Angling: Patience pays in Polbeth

Given peg 26 from the draw, I thought I had done well as that area had fished well the previous week. I knew the Hothead Damsel was working well up to that point, so I was confident it would work on the day. Line selection was limited, so I had to go with my fast glass. It worked fine the week prior, but this time the fish were further up in the water.

As usual the rods were bending all round the water, but the area around the cages was exceptional in the first hour. It was not until the first move that I latched on to my first fish and it fought well enough. At 2lb it was not big, but it got me off the mark. That was the last offer I got till lunchtime, though, when the management repaired my floating line.

Changing over to the floater I tied up a two Hothead Damsel cast. What a difference the change made, as I was getting plenty of attention, but still no lock-on. I persevered with the same cast and eventually took a further three fish in the session.

The eventual runaway winner caught his four fish limit and returned a further 13 to take the plaudits as well as the prizes. Most of the anglers caught fish and although there were no biggies, the sport was excellent.