Heavy overnight rain and cool blustery winds met the anglers when they arrived at the Oaks Fishery at Sessay, North Yorkshire for the eleventh round of this years Fish’O’mania qualifiers.
Many big names were in attendance still trying to gain one of the last few qualifying spots but when the final hooter went it was 36 year old Builder Paul Christie from Sandtoft near Doncaster, taking part in his first ever qualifier who wrote his name on the coveted team sheet for this years Grand Final on the 18th of July at Cudmore.
Drawn peg 2 on Maple, Paul fished pellet and caster and the majority of his carp haul of 23kilo 125g coming from fishing shallow with casters. Paul said after the match “that he was somewhat shell shocked after qualifying and on his first attempt but was looking forward to the Grand Final.”
Second spot with 16kilo 060g went to David Woodworth a Learning Disability Nurse from Upton in the Wirral fishing peg 1 next to the winner on Maple, David fished chopped worm down the margins and caster shallow across, David’s comment after the match was that though he was catching he probably spent too much time on the worm before going shallow across on the caster and that was his downfall.
Third place also came from Maple with Rob Hitchins on peg 1, fishing pellet, Rod struggled to keep the fish coming, though his move to fishing meat shallow ¾ across in the last 40 minute of the match brought him instant response with further fish following to give him a finishing weight of 16kilo, Rob felt after the match that he made the wrong decision on tactics, had he gone on the meat earlier then who knows, could there have been another Grand Final spot with his name on it.
4th spot went to Alan Crouch from Sheffield with 14kilo 900g from Cedar 12, with Marc Jones from Wakefield taking the 5th Spot with 13kilo 700g.
Once again the changeable weather was the governing factor. Although there was settled weather up to the weekend before the match there was a marked drop in temperatures and heavy overnight rain putting paid to many competitors’ expectations of good weights from both Cedar and Maple lakes.
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