20 Club Matches of 60 Club Matches. 40 Club Matches to go.
The club fishes a total of 60 matches over the year broken down as below.
- 12 Saturday Daytime Pier Matches. Members can go roving if they wish.
- 12 Sunday Daytime Pier Matches. Members can go roving if they wish.
- 12 Thursday Daytime Pier Matches. Members can go roving if they wish.
- 12 Winter Night Hawk Matches. 2 Matches In January and February then a break followed by 2 matches a month in September, October, November and December.
- 12 Summer Night Hawk matches. 2 Per month March to the end of August.
Additional to the above, the club is also looking at running a Beach pegged match once a month in 2023. If these are run every month, the club will run a total of 72 matches in 2023.
January
Start of the year and season, was a bit of a fixture clash. This is the only occasion throughout the year that back to back matches are fished. Friday night followed by Saturday morning the next day. Quite a few new members joining the Club which is great to see. 25 members turned out between both matches, 13 and 12 respectively. A great improvement on numbers from the previous year.
First Match of the year was the Winter Night Hawks on 6th January. 13 turned out in flat conditions, but it was a poor night with only 2 weighing in fish. Sean Dickinson taking Heaviest Bag and Heaviest Fish, for a clean sweep and 15 points towards the club championship table in the first match.
Next day 12 members turned out for the Saturday Pier match. New club member Martin Pygall taking Heaviest Bag. Four fish for 2lb 13oz closely followed by another new member, Micky Bell with 2 Codling for 2lb 10oz, including heaviest fish in the match a Codling 1lb 9oz. 6 members weighed in, with Graeme Armstrong weighing in a Flounder of 1lb 2oz to put in him the lead for heaviest flatfish for 2023.
New Club Member Gary Davison Gary Davison came Joint 1st Heaviest Bag in the first Sunday Pier match of the year (15/01/23). Graeme Armstrong taking heaviest fish.
January also saw the club run a trial beach pegged match at Seaton Sluice Beach. These would not count as official club matches for 2023 or towards the any club leagues. 25 members turned out, which was a fantastic turnout. The match was fished to SAMF length to weight conversion. Something again new for the club. Overall the majority agreed it was a great success with Tom Sawyer winning with 10 fish for 207 fish points. Tony Cowie taking biggest fish Flounder 35cm 52pts.
2nd Winter Night Hawks match 20/01/23. Great turn out with 17 anglers fishing the match. Neil Carter won Heaviest fish in Match and the best Codling of January 3lb 3oz and new club member Steve Cramman taking heaviest bag, 2 Codling for 4lb 2oz, also Heaviest Bag for January.
Terry Brennan fishing his first match of the year (Thursday Pier Match), come joint first with Heaviest bag and joint Heaviest Fish.
Winners of Matches in January
- Winter Night Hawks – 06/01/23 – Heaviest Bag – Sean Dickinson, Heaviest Fish – Sean Dickinson.
- Saturday Pier Match – 07/01/23 – Heaviest Bag – Marty Pygall, Heaviest Fish – Micky Bell.
- Sunday Pier Match – 15/01/23 – Heaviest Bag – Gary Davision/Mark Igo, Heaviest Fish – Graeme Armstrong.
- Winter Night Hawks – 20/01/23 – Heaviest Bag – Steve Cramman, Heaviest Fish – Neil Carter.
- Thursday Pier Match – 26/01/23 – Heaviest Bag – Terry Brennan/Mark Igo, Heaviest Fish – Terry Brennan/Mark Igo.
- Beach Pegged Match (Seaton Sluice) – 28/01/23 – Heaviest Bag – Tom Sawyer, Heaviest Fish – Tony Cowie.
February
First Winter Night Hawks Match of February 03/02/23, Gary Davison took Heaviest fish of the month, with a Codling of 3lb 15oz and Mark Igo took Heaviest Bag of the month with 5 fish for 4lb 12oz. Dave McKenzie also caught a Flounder of 1lb 3oz in the match, putting him in the lead for Heaviest Flat. Steve Robson also registering a good bag, 6 fish for 4lb 1oz.
New Club Member Dave Bas fished his first club match and shared Heaviest Bag with Graeme Armstrong and Heaviest Fish with a Codling 1lb 9oz from Tynemouth Pier 05/02/23.
09/02/23 Thursday Pier match, Tom Sawyer and Marty Pygall decided to go roving rather than fish the Pier. Being rewarded with good bags of Flounders. Tom 8 Flounders for 4lb 8oz and Marty 5 fish for 3lb 1oz including Heaviest Flounder 1lb 1oz.
