INDIVIDUAL RESULT

TRAFFORD’S Lee Bennett not only drew a flyer in peg 1 on Canal 1, but also had just about the best commercial match angler sat behind him all day – his brother and multiple matchman of the year Andy.

Although Lee was unsure before getting to his swim, when he saw the light breeze blowing into it he opted to fish banded caster shallow at 11m to the bridge that crosses over the lake on to the island.

The Manchester man caught ide, F1s and the odd carp for 158-12-0, well in front of Stainforth Angling’s Mark Price on next door peg 2 who replied with 121-0-0.

“On such a hot, bright day we both reckoned that the fish would be sheltered under the shade of the bridge,” Lee explained. “The peg looked good as it offers so many options but I knew that going to that bridge and the shade it had would allow me to catch the longest.

“It’s around 4ft deep down the middle there and I had two rigs to catch – one at mid-depth, the other just inches deep, depending on where the fish were.”

Getting through three pints of caster as loosefeed, Lee caught best on the mid-depth rig using 0.11mm lines, size 18 hooks and relatively light elastics. A short line was kept tight between pole and float, creating a semi-bolt rig effect.

1 L Bennett, Trafford Angling, 158-12-0; 2 M Price, Stainforth Angling Centre, 121-0-0; 3 J Whiteley, Kerr’s of Ossett, 118-8-0; 4 K Parkes, Mosborough Tackle Box, 116-4-0; 5 S Avison, St Helens Angling, 115-0-0.