a break for more drinks, pizza and chips we reassembled for the final event of the evening: The Big Raffle. Dan Lumsden and Eleanor Atkins had done a wonderful job raising £1,223.00 in ticket sales and of course this was only possible through the generosity of all those present. We had a great prize table, from club hats to rods and reels plus prizes donated from SMDAC, British Big Game Fishing and John Jones.
It was a fabulous evening and it was great to celebrate all the successes and share happy memories from the past season. Steve Kelly did an amazing job of both organising the event and compering. The Marina Bar staff provided warm and patient hospitality and all members and guests joined in to make it a very memorable Presentation Night 2024.
Now the dials are set back to zero and it’s all to play for through the next season!
I’m sure you will all be familiar with the sets of huge beacons that are outside and inside Portsmouth Harbour. You also probably know that these are to help the Navy’s new aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales squeeze through the harbour entrance. However, have you wondered why in an age of technology that can pinpoint a letterbox from space you need visual leading marks? I have too, and you might find this video interesting. It is presented by David Goddard MBE FRIN (yes, the Goddard of the Goddard Beacons) and although it is rather slow and detailed, it does explain why they are needed and how they are used very well. Enjoy.
Our annual Presentation of Awards evening will be held on Saturday 2nd March in the Marina Bar. This is a combined event between SMAC and SMDAC and is always a fun evening. Cups, prizes, certificates and awards will be given to the winners of the 2023 Season competitions. There will be a free drink for each member, free food and a cash raffle with over £500-worth of prizes to be won. Wives and girlfriends are also welcome! Presentations start at 8pm so come along in plenty of time to grab a drink (and a seat) before the ceremonies. This year we will be unveiling the Bill Arnold Memorial Trophy lovingly crafted by his friends and awarded according to Bill’s own wish – although what that actually is will be revealed on the night!
The first SMAC monthly meeting of the 2024 Season is our Annual General Meeting, where we appoint the Committee, update any Club Rules if necessary and generally plan ahead for the next 12 months. There’s quite a lot to report so grab a drink and read on…
First item on the agenda was a bit different – Steve Kelly unveiled the Bill Arnold Memorial Trophy (pictured). This is based on an idea by Bill himself. It includes his own Alvey reel and slabs of oak, with feet made from bronze marine bearings. Peter Kinchin made up the trophy for us, and it will have an engraved plaque when it is presented at our Presentation Night. The actual award is still a secret, so come along to the Presentation and find out!
Our Committee was re-elected with the exception of our late and much missed Treasurer, Bill. Dan Lumsden was voted in as our new Treasurer. Bill was also an awesome seller of raffle tickets, so as Eleanor Atkins was his protégé on the last couple of sales we decided in her absence she would be a worthy successor to the role. See what happens if you don’t attend our AGMs?
The 2024 Committee is as follows:
- Commodore: Tim Andrews
- Chairman: Steve Kelly
- Deputy Chairman: Neville Merritt (+ writer of things and BBQ cook)
- Communications Officer: Steve Andrews
- Treasurer: Dan Lumsden
- Open Competition Organisers: Steve Kelly, Neville Merritt, Dan Lumsden, John Evans
- Raffle Ticket Sales: Eleanor Atkins
There were no requests to change any Club Rules so the existing Rules stand.
Fish Of The Month was awarded to Dan Lumsden for his cod of 10lb 1oz. Richard Pack’s whiting was a smaller % specimen weight and anyway we decided that he had already won enough prizes and cups for that fish (Cod Competition 2nd Prize and Best Placed SMAC Member cup).
The 2023 Season Results are below – congratulations to all the winners, and Dan Lumsden is our overall Club Champion. We’ll celebrate all these at our joint SMAC and SMDAC Presentation Night on 2nd March so bring along your partners for a great evening. There will be a free drink for every member, free food and a raffle. We’ll be spending £500 on raffle prizes so it’s worth buying lots of tickets! We will award the cups which live in our Trophy Cabinet, matching awards to keep and Angling Trust Specimen certificates and medals.
