THE Annual Juniors Open Boat Festival was held on Tuesday 9th August out of Langstone Harbour, Hayling Island.
 
The results were dominated by 15year old Shaun O’Donovan who very competently hooked and played a 20lb common smoothhound (133% of the Wessex Specimen Size) – pictured below.
 
The fish took a small hardback crab on a 3/0 hook. Shaun (pictured above) took home a trophy, Abu Mag Sports Rocket (1st overall) and tackle vouchers for winning his boat and best specimen.
 
Other species included dogfish, pollack, goldsinny, bream, mackerel, horse mackerel, wrasse, poor cod and pout. All fish except mackerel were ‘catch and return’. Several ‘smuts’ (smoothhounds) were caught in the 12-14.5 bracket. 
 
The day’s (8hrs) boat fishing with rod and reel supplied, bait and expert tuition and a prize for everyone cost £5 only.