Fortune favours the brave as anglers take on the rain

JUST as things were beginning to look good the weather changed for the worse – yet again. And for many the fishing went downhill with it!

Many big fish – and big fish hunters – stayed home, and even some hardened match types struggled to drum up enthusiasm for the 'spring' bank holiday weather.

Among them Matchgroup's Ian Smith faced a bleak prospect in the Ringer Baits' two-day festival on Ferry Meadows near Peterborough – a bream water well below par since some time last year.

His day one was a washout and, three hours in, his second day looked to be going the same way – and then he had eight bream for 61lb! Nice spell...still no cigar, though, as it needed 100lb to make the top six.

MUCH nearer home it was a real struggle for the MK spring league crew on the cut from Stoke House to Mill Road.

MK Druids – so-dubbed because of their high average age – man Paul Chapman won with 7-14 of bream. Browning Sphere's Andy Curless and Browning Xitan's were joint second on 5lb.

Sphere topped on the day, 27 points, with Druids beating Northants Black on weight after they'd tied on 25. Half way through Colmic Lakes Lane lead the nine-team table (51 points) with Druids on 48 and Sphere 46.

ALDERS, open: Nick Dean 126lb, Trevor Price 100lb, Jof Rogers 74lb.

MK Vets, Stockton Reservoir: Paul Swain 15-14 crucians and silvers, Martin Cunniffe 15-8, Richard Lattimer 15-5 (both on silvers).

TOWCESTER Vets, canal, Navvi: John Balhatchett 16-10 (bream), Les Goodridge 5-11, George Cooke 3-14-8.

WHEN the going gets tough...Paul Andrews usually heads for Bradwell. This time he had another nice mirror. Helen Vickers has had bream to 9lb and tench to 6 there in recent sessions.

DAN Weeks' outing left him well pleased with his first Furzton carp, a 12-1 fully scaled mirror.

JAY Todd taking his young daughter on a trip to the local canal left the lass well-pleased after they shared a catch of decent skimmers. He also had a very fair net of Tear Drops rudd in another session.

FIXTURES: May 16, MKAA spring league teams of four, Manor Fields canal.