Ocean Kayak Raises £500 For RNLI - 08/07/2010

The first Ocean Kayak Classic Fishing Tournament, held at Swanage on June 5th, raised £500 for the local RNLI lifeboat station.

Perfect weather conditions made for a great day as 43 competitors took to the water and a total of 17 different fish species were caught in a catch-and-release competition. Both John Elsdon and Amos Mack, the joint winners, caught six different species, and they each went away with a fantastic prize of a complete Ocean Kayak Prowler Ultra 4.7 fishing kayak worth £999.

David Lear took second place and won a colour GPS Humminbird fishfinder. David Harrison was third and received an Escape buoyancy aid. Martin Steeden, who received the donation on behalf of the RNLI, said: “I have my own boat here and the most species I have ever caught in one outing is four – so hats off to all the anglers who have done so well here at Swanage.” The species caught on the day included pollack, ballan wrasse, dogfish, mackerel, undulate rays, corkwing wrasse, pouting, black bream, bass, plaice, common and starry smoothhounds, greater sandeels, goldsinny wrasse, smelt, butterfish and small-eyed rays.

The event was sponsored by Johnson Outdoors UK and supported by AnglersAfloat.