Well we’re nearly there in our quest to find 16 finalists for Cudmore.
Last weekend it was Lee Barrett’s turn to qualify. A former finalist Lee had one of those days when everything seems to go right…
At Woodlands, it was pegged with the ‘end’ pegs left out. So, in each of the oblong-shaped lakes, the angler who, for example, drew peg 2 had a spare peg to fish – but was not allowed to go past in into the empty area. Fish were also cruising around and not feeding in the centre of most of the pools, so the tactic seemed to be to fish shallow – but not everywhere!
It was a tough match – and although the top 5 had 50lbs+, there were very few decent back-up weights.
To me as an observer, the frustration of these qualifiers is that the absolute bare minimum you should expect from these venues is that everyone gets a day’s fishing. They’ve certainly paid enough for it. Look at the back-up’s for Partridge Lakes to see what I mean. There, loads of pegs were never going to win the match – but everyone enjoyed their day because they caught fish.
Running these matches can’t be easy for a fishery owner – but it would be great if they could all aspire to making sure everyone had the best day they can have. After all, for most of us, match fishing is a hobby which should be enjoyed.It’s not work!
Anyway, congratulations to Lee, who smashed the rest into oblivion with 123lbs 7 fishing shallow. Closest to him was Graham Dack, with 86lbs 10 caught from a non-end end peg. Marc Joneswas third with 76lbs 14.
http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/tv-shows/tight-lines/8790686/fish’o’mania-qualifier
The final qualifier is the big one. Tomorrow at Lindholme Lakes, Doncaster, there are 300 pegs on offer instead of the normal 130. It’s one of my favourite fisheries to visit as Neil Grantham knows exactly how to get the best out of the match.
There will only be one winner….and somehow, from the biggest field of the lot, I’ve got to find him!! Wish me luck…..
I’ll be providing live updates on Twitter as usual – so search for #tweetomania or @SkyTightLines
The film of the 16th qualifier will be shown on Tight Lines, Sky Sports 4 at 7pm this Friday.
Cheers
Fordy
The Take 