SAI on tour! the NWASAC TWO Day Festival Liverpool

[Seaniebo]

People: Me, Beelo, Keith and the Rampant one

Duration: Saturday 13.00-18.00, Sunday 14.00-19.00

Tide: HW 17.00

Weather: Horrible

Bait: Blacks, blows, maddies, prawns, razor, mussel, mackerel

Rigs: 2 hook rigs

Report:

And so the four faithful SAI boyos headed for Liverpool to try our hand at fishing the mighty Mersey. Otterspool promenade was the venue for the 18th year of the NWASAC TWO Day Festival. Fishing was to a 2 hook rule and peeler crab was not allowed. This match attracts some of the biggest names in shore match angling from around the british isles with big cash prizes and high scoring penn points.

We met up at Dublin port for the overnight ferry to Liverpool on a stormy Friday evening. Upon boarding the ferry we were greeted by a fine dinner and after a couple of pints it was off to the cabins for a sleepless few hours of listening to the noise of the ships engine, rattling doors, crashing waves and noisy vents.

We arrived in Liverpool for about 6.30am and then it was a seat of the pants ride to find the venue. Red lights were ignored with reckless abandon, as captain beelo wasted no time in finding his way around liverpool. It soon became apparent to the rest of us that he actually had some form of impediment that prevented him from seeing traffic lights.

We soon found the venue through a combination of god’s grace, blind luck and ignoring JP’s constant urge to cross the river. Next job was to get fed. The breakfast on the ferry had been “savage” but nothing could prepare us for the fine eating in the Britannia pub. Fry up for £2.50 is something everybody should experience at least once. Next, it was off to the check in at the Otterspool pub where we drew our pegs, emptied our bowels, collected our bait and it was off to the river.

From the research we had done it seemed the tactics for the day would be to target codling in close for the first few hours and then to go for whiting at a range of about 70-80 yards near slack water. Each of us was spread out in four different zones so it would be interesting to see how we all got on.

I was drawn on peg 48 in zone B which meant I had the shortest walk. Happy days, with the lack of sleep, bad weather and belly full of rich grub I wasn’t exactly relishing the day ahead.
The fishing was slow enough with one counting codling and a few undersize for myself in the first hour. Chatting to JP on the phone he was finding it similar where he was. Dave Roe was pegged about 6 pegs up from me and he was hockying in small fish. Fair play to him, he came running down to me in the middle of this to see how I was getting on and offer some advice. Very decent indeed. As the tide started to ease it was time to target the whiting which in the past have been known to run in vast numbers. It wasn’t to be the case on this occasion however and as the whistle blew for lines up I had a grand total of 3 codling and 4 whiting for 175cm. Biggest fish being a whiting of 28cm. Dave had managed something in the region of 21 counters, comfortably winning the zone.

Back at the jeep the other lads made their way back one at a time with their respective tales of woe. JP had similar results to myself with 6 counters, Keith had 2 counters, which, where he was fishing, was a decent result and Kev reckoned he’d done shite. Turned out “shite” was enough to win his zone with 11 fish! So it was back to the digs for a wash, bite to eat and a taxi into town for a night of festivities. A quiet night of sipping port and visiting old historical pubs and museums was had and we were all tucked up in bed for 11.30pm.

Somehow we managed to sleep in the next morning and missed our breakfast at the hotel. So it was off to McDonalds for a few big mac specials and some more hair raising driving from the good captain had us back at the venue in plenty of time for the next session. The peg draw meant that we would all be fishing opposite zones to where we’d been the previous day. This had keith in another reputedly slow spot, Kev and JP close to the car where I’d been the previous session and myself, a nice walk away at peg 94, where Keith had been the day before.

Keith told me there had been a few whiting got the day before so in my healthy and fully conscious state the decision was made to target them for the day. The fishing was really slow where I was and after an hour disaster struck. My stomach started to quake with the force of an unstoppable brown torpedo that was heading south. Fishing on a public promenade, the choices of where to release this rowdy hostage were limited so I had to drop everything and head off on a wonky 50 peg walk back to the pub, trying desperately to contain the angry beast. This took a considerable amount of time and so an hour later, suitably relieved and having endured the walk of shame back to my peg I resumed fishing.

I hadn’t missed much as it turned out, with only the odd single fish caught around me. Soon afterwards I had a couple of whiting landed and all was good with the world. I ended the session with 3 counting whiting, which was considerably more than a lot of lads around me so I was delighted. Back at the car, JP had started really well but tailed off towards the end. Kev had struggled to get fish to size with plenty of unders but not enough overs and from where Keith was fishing he’d done brilliantly to land 8 counting fish. The comp was a real learning curve for us all having never fished any similar venues to such rules before. We all picked up some invaluable experience and as always on an SAI trip the craic was unreal.

