POOLE AND FINCH BAG UP AT BROADLANDS
In what has to be one of the most exciting finals events in the 10 year history of the British Carp Angling Championships Carp Talk regulars Ian Poole and Jon Finch shot into the record books as they got their names on the prestigious title of British Champions together with a cheque for a whopping £10,000, the biggest cash prize in UK competition carping.
The Gloucestershire pairing, already known nationally for their skills with the pva bag, out fished their fellow competitors and put their knowledge of “bagging” to good use at the famous Broadlands Lake in Hampshire, coincidentally the venue where this method was developed and used in the late 80s early 90s. Amassing a total of 31 fish for 331.07 they were well clear of 2nd placed Joe Morgan and Darrell Peck (182.00) and 3rd overall Andy and Tom Maker (163.06).
“The event was brilliant” said BCAC founder Rob Hughes when asked about the switch to Broadlands as a host final venue. “Everyone caught fish, the early stages of the match were really close, and the whole atmosphere before during and after the event was electric Many anglers were favouring the opposite end of the lake but you just never know how these things work out. Pooley and Finchy are excellent anglers and deserve the title. Broadlands is a great event and we’ll be back here again with some big plans for future events”.
This year the finals was run on an out of the bag draw basis rather than the usual watercraft format and that meant a stress free pre match party for the competitors which was a great atmosphere. Venue owner Peter Beale put on a hog roast which went down very well and Graham Mabey of For Life Experiences laid on a shooting and accuracy casting competition (won by Paul Goodchild and Richard Seeds respectively) and raised the sum of £150 for BCAC chosen charity Help for Heroes, a sum which was generously matched by event organizer Rob Hughes to increase the total to £300. A big thanks goes out from the organizers to all of the competitors who took part this year and made the event the success that it was. In addition the marshalling team deserve special recognition for all of the hard work done throughout the year.
Wining the title this year not only gains Poole and Finch the champions spoils, but also gets them entry into the 10yr Champion of Champions match that will see all of the former British Champions lining up against each other next year in a one off match.
Hectic early morning action on both days meant that Poole and Finch raced away with the lead from Saturday morning.
Morgan and Peck had a habit of knocking out the bigger fish and landed 4 twenties in their haul to take 2nd.
Tom and Andy Maker got off to flying start but ended up 3rd overall by the time the final score was check.
Full Match report
First blood went to Jamie French and John Hill with a 12.08 fish just 7 minutes in and Andy / Tom Maker soon joined in the fun fishing between the islands to put 4 fish on the bank in front of the tv cameras in just 20 minutes. By the tea time score check it was the Makers who were making the news with 9 fish for 89.13 and Anthony Bassire / James Blake chasing hard with 7 fish for 72.06. Ian Poole / Jon Finch sat in third with 65.02 and around the lake fish were coming from most of the swims. In fact only 1 swim hadn’t caught in the first 10 hours and it looked like a very fair and even match.
Night time was fairly quiet and breakfast saw the Makers still in the lead with 113.08 using solid bags cast within a foot of the island margin. Impressive angling it was as well but across the pond in Carp Alley Joe Morgan and Darrell Peck were into the bigger fish. Two 20s and four doubles put them on 111.07 making it very close indeed but Poole and Finch also had a very hectic start to the day as their bags paid off and they made it just 4lbs between 1st and 3rd with 109.01. The action continued and by 09.30 they had jumped into the lead adding 6 fish in 3 hours to amass 181.04 against the makers 133.13 and Peck / Morgans 122.04.
The sun shone throughout the day and a large algae bloom appeared at the eastern end of the lake. This slowed the fishing down at that end as the carp drifted into the clearer water at the western end of the lake and right into the swim of Poole / Finch. There were very few fish out in the daylight hours which is unusual for Broadlands but by 8pm on Sat things were livening up. Poole / Finch were still at the top on 205.08 with Morgan / Peck catching up on 155.08 and the Makers on 133.13. Huntington / Holehouse started to challenge the podium places with 96.03 but they needed a good night to make a dent in the early leaders scores.
Morning saw another 50lb added to Poole / Finch putting them out of the way on 253.02 with 6 hours left. The big battle was now between 2nd and 3rd as Morgan / Peck (172.12) were only 1 fish ahead of Maker / Maker (163.06). Huntington / Holehouse managed one more fish but it was not enough and even though they tried until the end they couldn’t increase upon 123.07 for a 4th placed finish. Maker / Maker (163.06) remained fishless but in the money for the remainder of the match and Morgan / Peck added another to their total to cement second with 182.00. Once again it was only Poole / Finch who were making any headway with their impressive display of bagging. The last 6 hours saw them add another 4 fish to their total including a distinctive koi / mirror cross known locally as Tango earning them the nicknames Tango and Cash as they were well and truly in the money. It ended with 31 fish on the bank for a total of 331.07 for the pair and a new set of deserved champions who gained the title with a first in their eliminator, a first in their semi final heat, and of course a first in the finals. Three was definitely the magic number for Poole and Finch.
Messrs Finch and Poole are known as the bag men and they proved it again in this years finals.
It was as simple as this. PVA bags, bright baits, and of course some excellent angling by Ian and Jon.
We're in the money. Pooley and Finchy hoist the BCAC crystal aloft after an impressive display.
Dates and veneus will be released to the public in the Christmas edition of Carp Talk and entries are taken on a first come first served basis.
Name
Peg
Fish
Total (lb.oz)
Ian Poole / Jon Finch
3
31
331.07
Joe Morgan / Darrell Peck
5
13
182.00
Andy Maker / Tom Maker
12
16
163.06
Peter Holehouse / Ian Huntington
2
14
131.14
James Blake / Anthony Bassire
15
9
91.08
Mark Bartlett / Dean Goodwill
6
6
54.08
Simon Bury / Matt Brown
1
5
43.09
Richard Seeds / Lee Baker
10
3
41.09
Adam Penning / Tom Dove
11
5
36.10
Simeon Bond / Danny Henwood
7
5
35.01
Will O Flynn / Dan O Flynn
8
3
35.01
Kev Grout / Matt Wylde
4
3
24.09
Liam Hodges / Lee Pollard
14
1
13.07
Jamie French / John Hill
9
1
12.08
Peter Leakey / Adrian Fautley
13
1
11.07
How the Best was Won
The lads fished solid pva bags either on their own or under spod slop to cloud the water. Leads were generally Korda 2oz in line pears fished outline method and were cast to features such as a gravel bar that ran through the swim or to pads in the corner or far bank.
Pooleys Set Up
Solid pva bags
Richworth Pellets
3 crushed tuttis
Rich Fish Oil
Tutti Cylinder hookers
Korda Super natural link
Korda Wide gapes
Finchies Set Up
Solid pva bags
Grubber Pellets
Mini Grubbers
Grubber Oil
Grubber Hookers
Fruit Bomb Pop ups
Korda Super Natural link
ESP D7 hooks
If you want to fish Broadlands, it’s available on a day ticket basis so for more info about the stocks and the fishing log on to www.broadlands-lake.co.uk.
