The Dynamite backed AT/CRT Canal Pairs hosted its tenth round on the prolific stretch of Grand Union Canal at Loughborough.

A great turnout of 36 anglers made the qualifier and had a real treat despite the far from favourable conditions, bright sunshine and little wind. Nobody could have expected the consistency and quality of fishing during the match, with fish feeding freely right through the sections. Some anglers fished for bigger fish and got caught out as roach, rudd and small skimmers dominated proceedings.

The result could not have been any closer with an incredible three pairs tying on 5 points! This then went down to weight and even then, it was ounces to separate the teams.

It was local pairing of Darren Massey and James South that ended up the weight winners with 21lb 7oz. This in no small part was down to James South’s 11lb 15oz, which was also good enough for individual second and the zone win. Fishing a busy match James put together 172 fish, which were predominantly stamp roach with a few rudd mixed in. On an unfavoured A13, Darren backed him up superbly taking some bonus perch to a 1lb on caster alongside plenty of roach for zone 4th.

The second qualifying pair were Damien Green and Paul Cowern who missed out on the top spot by the smallest of margins, 1oz! Damien drew A3 for the day and proceeded to catch across the canal on pinkie steadily for 10ld 7oz of roach and small skimmers. Paul Cowern did an excellent job backing him up with a tied third spot on 10lb 15oz.

Pete Madely and Derek Jackson were actually one of the best pairs to come third, as they had already qualified for the final. A tied third and a second respectively also gave them 5 points and in possibly the closest finish ever in a qualifier, 21lb 4oz just 3oz off the winners!

An incredibly consistent match was had by all the competitors and it really highlights the strength of this stretch at Loughborough. A big thanks to Brian Hull and Joff Woodgett for running the match. If you want to get involved in some of this fantastic canal action, all the remaining qualifiers and tickets are available through our booking system.

Results

1. Darren Massey & James South 5 points (21lb 7oz)
2. Damien Green & Paul Cowern 5 points (21lb 6oz)
3. Pete Madley and Derek Jackson (21lb 4oz)