WEST Bay SAC brought their 2013 season to an end with a handful of matches, including the annual Christmas Fayre.

The first meeting at West Bay saw Hugh Rathbone land plenty of dogfish and on a rough night he took first place with 5,565g.

Ollie Mears finished second with 4,125g and PJ Wheeler, who was third, had the heaviest single catch, a dogfish weighing in at 1,135gms.

Paul House caught the most species with pollack, pout and shore rockling.

Members then fished Abbotsbury to Eype with dogfish, poor cod, shore rockling, bearded rockling, whiting, pollack and bull huss being snared.

On this occasion it was Mears who took top honours with 7,785g, Lea Windsor was second (6,875g) and Phil Maggs was third (5,275g).

Wheeler had the most species with seven and Mark Wickenden landed the heaviest specimen with his 1,680g bull huss.

Ten hardy anglers fished the Christmas Fayre match in awful conditions with the winner decided on the last cast of the meeting.

The fortunate angler, Steve Fowles, won with his 535g catch. Rathbone was second (410g) and House had the heaviest fish with a pollack weighing 410g, which also gave him third place. Eden Lynham had most species with two.

The very last match of the year was held at Abbotsbury just before Christmas.

Conditions were poor, fish proved hard to find and lots of tackle was lost too.

Wheeler took the top spot with 2,985g, Rathbone was runner-up (1,450g), and Windsor was third with 1,375g.

That man Wheeler also had the heaviest single catch with a 700g dogfish, while Simon Bowditch had the most species with two.

A NEW YEAR DAWNS

THE new year began with members of West Bay SAC taking advantage of a window in the weather to get their 2014 season under way.

After the match on New Year’s Day was cancelled, the first Thursday night match of the year saw all anglers return fish to the scales.

PJ Wheeler carried on where he left off in 2013 and took the honours with a bag of 3,730g. Derek Smith was second with 2,915g and Ollie Mears was third (2,560g).

Smith also had the heaviest fish, a dogfish weighing 885g, and Steve Fowles had the most species thanks to a bag of dogfish, pout, whiting and five bearded rockling.

FLAMER IV

COLIN Penny managed to get his vessel, Flamer IV, out for a couple of trips over the Christmas holiday period.

Both trips involved anchoring reef and banks which produced undulate ray, conger eel, bull huss and the usual suspects, dogfish and pout.

The whiting fishing on both trips was amazing with plenty in the 2-3lb bracket landed. All fish were caught on ammo squid and mackerel baits.

Trevor Pegg was especially happy as he ended up with a personal best whiting of 3lb 2oz, while Will Power Smith from Northampton snared a 3lb whiting as well.

Hopefully the weather will improve soon and anglers can get out at the pollack on the wrecks, plus some whiting and blonde ray fishing.

PERSONAL BEST BLONDE

PAUL Cross landed a personal best blonde ray while out fishing aboard Flamer IV.

The 41-year-old was able to tempt the 21lb specimen using a squid and mackerel bait.