WHITE ACRES VAN DEN EYNDE SPRING FESTIVAL

Above: VDE boss Pete Clapperton hands over the spoils to winner Steve Ringer.

PARKDEAN Masters Champion Steve Ringer began the Spring Festival season at White Acres Country Park in the same way he ended last season by winning, this time in the 180-entry Van Den Eynde backed event.
Northampton tackle consultant Steve (Shimano Van Den Eynde) who won the big money Parkdean Masters last October added another £3000 to his bank account by recording a maximum four section wins a feat also achieved by Mark Pleavin and Adam Westmacott.
However with four out of five scores to count it was Steve’s superior dropped result, a 7pt. score that secured the win as Pleavin and Westmacott both posted 6pt fifth results.
Steve hit big weights with two lake wins along the way including a new record for Trelawney thanks to a 195-0-0 4th day effort and 145-13-0 from Pollawyn the previous day but it was a modest 16lb section win on the final day at a subdued Gwinear that secured the victory. That little lot added another £600 to his big cheque added to the £25,000 Parkdean Masters win last autumn.

Left: Frugal feeding was key to winning for Steve Ringer at Gwinear on the last day.

Below: Steve with his festival clinching 16lb final day effort.

Steve’s Triumphant Trail
Steve started with a section win at Porth reservoir thanks to a feedered bag of skimmers on single dead maggot at peg 18 in the meadow.
However third in section at Bolingey on day two wasn’t what big Steve wanted and he points to the fact that it was the only carp venue where he used corn instead of meat: ‘I had over 80lb but was beaten twice by a couple of pounds or so’.
The third day recovery was significant as he struck back in deadly style alternating crumb feeder with pole and meat hook baits for a lake winning 145-13-0 from Pollawyn on the High Bank.
The mood was repeated the next day on Trelawney’s end peg 21 where he long poled meat at 16 metres to empty the swim and set the new lake standard with a level 195-0-0.
That left him lying top going into the last day but with Des Shipp, Simon Willsmore and Steve Cooke all tying on points.
With another four anglers just a point down the battle could have gone either way but Steve pulled off another section win by switching between heavily baited and frugally fed margin swims at Gwinear 57.

Five of his six modest carp coming form the negative line to give him the required win.
‘Cornwall has been very good to me and I’ve drawn better this week than I did in the Parkdean Masters,’ said Steve modestly.
However he revealed that despite the tough response on the last day he still fished heavy ‘I haven’t dropped below 0.16mm diameter there’s really no need,’ he added. ‘It was nice to win this event with one of my sponsors Pete Clapperton of Van Den Eynde backing the event,’ he smiled.

Left: Fifth overall Steve Cooke in action on Trelawney.

So close for first timer Mark
RUNNER-UP Mark Pleavin (Deggy’s Tackle) clutched his envelope containing the £1500 second place prize and reflected on just how close he’d come to winning a White Acres Festival at his very first attempt. The unknown, who describes himself as ‘just an angler from back home in Wrexham’ nearly upset the form book with a stunning performance to record four section wins, only losing out on first place thanks to an inferior fifth dropped result. ‘I have fished here on holiday but my mate Charlie Mayers booked us in for this week,’ he revealed.
The cheque will come in very handy for Mark as he lost his job a year ago but the five matches a week he fishes has stood him in good stead.
The 43-year-old who spends most of his time on the Browning Cudmore circuit reckons the harder fishing experienced in some sections during this festival was good for him, 'it was like his fishing back home’ he quipped!
‘I’ve really enjoyed this week its been brilliant but any other week and I’d have won - I was beaten off the next peg at Porth by an 83lb bream bag, can you believe it? I had 21lb of skimmers and that happens next to you and it was April fools day,’ he cried. ‘Still me and Charlie will be back for the Keenets,’ he declared.

'Coming of age' for Adam

THIRD placed Adam Westmacott (Daiwa Dorking) came into this festival determined to prove himself as a serious contender for a place in Dorking’s Drennan Super League Final team and he could hardly have put on a better show. Four section wins including a lake win at Bolingey on the second day saw him ousted from top spot purely down to his fifth dropped result and overall weight conceding places to winner Steve Ringer and runner-up Mark Pleavin.
The Bristol based lab technician even measured up to the task of winning his section from Gwinear 17 on the last day in a highly pressurised situation fending off the next peg challenge of Andy Dare by 1lb with a fine display of accurate feeder fishing tight to the island margins for 24-12-0.
‘I’ve had a good week proved a few things and hopefully now I can go on from here,’ said Adam.

Right: Third placed Adam Westmacott with his last day section winning catch from Gwinear.

No April Fool
THE massive bream weights at Porth on day three and four were no April Fool joke although you’d be forgiven for dismissing the stories of returning anglers as pranks at a venue where 30lb is normally a big winning weight!
First, E17 angler Lee Allen netted 73-9-0 on the second day then on the fourth day, April 1st, Bob Stevens (Nathan’s Tackle) hammered out 83-12-0 of bream at peg 75 on the far bank!

STARLETS Tom Pargetter got the better of a 22lb 7oz common carp at Bolingey to win the biggest fish of the week prize while the lucky mystery weight winner was Martin Funnellin 174th place with 47-1-0. Steve Ringer’s 195-0-0 Trelawney record took the weight of the week prize.

Sponsors delight
VAN DEN EYNDE supremo and event backer Pete Clapperton was absolutely delighted to see his sponsored angler take the cheque for £3000. ‘It’s the beginning of the season and there’s a lot of top anglers here but Stevie Ringer does it again,’ beamed Clappy. ‘The cliche word is awesome but he’s a cut above, he’s a winner and if he’d have chosen football he’d have got in the England team....as striker!’ he enthused.
The self-styled angling businessman, never shy in giving a sound byte or quote, was upbeat about stepping in to sponsor this event after many years as the weekly residents rover match backer.
‘It’s an important venue and becoming more and more popular, these events are more important and the anglers who look up to the Steve Ringers and Des Shipp's want to get a place and fish.
‘What other sport can you compete alongside the top stars of the day and have a chance? You have actually got a chance because here you are in there playing with them,’ he went on.
‘This is a unique fishery in many ways with its bars, night club, restaurants its very american, its a holiday destination. ‘I don’t think you could find this set up at any other fishery it takes a massive amount of money to achieve, it’s more than a fishery it’s a true leisure site.
‘However I think the true value here is Clint Elliott the fishery manager, with his match fishing background, he’s a tough guy, with strong management skills, knows about fishing and how to deliver', he said.
Van Den Eynde supplied engraved tankards for each of the daily section winners and top quality embroidered Halkon Hunt jackets for the top 20 anglers overall.
‘We wanted to give the anglers something to remember the event by, you can give them groundbait but once you throw that in it’s gone,’ said Pete.