Anyway I set the pole up with just 1 shallow rig and a margin rig to tackle the bush to my right. I also set up the pellet waggler and the feeder as a back up because I could see Carp topping over the bar at around 20yds, so hopefully I could nick a couple of fish early before they backed off. Feed was simply the fishery 6mm pellets and plenty of them, with some of them damped down and mixed with a good helping of hemp to put through the feeder. Hookbaits were simply the fishery 8mm hard feed pellets that would be fished on banded on a hair.

So 11am and the All-in. 2 big handfuls of pellet fed by the bush to my right and a couple of pouchfulls out to the bar closely followed by the pellet waggler. Another pouchfull and the line tightened up and I was into my first fish of the day and after a spirited fight I had my first fish of the day, a nice Common of around 7lbs safely in the net.
However try as i might I couldn't tempt a 2nd and I'd noticed that Dave(Yorkie)Moore..........

........opposite on peg 16 had managed a quick couple of fish on the feeder, so I swapped over to mine and was rewarded with a couple of quick fish including a weigher.

Now normally the feeder line doesn't last, but I continued to get the odd fish . Looking down the car park bank most appeared to be struggling on the pole line, but at least the rain had stopped.

On the other side of the bush to my right on peg 23 I had Steve Wilson for company...........

.........he was fishing the pole shallow, but was being pestered by Roach that seemed to be beating the Carp to his bait.

Clive had dawn one of his favorite pegs, 19 but appeared to be really struggling to tempt a fish .........

As did Ron next to him on peg 20 ............

Simple Simon over on peg 14 had brought along his bank runner and sherpa Sprucey for moral support and was giving his new Maver 401 it's first outing. Having won his last match at Rolf's with a cracking 221lbs 12ozs he was hoping for a repeat performance, but the Lake seemed determined to teach him a lesson today..........

....... However he did have the enjoyment of seeing my feeder rod with a good bend in it at regular intervals and Sprucey was counting my fish and giving him regular updates.

Around 3pm things started to pick up for most of the lads that had persevered with the pole , but as I was still getting fish on the feeder I stuck with it till the end. 4pm and the all out and with 5 weigher's and 22 fish in the nets I was pretty happy with my match and was quite looking forward to the weigh-in.

However there was a short wait for the way in, the reason being that John Bennett has acquired a LARGE piece of stone for the entrance of the fishery and needed a hand to get it in place. Well with the help of Simple Simon's car.........

...... a chain, several scaffold poles it was finally in place, and very impressive it looks to.

So on with the weigh in with Pole Killer setting an early benchmark with 94lbs from peg 34, that soon being topped by Justin Case on peg 36 with a fine 150¾lbs. Some real interest came at peg 38 however where Mrs Sumo (sue) who's starting to make a habit of beating her husband Sumo . Sue's fish weighed 41½lb and Sumo was looking glum . Round to peg 7 where First Peg had taken full advantage of a very good peg (especially with pegs 6&8 not in) to take 1st place on the day with an excellent 193lbs . Clive on 19 had finally managed a few in the last hour to take the section with 71lbs 10ozs. Round to Sumo on peg 22 where despite a couple of weigher's on the board he could only muster 37½lbs allowing Sue to take the bragging rights on the day .
Round to my peg and my 27 fish gave me a pleasing 161¾lbs for 2nd on the day and a new PB match weight .

So all in all a good day. Thanks to Ian H for organising the day, and to all those that attended. We'll have to do it all again, though perhaps we can fish it from 2-7 next time.