It was a very blustery Home Farm for us today. For a change we did a rover/walk off - so only ourselves to blame for a bad peg. As last to choose a peg it was a choice of the calmer end of the lake on peg 2 or down the other end on peg 5. I chose 2, was it the right choice?

It was a very slow start for us all. Lots of fish cruising around but not wanting to feed. An hour in I had 2 small carp and was really struggling to get past the roach even with a 6mm pellet on. The lake here is also around 2 feet so foul hooking was also a real issue with the wind blowing the pole about. A try on paste closer in was equally fruitless with just a few signs likely from silvers. So it was the margins or bust.

Slowly the carp started to arrive but so had they for Phil. It was a case of setting a trap with a bit of bait and then waiting whilst trying not to strike at liners - harder said than done when you can see the water clouding up and know a fish is near your hookbait. The odd cruising fish did eventually feed too and I nicked a couple whilst giving the margin a rest. Again, another close finish with lost fish making all the difference - well done to Fred who did something a bit different on a tricky day and caught most of his fish on the feeder.

1st Fred Hunt 77lbs 6oz, 2nd Phil Whitmill 77lbs 3oz and 3rd Gary Pickard 69lbs 15oz and all to play for on the second leg of the Stone Cup (top weight over 2 matches) in August.