With just a couple of weeks to go until this years Jersey Open Shore Angling Festival (JOSAF) I thought it would be apt to write a post about it.
I remember way back in 2003 when it was announced there would be a week long festival along the lines of the Alderney angling festival I was super excited to have a go. I didn’t have enough holidays to take the full week off but I did have a couple of days left so had the Monday & Tuesday off. Back then it was held at the beginning of June so no bank holiday Monday.
When the entry forms came out and I saw the qualifying weights my confidence took a dent, they were super tough with Wrasse 5lb, Conger 20lb & Black Bream 2-8 to name a few. They are however of course the same for everyone so you can only have a go. That first year I fished really hard but never managed a single qualifying fish, the closest being a Wrasse of 4-10. It was a reality check.
The second year was equally difficult but I did finally manage to weigh a fish in with a 5th placed Wrasse just over 5lb.
It’s a fantastic comp and a real challenge but it can also be super tough when you are putting in so much effort and failing to find a single weighable fish.
2005 was when the comp was moved to August giving everyone the bank holiday weekend. I was in Florida for 3 weeks arriving back in the island on the Friday before the start and heading back to work on the Tuesday. I actually got off to a good start with a weigher Thick Lipped on the Saturday, a lovely 5-7 Wrasse on the Sunday and then a British Record White Bream of 1-7-4 on the Monday. It was pretty frustrating having to go back to work but I was completely exhausted and found the rest of the week really tough. Looking back through my diaries I actually have the final board from that year which makes interesting reading.
2006 was dads year to get his name on the trophy. He managed 4 on the board, Wrasse, Conger, Bass & Mullet. There were some incredible fish that year including a 14-3 Bass & a 35-4 Conger.
2007 was last morning heartbreak for me, not for the overall but for the Gavey family trophy for best Wrasse. I had the biggest on the board at 6-5 but was pipped by Roy Newton on the last morning with a 6-6-2. I did have the consolation of the best Ray with a 9-2 Small Eyed. Other fish that year were a 6lb ThickLipped and a 3-3 Trigger but there were a lot of gaps on the final board.
On to 2008 and it was my year. As often is the case for whoever wins, everything comes together and you also have a bit of luck. I finished with 5 on the board, Wrasse of 5-14, Bass of 6-7, 3 Bearded Rockling of 1-12, Smalleyed of 6-14 and a couple of Mackerel over a pound. I also had a 19lb Conger that wasn’t big enough to weigh in. Other winning fish that year were 5-6 ThickLipped, 5-15 Wrasse and 7-12 Bass.
2009 I had a Wrasse of 5-1 and some Triggerfish to 2-9 but unfortunately I don’t have the final list.
2010 was an incredible year for big fish, Conger of 41-4, ThickLipped 6-3, Golden 2-9 and even a 2-12 Plaice. If I remember correctly the Golden record went 2 or 3 times during the week.
2011 I had the most incredible start with 6 weighable fish at the first weigh-in, 5 ThickLipped Mullet and a BlackBream. Unfortunately I misunderstood the rules and thought I could only weigh 2 in so put a couple back lol. It was another year for amazing fish topped off by an incredible 46-12 Conger.
2012 was a special year for me because I finally managed to win the Gavey trophy for best Wrasse albeit with a modest fish of 5-3. That year was quite tough, biggest Thicklipped was 4-14, Golden 2-4, Bream 2-6 and Bass 6-12.
2013 is another year I don’t have any results for but it was another good Wrasse that was the highlight of the week to retain the Gavey trophy, this time a proper fish of 6-13.
2014 and Déjà vu for me as I made it a hatrick of Wrasse wins with another beauty of 6-12-2.
2015 was another great start for me with 4 fish at the first weigh-in, 3 Black Bream & a White Bream. If only it could start like that every year!
2016 sadly I missed, the only year I haven’t entered due to an illness in the family. It was really hard watching the Facebook feed throughout the week and not being a part of it. If my memory serves me correctly Paul Wheaton won that year with 4 weighers.
Frustratingly I don’t seem to have any notes about the final board for these years, 2017 for me was 3 weighers, White Bream, Black Bream & Bass.
2018 was a real struggle for me finishing with just a Black Bream on the board.
2019 was another tough year, a nice Wrasse of 52cm and a Mackerel just over a pound being all I managed.
2020 was even harder only weighing in a couple of Black Bream just size. This comp is really really tough 🤯
2021 was a strange year with tiny tides and tough fishing. For quite a few years now I hadn’t taken any time off work and just fished the opening weekend and a few hours after work each day. I had a weeks holiday booked from the final Saturday so for the first time would miss the presentation. It was a slow week with a lot of people including myself on 2 fish late in the week and it was looking like whoever got the 3rd fish first might get over the line. I decided to do a short Rockling bash and managed a weigher of 1-7 which in the end made the difference. I was a little embarrassed to not be at the presentation made all the more frustrating when for the only time ever we won the 4 man team. Lesson learnt. I have a few results from that year that included 8lb Bass, 6lb ThickLipped, 6lb Wrasse, 4lb Triggerfish and a 25lb Tope.
2022 was another close year with a number of anglers finishing on 3 fish weighed in with Wayne Cassin taking the honours for being the first to achieve that target. It was memorable for me with a 4th Gavey trophy for the best Wrasse caught on the last morning.
2023 was a year to forget when I had a possible weigher Bass wading and stupidly unhooked it in the water to put in my dry bag to walk back to shore and dropped it. Not the first time I’ve lost an important fish late in the week due to a stupid mistake but tiredness does that to you.
2024 I had holidays spare so for the first time in many years I decided to take the week off and in my own words “ Just chill out and enjoy a weeks fishing” err yeah of course.
As it happens it couldn’t of gone better, a 62cm Bass on the first day, a 1-13 Black Bream on the Sunday and a 50cm Wrasse on the Monday got me off to a great start. It then gets really tough and I fished really hard for a 4th fish which finally came on Thursday with a 55cm ThickLipped. There was one final twist on the Friday night when I had a 10-1 Bullhuss to finish my week, if only it could be like this every year!
On to last year and very much a comp of 2 halves. A great start with 4 weighers by the end of Monday but I couldn’t find the 5th dropping a Bass while walking it back to the beach and Sam Bennie put in an incredible performance to come back and finish on 5 fish.
So what will 2026 hold. If my fishing the last couple of months is anything to go by it will be really tough but let’s be honest it is never easy. I have always said if you have a fish on the board at the end of the week then you have had a good week because it’s super tough to catch anything big enough to weigh.
That said it’s a great week, a very well run event and a hell of a challenge. If no sleep, erratic meal times and a massive rollercoaster of emotions sounds like a fun week then give it a go. If you’re not local but want to follow the week look up JOSAF on Facebook.
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