Angling: Winds force a Bait Box cancellation

THE Bait Box Big Cod Open is off tomorrow due to the bad weather forecast.

Strong northerly winds are predicted, so on the grounds of safety the match has now been rearranged for Sunday, March 17 between 10.30am and 6pm.

This is a big disappointment for the organisers as they have done lots of work to ensure the match is run correctly, but they can't do anything about the weather, of course.

There was a winter series match last weekend – the cod were a little thin on the ground but Cleethorpes-based angler, Jim McClernon, found the biggest fish of the day at 7.9lb.

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Andy Williams netted a 7.5lb cod in second, while McClernon also registered the third largest fish at 7.4lb.

Paul Bird hauled 24.8blb on his boat Trio, finishing first overall.

Although some other anglers had fish, they didn't bother weighing in because of the high competition. The fishing was very slow with just the odd fish being caught by most of the boats – but they were accompanied by a few small whiting and dab.

One of the boats, which was not competing in the match, caught an impressive 18lb cod at the 5A buoy, which he proudly brought to the weigh-in show.

The majority of fish were caught well into the river, with nothing being caught near Bull Fort, but McClernon caught his two big cod very early on at 2C – he believed the fresh water had pushed the fish out.

Anglers got the feeling the fish were about to come on as the light faded, but soon after that though the match ended.

It was a good rehersal for the Big Cod Match and a good test for the tackle and knots. Any sizable fish being pulled against a three knot tide caused a few precious cod to be lost – a lesson for next week, maybe.

However, there should be a lot of cod caught in the big match and, like last year, I think the anglers will need a double-figure fish to be in with a chance of our excellent prizes – not forgetting £1600 first cash prize.

This weekend, the European Shore Open is still going ahead on the Yorkshire coast.

With tough conditions expected, anglers will be looking for a sheltered pitch to make the most of their chance.

However, I would still expect a few decent fish to be caught over the course of three days.

Only time will tell if that is the case, though.

Finally, last weekend saw the first promenade match of the year. There was a lower turn-out than normal, but steps have been made to improve attendances and accommodate the anglers who are working.

Small fish ace Dave Lord victored, combining his fresh water techniques and sea angling skills to catch nine fish for 165cm. In second was Geoff Hill, who caught bigger fish but managed only seven (140cm) in total. In third was Brian Tuck with five for 107cm.