Todber Manor – Silvers Open – 31st May 2025

After a short week at work thanks to the Bank Holiday, it was soon time for another trip down to Todber. The usual cracking breakfast set us up for the day before it was time for the draw and Mr Dew and I hung back until there were two tickets left in the bucket. Ade selected one which was 70, right in the epicentre while I got the end peg 75, it can be a bit hit or miss and on the way there, my sat nav kept telling me to perform a U-turn as I haven’t been that far up the lake in months!

My sat nav didn’t know what was going on!

I set up rigs for the top kit down the edges, 10 metres by the bush to the right and 13 metres straight out. On the whistle I fed all my lines before starting down the edge to the left. I was getting bites from tiny little perch so switched to caster and had some nice roach although I did pull out of a better fish. It soon slowed so next I went by the bush and had four skimbobs for a pound. I’d been flicking some casters down the edge on the right but it was a bit shallower than the other side so didn’t really fancy it.

First put it in, the float sailed away and a better fish took off, I was expecting a small carp but a 2lb tench popped up which was a far better surprise! Next chuck I had 12oz perch and then a smaller 4oz sample, switching back to the left, I hooked a fish that felt a bit odd and a 8oz catfish added further variety to my mixed bag. Mike H next door on 74 was fishing the feeder and catching some nice skimmers but I couldn’t tell how they were getting on further down.

Back down the right hand edge I had two big skimmers and another nice perch and it felt like things were going rather well, which of course was the cue for a funny five minutes. I struck into something that again felt like a carp but the hook pulled out, then a decent fish snagged me under my keepnets and came off before I lost what I think was a big foulhooked skimmer!

Another good skimmer from the left was very welcome but I was waiting longer for bites on the short lines and it was the same by the bush where a rather large ghost carp was patrolling up and down the end bank and margins. I had my first look at 13 metres and had a brilliant spell catching six skimmers between 8-12oz along with a decent roach and another little catfish, I did hook what felt like a big skimmer but it came off shipping back.

Back down the edges I had a decent skimbob and some roach, another look long was a waste of time so I spent the remaining ten minutes short and had a couple of 4oz skimmers. I finished up with 37 fish (plus some small perch and roach) and the match had flown by. The scales started at the other end where Ade West on 62 had an excellent 17lb 8oz but had lost quite a few, Guy had done well on 63 with 20lb 12oz of skimmers and I was sure I’d be handing over a nugget. Photos courtesy of Todber Manor*

Ade West had 17lb 8oz on peg 62*

Guy had a lovely day weighing 20lb 12oz of mainly skimmers*

Martin F on 65 had 4lb 6oz, Ginge weighed 10lb and then the uber consistent Andy Akehurst plonked a fantastic 31lb of the scales. Parker ‘The Pole’ on 69 had 13lb 4oz before we got to Adrian D, apparently he’d struggled for most of the match and with ninety minutes left and only 4lb in the net, he chucked a feeder out while he contemplated packing up. He then began catching big skimmers every chuck to the end of the match although he was still only admitting to 12lb and then weighed 22lb! (receiving a yellow card from Guy in the process).

Another match win for Andy, this time with 31lb 8oz from peg 67*

Mr Dew left it late but 22lb of big skimmers was enough for second place (and a clean sweep of nuggets plus a yellow card)*

Lee Jan was much closer to his 12lb estimate when he weighed 12lb 12oz, Damian T on 72 has 11lb and then Mike H had a nice net of skimmers for 15lb 4oz, I thought it might be close between us but when I lifted my net out I realised it was bit more and my weight was called at 21lb 14oz, just two ounces shy of Ade (and a second yellow caution was awarded to me!).

A very mixed bag for 21lb 14oz and third place*

1 – Andy Akehurst (Sensas) – 31lb 8oz
2 – Adrian Dew (Todber) – 22lb
3 – Jamie Rich (Bait-Tech/Colmic) – 21lb 14oz

Adrian Dew had a clean sweep of side bets from me, Guy and Lee Jan but then very kindly donated them to the Nugget-O-Meter taking it up to £295.

The official presentation of nuggets (and yellow cards) as I had a pound off Guy but handed it straight to Ade who completed a clean sweep taking nuggets off Guy and Lee (some snazzy hats on display too!)*

I picked up £35 for third and it was another lovely day with lots of laughs and banter with a great bunch of lads (and the fishing and breakfast aren’t too shabby either!).

There’s still a great offer running if you fancy treating yourself to some new fishing gear, use the exclusive discount code AgainstMenandFish10 to get 10% off when you shop online at Somerset Angling

Also I still have copies of my book available from eBay here or Amazon here