With 180 match anglers in attendance, including some of the very best in Britain, the 2012 Bait-Tech festival at White Acres was sure to be another hotly contested event and with the sun shining the fish fed well which led to some huge weights from all over the complex. Tony Wynnick topped the big weight stakes with a staggering 240lb but some very impressive weights came from all over the complex during the week.
A nail-biting finish was the story of the last day as three anglers had three section wins so any one of them could have won. Bait-Tech’s very own Grant Albutt, Steve Barraclough or Tony Wynnick could all achieve maximum points should they win their sections again with overall results based on the best four results from the five days of competition.
Unfortunately for Steve and Tony it was Grant who powered to victory drawing peg 4 on Jenny’s Lake where he caught F1s steadily throughout the day and topped up his weight with 20lb of roach to weigh an impressive 83lb and take the crown as Bait-Tech Festival Champion. The ever consistent Des Shipp came in 2nd with a last day lake win at Porth and in 3rd was Paul Yates, who actually knocked Steve Barraclough down to fourth on weight count-back.
Speaking to Kirsty and Clint, who run all of the festivals and fishing at White Acres, it was clear that the hard work they had put in over the cooler months had paid off handsomely. The venue had fished brilliantly all week and even those who didn’t fare so well in the results table all mentioned how they had caught fish all week and really enjoyed themselves.
Kirsty said:
“For us, I think this has been the most successful first festival of the season ever, we are so pleased that all the hard work in preparing for the festival and getting it organised well in advance, as well as all the work we have done on the lakes, has really paid off and made it such a great week! Thank you so much to Bait-Tech for sponsoring the event and thanks and congratulations to all of the anglers that fished and for making it such an enjoyable week for us all.”
Bait-Tech have confirmed the continuation of the event and have guaranteed sponsorship of it for at least the next three years.