The Club ran it second Pegged Beach Match. 24 members fishing, New Club Member Ian Bellfield winning Heaviest Bag, 7 fish 171 fish points. Also taking Heaviest Fish with a Codling 47cm 104 fish Points. Sean Dickinson coming 2nd with the first Bass of the year and 3 Codling.
Saturday Pier Match (25/02/2023) was roving as the Pier was shut. Northerly Swell running. Graeme Armstrong taking Heaviest Fish and Heaviest Bag with Whiting.
Winners of Matches in February
- Winter Night Hawks Match – 03/02/23 – Heaviest Bag – Mark Igo, Heaviest Fish – Gary Davison.
- Sunday Pier Match – 05/02/23 – Heaviest Bag – Dave Bas/Graeme Armstrong, Heaviest Fish – Dave Bas.
- Thursday Pier Match – 09/02/23 – Heaviest Bag – Tom Sawyer, Heaviest Fish – Marty Pygall.
- Pegged Beach Match (Cambois) – 18/02/23 – Heaviest Bag – Ian Bellfield, Heaviest Fish – Ian Bellfield.
- Winter Night Hawks – 20/02/23 – Heaviest Bag – Mark Igo, Heaviest Fish – Mark Igo.
- Saturday Pier Match – 25/02/23 – Heaviest Bag – Graeme Armstrong, Heaviest Fish – Graeme Armstrong.
March
March was the start of the Summer Night Hawks Match in the Tyne. First one being at Copthorne, with Mark Igo taking Longest overall Length 10 fish for 230cm, Alex Billingham taking longest fish 33cm Codling.
Chris Barrass managed a clean sweep of Heaviest Bag and Heaviest fish on Sunday Pier Match 05/03/23.
Six Club Members went down to the Holderness Coast to fish the European Open Beach Championship. No one placed but everyone had a brilliant time. Connor Dickinson managing a nice 3lb Bass, which would of put him in the Prizes if caught a day later. We will be back next year. Link
Beach pegged match for March was going to be Druridge Bay but was moved to the Tyne at Spillers due to Sea Conditions. 12 fished the match. David Wood took Heaviest Bag, 7 fish for 107 fish Points and Longest Fish 30cm Flounder 32 fish Points.
Thursday Pier Match 23/03/23 Tom Sawyer won both Heaviest Fish and Heaviest Bag.
Saturday Pier Match 25/03/23 Bryan Clennell managed 2 sized Haddock. Biggest being 12oz. He managed to take Heaviest Bag and share Heaviest Fish with Tom Sawyer. Haddock has gone down as a Club Record, as I unable to find any records of Haddock before in a Club Match.
Second Summer Night Hawks Match of the Month 30/03/23, seen the Match moved to Pottery Bank from Smokehouse. Smokehouse can only accommodate around 12 anglers and around that number were expected to fish. Neil Carter Winning the Longest Length, 8 fish for 211cm. Alf Hurst taking the Longest fish with a Codling of 42cm.
Winners of Matches in March
- Summer Night Hawks Copthorne – 01/03/23 – Heaviest Bag – Mark Igo, Heaviest Fish – Alex Billingham
- Sunday Pier Match – 05/03/23 – Heaviest Bag – Chris Barrass Heaviest Fish – Chris Barrass
- Pegged Beach Match (River Tyne due to Weather) – 12/03/23 – Heaviest Bag – David Wood, Heaviest Fish – David Wood.
- Thursday Pier Match – 23/03/23 – Heaviest Bag – Tom Sawyer, Heaviest Fish – Tom Sawyer.
- Saturday Pier Match – 25/03/23 – Heaviest Bag – Brian Clennell, Heaviest Fish – Bryan Clennell/Tom Sawyer.
- Summer Night Hawks Pottery Bank – 30/03/23 – Heaviest Bag – Neil Carter, Heaviest Fish – Alf Hurst
April
Sunday Pier match 02/04/23 was going to be roving but members decided to run a pegged match at Pottery Bank. Mark Igo taking Longest Length, 15 fish for 346cm, including longest fish 28cm Codling.
Summer Night Hawks at British Airways, Tom Sawyer just beating Keith Smith to Longest Overall Length. Tom 13 fish for 293cm. We also had an unusual situation of 3 anglers having the equal longest fish. Dave McKenzie a Flounder of 32cm, Keith Smith a Flounder of 32cm and Steve Walton a Codling of 32cm. After confirmation from Club Secretary Jason Dack. The 5 points for Heaviest fish was split down to 1.66 points for each of the 3 anglers. Steve Robson also recorded the first Smelt of the year.
