It was supposed to be Stoke’s Xmas Fayre on Sunday but due to floods everywhere they had to cancel (it will now be held in January) so I phoned and booked us into Summerhayes. After a cracking brekkie at the bowling club we arrived to find the car park rammed with a club match on Sellicks and 25 booked into the open on Longs. Hainsey and Nick V were also fishing and it was lovely to see Martin Heard for the first time in ages.
Pete got the draw underway and the golden peg was number 27 today, I really fancied 12 or 13 but when my name was called, I pulled out 21 on the bottom bank which didn’t really excite me. Nick got 32 which has been pretty consistent for silvers lately. I got to my peg and there were five silvers anglers in a row which probably wouldn’t do us any favours, Jacko (18), Zooner (20), me (21), Glynn (24) and Alex on 26.
I set up a 0.2 gram Bobbie with spread shot for top two plus two, 11.5 and 13 metres and also a 4 x 12 Preston F1 Maggot with a bulk and two droppers. The side tray contained maggots, disco pinkies and some Bait-Tech Special G F1 Dark.
On the whistle I fed the short line and 11.5 metres with small amounts of groundbait and a few pinkies and also flicked a few maggots across. First put in on the longer line I missed a bite before catching a little roach. I was getting regular bites from small fish including a couple of 2oz blades which I netted to be sure as in recent matches 5-7lb has been winning the silvers.
Zooner was also getting a few as was Glynn although he’d already hooked a carp which he looked happy about! It certainly wasn’t hectic and the lack of quality was worrying, Alex had netted a couple of slightly better fish and it looked like Nick was catching quite well. I’d been feeding maggots across and after two hours I had my first look at 13 metres, typically after being flat calm (see peg photo above), a tasty wind picked up blowing from left to right which made it really hard work wrestling the pole.
I was still catching a few small roach but going nowhere fast and just praying a couple of better skimmers would put in an appearance. Zooner did have a bonus crucian fishing across to the island so I reluctantly added my 14.5 metre section and struggled on, heroically battling the elements! Although I did manage one 6oz skimmer and a couple of slightly better roach it was really hard work and nobody down our end was catching much at all.
I stuck at it, putting the odd small roach in the net as apart from Alex and Nick, I hadn’t seen anyone catch much in the way of silvers so I thought there was a chance of sneaking third place. With around half an hour to go I hooked and landed my first carp which didn’t help matters and I must admit I wasn’t upset to hear the all out.
I packed most my kit away and caught up with the scales, looking at the weigh board it had been rock hard for most, especially those who’d fished for silvers. Martin Heard was leading with 41lb 14oz from peg 8 and the top silvers weight so far was Toby Burrell on peg 11 with 3lb 7oz.
Martin did well with 41lb 14oz from peg 8
Dan P had 23lb 8oz on peg 12, Hainsey weighed 3lb 4oz of silvers, Craig L had 1lb 15oz, Jacko weighed 2lb 10oz and then Zooner had 1lb 8oz and conceded his nugget. My carp was 5lb 4oz and the silvers went 3lb 7oz which was a little more than I thought. Glynn weighed 2lb 3oz and then Alex went into the silvers lead with 4lb 11oz.
Alex weighed 4lb 11oz of silvers
Hollywood on 29 then went into the overall lead with 58lb 5oz and Dick Bull had 38lb 9oz next door. Nick was next and his 6lb estimate was very close when he weighed 6lb 2oz of quality roach. Tom R had 4lb on peg 35 and then Bill ‘The Silvers Slayer’ Hopping continued his rich vein of form with 5lb 9oz which was second on the day.
Ian ‘Hollywood’ Williams had the top weight with 58lb 5oz
Nick won the silvers with 6lb 2oz to round off his weekend nicely
Bill ‘The Silvers Slayer’ Hopping continued his great run of results with 5lb 9oz for second spot
1 – Ian Williams (Summerhayes) – 58lb 5oz
2 – Martin Heard (Tiverton) – 41lb 14oz
3 – Dick Bull (Summerhayes) – 38lb 9oz
4 – Nick Veale (Summerhayes) – 32lb 4oz
Silvers
1 – Nick Payne (Ilminster) – 6lb 2oz
2 – Bill Hopping (Summerhayes) – 5lb 9oz
3 – Alex Kerr (Summerhayes) – 4lb 11oz
Pounds from Zooner and Craig L took the Nugget-O-Meter to £21.
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