AT & CRT Stillwater Championship Qualifier Report – Earlswood Lakes
A field of 27 anglers turned out for the fifth Angling Trust and Canal & River Trust Stillwater qualifier fished on Engine Pool at Earlswood Lakes in Warwickshire on 28th June 2015, and with a head of chunky carp and some decent skimmers, anglers were looking forward to good weights.
The morning was cool with some heavy rain, the forecast was for the rain to stop before the start of the match and brighten up just at the end, and so it proved. Some early fish, mainly bream but with a few decent carp, looked promising, and one or two anglers had a couple of carp in the net in the first hour.
The wind was behind those on the high numbers, giving an inviting ripple on the water a decent cast out with pellet waggler or bomb. The waggler seemed to be producing best, with Steve Ringer (Daiwa Guru) on peg 73 working hard, casting two or three times a minute, feeding 8mm pellets and working the pellet waggler fished around 4-5 feet deep. He was slowly building up a lead with 5 carp in the net, 3 ahead of everyone else.
Steve Openshaw (Lingmere) on the other bank peg 29 was also working with the waggler into the wind and catching the odd carp. Wirral angler Steve had already qualified for the final, but still supports the qualifying matches. As the match wore on, it was clear that the carp were not really co-operating, but Steve Ringer was pulling out a lead on 7 fish. The rest persevered, but ultimately it was Steve who finished top weight with 10 carp for 57 kilo 100 and a place in the final.
Second on the day was Steve Openshaw with 46 kilo 920 who had carp to 9 kilo 780 and some skimmers, switching between pellet waggler and the lead. That left a delighted Ivan Winch (PIP pellets) to snatch B section qualifying place with 11 kilo 920 from peg 34. Kerry McMahon was third with 34 kilo 680 from 74, Karl Conley fourth with 32 kilo 360 from peg 77 and Charlie Simpson (Miracle Baits/ DT Floats) lifted fifth and qualification from A section with 31kilo 360 off peg 22. Glen Maxwell (Alvechurch Fisheries) claimed his place in the final from C section with 3 carp for 21kilo 120 after a frustrating search for bites after netting two good carp early on.
The next round is at Boddington on Wednesday 15th July.
Qualifiers
A Section – Charlie Simpson peg 22 (31.360 kg)
B Section – Ivan Winch peg 34 (11.920 kg)
C Section – Glen Maxwell peg 54 (21.120 kg)
D Section – Steve Ringer peg 73 (57.100 kg)
Photo – 4 qualifiers, left to right – Steve Ringer, Glen Maxwell, Charlie Simpson, Ivan Winch
