Gary's day

After seeing Wed's results from Hall Farm it looked like today was going to be a tough match. It was to be peg 10 today for me and I was very happy with this as this peg has a bit of winter form but never seems to do as well in the warmer months. Down to my left was David on Peg 12, Tony opposite on peg 16 and Fred to my right on peg 6.

Well it fished as hard as expected with bites few and far between. Phil had a great start with a carp in the first 10 mins or so and then I had one after about 30 mins on bomb and bread. A lost fish after another 30 mins was going to prove costly later - it shot off for Tony opposite and then decided to go round the back of the island before leaving me snagged up in an overhanging bush. It was one of those fish that knew where it wanted to go and nothing was going to stop it getting there. Then news came that Mark had a carp on the other side of the island. 90 mins in it was anyone's match. A dropback bite and another carp in the net had me hoping for more a few more. It was going to be a long wait though. At a bit past the halfway point Mark had a flurry of activity fishing long on the pole with 3 in 3 puts in and we were all then playing catch up.

With an hour to go suddenly I had my own little flurry of bites after going back to the bomb as both method and maggot feeders were proving hopeless - 3 bites, 2 carp in the net and 1 hook pull. It was then a long wait for the whistle with the tip refusing to go round again in the last 45 mins. In the last few minutes I just made out Mark scooping another carp and Phil also had a last gasp carp.

Well done to Mark for bucking the trend and fishing the pole rather than sitting it out on a feeder - 5 carp and a bream for 43lbs 15oz and 1st today, my 4 carp went 34lbs 8oz and Phil had 3 carp and a few good silvers for 21lbs 8oz. Today's photo is me with a couple of cracking Beggars Hall commons both over the 10lb mark.