Since winning Fish O’Mania in 2016, the trophy cabinet of Andy May has been a little empty, but the effervescent Preston Innovations man will need to make some space after winning last weekend’s Halkon Hunt/On the Flyer TV Winter Classic title – and the £10,000 prize that goes with it!
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Lining up on Meadowlands Fishery against one of the strongest fields ever seen in UK match angling. Andy got stuck into the roach and skimmers from peg 47 on the pump bank of the Lambsdown Lake to take 45-4-0 to the scales, just getting the nod ahead of England Feeder man Adam Wakelin’s 43-4-0 from peg 18 on the same lake, third going to Steve Forster with 36-0-0 at Warren Pool peg 5.
Starting at 10m with maggots over groundbait and casters, Andy soon had double figures of roach and small skimmers in the net. However, to win he’d need to catch big skimmers on pellets and a look at 14.5m with expanders produced one decent fish before the peg went a bit iffy.
Switching back to 10m put another 4lb of little fish in the net, but more importantly, rested the pellet line. When Andy returned, the skimmers were there, giving him a bite most drops ins from fish between 6oz and 1lb up until the final whistle.
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Result: 1 A May, Preston Innovations, 45-4-0; 2 A Wakelin, Daiwa, 43-4-0; 3 S Forster, Aston Park, 36-0-0; 4 M Dawes, Preston Innovations, 35-14-0; 5 R Chapman, Winning Ways, 35-12-0; 6 S Ashby, Sensas, 35-2-0.
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