Things will be hotting up in the club over the next couple of months, with regular weekend and mid-week matches to keep the anglers entertained.

October has been particularly busy for the committee as the build up to last Sunday's Open Festival continued.

Club matches have continued as normal, with Coppett Hall being visited on October 19, a reasonable day which promised some surf. Eleven anglers competed and it proved to be a real scratching day. The first and second placed anglers fished either side of Garfield, who was rumoured to have lost his sense of humour at one point! Just a couple of flounders and LSD were recorded, but the 'pin' whiting also seemed to have arrived with a vengeance.

Results were: 1. Karl (top acratcher) Boyle, LSD 0.925 kg; 2. Phil Hughes, LSD 0.679 kg; 3. Dyffrig Allen, flounder 0.430 kg.

The following Wednesday saw the resumption of the Mid-Week series which will continue to the end of the year. Just seven anglers had a go, and it was beaches all round as we were fishing from low water up. Again, nothing to write home about catch wise, with just two anglers weighing in.

Results were: 1. Nev Andrews, LSD 0.549 kg; 2. Peter Taylor, pouting 0.109 kg.

Last Sunday saw the club run its Annual Open Festival on the four beaches of Tenby North and South, Amroth and Saundersfoot. With an uncertain weather forecast, committee was a touch 'on edge' about the likely turnout, given that the prize table topped £2,000.

However, by the Saturday night before, it was clear that the local tackle shops, Tenby Angling, Saundersfoot Angling, Pembroke Angling and Anglers Corner in Milford, had done brisk business in pre-booking and a reasonable entry looked on the cards. At this point, committee would like to express its gratitude to the proprietors of the tackle shops for taking the time to help with pre-booking and for the selection of generous donations towards the extensive raffle that the club runs at the end of the festival.

By 9 am on the Sunday, 220 anglers had taken their places on the beaches and with the rain easing, a cracking day was expected. We were not to be disappointed as bass, LSD, gurnards, silver eels, golden grey mullet, rockling and flounders all came back to the weigh-in. The weigh in at the Ex-Servicemen's Club saw over 60 anglers bring fish to the scales.

It became clear at this point that the South Beach in Tenby had fished really well this year and put itself firmly back on the map as a good fishing beach.

The match finished at 2 pm and both the prize-giving and raffle had been concluded by just an hour-and-threequarters later. A fine effort by the committee and thanks to the Ex-Servicemen's Club for their hospitality. Results were:

Heaviest fish overall - 1. S. Smyth, bass 1.484 kg; 2. Keith Williams, LSD 1.140 kg; 3. Tony O'Neil, LSD 0.961 kg.

Heaviest flounder - A. Trewin, 0.898 kg.

Heaviest roundfish - S. Smyth, bass 1.484 kg.

Best lady - M. Knowles, LSD 0.898 kg.

Best junior - T. McSparrow, flounder 0.603 kg.

Best Tenby junior – Gareth Boyle, flounder 0.544 kg.

Tenby North zone - Gareth Boyle; Amroth zone - T. Newton; Saundersfoot zone - P. Selby; Tenby South zone - G. Davis.

Finally, some further news and a reminder. Julian Davies has continued his tradition of locating quality flounder and has weighed a cracker in taking the scales over to 1.093 kg. A picture is on the website. This should get him a Channel Federation Specimen certificate to go with the two recently received for Barry Taylor's cracking shore-caught pollack.

The matches in November on the North Beach against Clevedon SAC (November 16) and Coppett Hall (November 22) have been switched at the request of Clevedon. Some of their less young members find the climb back up from the North a little too much and so we will now fish against Clevedon on November 16 at Coppett Hall. Fishing times remain as per the match list, 12.30 to 4.30 pm. Conversely, we will now fish on the North Beach on November 22, again fishing times as per the match list, 7 to 11 pm, and for the Candy and Creese Cups.

Would club members also please remember that they need to fish five club matches in order to qualify to fish the Fur 'n' Feather on December 14.

Further information at any time from Nev on 01834 814072.