The 13th RNLI Annual Fishing Open, organised by members from Pembroke & District Angling Club, Osprey Sea Angling Club and Neyland Sea Angling Club, was held on Sunday, February 5 on Amroth beach.

Due to Covid this had not been fished since 2019 but it was great to be back fishing and supporting two very worthy local causes important to all sea users in Pembrokeshire.

On resumption this year, the weather was, as it had been in 2019, positively balmy for the time of year with attendance only slightly down on 2019 at 66 cf 69 which included 2 Ladies but no juniors.

Perhaps it is time to think about free entry for juniors with their separate prize table, especially in these tough financial times.

However, in the very flat sea conditions, fish were caught but fewer than pre Covid and at the Air Ambulance Open 4 weeks earlier, with only 10 Flounder being weighed in by 8 anglers with others caught but not weighed in, some undersize and some because they’d seen the quality of the first few bags and individual fish.

The winning angler, who managed to land 3 Flounder for 1Kg 995gms, was Simon Phelps from Milford Haven, netting him the first prize of £200. Second, who had the biggest fish, a cracking Flounder of 970gms, allowing him to pick up the runner’s up prize of £100, was Kevin Hughes from Neath, a regular for these competitions.

In third place was Scott Harris from Neyland with 2 Flounder for 1Kg 135gms, winning him £50.

However, the most important result on the day was that the event raised £1,294.30 for the local lifeboats. In gratitude for this sterling effort thanks go to main sponsor RWE Power and other sponsors (in no particular order): Milforge, Pembroke Dock, Darren Jones, Mr and Mrs Milsom of the haven Chippy in Milford Haven, Shane Tucker, Andrew Skeels, Peter Kraus, The Cove, East Llanion, Pembroke Dock, Cast and Craft, Milford Haven, John O’Connor, Juice 33, Pembroke Dock, The Shipwright, Pembroke Dock, Chilton Motors, Pembroke, Ballas Farm Country Guest House, Pyle, Petals, Pembroke Dock, Cerri Glas, Pembroke Dock, O.C. Davies, Neyland, Equestrian Centre, Pembroke Dock, Alison, Kristian and Joshua George, Andrew and Leigh Rogers, Tesco, Pembroke Dock, Aaron Sutton, Chris Wynn and the anglers from the organising clubs, you know who you are.

Thanks also goes to Ian Wilkinson of the Temple Bar Inn who put his premises and valued support at this event’s disposal, together with teams of ladies from the Saundersfoot and Pembroke branches of the RNLI, who ran the raffle and sold souvenirs.

Finally, anybody missed off this list, thank you most warmly, for your continued support.

Pictured are a couple of the winners Scott Harris and Simon Phelps.