THE annual Daiwa Open fished on the Holderness coast is expected to attract over 1,000 anglers who will all be competing for the anticipated £3,000 first prize (depending on the attendance).

The match has been moved to later in the year and will be fished on Sunday, December 7th. This has been done to coincide with the peak fishing time for the area and should therefore attract more anglers to the competition. The boundaries will cover over 40 mile of coastline from Sewerby Steps, Bridlington, in the north to Paull, River Humber, in the south.

This year will also see Withernsea-based Commercial SAC taking over as match organisers, which will be led by the very competent Paul Jefferson. Paul has many years of angling experience and is a face that is well known and respected on the Yorkshire coast.

Last year’s event proved difficult with strong winds that seemed to put the fish off and small bag weights were the order of the day. This year the match is slightly later in the year and it is expected that there should be some bigger fish about.

The match is run using the single heaviest fish caught rules, which simply means that if you catch the heaviest cod of the day, you will win the top prize. The prize is expected to be around the £3,000 mark, but if attendance is high enough it could be closer to £4,000.

Just off the coastline at the moment there have been some decent cod catches by the boats. There are several noted hotspots and with the tide being of medium height it will open the whole stretch up so that anywhere could throw up the one big fish.

The match starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm. Anglers can either book in on the day at the Oblivion Club, Withernsea, formerly know as Teddy’s, or buy tickets from local tackle shops. If you don’t live in the area then you can get your tickets from match organiser Paul Jefferson. Give him a ring on 01482 326814.

All the local tackle shops will be supplying bait and it is well advised to place your order in well in advance. Black lug and squid should be the best baits for the given time of year. Local hotspots will include Hilston, Ringborough, Holmpton and in the river Humber at Paull and Old Hall.

Total Sea Fishing