Once again we saw a change in air pressure and temperature coupled with the fish not quite into the spawning mode conspire to affect the fishing at this prolific West Midlands venue, Woodland View Fishery for the Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier held on 17th June 2015. As a result everyone, even those pulling out the form pegs, was apprehensive at the draw not knowing how things would go.
In reality it was quite hard for many with more than the usual number of D N W’s.
That said the final score card was still impressive by any standard with four ton –plus weights and over 50 lbs needed to win all, but three of the seventeen 10-peg sections.Ghost Pool was fancied for a big weight and it was Welsh angler Jonathan Harvey who really got it sorted at peg 5. He caught carp steadily throughout the day alternating between caster shallow and maggots down the edge to amass a brilliant weight of 168 lbs.
Runner -up was Przemek Solski from Harrow. Drawing corner peg 1 on Front Deans he also caught carp throughout the day fishing short and then into the corner for some big fish to finish with 113 lbs. In third place was Daniel Squire from Somerset. Daniel also drew a corner peg – Back Deans 64 – and caught carp to 7 lbs fishing shallow with maggot. He took 111 lbs 7 ozs to the scales.
Matthew Jackson took fourth weighing 104 lbs 4 ozs from Hay Pool peg 20. Fifth was Andy May who caught 99 lbs 1 ozs from Arles 9.
Andrew Bailey and Paul Burton tied for sixth with 93 lbs 14 ozs.
The day was marred when Oswestry angler Dennis East collapsed on the bank behind his son, who was also due to fish, an hour before the start. Thankfully prompt action by nearby angler Charlie Simpson who administered CPR and the prompt response by the Worcester ambulance undoubtedly save Dennis’s life. The start time was delayed. Information was received just after completion of the results that Dennis was still very poorly, but more stable.
Thanks are due to Mike, Denise and Adrian at Woodland View for their all their usual help and hospitality.
