Clevedon Freshwater Angler Club members struggled to find fish for the seasonal blind pairs match at Paddock Lake.

Strong winds greeted Clevedon Freshwater Angling Club competitors who attended Paddock Lake, Acorn Fisheries for the seasonal blind pairs match.

Leading up to the match the weather had been unseasonably mild, but a lot of cold rain had fallen overnight which affected the normally prolific fishing at the venue.

Two hours into the match it became clear the fish were not interested in feeding and it was not until the third hour that a few bites materialised. Mark Walsh, who was on island peg two was the first to catch a carp and shortly afterward his neighbour Mike Owens on peg four also had one.

Both anglers continued to catch the odd fish until the end using soft pellet and maggot on the pole, whereas everyone else struggled. At the weigh-in, Mark weighed 23lb 7oz and Mike 23lb 12oz so it was all done to their partners as to who would win on the day.

Mike’s partner Mark Bromsgrove did enough, weighing in 4lb as opposed to Mark’s partner Matt Roden, who brought 2lb 8oz to the scales.