Unstoppable Jamie Hughes
JAMIE Hughes has walked away with his third Fish O’Mania title, a truly amazing achievement.
I feel for those who drew the high numbers, which were dreadful. When anglers of the calibre of Will Raison, Dave Roberts and Lee Kerry can’t get a bite on a single maggot on light gear, something’s up.
And why did Arena Lake simply switch off? I chatted with Jamie post-match and he pointed out the colour of the water. Arena is usually a thick red-brown, but it was very clear, with a yellow tinge and what looked like suspended algae.
The recently stocked carp could be ‘mugged’, which to my mind replicates one of the games we have at our Get Hooked on Fishing centre for toddlers, with magnetic fish and a mini-rod. Yet mugging is a skill, for sure, and in a match situation it’s ‘fish to win’!
Some big-carp anglers don’t count surface-caught fish, regarding them as too easy. I feel the same.
All credit to Jamie, though. On Saturday he owned Arena Lake.