Cost will be £20 per angler, with the expected £1,000 entry pool (assuming 50 competitors) split between 1st and 2nd place for cash prizes and trophy. Other prizes will make up a generous Prize Table for runners-up. Entry fees can be paid in cash if registering on the day at the Marina Office or in advance or by card though the on-line link.
This is a Catch & Release competition with entries based on fish length. The official SMAC Fish Measure must be used which can be purchased from the Marina Office for £15 and will be refunded on return if not required. Competitors may choose to retain their catch but must comply with the Fisheries Bass Rules (max two bass per angler, minimum 42cm length)
There will be a “Shotgun Start” at the Roway Wreck marker post at 7:30am. Fishing 7:30am to 5:30pm.
All competitors must record video proof of catch length which must be shown with prize claims. All prize claims must be made in person at Southsea Marina by 6pm – visitors can come to the marina by car or moor on the holding pontoon.
Prizes will be awarded in the Marina Bar garden from 6:30pm
Rules:
All anglers on a boat must pay the competition entry fee
Maximum of 2 rods and 3 hooks total per angler
No Commercial Fishing Boats or Professional Bass Fishermen (Charter boats and skippers allowed)
Winning fish to be determined by length using the suplied SMAC Fish Measure
Despite the stifling heat we had enough members present to give our guest Vicki Neild, Programme Manager with Seakeepers International Society a warm welcome. The meeting started with an introduction to the Society and its aims, then Vicki explained four different projects that any of us can get involved in. Links provided take you to the relevant Citizen Scientist pages.
Seabed 2030: to collect depth and location data from participating vessels to help complete the mapping of the world’s oceans by 2030. All that is required is a data logger (supplied) to be attached to your boat’s data network.
Orca Oceanwatchers: to report sightings of any whales, dolphins and porpoises. Training and an app is provided.
Humpback Whale Sightings: working with the University of Exeter to record sightings of humpback whales in UK and Irish waters.
Eyesea: reporting any form of pollution including oil, chemicals, plastic waste to help build a global picture of what is really happening in our seas.
Vicki concluded with a link to the Green Guide to Boating which we can download and gives tips on protecting the environment while we enjoy boating.
If you would like to be involved in any of these projects please contact Vicki at vicky@seakeepers.org
After that very interesting presentation, we returned to our regular agenda. Steve went through the current club competition standings, see below. Then it was Fish Of The Month! We had a number of good entries and nobody challenged the unofficial rule of Best Specimen, so FOTM was awarded to Andy Bird for a mullet of 4lb 8oz.
The Annual SMAC BBQ attracted 32 members, and the raffle raised £785.00. After costs were deducted we were able to add £52.48 to club funds. Neville was thanked for cooking and also putting out a small BBQ fire, and Team Atkins were thanked for the delicious pile of scones. You can read more and see photos on the linked page.
Our next event is the Bass Open Competition on 12th (or 13th) July. Posters and banners are up, prizes are being collected and fish measures have been delivered. Dave Newnham explained the rules and answered any remaining questions. Details are on our Competition page with a link to the sign-up form unless you want to pay cash on the day.
The date will be set for our annual Open Species Competition in August after the Bass Competition is completed.
Our next monthly meeting will be on Tuesday 5th August at 7pm in the Marina Bar as usual.
It was a glorious evening at Southsea Marina and we had a full room of members – I think there’s a connection there. Steve opened the meeting as usual with a run-through of the current standings, see below. Dave Newnham is in the lead for the Champions Cup with five points. Then came Fish Of The Month and although we had several notable fish in the book for April, the only true specimen was Peter Churchill’s Ballan Wrasse of 5lb 2oz so this was voted Fish Of The Month.
We hope the postponed Open Bream Competition will be held this coming Sunday 18th May weather permitting. We are keen to start promoting the next competition which will be the new Open Bass Competition. This will break new ground for us, being Catch & Release (optional) and a whole load of new rules. The planned date is Saturday 12th July, reserve Sunday 13th July.
