Stafford Moor Silver Mania Qualifier.

Well the day we had been looking forward to for some time had arrived along with the weather! It was bowing a gale when we got up and arriving at the fishery we were also greeted to a few good down pours" At the draw it wasn't a question of which lake you fancied more of a case of anywhere out of the wind'.

A few star names were in the queue before us including Will Raison who managed to draw a couple of pegs away from where he was yesterday on oak lake which just so happened to be an end peg today as they had left out peg 16 due to someone pulling out with an illness but didn't he ever moan" I ask you'.

Back to me and I found myself on peg 23 Woodpecker which was a four pegs up from the end of the lake on a long open straight and yep' The wind was howling in my chops as well as gusting all around!

I happened to draw next to Essex county old boy Pete Vasey who I was next to yesterday and was eager to reap revenge? The problem was both him & the guy on the end peg of are section to my right both had an empty peg either side of them so I ended up pended in the middle" Great.. Not being funny but with all the room available I could of at least an empty peg for a bit of room? Owe well nothing I could and after a quick chat with Adam Wakelin before getting to my peg he said 5lb yesterday was a good weight so things didn't sound promising? I set up a 1.0g PB2 on 0.11-0.09 and an 18 63-13 hook , A 0.4g pencil on 0.10-0.08 and an 20 PR412 hook & finally a 0.06g slim float on 0.10-0.09 and an 18 PR434 hook. Depth wise it was around 6ft every where so I opted for a line off to my left and right at 13mts which was plenty far enough with the weather" And a line at 11mts where I planned to start the match.

At the all-in I fed 3 balls of Ground-bait at 13mts to the right with pinkies & casters added, a single ball with just a pinch of floro pinkies at 11mts & A ball laced with worm & a few dead reds at 13mts to the left. I started the match with double pinkee on the hook at 11mts hoping for a quick fish but nothing happened, I switched to a single dead red and just as the heavens opened I had a nice slow bite resulting in an 10oz skimmer which nobody noticed in the rain'. No more bite so I switched to the 13mt line on the right again with maggot on the hook, I did expect bites but it just wasn't happening as it seemed nothing much was being caught with the guys either side still having nothing in the net. I switched to the other 13mt swim with a small piece of worm on the hook and was surprised to miss a bite but the next put-in I had a 6oz skimmer, I bumped a fish before another 6oz skimmer followed but then I couldn't get a sign. Back to searching around the other lines but I not going to delay the agony as that was it for the rest of the match! I did bump of two small fish during the match in the wind & to be honest the only thing that keep me going was the fact the pegs either side of me only had a small skimmer a piece, That was until Pete foul hooked a 2lb plus bream with 25mins to go which he netted after some effort" Well apart from the weather being against us all day we were informed before the start the pegs further up the lake would produce more which proved right but only 4-5lb weights which is very disappointing, Out of the three of us Ziggy faired best and just missed out from a place in tomorrow's final with 8lb odd of bits from pines peg 24 which I paid a visit before the start of the match and can only describe as the tropics being sat down out of the wind with it off his back!" Gabo was on Oaks again and had 7lb odd but guess who won that lake? Will' with 18lb off the end peg"!..  We have decided with just the open on the lake I was on today we really don't fancy to get any better we are heading back early tomorrow and are all stopping off for the open on Viaduct Fishery where hopefully I can use some of the bait I certainly didn't need down here. Good luck to all those who have made it to the final tomorrow on tanners with someone in with the chance of walking away with a cool £1000. Nice for the experience but I wont be rushing back, Gabriel, His partner Elaina & Ziggy Decided not to let the fishing be a dampener on the weekend so far by making the most of the hot-tub at are accommodation when we returned, By god these foreigners have a taste for Vodka' lol".

Ziggy, Elaina & Gabo.