Eleven lakes were in use again this year on the 13th Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier held at the picturesque and excellent Partridge Lakes Fishery near Warrington on Saturday 31st May 2014, but due to an influx of cold rain water at the beginning of the week, weights were not expected to be high. 

This influx of rain however, did create a level playing field for the 180 participants, with a number of them admitting to 40 to 50 lbs at the halfway stage,  so it could have been anybody’s match if the fish kept feeding in these areas.

Winner on the day was local angler Shaun Cooke from Little Lever, Bolton who managed to get one of the spare tickets as a reserve, with a weight of 111 lbs 10 ozs.  Shaun drawn on Marsh peg 9 fished pellet across to the far bank in 2 feet of water throughout the match catching F1’s, commons and mirrors to 4 lb.

In second place was Simon Medd (Cleveland Angling Centre), a process consultant from Stockton on Tees with a weight of 99 lbs 7 ozs.  Fishing Caster shallow across to the far bank on Ribbon peg 2, Simon caught ide, carp and F1’s to 3 lb feeding 4 pints of caster throughout the match. 

Third place went to Colin Scott (Garbolino Elton), another local from Ainsworth, Bolton, a sales engineer, who drew peg 35 on Willow and Piper and weighed in 81 lbs 3 ozs made up of mainly F1’s to 2 lb.  In fourth place  was regional officer for the Angling Trust, Frankie Gianoncelli (Drennan Barnsley Blacks) from Brighouse, drawn on Ribbon peg 18 with a weight of 80 lbs.  Fifth place went to Chris Gorrell (Ted Carter Southport) a teacher from Preston with a weight of 76 lbs 2 ozs from Willow and Piper peg 18.

The next Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier will be heading to Woodlands View Fishery at Droitwich, Worcestershire on Wednesday 11th June.