Here’s a quick summary of future events:
Sunday 18th May – SMAC Open Bream Competition
Tuesday 3rd June – SMAC Monthly Meeting 7pm
Saturday 28th June – SMAC Members & Families BBQ and Raffle
Tuesday 1st July – SMAC Monthly Meeting 7pm plus a visit from Seakeepers International
Saturday 12th July – SMAC Open Bass Competition
August/September – SMAC Open Species Competition
November/December – SMAC Open Cod Competition
Christmas Break – Madela Cup (Members Only)
Finally, we were very sorry to hear that at the end of April, Pete Kilshaw’s Sportsmans Knight hit a submerged broken pile in the marina channel, and sank. Pete was rescued by Steve Kelly on Lady Elsa, and Sportsmans Knight was eventually recovered to the marina. This was obviously very distressing for Pete who has regularly donated prizes to the club. The good news is that there seems to be no problems with the insurance pay-out, and Premier and Langstone Harbour Board are getting quotes to remove the obstruction. In the meantime it is marked in the channel by a buoy, so it is worth giving it a wide berth.
Next meeting is Tuesday 3rd June, 7pm in the Marina Bar as usual.
Our February meeting was also our AGM, where we elect our officials and discuss any Rule changes. It was also the first of our Winter Series talks so we started the evening hearing from Steve Dimmer, founder and Chief Instructor at Portsmouth Marine Training who are based in Southsea and Chichester Marinas. Steve has given SMAC members some amazing deals on some of his courses in February and at those prices it’s worth it just for a refresher. See the poster below for details. To claim these prices you need to book by phone not online Tel: 01243 511293.
Then onto SMAC Business! The AGM marks the end of one Club season and the start of another. Dave Newnham won overall Club Champion for 2024 – congratulations Dave – and the other winners are listed in the final Club Standings below. Cups and certificates will be presented at our Presentation Night on 15th March (members get a free drink and snacks!)
The Committee all stood for re-election, and after calls to sack the lot of them it was quickly realised that nobody else wanted those jobs, so the Officers remain 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, Dave Newnham
Raffle Ticket Sales: Eleanor Atkins
The only Rule change was a proposal to add the Open Bass Competition, which is detailed below .
Fish Of The Month was awarded to Dave Newnham’s pollack of 14lb 6oz by a unanimous vote (see photo above).
Specimen Fish Award cards have been sent by the Angling Trust and will be given out at the Presentation Night. They have been getting physically thinner by the year, so Steve has purchased some nifty enclosures to bulk them up a bit. They need to be worth giving out!
Membership fees are now due (£20) and must be paid before any fish can be entered for competitions.
We now have a pair of SMAC banners to promote our club brand at open events and club socials. Other branded merchandise – caps, beanies and burgees – are still available to buy from Steve.
Dave Newnham and Dan Lumsden have been planning a new Bass Open Competition which we propose running on Saturday 5th July (or Sunday 6th and following weekends as a weather standby). This will be our first competition assessed by length rather than weight which helps with conservation and prevailing bass fishing regulations
Dave and Dan have proposed an interesting set of rules for this new competition. Please read through them so that we can adopt agreed bass competition rules at our March meeting. This proposal is posted below the meeting report – please let us know your comments either by email, message or at the March meeting.
Finally, in AOB there was considerable comment on the marina cill closure, the way it was communicated, impact on marina use, impact on the end of the SMAC season and to top it off, the new re-booking fee for short notice yard service changes. Individual members have sent emails of complaint but there have been no replies. Our Deputy Charman was tasked with sending a robust email to the Premier MD, Pete Bradshaw, on behalf of our members – who represent 45 berth holders.
Next Meeting Tuesday 4th March 7pm in the Marina Bar.
Presentation Night is Saturday 15th March
*********************************
PROPOSAL: Open Bass Competition 2025
Dates: Saturday 5th of July (or Sunday 6th, weather dependent)
If deemed unsuitable, the following weekend and so on (Committee decides).
This Bass Open Competition is intended to be inclusive for small and large boats. We know big bass hide all around us so distance is not necessarily an advantage!
Competition rules
Competition entry fee: £20 per angler plus one official fish measure per boat at the cost of £10.
All fish must be measured and photographed on the standard SMAC Tronics pro fish measure supplied by SMAC £10 (or hire at £12 – to debate?)
Prevailing national bass regulations will apply: anglers may retain a maximum of two fish per angler, fish length must be over 42cm. If this rule is found to be breached, competitors will be disqualified. Catch and Release after measuring and photographing is permitted.
Each angler may use up to two rods and a total of three hooks.
Shotgun start at Winner Cardinal Buoy at 7.30am.
