BIG Bream dominated the Whins Pond open match on Sunday once again.

The conditions were perfect and hot pegs 5 and 7 were expected to produce the best weights.

But, despite two fine exponents of the art of angling occupying those pegs, the stewards were not troubled by their efforts.

Carlisle fire-fighter Mike Clusker made his first visit to the lake with rod in hand for some time. He arrived late due to pressure of work but soon had four fine bream in his net. They fell to maggot presented with cage feeder from peg 29. He added a small carp and another bream in the last hour and finished a creditable second with 43lb 3oz.

But Mike could see his nemesis directly opposite on peg 4. Tony Whear is a Whins regular and has been for more than 20 years and knows every peg intimately. His approach was with method feeder was different to all the other anglers, he baited with a ‘wafter’.

A wafter is a highly-flavoured pellet of neutral buoyancy; as the fish approach the free bait offered on the ‘feeder’ the movement of the water lifts the ‘wafter’ from the lake bed and catches the fish’s eye.

As we entered the last hour, Tony added three more bream to his eventual total of six fish for 49.06 and first place and also his heaviest catch from the Lake.

In third place was Cav Greer, not his first visit to the water but the first time he has entered a match. He too fished feeder and landed two bream from peg 1 to pip Tony Harrison, who also had two bream, by two ounces with 13.11. Final place went to yours truly with 7.07.

The next open match at Whins Pond, Penrith, is on Saturday, July 6, with the draw 1.00 pm and fishing from 2-8pm. All are welcome,

Message me on Facebook, or give me a call on 07923 385220, to book a place.