Thursday 17/06/2009 - Whiteacres - Day Six - Residents Rover

The weather today is perfect for fishing warm, but not too warm and overcast. Thursday’s sees the Whiteacres Residents Rover Match. The match is open to all Whiteacres Residents. They run three separate Sections - Junior’s, Ladies and Seniors. You have the pick of the all Lakes except Nelsons. You start by drawing your position in the queue to select your swim. Lucky enough there are only 84 fishing. Three years ago there were 200 fishing and I drew 198 to pick and Mark Tanner 200!

Mark Tanner spent most of yesterday walking the Lakes and noting the pegs he might select. Glenn also had a look around. Steve and I were a bit more laid back and decided to wait and see what queue number we got.

Mark drew 7 and selected to fish Pollawyn 20. He really fancied his chances with pleasure anglers each side of him. The elderly couple he was sandwich by told him they had caught 400 lb on Prawns the day before – but wasn’t fishing very well today!!!!

Steve drew 12 and selected to fish Pollawyn 31.

I drew 74 and selected to fish Python 15. This Lake has been restocked with new fish F1's, Tench and Skimmers, so I thought I would go for a days fishing not expecting to frame.

Glenn drew 84 and last in the queue!!! For some reason Glenn selected Sycamore peg 7!

The three anglers around me set up to fish shallow. I decided to fish soft pellet and paste at 9 metres, although I did set up a shallow rig just in case. I started on the pellet and had a few decent Skimmers and F1’s. I then fed a full 250ml of micro and 4mm hard pellet and the fizzing started! I changed to the paste and had a good second hour, just keeping ahead of the others. I then made a big mistake and fed another full pot and pulled too many fish in to my swim. I then had a very frustrating hour foul hooking and striking the paste off at liners. Then by fishing 1 metre away from the feed I was able to start catching again, but Daz Bennett next to me had caught me up. I decide to start feeding wetted (fluffy) 8mm pellet in the kinder pot which helped, with much better bite indication. I then struggled in the last hour. Daz had been pestered by Ducks all day, however, in the last hour when they buggered off he caught very well – one a bung - catching a bonus 3lb Common. At the weigh in and had 21lb 5oz of Skimmers and 40lb 3oz of F1’s for a total weight of 61lb 8oz.

This put me 8^th overall and a pick up of 1 bag of ground bait and a bag of pellets!! I wish now that I had practiced, I certainly would have fared much better by improving the feeding. I might have even got in the money.

Daz next to me fished a good match and well deserved his 3^rd place with 88lb 8oz – he fished well, most impressed. However, I did see him practicing there the day before.

As for the rest, Mark, Steve and Glenn DNW’d!! Steve at one time counted seventeen ducks chasing his loose fed pellet!!

I took a video (bottom left) of the result which shows the format of the payout.

Full Result:

1. Dave Richards 111-12-0 peg 14 TO

2. Paul Haines 96-05-0 peg 18 Pollawyn

3. Daz Bennett 88-08-0 peg 16 Python

4. Lee Bennett 82-04-0 peg 11 Peg 15 TO (Brother of Daz)

5. Andy Bennett 72-03-0 peg 11 Jenny’s (Brother of Daz)

Just goes to show how practicing can bring you luck!