The Angling Trust report that despite some decent fish being caught during the Grand Slam event held in Christchurch Harbour on 18 September no one competing managed to catch both mullet and bass, leaving the title still to be claimed.
The competition is designed to be highly challenging with around only 10 per cent achieving the Grand Slam (catching one of each target species). It relies on targeting challenging specimen fish – and what better challenge than mullet and bass.
There is real kudos in achieving the Grand Slam and the Lower Stour fishery can certainly brag about producing specimens of both species and in 2011 double figure mullet and high double figure bass have both been caught in the protected catch and release water.
‘Big Dave’ Neil ended up taking the individual mullet trophy with a 20.75 inch thin-lipped fish while Adrian Saunders took the bass trophy with a 17.5 inch fish.
Overall there was an average of just over two fish per entrant with Dave Neil taking five mullet and a flounder in total while the Angling Development Board’s officer in the South East, Danny Williams, had four Bass and a Chub – on the fly!
Heavy rain showers and gusting force sixes didn’t stop the anglers from doing drift after drift and paddling against wind, rain and tide to be the first to win the coveted ‘Slam’ but in the end nobody could bank a fish of both species and the title remains to be claimed in the 2012 event.
The event would not have happened had it not been for the generous support of Crazywater assisted by Loni’s Tackle, Semcorp Bournemouth Water and the team of helpers that committed all their efforts to getting this new format off the ground.
