(Text Matt Newman, photos Shane Robertson)
Kevin Daly of LIC Rejects and Gary Roche of team LIC A win respectively at Talland and Thurlstone, while LIC Rejects wins as team in both days.
Day 1 – Talland Bay – Cornwall
The first day starts with a gentle onshore wind and visibility in the bay between 5-8 m. The conditions changed during the competition dropping away to 0.5 m in the bay and around 3-4 m outside. The current in the meantime picked up to go the same direction as the wind, and this created challenging conditions with most of the competitors finding the swim back difficult. Among the main catches surely interesting the ones by Dan Bailey (Team Pathos), who had a lovely plaice, and Alan Stephen’s and Chas Mullineaux both catching nice bass.
But the podium of the day was conquered by an amazing K. Daly, with 18,775 points and 8 valid catches, followed by a fantastic Gary Roche, winner of day 2 in Thurlstone, with 17,450 points and 7 valid catches. Third on podium Dan Bailey (Team Pathos) with 16,475 points and 6 valid catches.
For complete final results click Talland Bay 2019 individual
Among teams winner of day 1 is LIC Rejects with 31,738 points which make 100%, followed by Southsea A with 30,263 points (95,35%) and third Team Pathos with 21,525 (67,82%).
For teams complete final results click Talland Bay 2019 team.
Day 2 – Thurlstone – Devon
The second day started flat with up to 8 m visibility, and spearos had to fish with an ebbing tide. The fish were hard to come by fish in 2 or 3’s and not in shoals. There were lots of undersized school bass about. The divers were restricted to 1 bass per person per day on both dives, but any bass over the minimum size of 45cm was awarded maximum points (3000) to prevent divers targeting bigger bass. This ties in with current legislation throughout the UK. The Pollack were unusually very few and far from each other. So most catches consisted of bass, mullet and wrasse. Matt Hill made a fantastic come back om his first national in years, to secure a 2nd position with a fine catch of 3 mackerel (bonus points awarded for this species due to them being hard to catch), mullet bass and wrasse. Graham Worley (Southsea A team, the defending champion) caught a nice Pollack of 4kg along with mullet, wrasse and bass, to secure 4th place. But the winner has been a great Gary Roche taking 1st place with a fine catch of mullet, bass, wrasse, ray and pollack.
At the end of the day Gary Roche is first with amazing 33,038 points and 14 valid fish, followed by M.Hill (Amberjacks team) quite far back with 25,100 points and great 12 valid fish, and winner of day 1, K. Daly, with 20,350 points and 9 valid catches.
For complete individual final results click Thurlstone 2019 individual.
Among teams winner is again LIC Rejects with 50,050 points (100%), followed immediately justa few points behind by LIC A (49,488 – 99,08%) and Amberjacks with 32,450 points (64,84%).
For complete final results teams click Thurlstone 2019 team.