Fish length will be recorded on the SMAC Bass Competition WhatsApp group. Card numbers will be issued at sign-in. Either video or photograph can be used, but the fish length must be unambiguous and clearly visible to qualify for entry. If fish flaps in the video it’s not a problem, as long as there is a clear picture of the fish with all of the fish and the measure in view.
Fishing to finish at 5:50pm. Pictures must be taken by 5.30pm to reach WhatsApp group by 6pm cut off.
All boats must be back by 6pm to confirm competition entries (so time your trips well!). The Southsea Marina holding pontoon is available for visiting anglers or you can return to the marina by road from your normal berth.
Prize pool: 1st, 2nd, 3rd (cash payout, percentages to be determined as the competition is NON-PROFIT) other prizes up to 10th place to be announced.
All anglers on a boat must be paying competitors. (This is to help the prize pool to reach its potential)
No active commercial Bass Fishing boats allowed (the main reason is they are out on the fish every day and have an unfair advantage.) Charter boats and skippers are allowed.
SMAC Committee will assess and rank fish pictures (specialists on hand for assessment.)
SMAC Committees word is FINAL.
Presentation starts at 6.30pm at the Marina Bar garden.
Please fish safely and with our fisheries protection in mind.
Tight lines, SMAC!
Our reasons for the rules and line of thinking:
The £20 fee is an increase on previous competitions but still cheap when we pay lots for bait, lures etc, it’s still a long cry away from SAC’s £250 (+ sea grass, litter picking !!)
The fish measures: do we sale them@ £10 each (they retail at £15 each) or do we ask for a deposit £15 refunded on return? Would the cost of 45 of these come out of club founds then comp fees? Club keeps them for following years? Same measuring devices for everyone help us in fair play.
Reasons for measuring not weighing Bass: we don’t want to be known as a kill fest and having protests at the bar/ prize-giving, or indeed have the fisheries all over us.
How to prove length: most people can use WhatsApp and have it on their phones, you may know that with pics, they are time, day and GPS stamped !!
Prizes: we decided that one large prize could make a weak person try to cheat. So cash spilt on 1,2,3 and donated prizes down to 10th as we think the real prize is “who’s the best Bass fisherman/ woman 2025”. We also believe that women would like to fish on a level with men ( equal rights ) no need for ladies prize. Kids – something to discuss??
Why a Shotgun Start: we decided that this would put pay to the fishing areas question & large v small boats, if you then want to go out 30 miles the people that don’t want to they get 3 hours more fishing time, so it’s down to you to plan your day and find the fish – big bass are everywhere!! And lots of ways to fish for them!
Dave Newnham & Dan Lumsden
We will review this proposal and members comments at our March monthly meeting. If you can’t attend please forward your comments to Neville or Steve Kelly.
After the usual multiple postponements it was a relief when the 29th December was forecast to be calm, if rather misty. Everyone was probably desperate to get out fishing after the festivities and we had a tremendous turnout of 82 anglers fishing from 44 boats. The on-line entry option proved very popular for the Hayling, Portsmouth and Island anglers attracting 34 competitors from further afield.
The target was cod, and failing that a decent whiting but both have proven elusive in previous years. However this year was a record with 10 cod weighed in leaving only five places to be made up with whiting. None were huge specimens but as long as they were above the MLS they counted!
We fished between 8am and 4pm with weigh-in at Southsea Marina by 5:30pm. The Marina Bar had kindly stayed open just for us, and we made good use of the facility while waiting for the results to come in. And here they are!
There were no claims for Junior or Ladies Bonus Prizes.
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; British Big Game Fishing; Sportsman’s Knight Charters, Newnham Builders and Mark Oldfield Plumbing and Gas Service.
We would also like to thank the Marina Bar staff who stayed on to serve us both days this weekend, Ruper Bremer of Southsea Marina who also stayed around to help manage the berthing of a lot of boats, Steve Kelly for all the organising and most of all, the anglers who made this competition such a great event.
Watch out for three SMAC Open Competitions in summer 2025: Bream, Species and a new one – Bass!
Remember, Remember, the 5th of November….well, we didn’t. Our meeting clashed with thousands of people flocking to Southsea Common for the fireworks, so the members that braved the journey spent more time looking at tail-lights than sitting in the SMAC meeting. Anyway, many thanks to those that made it!
