This is why we were there, so these guys will put their lives on the line for people that use the sea.

Well it finally came round. I’d been looking forward to the ICCM for a week or two. I’d be fishing with my mates and around 70 other anglers supporting the RNLI in this charity match. I’d arranged to pick Pete up from Sheringham and meet up with PK and Karl at Dunwich for around 7:30am, the plan being we’d be towards the front of the queue for breakfast.

6am and I’m at Pete’s loading the car. Karl’s box is pretty heavy, Pete’s box was wider and deeper and a sight heavier, they should list the contents of his box on the commodity market. If he ever weighed the leads in the arse would drop out of the scrap lead market. Proper manual handling avoided another hernia and we’re on our way. It’s nice to drive at that time of the day, little on the roads and a pleasant journey that was until we got to Beccles. A very badly signed diversion had us all round the houses before we finally got onto the A12 at Southwold and the remaining straight forward drive to Dunwich.

We arrived at 7:30 about 5 minutes before PK and Karl and about 15 minutes before the café opened. Chance for a catch up with the boys and a quick look at the sea; it looked good. There was a nasty Southerly on but the forecast had that dropping, there was a good colour in the water and a little bit of a lift in it. I felt confident it would fish; conditions were as good as they could be and there’d be some good lads fishing. I reckoned I’d go for around 6 or 7lb as the winning weight, after all that’s only three 2lb codling and a couple of whiting.

Breakfast came and went, it was very nice but not very big. Karl considered another one but held out, even so he still managed to consume a chicken wrap sandwich, two chocolate bars and a can of red bull before the all in! After breakfast came the discussion of where to fish. From the car park northwards towards Walberswick is a fairly consistent stretch if the codling where to show; however southwards towards Minsmere offered the chance of a few whiting with odd codling.

The decision was made; we’d go south under the cliffs. Me, PK, Karl, Pete, Trev and Fred headed off for the yomp along the shingle, not very pleasant with the headwind. Pete dropped in first followed by Fred and Trev. PK and Karl shared a brolly (people are talking) then me. I wasn’t quite the end peg, another half dozen hardy souls continued beyond me. I could see the shelter, brolly’s and portaloos spreading out Northwards along the beach, despite the forecast there was a good turn out.

Portaloo City, not a homeless refuge but the view south from the middle of the match stretch.

I haven’t fished a sea match for nigh on 30 years, the last would’ve been the fireman’s open along Cleethorpes sea front as a kid. I didn’t intend to get competitive about this one either but I always want to beat my mates. I’ve seen some weird and wonderful rigs, but there were wish bones with a single hook above clipped to them, more beads and sequins than Tiffany’s and iron mongery Steptoe would’ve made a fortune out of. I don’t actually have any rigs like that in my wallet, I’d tied two 2-hook flappers that clipped down, they had a bead below the stop knot, but that’s as fancy as it gets with me. My stock in trade rigs would be single hook bombers and pennels.

The stiff southerly brought a series of weather fronts with it.

Its hard not to be competitive, I found myself developing a game plan. I’d start by walloping a 3/0 pennel rig out as far as I could and keep an eye each side. If they started to catch whiting I’d switch to my flappers and target them. High water would be around 1:30 with the match being fished from 10:30 to 3:30. I was convinced codling would win the match so that would be my target.

Flipper Field using a whiting as a mouth organ and Discs with a baby codling. Feel free to download this picture and put it on the mantel, the kids will never go near the fire if you do.

There’s never usually a lot of tide at Dunwich and the stiff wind was against the tide compounding the issue. An hour into the match and I’ve not had a sizeable fish. I’ve had two mini codlings, PK’s had a sizeable whiting, Karl and the rest of the lads were fishless. The guy up from me hadn’t had a sizeable fish either. It was around this time I just finished rebaiting my second rig when the rod tip eased back. The line didn’t quite get laid up the beach but it was a slack line bite. I picked up and started to wind, expecting to feel the nod of a codling or at least some weight. Nothing, first proper bite and a combination of no tide and me had failed to hook the fish. I wound in the rig, clipped on the ready rig and whacked it out again, motionless.

Everybody was struggling. I got some texts from up the Northern section of beach, only odd whiting a couple of dabs and barely sizeable codling had been taken. I was getting desperate. I tried the old trick of walking up to the guy in the next peg for a chat but nothing was working. I baited up the flapper and as I did a few gentle plucks of the rod tip and within minutes a 28cm whiting’s on the beach, I’m scoring at least. It must’ve been around 12:30 and it’s obvious by now it’s going to be hard. PK’s ability to outcast most had seen him manage a couple of sizeable whiting; Karl had chipped in with one as well now, so at least we were scoring.

Rain, shine, thunder and lightening, here's another front coming.

The rest of the match dragged, I had one more bite, which resulted in a 33cm whiting. PK and Karl faired a little better managing a few more size whiting. PK had a beauty over 40cms and with around 3lb in the bucket it was looking like he wouldn’t be far away. I had around 1lb and Karl around 2lb. Its symptomatic of round here at the minute, seas look great yet fish aren’t there or they’re not feeding when you’d expect them to. I fished my nuts off for 5 bites. Some decent lads were struggling for even a bite; Pete had managed 2 whiting and Trev just one and then it happened. On the very last cast I looked northwards to see Trev winding in tentatively down at the waters edge and Pete doing the okey cokey with the waves. Must’ve seemed like an age for Trev but finally a plump little 2lber was safely on the beach.

The sharp end, well done to all the organisers, cracking job.

I’ve made a New Years resolution early, I’m going to lose some weight and try and get healthy. The quarter mile walk back along the shingle had me sweating like a rapist waiting on a DNA test. I had to stop 80 yards from the car park for a breather; with a bit of luck one of the raffle prizes will be an iron lung. Finally back at the car and off to the weigh in. The top 5 weights counted for each county, I asked Norfolk skipper Paul Blyth how we were doing. It looked ok with a few weights over 2lb; it was going to be close between Norfolk and Suffolk. The whiting I had in my bucket were still alive, it was obvious they wouldn’t be needed in the final reckoning so to give them a better chance of survival I put them back.

It was a cracking day out despite the hard fishing and work permitting I’ll be back again. PK had 3lb dead and Paul Allsop had 3lb 7oz for third, unfortunately for Norfolk though the top two spots were occupied by Suffolkers. Suffolk pipped Norfolk to the title by a few ounces, there's a link to the results below. A very big thank you to the organisers, the match was fished in good spirits, it was nice to meet some new faces and laugh at some of the older ones! Thanks to Tony Friend, Mick Philips and Paul Cornwell whose pictures I’ve swiped.

Work will see me stymied this week, the forecast isn’t very inspiring, but a week on Thursday will see the Jolly Boys out on a boat! I can’t wait I just hope the weather plays ball, the long range forecast has got 35mph southerlies which will kill the trip though a lot can happen between now and then. I’ll report in due course.

ICCM full results