This Saturday saw the inaugural Walkers of Trowell Predator Open match at Celtic Lakes Frisby, the match was well attended with 24 ardent predator fishermen vying for the winner’s trophy and a £250 cash first Prize. The match was unique, in that all predators counted towards the final weight, Pike, Zander and Perch. The match, backed by Nottingham fishing tackle giants Walkers of Trowell, was staged on the 42 acre sailing lake and with Pike to 25lb and 15lb+Zander to go at it was easy to see why so many anglers signed up.
Fishing was actually slow on the day with only 6 small pike being caught although Mick Fradsham of Leicester will be thinking what could have been this morning after losing an estimated 20lb+ Pike just as he was going to net it!
It was eventual winner Pavel Gawrys of Boston drew first blood with a 5lb 3oz Pike caught on a small Jig, followed soon after with another Pike of 4lb 11oz on a deadbait Mackerel fished tight to the island, he added a 3rd 5lb 13oz Pike an hour later. Pavel looked set for a clean sweep of first prize and the biggest fish prize; however he did have a few nervous moments as he watched his rivals losing fish around him! With such a huge head of mid and upper doubles in the lake he was right to be nervous. There were 4 fish lost by anglers around the lake, including the big one reported by Mick Fradsham but it was local rod Andy Pollard of Melton Mowbray who was rewarded for his 6 hour lure fishing marathon, when he landed a 6lb Pike on a small rubber shad, and in doing so, took second place and the biggest fish prize. A couple more small Pike were caught but it was in vain as Pavel Gawrys took the £250 cash first prize with a total of 15lb 11oz and Andy Pollard took the runner up spot with 6lb and with it £200 worth of Predator fishing tackle provided by the sponsors, Andy also won a signed copy of Phil Smiths new book ‘Targets set and achieved’ for the biggest fish on the day.
1st – Pavel Gawrys – 15lb 11oz
2nd – Andy Pollard – 6LB
Biggest Fish – 6lb
