Shiplate Farm Open (Hawthorns) Sunday.

Back again for the Sunday open hoping to draw the somewhere around the middle of the lake but for once I ended up on peg 1" its probably the best margin peg & even though 30lb odd was off it the day before I hopped to catch a few, When I arrived it was flat calm with the wind blowing further down the lake & I never saw a fish move whilst setting up which had me a bit concerned' then disaster, I span my pole roller over not realising my pole was close by & managed to shave off the last 6 inches of my number five section!! FFS" head gone before we even start..." Luckily Lewis Jones rang his dad to drop a spare down for me to use & he arrived shortly after the start, I began across tight to the bank & had three fish on 8mm pellet over cad-potted 4mms but it was still a bit deep & soon how a few foulers, After an hour I started to see the odd shadow appear in the peg followed but more as the day went on, I spent the next few hours mugging a few before they drifted further down the lake & I couldn't follow them due to the rope going across which was a bit frustrating as Gary Finders on peg 3 started to get a few, I expected to catch shallow down the edge but it didn't really happen I had a couple but caught better when I fished on the deck late in the match with double meat but did it to late in the day & wasted to much time chasing the shadows which didn't really want to play ball, Steve Howells draw hand never lets him down & one peg away from where he was the day before he won the day with 139lb catching across in the shallow water on worm over G/Bait, I think?? but still got to catch them, I ended up with 86lb odd but felt the peg was worth a few more, Expected to get liners if I fished on the deck down the edge in 4ft of water as I saw fish swirl here in the day but oddly I didn't.

Back to Shiplate today for the late starter on the main lake & with my draw in the last two days being 1 & 15 then on this lake either of them again & I'm on a flyer so bring it on"

Full results -

1st Steve Howell (Shiplate) peg 8, 139lb 12oz.

2nd Russ Peck (Thatchers Tackle) peg 5, 118lb 4oz.

3rd Gary Finders (Shiplate) peg 3, 94lb 4oz.

4th Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 1, 86lb 8oz.