The first angler to secure their place in the Fish ‘O’ Mania grand final line up for 2012 is Stephen Tucker (Garbolino), from Yeovil. Stephen bagged carp and two tench with a weight of 103lbs 4ozs.
Stephen drew peg 125 on Campbell using both bomb and pole with his biggest fish being a 10lb carp. Stephen used 4lb main line with a size 16 911 hook to land his winning weight taken on red pellets at 6 & 8 m.
Stephen Tucker said “I have only fished three Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifiers before this one as I have usually done team fishing, but gave up team fishing last year to concentrate on bigger matches and I am delighted to win this match at my local venue”.
Very cold weather greeted the 130 competitors for the first Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier held on Saturday 14th April at Viaduct Fishery, Somerton, Somerset, which made fishing hard for the anglers taking part.
John Dewberry, MBE an Army Officer from Hampshire came in second place on Campbell peg 114 with 99lbs 14ozs made up of carp and tench taken again on both pole and bomb. Third place went to Dave Swain of Stockport pegged next to the winner on Campbell peg 124 with 91lbs 1oz of carp. In fourth place with 89lbs 15oz on Monks peg 65 at Lodge Lake was Tom Mangnall of Taunton and local star Andy Power finished in fifth place with 83lbs 5oz on Cary Lake peg 79.
The second qualifier in this series of Fish ‘O’ Mania XIX is at Gold Valley Fishery, Aldershot on Wednesday 18th April 2012 when the next finalist will be decided.
