15/05/21 - Glebe - Pool 1

Weight - 151lb 12oz

Catch - 28 Carp, 3 Gudgeon, 1 Skimmer

Weather - Showers most of the day. Breezy to start, calming later

Match - Ivan Marks Memorial - Day 1

Today was the first day of the Ivan Marks Memorial weekend, with 67 anglers over the whole complex, so plenty of room for everyone.

I was handed p4 on pool 1. The lake hasn’t fished well recently, although I was at the right end, but my section included p1 which is normally the flyer.

Started on the cage feeder loaded with So Simple blue ice groundbait and micros, with 3 or 4 dead maggots. After 70 mins I had 4 carp, plus a couple of silvers, which was slow going, but no one else was really catching except for p1.

I had been pinging 6s at 13m and when I switched to my pellet rig, I had 1 carp and lost 2 foul hookers. After cupping in a few pellets, a switch back to the feeder only produced 1 more carp and back on the pellet rig at 13m produced another foul hooker.

There was a breeze blowing right to left and I had decided against fishing paste long as I thought it might be a bit awkward but felt I needed to at least give it a go. This was the first time I had used the So Simple blue ice paste and it was certainly blue, colouring my hands, but it also left a lovely blue cloud in the water.

After making the switch to paste, I never looked back and caught steadily throughout the rest of the match, including one spell where I added 8 fish for 60lb. It became obvious the fish didn’t want much feed and found it best to feed a few 6s with the paste.

Surprisingly I never had a bite down my margin or 5m line. Come the weigh in I was surprised when p1 only weighed 117lb as I thought he had caught more, but he did say he had lost a few. So pleased to have won my section, but it wasn’t until I collected my winnings that I found out I had won the match overall and was presented with a crystal goblet trophy by Linda Marks, Ivan's wife.

It was a shame I couldn’t fish the 2^nd day, but will be back at the Glebe next weekend for another 2 day charity weekend.

1-      151-12 – Ken Rayner – p4 (pool 1)

      2-      146-  0 – Arthur Billcroft – p100 (pool  7)

      3-      144-  2 – Carl Williams – p84 (pool 5)

      4-      143-  7 – Daz Sly – p95 (pool 6)

      5-      142-  0 – Dave Bailey – p86 (pool 6)

      6-      124-  9 – Mark Griffiths – p89 (pool 6)