All was going to plan until I drew 98, slap ban in the middle of the area of diagonal bank that has been dire in recent weeks, when it was an area you'd run to, I couldn't draw it, now I'm there twice in 4 matches.....
Still, it was a good area and no doubt will be again, so why not today? I did set up a lead rod ( no idea why, as I only chuck it out if untangling a rig or some other action that takes 3 or 4 minutes). The usual two wagglers, a paste rig, a meat rig, pellet rigs, deck and shallow, finally an edge rig, as 97 and 99 were vacant.
Starting on the meat, it took 12 minutes and I had a 14lber, nice, maybe it would be OK after all. Then a decent skimmer, before it died, so out to 12m where I had primed up a paste line, I had three on that in the next hour and that was it. No liners, no indication, no sign of fish. Colin on 96 had one fish on the waggler and we were already getting bored of watching 88 catching.
It took until 3pm to get another bite and that was another fish about 14lb giving me about 50lb in the net, so as I was expecting few more in the last couple of hours, I ha another net ready for the late run.
It never happened, I didn't have a bite down the edge, the meat on the short line was getting ragged by small skimmers and the longer line wasn't responding to pellet or paste. I did have a proper bite on the meat and the fish shot off, I thought it was a carp, until it briefly came into view before diving down again, a big perch, it weighed 3.08 and I am sure that's the biggest I have ever weighed, so a PB.
With pegs 96 and 100 DNW, my 56lb was best from 90 round to 102, but was pitiful in the great scheme of things.
As yesterday, 88 won, he caught out in front and at the end was getting one a bung down to the pallet of 89.
Not the best of weekends for me personally, but I seem to have drawn in areas that couldn't compete - I'm used to that!! It's difficult to evaluate where you might have got it wrong, when either side don't catch as well and you end up 150lb behind the winner.
If only I could get a qualification in hindsight, as the peg had loads of little skimmers in, too small to catch on meat, I had 3 or 4 on double maggot in the last 10 minutes (on the meat rig, 16Guru XS Spade and 0.18), weighed 7.06 of silvers and 8lb won. I would have had a more enjoyable day and caught enough to win the coin.
1. Stu Holmes - 207lb 8oz - peg 88
2. Chris Davies - 137lb 4oz - peg 102...
3. Dick Bull - 131lb 5oz - peg 78
4. Jack Billett - 116lb 3oz - peg 74
5. Charlie Dalton - 106lb 12oz - peg 80
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