Philip nets Pairstitle yet again

The Lurgan Coarse Angling Club members landed a massive catch of 185.280kgs over the five days and held off the challenge from a much stronger field in this, the second year of this prestigious event.

Philip said: “It was a brilliant week, although neither of us had ever fished the venues before, Cathal still pulled out one of his now customary section destroying performances.”

Starting on the feeder and then resting it by swapping to the pole was a key part of their success. Cathal said, “Understanding the way hybrids want to feed is a big part of it. You can’t keep dropping a feeder on their heads. By resting the feeder line, you can keep going back out and add a few more quick fish.”

The best section all week was on the Crom Estate on Upper Lough Erne in Fermanagh. Both the River and Turfhouse sections gave decent nets every day, but an in form Cathal banked the top weight of the week from this section.

The feeder and pole routine worked a treat on Peg 12 on the River and a fantastic weight of 40.180Kgs was the end result of five hours of frantic fishing. Bunches of red maggots proved to be the most successful bait for both Cathal and Philip. These enabled the pair to pick off both hybrids and roach on either the pole or feeder.

On the individual front, Cathal and English angler Steve Ringer were also vying for the top spot with the battle for the Daiwa Cup finely balanced.

Steve Ringer began the final day just over 4Kgs ahead of Cathal, who drew Peg 10 on Garadice Lake, Haughton’s Shore, a section that had given better weights all week. Fifteen kilograms was the best weight from the peg before the arrival of the 2010 Individual World Championship silver medallist. After balling in at 13 metres with a groundbait mix lightly laced with chopped worm and casters, his first three casts saw three hybrids in the net before five minutes were up and he finished the day with an excellent 27.600Kgs to confirm his dominance.

The top five Pairs were; 1. Philip Jackson and Cathal Hughes: 185.280Kgs; 2. Steve Ringer and Phil Ringer: 167.020Kgs; 3. Lee Addy and Paul Keeley: 164.580Kgs; 4. Richie Hull and Adam Rooney: 161.100Kgs; 5. Dean Barlow and Steve Fleming: 159.260.Kgs.

Daiwa Cup Individual Top Five; 1. Cathal Hughes (Daiwa/Matchcraft): 107.430Kgs; 2. Steve Ringer (Daiwa/Guru): 102.140Kgs; 3. Peter Jones (Cork): 96.430Kgs; 4. Wayne Fuller (Ballanagh): 93.440Kgs; 5. Michael Buchwalder (Preston Innovations/Daiwa Dorking): 92.710Kgs.