14 anglers gathered at Hayesden lake on a warm bright sunny morning for the draw of the feeder only competition which forms part of the “all rounder” series of matches. The series aims to test the skills of the angler in each of the disciplines of :- feeder fishing, float fishing, pole fishing, pike fishing and for posterity cane and pin fishing and is a much prized accolade to win and allows the holder the bragging rights of being a complete angler. Each competitor is given points according to his position in each match and the overall winner is the matchman with the most points at the end of the five qualifying matches.
With the water in the lake gin clear and only a moderate ripple to offer some cover the going was going to be tough. The weed growth around the lake is very prevalent again and this proved to be the downfall of Lee Wakeman who lost two good bream trying to get them through it to his net. Current match champion Martyn Hill stamped his authority on proceedings with a bag of quality roach and perch for 11lb to claim top spot. Serial match winner Peter Groombridge had to settle for second position with 8lb 12 oz of mainly roach and Roger Trask took third position with 7lb 14oz of quality roach and also took best fish of the day with a beauty of 14 oz just two ounces off that magic 1lb specimen size. Most of the other competitors managed to eke out some sport with the smaller roach and perch but overall very tough going. Next Sunday will see the anglers fish a peg down match at Hartlake down for the float rod only match which will be the second of this series, I have no doubt that there will be some serious tactics being devised to try to unceremoniously drag Martyn from his pole position and this is only the start of the series !!!.
