14/05/25 - Todber - Whiteposts

Weight - 88lb 10oz

Catch - 30 Carp

Weather - Warm & sunny.

Match - Garbolino Clubman Qualifer (41 fished) - 1st in section

I decided to try my luck again at qualifying for the Garbolino clubman at Barston. I didn’t fish it last year, but the year before I missed out of by 4lb after weighing 446lb for 2^nd in section!

As there were only 41 fishing, we were spread over Hillview and both lakes at Whiteposts. I would have preferred Hillview but drew p27 on the bottom lake at Whiteposts. It was 4 years ago when I last fished this lake (and p27) and I don’t have fond memories, as I had torrid time due to lost rigs and fish to the line of reeds.

On arrival at my peg the wind was blowing into it and I quite fancied it, however I wasn’t sure how it would fish as its usually the toughest of the 2 lakes at Whiteposts.

As the swim was no deeper 2ft, I only set up 3 pole rigs, 1 to fish paste down both margins, another paste rig to fish at 8m, a meat rig and finally a method rod just in case.

On the all-in I fed some micros and 4mm pellet down by a lily bed to my right and the reeds to my left. Whilst that settled, I started on meat at 8m, but didn’t have a bite after 10mins, before I noticed the bottom being churned up by the lillies. First put in on paste (U-Zit GLM & Crushed Expander) by the lillies quickly produced my first fish. Another followed soon after before the swim went quiet.

Back on the meat, I hooked 2 carp and lost them both, so I switched to feeding pellet and fishing paste instead, as I felt it would sit better in a skimming breeze.

After an hour I had 6 carp for about 18lb and looking down the lake not much was being caught, confirming my thoughts that this would be a tough match.

After 3hrs I was up to 70lb, rotating between the 2 margin swims and the 8m line. However, the following 2hrs the lake just shut down, as I couldn’t catch over any of my swims. I even set up a new swim to fish meat and cast the method to the far bank but never had a bite.

In the end I had to go longer down the left bank catching a further 6 carp all on paste.

On the all-out I was fairly sure I had the won the section, which I did as 2^nd weighed 62lb. As it happened, I won the lake. As expected, the top weights all came from Hillview.

1.    250-14 – Jason Crump – p54

2.    203-14 – Malcolm Fowler – p39

3.    186-12 – James Bowen – p37

4.    178-  6 – Paul Smith – p40

5.    171-14 – Andrew Palmer – p42

6.    164-14 – Simon Stacey – p46