A mad dash was then made for the ferry which was one of the most surreal journeys I’ve ever experienced, including getting pulled by the “bizzies” and learning some controversial farming techniques. Nine hours later, four bedraggled horrible anglers rolled off the ferry in Dublin port weary and exhausted. The weekend had come to an end and it was off back to Dublin for keith, west cork for JP, Sligo for beelo, and the hills of Donegal for me.
Keith took a few photos over the weekend which I’m sure he’ll add when he gets a chance.

The results below were taken from WSF forum:


The NWASAC TWO Day Festival took place on Sat 3rd and Sun 4th Dec in very wet and windy conditions. This match firmly set on the match anglers calendar for the past 18yrs attracted 96 Top anglers and internationals from all corners of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man.
The event was fished as two individual matches with a super pool based on zone positions over two days.
International east coast angler George smith from Grimsby took the 2 day championship with 2 zone wins catching 49 codling and whiting over 2 days, taking home the two day trophy, anyfish anywhere rod and a total of £755.
International east coast angler Neville Charlesworth was runner up, with two second in zones, winning him a total of £520.
International Bill Lindfield from Greasby trotted home in third place with a second and 3rd winning him a total of £390.
8 Zone winners each took home £160, 8 second in zone £110, 8 third in zones £80.
The two biggest fish each day won £150 and £70 respectively.
Many thanks to our sponsors, Malcolm Scullion of Bass Boots, Anyfish Anywhere and Sea Angler, there donations were very much appreciated.

Sat Zone A
1ST, Wayne McGilloway 433cm
2nd, Neville Charlesworth. 295cm
3rd, Stuart Dewhurst 278cm

Sat Zone B

1st, David Rowe 476cm
2nd, Gordon Thornes 400cm
3rd, Justin Mitchell 364cm

Sat Zone c

1st, Kevin Berber 266cm
2nd, Bill Lindfield 237cm
3rd, Michael Brookes 227cm

Sat Zone D

1st, George smith 818cm
2nd, Ian Brookes 504cm
3rd, Shaun Golightly 486cm

Biggest Fish, Stuart Dewhurst 51cm Cod
2nd Biggest, joint , Ian Brooks, George Smith 50cm Cod

Sunday
Zone A

1st, George Smith 569cm
2nd, Gary Woods 409cm
3rd, Bill Lindfield 356cm

Zone B

1st, Ian Ryecroft 504cm
2nd, Isaac Muir 326cm
3rd, Gareth Griffiths 280cm

Zone C

1st, Mike Ryecroft 307cm
2nd, Dion McFadden 292cm
3rd, Heather 276cm

Zone D

1st, Steve Trish 482cm
2nd, Neville Charlesworth 465cm
3rd, Stuart Dewhurst 362cm

Biggest Fish, Ian Reynolds 55cm Cod
2nd biggest Gary Hughes 51cm Cod

[Al]

Great report Sean, was pissing myself laughing at the 50 peg walk to the pub
Got a few strange looks in work!
Sounds like a good few days anyway, even if the fishing wasn't the best i'm sure the craic more than made up for it

[corbyeire]

cracking report - "controversial farming techniques" - very interesting

[willie bendit]

a few whiting and a monster brown trout!

[kstaff]

Brilliant report Sean thanks. And weldone to you all.

[Deleted User 3488]

cracking report lads,,,them scouser cod seem plentiful

[keith]

Deadly report Sean I'll stick up the pics later funny enough though there is only 1 fishing related

[Beelo]

a few whiting and a monster brown trout!

The only pity I don't think he could get anyone to measure the trout so he had to release it back into the mersey.

[keith]

The Mersey from peg 94 and the scottish lads.

[willie bendit]

JP getting a tummy tickle ....

[chris84]

I wasn't to far away from you so,i was at mariners wharf,i had a thread but has been taken down for some reason

[Rampent Wreckfish]

Sean was like a modern day hansel and gretle, leaving a trail back to his peg so he wouldn't get lost.

Great weekend.

Well done belo and dave on yer zone wins.

Final scores for the Irish lads

Dave 12pts
JP 15pts
Kevin 16pts
Keith 29pts
Sean big fish pool - Slob Trout

[suckycalf]

Sean , You have a way with words , that could never have been learned at school .
My wife and kids are wondering why im laughing so hard ,to the point there laughing at me .
Now i have to try and explain it , which has made matters worse .
At least the whole house is laughing ............... You have brought us great joy tonight .
Great story .
Almost forgot ........... Well done lads .

[rocketman]

.


excellent report there sean, mighty stuff, well done to all


.

[MC]

best report i have read in ages, thanks for the laugh

[beachbuddy]

Class report and great laugh.Fairplay to ye all and jazus those brown torpedos-the scurge of all anglers

[eeler]

well done lads, sounds like it was good craic

[Drew]

That's what it's all about lads... Brilliant report, seems like epic craic.

[Al and Jordan]

great report man
i take it that those traffic lights were all a case of "it was amber your honour, cough, cough, cough. honestly, scouts honour".

[Don]

Priceless Sean, We may need to buy a big thick brown marker to colour that picture on the T Shirt for The Irish Angler Photo to accompany that "specimen brownie" article..........

Donal.