5th Blood Bikes Wales Open fishing competition raises £923 for the charity

The fifth Blood Bikes Wales Open Beach Fishing Competition, organised by members from Pembroke & District Angling Club and Osprey Sea Angling Club, was held on 9th November 2025 on Amroth beach in South Pembrokeshire.

The weather on the day was blustery with showers but with a nice surf running unlike the weather that had been experienced locally in the run up to this competition and that two weeks earlier at the Osprey Open.

The turnout and support was not quite as good as previously with 36 anglers including one lady and three juniors.

Eleven anglers managed to weigh in 14 Flounders along with 13 Dabs, one Bass, one Whiting and four Lesser Spotted Dogfish (or Cat Sharks as they are now known). Other fish were caught, mainly undersized and a few in size, but not weighed in as they would not have challenged for the prize table.

The winning angler, who managed to land five decent sized flounder above the minimum size of 28cm, for 2kg 540gms was an ever present regular local and helping organiser at these competitions, Haydn Cole (Lamphey), netting him the £200 first prize.

The runner-up taking the second prize for the heaviest any fish was another local angler Mickey Probert (Pembroke) with a Bass of 1kg 220gms netting him £100.

Third prize of £50 with the second heaviest bag of flatfish was a translocated Englishman Paull Curtice (Ammanford) with three flounder for 1kg 540gms.

The pair’s competition, in which both anglers had to weigh in, was won, not unnaturally, by Haydn & Paull with their Cat Shark and eight Flounder for 4kg 650gms. Second were a local pairing Rob Collins and his co-angler Ben Edwards with six Dabs, two Flounder and two Cat Sharks for 2kg 340gms.

The Steward’s draw for a bottle of vodka, as a thank you for those organisers, helpers and anglers signing in fish on the beach, kindly donated by host at the Temple Bar Inn, Ian Wilkinson, was one of the organisers John O’Connor.

However, the most important result on the day was that the event raised £923 for the Blood Bikes Wales, some of whom turned up and helped during the day.

In the centre Haydn Cole with Paull (L) and Mickey (R), Ben and Rob behind, flanked by Blood Bikes Wales members and Peter Kraus far right. (Pic by Barbara Thorne)

Organisers thanked the sponsors Darren Jones, PPC Wales, Pembroke Dock, JD Metals, Millforge, Pembroke Dock, Ron Skinner & Sons, Neyland, Pisgah Coachworks, Kingswood Engineering, Apollo Trampolines, Innovative Gas, Tesco, Pembroke Dock, Oriel Johnson, host Ian Wilkinson of The Temple Bar Inn, Leigh Rogers, Shane Tucker, Rodney Phillips, Franco Attanasio, Kevin & Mickey Probert and Peter Kraus – who also came armed with a myriad of prizes he collected from various contacts of his.

The 22^nd Annual Wales Air Ambulance Open, organised by organised by members from Pembroke & District Angling Club and Osprey Sea Angling Club, will be held early in the new year, on January 4^th on Amroth.