Sunday 13 December 2009

Sunday 13/12/2009 - Landsend Christmas Open Match

New people are now operating the the cafĂ© at Shipham. However, the jury it out on whether there is going to be an improvement – so far no good!!! Lets hope they get it right.

Plenty of prizes up for grabs today at the Landsend Christmas

match (as pictures right show).

I drew peg 7 on Match Lake and was advised that I had drawn a Specimen Lake. I set up two rigs both Jolly’s a 4x12 for half way up the far shelf at 12-0-clock for corn and caster and a 4x14 for down the far shelf at 11-0-clock with 3mm pellet and 1-0-clock for caster/maggot. I mark the the depth difference using a black marker pen on the line just above the top rubber - saves having all the those white dots on the top sets. I potted in 12 casters in at 1-0-clock and some micro in at 11-0-clock where I started with soft pellet, after a just a few minutes I miss three bites, which proved to be liners as I then foul hooked a Carp. Next cast I did the same, both resulting in sizable scales! After re-feeding I then on to the caster line and had two 4 oz Perch (a bottle in the bag then). I then hooked and landed two Carp in successive casts. I re-fed with a few casters and retried my pellet line, which resulted in nothing – not even any line indication. I then put in a few grains of corn with a few casters and tried half way up the shelf – again nothing., I think the water is much too clear for the fish to venture in to the margins without some dense cover, especially as it was fairly bright. Everyone I good see were really struggling for a bite. So I decided to fish the remaining match on the caster line, changing to double red maggot hook bait (at this stage I think I should have opened another caster line a bit further down the peg). I re-fed with caster but this time added some red maggot. I then foul hooked another Carp, the hook pulled free but as luck would have it the hook connected with its dorsal fin (a double foul hooker). I played the fish for quite some time until it got fed up with me deciding to dive under the platform breaking me – bugger. I then landed two more Carp and 2 more 4oz Perch before the whistle. The four Carp weighed in at 22lb 10oz and my Silvers 2lb for a total of 24lb 10oz. This was the highest weigh on my bank and put me thirteenth overall and some Christmas fare on the way home to the Special One. So the venue experts were spot on again about it not being a Silvers peg.

Carp peg once again, with the expectancy of little to no Silver fish. The pegs along this part of the lake are only just over 13 metres wide, so much easier to fish than the pegs on

The match was one by Tony Rixon (pictured right with the Silvers winner and his partner in crime John Bradford) on peg 31 with an outstanding weight on the day of 105lb 1oz. I understand from Tony that he lost ten Carp which was only slightly less than the ones landed (as you can see he was tearing his hair out)!! A 50/50 ratio appears to be average this time of year. I am sure Tony will have something to say about me resting the peg for him at last Wednesday’s match. Tony caught on triple red maggot at ……. See Tony's blog.

The Silvers was won by John Bradford on peg 70 with 16lb 14oz. John caught mostly quality Roach with a few Crucian Carp and Skimmers on expander pellet.

Full Result:

1. Tony Rixon 105-01-0 peg 31
2. Andy France 46-08-0 peg 41
3. Jason Radford 41-14-0 peg 34
4. Dave Hodgson 37-14-0 peg 58
5. Dean Malin 33-11-0 peg 32
6. John Bradford 33-08-0 peg 70

Top Silvers:

1. John Bradford 16-14-0 peg 70
2. Nicky Collier 12-09-0 peg 16

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