DOWNSEY’S FIRST INDIVIDUAL EVESHAM WIN – DESPITE PIKE!

EVESHAM ANGLING CHAMPIONSHIPS (SUN) Warks Avon, Evesham (80 pegs)

SUNDAY’S match was a sodden affair with lots of rain, but with bloodworm allowed, anglers were hopeful of a few more bites. So it proved, with much-improved weights and plenty of international class in the top five, headed by England boss Mark Downes.

Despite having fished Evesham for years, Mark had yet to win an individual title but he can now tick that one off after weighing in 15-9-0 of skimmers, roach and a bonus 4lb bream off end peg 1. That put him over 3lb clear of Sam Wildsmith on 12-4-0.

“Peg 1 is an end peg and 3lb came off it the day before, so a few roach were about,” Sensas Starlets captain Mark said. “I plumbed up at 13m and found a nice run down so I balled it slightly downstream with Mark Downes bossed the match.

Sensas Gros Gardons, Canal Fine Noire and soil holding joker.

“I had a disaster of a start. There were snags that I hadn’t found with the plummet and my first three fish were taken by pike, so I made the decision to feed again upstream away from the snags and went on to the feeder down the middle.” In the next 40 minutes Mark hooked 11 skimmers on worm or red maggot and got seven of them out for around 8lb, those pike taking the rest.”

With an hour to go and the feeder line dead, Mark went back on to the pole and saw two roach nabbed by the pike.

“The next fish I hooked kited off downstream and I thought ‘not another bloody pike’ but it then turned and came upstream and on to the surface in the middle of the river. It was a 4lb bream! I took my time on an 0.08mm hooklink and a size 20 hook and got it in.

“The pole was then good, and I was able to settle down to catching some roach on bloodworm without further pike trouble.”