Steve opened the meeting presenting a long overdue prize to Terry Webster. We couldn’t actually remember at the time what the prize was for, but on checking it was for 9th place in the Open Species Competition this summer.
Next was the current Standings, these are listed below. It only takes a fish or two to juggle the placings, so all still to play for. Well done Pam for 20 Species, that’s a clear lead and possibly a record for our Ladies Species Cup.
Congratulations again to Ray Plomer who won the Inter-Club competition with a Bull Huss of 12lb 10oz. Although he was fishing for LHFA, this also earned Ray Best Placed SMAC Member and for good measure November Fish Of The Month.
Our next competition is the Cod Open on Sunday 17th November, rolling forward Sunday by Sunday if the weather doesn’t cooperate. It will probably be on the same day as the ECA Cod Competition which adds to the fun.
The Cod Pool stands at 36 entries and no cod yet, so that’s a good pot and a very low bar so far!
The Mandela Cup will be fished on Saturday 28th December. This is a fun social competition, theoretically for cod (or whiting) but if the weather is bad we fish from the marina and retire to the bar when we have had enough – in this case Rule 2 is invoked and any fish count. Rule 3 is when no fish are caught, and we decide on the spot how to allocate the prize.
The date for the Presentation Night has moved to Saturday 15th March 2025 due to a clash of bookings, so please update your diaries so you don’t miss the best night of the year.
Looking further ahead we are planning a Bass Open Competition, pencilled in for 6th July 2025. This will be based on length not weight (optional Catch & Release). We will need to source and supply Official Rulers which is being investigated.
Finally, those that attended the Shark and ray Tagging talk at the ECA on Monday were surprised to learn that this research has shown that sharks and rays don’t breed every year. Tope are likely to breed every other year, smoothhound every three years and rays can breed every five years. We never knew that.
Next meeting is Tuesday 3rd December, 7pm to 8pm (Winter Hours) at the Marina Bar as usual.
June was a mixture of days with heavy rain and days with glorious sunshine and calm seas. Perfect fishing weather! Earlier in the month there was a distinctive bloom of algae in the water and this was conveniently blamed for poor catches, particularly nearer shore. Nevertheless catches were made. Those bottom fishing were rewarded with the usual dogfish plus the more welcome rays, smoothhound, bream and bass. Mackerel made a slow appearance with some days being more productive than others. Tope are also still around although the larger females will have given birth to pups and moved on. Plaice now seem to be as scarce as cod and regarded as a bonus rather than worth targeting.
Bass are around in good numbers for those keen on lure fishing, either drifting over the banks or following the seabirds and fishing near the surface. Shoals of bass are particularly active in the late summer evenings and good sport can be had with light tackle.
Mullet are prevalent in harbours and marinas. Earlier in the year they are difficult to catch as they spend their time sucking tiny creatures off weed. From now on they are easier to catch because their diet will extend to scavenging, and floating bread will be as good a bait as any.
Further offshore, bass and pollack feature on the reefs and wrecks. It’s a bit of a steam and results are not guranteed, but as you can see from the photo gallery, it is worth persevering.
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!
The SMAC Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held following our usual monthly SMAC meeting on Tuesday 6th February at 7pm in the Marina Bar. This is our once-a-year opportunity to review or change our club rules, appoint or re-appoint club committee members and agree planned club expenditure based on expected membership fees. The current SMAC Rule Sheet is on the noticeboard, our SMAC web page and below.
The committee is made up of:
Chairman (all that Steve Kelly does)
Deputy Chairman and Competition Officer (Steve’s back-up. The current one is also writer-in-residence and cook)
Commodore (Club strategy, external relations, chairing major meetings, prize-giving)
Treasurer (watching what Steve does with club money)
Social Secretary (sending club notices around)
Sadly the position of Treasurer is vacant, as our late dear friend Bill Arnold who in addition to raffle ticket seller extraordinaire and odd-job man was also our SMAC Treasurer.
If you would like to discuss any changes or support proposed rules and committee members, please come along to the AGM at 7pm on Tuesday 6th February in the Marina Bar. If you would like to propose any changes please could you message or email Steve Kelly in advance to give sufficient time to review before the meeting.
Annual Subscriptions of £20 per adult member will be due from February for the 2024 season. To be eligible for membership, you must be a berthholder, family member or guest crew linked to a berthholder member.
