19.06.12

Andy Pell at Whiteacres - Day Five

Last up was either Twin Oaks or Trelawny and like everyone in the queue I was dreaming of peg 16 on Twin Oaks. Those dreams soon evaporated when peg 2 on Trelawny stuck to my hand. Pegs 14,16 and 18 had won the section all week so I was just aiming to finish as high as I could to try and make the top 50 in the festival.
It’s a very shallow part of the lake so my options were the method feeder, 5m and long down the right-hand margin really. I suffered another slow start to my match and again hadn’t had a fish after nearly an hour, until a few F1s turned up at 5m.
It was slow going on this line though but I was catching a few F1s before casting out the method hoping for a pull round. I managed two carp on the method and a few F1s at 5m before it was time to look on the margin with the last hour approaching.
I needed the carp to turn up down there as they had done the day before for Steve Cooke, if I was to mount a charge for the section. Unfortunately, I only managed two small 3lb fish and I had been undone by the anglers on peg 4 who came from nowhere to land five Carp in five chucks on the method in the last 30 minutes of the match.
I was disappointed with this end to my festival and I finished up 4th in section with peg 14 and 16 taking 1st and 2nd in section.

I ended up in 60th place overall, which I was very disappointed with really, although I have qualified for the Preston festival in October, which I hope to go on, work depending.
Analysing my festival, I really think I could have made more of my days on Pollawyn, Trewaters and Trelawny. Although these were not great draws, the margins are small in these festivals and you can easily look back and see where you could have got an extra point or two and these make a huge difference at the end of the week.
With the weather the way it was during the week, it was also important to draw the right pegs on the right day, which was brought home to me when Jon Arthur had a weight from peg 45 on Bolingey a couple of days after myself and everyone else during the first three days had struggled from it.
Jon fished shallow to catch his weight, which just wasn’t possible on the day I was on there. Lack of venue knowledge and festival experience is the main factor really and by fishing lighter for silvers and being better prepared will make a difference to me in the future.
Next time I go on a festival (in less than 3 weeks actually) I will make sure I am prepared and have everything I need with me so I can make the most of the week.








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