Fishing News
Fishing News can be found below...
Angler and the one that got away
First Published in the South Wales Argus|, Thursday 9th Feb 2006.
THE TIDE brought a bigger beast than usual to the shore near Newport - a bottle-nose dolphin.
Jason Stokes, 36, a builder from Britannia Terrace, Pengam, and keen sea angler, was fishing at the Black Pipe area at Peterstone at about 7pm last Sunday when he spotted the sea mammal, and saved it from being battered to death on the Marshfield coastline.
"We looked over the incoming tide and saw a fin and a flipper flapping about," he said.
"The dolphin was being pushed by the incoming tide towards the sharp rocks at the shore."
Mr Stokes said he realised what would have happened so stepped in "to play the hero".
He added: "I waded into the water even though it was minus five degrees centigrade outside and held on to the dolphin.
"It was bitterly cold and the dolphin felt like a big rubber sausage." He tried to turn the dolphin a number of times as the water got deeper but said it kept being drawn back, attracted to the car headlights of people looking on.
Mr Stokes said: "I shouted to them in the end to turn off the lights. "After that there was a big splash and it took off into the bay."
The RSPCA arrived after the dolphin had swum away. Mr Stokes said: "They said from the pictures it looked like a bottle-nose dolphin, but a very young one.
"They thought at first it was a hoax call because apparently there have not been sightings of dolphins down there before."
RSPCA officers combed the coastline the following day to make sure the dolphin was not washed up but said there was no sign of it and that it was probably back at sea.
Mr Stokes said: "I didn't register what had happened until I was back in the van. But it was phenomenal. The cold went right through me though - I didn't feel properly warm for about two days."
In September 2004, a 60ft fin whale was washed up on a beach near the West Usk Lighthouse, St Brides.