Graeme Armstrong managed the first Plaice reported in the North East with a 1lb 3oz from Saturday Pier Match (15/04/23) from Tynemouth Pier. Also Heaviest fish in the Match. This is joint Heaviest Flatfish this year so far with Dave McKenzie Flounder of 1lb 3oz 03/02/23 (Winter Night Hawks Match from Blyth). Tom Sawyer just pipping Graeme to Heaviest Bag by 2oz’s. Tom landing 5 Flounders for 3lb 7oz, to Graeme’s 3 Flounders and a Plaice for 3lb 5oz. Graeme’s Club Record Plaice of 6lb 2oz from Tynemouth Pier in the 90’s, will I doubt ever be broken. Link to Plaice Records. LINK: Plaice Records. Hopefully the Plaice return this year. Fingers crossed.
Thursday Daytime Pier Match (20/04/23) – Tom Sawyer managed Heaviest Fish and Heaviest Bag.
Pegged Beach Match Newbiggin Bay. 23/04/23. Dave Wood won his 2nd pegged beach match in a row. Very hard days fishing, Dave managed a 30cm Flounder and a Rockling to win Heaviest Bag, 53 fish points and Heaviest fish 32cm Flounder 40 fish points.
Match 20. Summer Night Hawks Copthorne. Keith Smith won both Longest Length 10 fish for 255cm and Longest Fish 32cm Codling. Keith pulled away from Steve Walton on the next peg, managing a good end of the match and Codling the last 3 casts. Dave Wood managing the first Eel of the year. That puts Keith top of the Summer Night Hawks table after 4 matches.
Winners of Matches in April
- Sunday Pier Match (moved to River Tyne due to Weather) – 02/04/23 – Heaviest Bag Mark Igo, Heaviest Fish Mark Igo.
- Summer Night Hawks British Airways – 13/04/23 – Heaviest Bag Tom Sawyer, Heaviest Fish Dave McKenzie, Keith Smith, Steve Walton.
- Saturday Pier Match – 15/04/23 – Heaviest Bag Tom Sawyer, Heaviest Fish Graeme Armstrong.
- Thursday Pier Match – 20/04/23 – Heaviest Bag Tom Sawyer, Heaviest Fish Tom Sawyer.
- Pegged Beach Match (Newbiggin) – 23/04/23 – Heaviest Fish David Wood, Heaviest Fish David Wood.
- Summer Night Hawks Copthorne – 27/04/23 – Heaviest Bag Keith Smith, Heaviest Fish Keith Smith.
League Tables after 20 matches
The Tables on the Website are unofficial Club Tables. Jason Dack, the Club Secretary keeps track of the official Tables.
Club Championship Table
Mark Igo currently top, closely followed by Tom Sawyer and then Graeme Armstrong who has fished a lot less matches. Link: Full Table
Saturday League Pier Table
Graeme Armstrong leads the way in first, with Tom Sawyer 2nd and Alf Hurst 3rd. Link: Full Table
Sunday Daytime Pier League
Graeme Armstrong leads the way, with Mark Igo and Dave Bas 2nd and 3rd. Link: Full Table
Thursday Daytime Pier League
Tom Sawyer leads the way ahead of Marty Pygal (who has sadly stopped fishing), Terry Brennan is sitting in 3rd. Link: Full Table
Winter Night Hawks
Winter Night Hawks is by weight and not points, although points are allocated for the Club Championship Table. Matches resume in September. Four Matches have been fished s far this year. Mark Igo leading the way, with Steve Cramman and Gary Davision 2nd and 3rd respectively. Hopefully come September the Cod fishing picks up, as January and February were pretty poor. Link: Full Table
Summer Night Hawks
Keith Smith is in the lead, with Alf Hurst 2nd and Mark Igo 3rd. 8 Matches still to go. Link: Full Table
Club Heaviest fish so far goes to Gary Davision in a Night Hawks match from I believe Whitley Bay. Heaviest Bag to Mark Igo from Tynemouth Beach and Heaviest Flat share between Graeme Armstrong and Dave Mackenzie. Believer Dave’s Flounder come from Blyth and Graeme’s Plaice come of the Pier.
Club Heaviest Fish
Club Heaviest Bag
Club Heaviest Flat Fish
Hopefully now the weather is picking up, so will the fishing. I’ll look at doing another one after 40 Club Matches and one at the end of the year. Anyone looking to join the club, its not too late. Membership. With 40 Matches to go and £15 for the year. If people wish to enter the sweeps it is only £2 per match. Great friendly Club. Tight Lines.