Our Club Scales will need officially calibrating if we are to continue to get Specimen Fish Certificates from the Angling Trust, so a calibration fee was authorised. We now have a set of calibration weights for checking too.
Following the interest in our club branded hoodies, polo shirts and the anniversary t-shirts, we had a request for SMAC branded beanies and caps. Neville Merritt showed samples of hats and there was enough interest from members for us to get quotes for a batch of each, to include child sizes as well. If the price is reasonable we’ll buy a stock for sale to members.
Southsea Marina has a new manager – Dave Frey. Dave has been working with Premier since 2016 at other marinas. We agreed to invite him to meet SMAC at the next Monthly Meeting in March, and also to drop into our Presentation Night if he felt so inclined. Hopefully he will be so impressed by our good behaviour that he will look kindly on future requests for SMAC member marina benefits.
Finally, John Wearn laid down the challenge of a SMAC vs. SMDAC competition and we agreed that a summer evening pier competition sounded like a very good idea. A date will be proposed and rules defined.
Our next monthly meeting will be Tuesday 5th March but don’t forget, our Presentation Night is the previous Saturday evening on 2nd March. See you there!
This is the last month of the 2023 year for Southsea Marina Angling Club and the first month of 2024 for the rest of the entire planet. The 2023 SMAC Cod Open Competition was rolled forward to 14th January as a result of a string of windy Sundays in November and December. As you will see from the report, cod and whiting were extremely hard to find on the day but at least the whiting have been more plentiful on other days in January. From personal experience and chatting to others, the size of the larger whiting has been smaller than in previous years but there are still plenty of pin whiting around to destroy baits.
If you picked a good day and the right wreck, pollack sport was there to be had but again, smaller and fewer than in previous years. We’ll see what the debate around the ICES pollack stock assessment leads to, because it’s looking like it might follow a similar pattern to the current bass stock protection measures in future.
The waters around the Solent hold an enormous variety of fish species, as evidenced by the SMAC Annual Species Hunt. Joint winners were Peter Churchill and Dan Lumsden with 47 species each, and if you would like to see a selection have a look at the gallery below. It shows you can have a lot of fun without needing to go far or catch huge fish. The total tally for different species across the entire club was 54.
One of the reasons why we have such a variety is that the Wight area is affected by two major water and fish movements – from the North Sea to the east of us and the Atlantic to the west. This water movement accounts for the double high water between Southampton and Poole. It is why we get herring, plaice, cod and whiting from the North Sea in winter and spring, and many warm water fish species arriving for the summer from southern waters.
This also helps to explain why local boats going as far as Brighton were catching early plaice in January, although they had just spawned and were very skinny. They will hopefully fatten up and move further west to our more local marks.
Many angling boats come out of the water for annual maintenance in February because the weather is often miserable and catches dominated by tiny whiting and dogfish. We are often tempted to go out anyway then wonder why we bothered. But you never know…that’s why we do it.
***Reminder: Bass regulations in force require all bass caught in February and March to be returned quickly and unharmed. Bass may only be retained from April onwards, and the daily catch limit then will be 2 bass per angler per day, minimum 42cm length.***
This is a quick reminder that the Bass Take Season for recreational anglers is closed from 1st February to 31st March. If you catch a bass in this period you must release it immediately, unharmed – preferably by unhooking in the water. From 1st April you can keep up to two bass per angler per day provided they are longer than 42cm. The official details are on the government website but trust me, you’ll be glad I summarised them above.
The Bass Nursery Areas remain in force and include Portsmouth, Langstone and Chichester Harbours, and Southampton Water. These are closed for bass fishing from 1st May to 31st October. The areas are defined on the Southern IFCA Website
Finally! First scheduled for 5th November and postponed every Sunday since due to the weather, the SMAC Annual Open Cod Boat Competition was held on Sunday 14th January 2024. The north-westerly wind had a bite to it but we were blessed with a few glimses of the sun during the day. A total of 77 anglers from SMAC, neighbouring clubs including Stamshaw Lake Angling Club, ECA, Langstone Harbour Fishermen’s Association and independent boats took part, fishing from 8am to 4pm.
