The festival begins - Daryl the dazzler

Today was the start of Mr Blake's festival at Witherington Farm, and if the the first day is anything to go by it should be good.  Well organised, affordable with good payouts on each day of the three.  I drew peg 9 on Cottage.  A good peg with an island chuck.

a good draw for a change.

The  match started well , I fished 11 meters meat over , meat and hemp.  The float dipped regularly and skimmers jumped for a bit.  A ground baited swim of to my left at 7 meters produced a couple of good runs from carp neither of which were landed.  Daryl Mayers the "Dazzler" was on the method on peg ten next to me and was getting one a chuck from the start.  His dad was struggling to my left.

 Fatal mistake time, dazzler was making such a go of it , I stopped and picked up the method rod and went to the island. Tangle after tangle, as knots in the line built up.  Eventually the knots would not go through the eyes and I had to switch to a waggler.  3 Missed carp and one foul hooked in the belly (2.5 lbs). Wasted too much time.  If I had stayed on the silvers I might have won the silvers pool.  Second to Kendal in the end, my 10 lb 10oz not quite meeting his 14 lb.

Graham Houghton also had a purple patch with 5 very decent carp one after another on maggot down the edge towards peg 1.  Took a quid of me in the end.

Final top three was Dazzler 70lb + (12 Points)

The Dazzler bags anther "pup"carp on the way to first place.

2 nd Graham Houghton with big carp down the edge on peg 15 for 55 lb.
3rd Kendal (peg 1) had carp to go with his 14 lb silvers to make up 47lb
 Me I ended up with 18 lb + for 6th and 6 points. Roll on tomorrow and a Barnstorming Barnmoor.