THE 18th Wales Air Ambulance Open Beach Fishing competition, organised by members from Pembroke and District Angling Club and Osprey Sea Angling Club was held on Sunday, January 12 on Amroth Beach in South Pembrokeshire. 

The turnout and support was fantastic with111 anglers including three junior boys, one junior girl and four ladies.

This bettered the last 100 plus turnout (2015) by one and was only nine below the record. 

The fishing was good with 26, including one lady, weighing in 42 sizeable flounders along with six dabs, three cod and one turbot, with other undersize or lesser sized cod, dabs and flounders being caught but not weighed in. 

The winning angler who managed to land four decent sized flounder, for a winning bag of 1kg 495gms was local Saundersfoot angler member Tony O’Neill, netting him the first prize of £200.

Second was Mark Griffiths a visiting angler from Gorseinon with his larger cod of 1kg 545gms netting him the £100 second prize for the heaviest single fish.

In third place was another local angler, this time from Tenby, Stuart Allen who had three flounder and a dab for 1kg 405gms, taking home the third prize of £50.

The pairs competition, in which both anglers had to weigh in, was won by Stuart and his partner Peter Taylor with one cod, four flounder and a dab for 3kg 115gms.

Second with five flounder for 1kg 760gms were Tony and Mike Williams and third, with four flounder and a dab for 1kg 595gms were Rob Collins and Ben Edwards with David Midwinter winning the Stewards Draw.

The ladies section was won by another regular Alison George who had a flounder of 420gms, but unfortunately no junior weighed in.

However, the most important result on the day was that the event raised £1179 for the Wales Air Ambulance pushing the total raised over the 18 years this competition has been running, to well in excess of £20,000.

Over the last three years alone the total has been an impressive £2789, which was presented to Katie Macro of the Wales Air Ambulance on the day.