Matt's Back! - 14/05/2008

Fish ‘O’ Mania's 2003 Champion Matt Hall sneaked into the final of this year's PartyPoker.com Fish ‘O’ Mania at Woodlands Lakes, near Thirsk, this weekend in a bid to go where no man has gone before by winning the biggest crown in angling for the second time.

With bright, sunny and warm weather on the day, no-one could predict where the winner would come from and, as the match was won by a margin of only 10oz, it would have only taken one or two carp to completely alter the top five placings.

It wasn't until the final weights had been checked that third-time finalist Matt was confirmed as the latest qualifier. Fishing Peg 17 on Partridge Lake, he took full advantage of his end peg to finish the match with a total weight of 120lb 9oz.

He alternated between the pellet waggler and pole with pellets to catch his 22-carp winning weight. After the match he commented: “When I drew, I knew there was a chance and I just kept catching here and there, chopping and changing my technique. I was surprised to find someone so close to me at the end, as I thought Phil Ringer was my nearest rival on 107lb. It's a huge target of mine to be the first person to win this competition twice, and I will be practising hard in July”.

It was Jamie Moore from Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, who pushed Matt all the way from another corner swim, end Peg 17 on Kestrel Lake. He fished two lines, one at eight metres down the shelf and his main line fished down the edge towards the boards into the empty corner. It was this that brought in a steady stream of carp, helping him finish with 119lb 15oz – just an agonising 10oz off the winner.

The third and fourth spots were just as tight, with only 10oz separating Keith Pentland and Phil Ringer on 107lb 12oz and 107lb 2oz respectively. Both caught the bulk of their fish using pellets up in the water.

Match Fishing was with Matt Hall from the very start of the match to follow his every move. Check out the July issue to find out exactly how the former champion qualified!