The competition was simple – who can catch the heaviest cod! The winner takes 60% of the entry fees, second place 30% and runner-up prizes from our sponsors were ready to reward the next in line. If there are insufficient cod (as is the case these days), we then count whiting. Well, all that seems very simple, but fishing wouldn’t be interesting if it was predictable. Despite all the efforts from a lot of very experienced anglers, whiting were nearly as elusive as the cod this year. Whether it was the timing, weather, water colour, alternative food sources or what we don’t know. In the end only one cod – but a nice cod at that – and seven whiting were weighed in (the whiting size limit is 27cm) and even some of those would have been used for bait on previous trips.
Nevertheless, as whiting they counted and despite their diminutive size they scored well on the prize table. Club Chairman Steve Kelly announced the prizewinners, and Dan Lumsden the 2022 prize winner made the presentations. Here is the winning roster:
- Bob Blades (Why Not) Cod 9lb 6oz – Stamshaw Lake Angling Club
- Richard Pack (Wingin It) Whiting 1.52lb SMAC and Best Placed Member Cup
- Kev Johnson (Reel Lucky) Whiting 0.94lb SMAC
- Luke Scott (Boxer Fish) Whiting 0.54lb SMAC
- Dan Lumsden (Sea Jay) Whiting 0.44lb SMAC (presented by Pan Eckersall)
- Jim Atkins (Reel Therapy) Whiting 0.42lb SMAC
- Chris Ellis (Miss Molly) Whiting 0.40lb SMAC
- Freddie Hack (Lady ‘D’) Whiting 0.36lb
In addition, we award two bonus prizes, for the top weight entered by a Lady and a top weight entered by a Junior (under 16). In the event, neither entered any fish so we awarded the plaque anyway for taking part:
- Ladies Cup: Pam Eckersall
- Junior Cup: Toby Challinor
You may have noticed that we promised a much larger prize table anticipating more fish to be weighed in. The prizes that would have been awarded for 9th place and onwards will be carried forward and added to the prize table for our next Open Competition which will be the Bream Competition hopefully on the first Sunday in May, weather permitting.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors who donated prizes: Premier Marinas; SMDAC; Baits ‘R Us; Victory Gas and Heating; Cosham Angling; Prestige Plumbing; Southsea Marina Bar; Fish-On Tackle; Brutish Big Game Fishing; Sportsman’s Knight Charters and SF Marine.
We look forward to welcoming our visiting competitors back in May!
Happy New Year everyone! Our first meeting of 2024 and our last meeting of the 2023 Season was held a week later than usual because of the New Year break. Despite a conspiracy between the icy weather and the Eastern Road shenanigans we had a good turnout of our core supporters. Steve opened the meeting as usual with an update of the Club Standings, which are listed below. We have just three weeks to go in our SMAC Season and still plenty of time for changes at the top, particularly Cod and Species competitions.
Fish Of The Month was awarded to Kev Johnson for his impressive 12lb bass (pictured).
Steve gave us copies of the local Tide Tables, and if you want to download your own you can do so here.
The Cod Competition rollover date is 14th January, and as the weather forecast stands at the moment we could be in luck this time.
In brief Marina news, the Southsea Manager Peter Pring is moving back to HQ, and the new manager will be announced very soon. The shed situation seems to be still unresolved, so we are hoping it will be top of the agenda for the new manager. We will also be renewing our contact with Premier PR and Marketing, in the hope that we can jointly kick-start some RYA Active Marina activity after the recent lapse.
Our next meeting will be our AGM on Tuesday 6th February at 7pm in the Marina Bar. This is the one meeting in the year where we can review rules, appoint or reappoint the Committee Members and consider suggestions for changes. If you have anything you would like to raise at the AGM, please could you message or email Steve Kelly beforehand so we can give sufficient consideration to your suggestions. Thank you and see you soon!