“I WENT TOO HARD AND KILLED OFF MY CHANCES”

PARTRIDGE Lakes was my last chance of making a big final in 2020 because it held the final Maver Match This qualifier – and when I had my peg drawn for me, I couldn’t have been happier!

Spey Canal peg 2 has won me lots of matches and I’d always take it, although I really wanted to be on one of the Coveys.

Not only is it an end peg, but it also has lots of far- bank cover. Well, it used to. The swim has had a bit of a tidy-up lately and there’s not much cover left. I still fancied it, though, but the lake was rock hard, with only 56lb winning and my 30lb coming nowhere.

But I hadn’t helped myself. After a steady few hours on pellet, I thought I could attack the swim with caster shallow and I blasted bait in. That destroyed the peg!

Sunday saw me back at Partridge where at least I’d be on the Coveys. I was happy to draw the peg that won the qualifier the day before. I know peg 98 on Canal 4 well – I always pick it when coaching. It’s a carp peg, with very few F1s.

Saturday’s winner fished in the edge, so I went for pellet across to the weedbed and in the edge, with maggot down the middle.

Just before the start, a lot of carp appeared on the surface, so I set up some mugging rigs and caught around 90lb in the first three and a bit hours. Changing to the edge, I expected lift-off, but the carp just weren’t there in any numbers.

With half-an-hour to go I gave the maggot line a look. I should have done it sooner. It was solid with F1s and I caught one a chuck, weighing 121lb to win.

“The lake was rock hard, with only 56lb winning”