A warning to sea anglers taking part in the Mersey Small Boats Cod Festival was ignored by Ken from Sefton Sea Anglers and it cost him a lot of money.
England International boat angler Steve Quinn, published a report highlighting the increasing number of conger eels in the River Mersey with a story line “A cod could be a conger on the Mersey”.
The guaranteed £ 1000 first prize was for the heaviest fish caught – which is usually a cod – but Steve advised everyone that the winning fish might be a conger … and he was spot on.
Ken was halfway through the match and fishing off Seaforth Rocks when he hooked and boated a fat conger eel longer than a metre and estimated to weigh 8lb. With his mind on cod, Ken and his partner wrestled with the fish and eventually released it unharmed back into the river; literally throwing away a cash payout that would have seen him through Christmas very nicely.
The eventual winner was Wallasey’s Gary Lunt with a cod weighing 4lb 3oz and it collected the big money prize.
He was uptiding with black lugworm and hooked his winning catch two hours into the flood tide and was surprised to have won, with what is the smallest winning cod since the popular series began.
There were 136 fishermen taking part and the runner-up was Ian Taylor from Heswall with 4lb 1oz and then came Phil Hallsworth from Sefton Sea Anglers with a 3lb 14oz cod.
PM Championship
Deeside sea angler Gordon Thornes was devastated when he was pipped in the very last match of the North West Association’s Personal Members Championship.
Gordon led the ten match series involving 60 anglers right from the start but just couldn’t catch a fish in the final competition on Seacombe Beach.
Anything would have done, even the smallest dab, but no fish meant no points and that allowed Steve Norbury from Beaston to steal the championship with 155 points.
Joe Perry from Bootle and Bill Lindfield tied on 150 and Thornes eventually finished fourth with 149 points.
The deciding match took place on the Mersey at low water and Bill Lindfield from Greasby caught two codling on a crab and lugworm cocktail to weigh-in with 4lb 1oz.
