Summerhayes – Open – 13th July 2025

On Sunday it was back to Summerhayes for a match on Longs and although it’s been fishing really well, the weather was forecast to be stupidly hot which combined with low water levels and 22 anglers booked in, would possibly affect sport and I thought 15lb would be a good weight today.

I drew 15 (the heli-pad) which is a decent area for silvers although I’d have preferred a peg where I could have reached the island. On the whistle I fed three lines at top four and two more at 11.5 metres, all with groundbait and maggots apart from the right hand short swim which just received half a pot of casters. I started getting lots of bites from roach, ide, skimmers (including two better ones) and the odd little crucian and tench.

It was really nice fishing for three hours before bites slowed up a little but I was still getting the odd better fish including a couple of decent hybrids on caster. I had a quick look on the longer lines and was expecting it to be good but apart from one missed bite, they were a resounding flop! With it being so hot, I’d split my maggots up with a pint in my cool bag and with around two hours to go, the heat began to take it’s toll so it was time for the reserve bait to make an appearance. It looked lovely and fresh and I was feeling rather pleased with myself for being so organised. My back slapping lasted all of twenty minutes before the stifling heat finished off most of my new maggots!

Carp started being more of a pain including one that took off before snapping me, I thought it would be just a new hooklength required but the tip of one of my favourite floats was now at right angles to the body, so that rig was chucked up the bank. I continued putting odd fish in the net and at the all out, I’d finished up with 87 fish which I thought would go somewhere between 15-20lb as I’d had several decent skimmers plus some crucians and tench.

The weigh in started with Alan H on 38 who set the pace with an excellent 131lb 7oz of carp, Zooner next door had a nice net of silvers for 12lb 14oz, Dave P on 2 weighed 6lb and then Tom Thick went into second place with 121lb 7oz. Glynn was next and admitting to 16-18lb which was only slightly out as he weighed a brilliant 31lb 2oz of mainly skimmers.

Alan H weighed 131lb 7oz of carp on peg 38

Glynn had a brilliant 31lb 2oz of mainly skimmers

Nick P on 8 turned to the dark side for 60lb 11oz, Rich C weighed 60lb 3oz, McKenzie on 12 had 47lb 12oz of carp and Big Bad Bob weighed 26lb 2oz. My fish went 20lb 13oz, Tom R had 25lb 5oz, Terry D on 19 weighed 96lb 14oz and then Adie had an excellent 23lb 3oz of silvers to go into second place. Alex on 23 had 11lb 9oz, Ian W weighed 71lb 5oz and Chris M on 27 had 12lb 6oz of silvers.

I had a nice day catching 87 fish for 20lb 13oz

Hollywood on golden peg 30 weighed 57lb 8oz, Craig Lyttle had 53lb 10oz (thanks for your attendance Craig!), Paul M weighed 40lb 1oz, Dan T on 34 went into third place with 111lb 5oz which included 15lb of quality silvers and Rog C weighed 17lb 7oz.

Dan T was third overall with 111lb 5oz which included 15lb of quality silvers

1 – Alan Hurley (Summerhayes) – 131lb 7oz
2 – Tom Thick (Tom Thick Baits) – 121lb 7oz
3 – Dan Taggert (Summerhayes) – 111lb 5oz

Silvers
1 – Glynn Wickham (Summerhayes) – 31lb 2oz
2 – Adie Bishop (Summerhayes) – 23lb 3oz
3 – Jamie Rich (Bait-Tech/Colmic) – 20lb 13oz

£2 each from Nick P and me plus pounds from Zooner, Dan T and Craig L saw the Nugget-O-Meter rise to £413.

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

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