AWA Individual Final - Grafham Water 21 May 2011
Forty six anglers representing winners from the 2010 season contested the Anglian Water Airflo Individual Final held at Grafham Water on Saturday 21 May 2011.
Conditions were bright with a fresh southerly breeze. Practice appears to have gone well, although details were understandably a little sketchy, it would be fair to say Savages is where most of the bigger fish would be likely to come from. And, it was generally thought that if you were after stocked fish Sailing Club Bay was the hotspot.
At the 9.30am start the fleet was interestingly a three-way split with boats heading for Sailing Club, Savages and the west bank.
Ed Foster fishing in the Sailing Club Bay had two fish into the boat by 10.30am but was eclipsed at the time by his boat partner Gordon Bramwell who had four fish. Troutmasters winner, Rob Edmunds, fishing with Ryan Matthews was finding it difficult to get into the fish early on. Pulling at speed on G Buoy he had two to the boat. Former World Champion Iain Barr, was fishing Savages with partner Steve Bland. Iain was certainly twiddling and hanging his flies for an extraordinarily long time after each cast, a superb example for any young angler. Buzzers were the way to go in Savages mainly on floating lines and fished really slowly. Making this method pay was north-east ace Chris Guthrie who took a cracking grown-on fish, we will have to wait for the weigh-in to get an accurate weight but it looked a good four pounds, but sadly Chris hadn’t taken any more to back it up and again his boat partner Welsh International, Gareth Jones, had taken four fish by 11.00, and, didn’t the boy do well for a storming finish! Fishing all day at Savages with a Midge Tip, four flies all Buzzers - Claret and Black - Gareth really fished outside the box deciding in the freshening breeze to tie on his size 8 anchor Buzzer to the top dropper and the other three underneath. This clever move gave the Welshman some healthy control over his cast and finishing at 15.15 his eight fish tipped the scales at 21lb 133/8oz including time bonus. Brian MacKenzie took second place with 21lb 63/4oz and Gary Pearson took third with 21lb 53/8oz. The biggest fish of the day fell to Peter Kempton a big rainbow from Savages tipping the scales at 4lb 155/8oz,
Results:
1. Gareth Jones 8 fish for 21lb 133/8oz (inc. time bonus)
2. Brian MacKenzie 8 fish for 21lb 63/4oz
3. Gary Pearson 8 fish for 21lb 25/8oz
4. Tony Perrin 8 fish for 20lb 115/8oz
5. Rob Edmunds 8 fish for 20lb 71/4oz
6. Graham Watson 8 fish for 20lb 11/2oz
7. Paul Haskey 8 fish for 19lb 133/8oz
8. Anthony Cartwright 8 fish for 19lb 81/4oz
9. Peter Elliot 8 fish for 19lb 71/2oz
10. Iain Barr 8 fish 19lb 61/2
11. Paul Garner 8 fish 19lb 1/4oz
12. Gordon Bramwell 8 fish 18lb 93/4oz
13. Andy Boyland 8 fish 18lb 85/8oz
14. David Bonnington 8 fish 18lb 6oz
15. Steve Welsh 8 fish 18lb 55/8oz
Biggest Fish: Peter Kempton Rainbow 4lb 155/8oz
Statistics:
Number of fish caught: 271
Rod Average: 4.52
Total weight of fish caught: 578lb 153/4oz
Average Fish Weight: 2lb 21/5oz
Average Bag Weight: 9lb 102/5oz
Conditions were bright with a fresh southerly breeze. Practice appears to have gone well, although details were understandably a little sketchy, it would be fair to say Savages is where most of the bigger fish would be likely to come from. And, it was generally thought that if you were after stocked fish Sailing Club Bay was the hotspot.
At the 9.30am start the fleet was interestingly a three-way split with boats heading for Sailing Club, Savages and the west bank.
Ed Foster fishing in the Sailing Club Bay had two fish into the boat by 10.30am but was eclipsed at the time by his boat partner Gordon Bramwell who had four fish. Troutmasters winner, Rob Edmunds, fishing with Ryan Matthews was finding it difficult to get into the fish early on. Pulling at speed on G Buoy he had two to the boat. Former World Champion Iain Barr, was fishing Savages with partner Steve Bland. Iain was certainly twiddling and hanging his flies for an extraordinarily long time after each cast, a superb example for any young angler. Buzzers were the way to go in Savages mainly on floating lines and fished really slowly. Making this method pay was north-east ace Chris Guthrie who took a cracking grown-on fish, we will have to wait for the weigh-in to get an accurate weight but it looked a good four pounds, but sadly Chris hadn’t taken any more to back it up and again his boat partner Welsh International, Gareth Jones, had taken four fish by 11.00, and, didn’t the boy do well for a storming finish! Fishing all day at Savages with a Midge Tip, four flies all Buzzers - Claret and Black - Gareth really fished outside the box deciding in the freshening breeze to tie on his size 8 anchor Buzzer to the top dropper and the other three underneath. This clever move gave the Welshman some healthy control over his cast and finishing at 15.15 his eight fish tipped the scales at 21lb 133/8oz including time bonus. Brian MacKenzie took second place with 21lb 63/4oz and Gary Pearson took third with 21lb 53/8oz. The biggest fish of the day fell to Peter Kempton a big rainbow from Savages tipping the scales at 4lb 155/8oz,
Results:
1. Gareth Jones 8 fish for 21lb 133/8oz (inc. time bonus)
2. Brian MacKenzie 8 fish for 21lb 63/4oz
3. Gary Pearson 8 fish for 21lb 25/8oz
4. Tony Perrin 8 fish for 20lb 115/8oz
5. Rob Edmunds 8 fish for 20lb 71/4oz
6. Graham Watson 8 fish for 20lb 11/2oz
7. Paul Haskey 8 fish for 19lb 133/8oz
8. Anthony Cartwright 8 fish for 19lb 81/4oz
9. Peter Elliot 8 fish for 19lb 71/2oz
10. Iain Barr 8 fish 19lb 61/2
11. Paul Garner 8 fish 19lb 1/4oz
12. Gordon Bramwell 8 fish 18lb 93/4oz
13. Andy Boyland 8 fish 18lb 85/8oz
14. David Bonnington 8 fish 18lb 6oz
15. Steve Welsh 8 fish 18lb 55/8oz
Biggest Fish: Peter Kempton Rainbow 4lb 155/8oz
Statistics:
Number of fish caught: 271
Rod Average: 4.52
Total weight of fish caught: 578lb 153/4oz
Average Fish Weight: 2lb 21/5oz
Average Bag Weight: 9lb 102/5oz