Stick sticks with it to land Bognor bass trophies

Bognor's third annual Bass'O'Mania hard-lure boat competition attracted 40-plus anglers in a verity of boats, ribs and kayaks.

Many local boat anglers got involved while some travelled from London the home counties.

Sea conditions couldn’t have been better with only light winds to contend with over the inshore reef systems.

Plenty of under-sized bass were caught in the early stages, which were all returned to the sea to fight another day.

The event incorporated strict size limits and a system of weighing and catch-and-release at sea meant most bass were returned to the sea alive.

Dillon Thompson, 11, from Lancing, set the standards with the first decent fish of the day - a nice 3lb 14oz bass, caught aboard his father’s Littlehampton-based boat, which won him the junior section prize.

Fishing proved very testing for most of the lure anglers participating, but local bass enthusiast Peter ‘Stick’ Tykie won both categories when he showed off the heaviest bass, a 5lb 4oz specimen, and the heaviest overall weight, 8lb 7oz.

Organisers thanked Spencer Smith and his team at Aldwick Angling for their support in sponsoring this year’s event.

Spokesman Mark Gillen said: “We’re now all looking forward to next year’s Bass’O’Mania, for which we hope to attract even more hard-lure anglers to this local, popular event.”