Silverfox Match Angling: Sunday 22/10/2017 - Todber Manor Autumn Pairs - Round Two

Monday 23 October 2017

Sunday 22/10/2017 - Todber Manor Autumn Pairs - Round Two - Ash, Home Ground and Hillview Lakes

Donald T is correct when he says that the UN is nothing more than a talking shop.

First stop for Bela and me was Cannards Well where we met up with Ken Rayner and Mr and Mrs for breakfast (pictured right). I thought the breakfast was a tad cold which is they way Bela likes it otherwise, due to his two chewing burns his throat.

I was really looking forward to fishing Ash Lake for the first time as it holds some big Bream. I know there’s no Silvers pool, but can't help myself. I was reliably told that the two end pegs were the best bets or the middle. I don’t know about this as predicting fish has long passed for me. Into the draw box and out comes peg 74, one off the far end peg, close but not close enough? Arriving at the peg the Lake was flat calm, which fooled us all I think. For company I had Anton Page and Callum Craig who had drawn the favoured end peg.

I set up the Ronnie rig I don’t know why as all it did was get wet and blown around my peg. I set up two 4x14 rigs one to fish at top-set plus one just up the inside shelf and the other two more sections at full depth. I still had loads of casters left from last weeks donations so they would be my favoured bait today. Well no sooner had the “all in” been shouted the ferrous winds arrived definitely some “Brian” about it, followed by heavy rain. The wind was blowing in at me at 1-o-clock. I started by feeding the long line with caster and micro and the inside line with just caster. Started on the longer line with 4mm expander and caught two tiny Skimmers and one tiny Tench. At his point I noticed I was the only angler on the Lake fishing the pole and within15 minutes the wind became impossible on the pole not from holding it but the float had no choice but to travel at the same speed as the wind. I came on the short line which didn’t give me much better presentation but did add some Ronnie’s and another Tench. The weather got worse and Anton left his peg and sat in his van. I swivelled around trying to get the rain and wind off my back, I shallowed up the 4x14 close rig and started a margin line in about 3 foot of water 4 foot from the bank and laid this on with double caster and let the wind drag it the margin slope. During Anton’s absence I added two 2lb Skimmers, some more Ronnie’s and the only Ruffe in Dorset. Meanwhile Craig was starting to catch tight into his end margin using the lee of his end bank for float shelter with corn hook bait. I was struggling with the conditions glad I didn’t bring a lead rod as I might have set it up! I like trying to make the float work and whilst sheltering in my margin I put on a worm and let that drag up the margin and it worked better. So I changed the shotting on the long 4x14 (should have gone to a 4x16) putting three number elevens to drag the bottom. The expander wasn’t going to survive long with being dragged along the bottom so on went double caster and even though the wind wasn’t going to give up ruining our day I started to catch some small Carp whose parentage could be debated. I needed to slow it down more so tried the worm trick I tried in the margin and found this presented better and continued to catch small Carp in pairs after each pair I topped the feed with caster and micro combo. My efforts were rewarded with a lovely 3lb Tench. Presentation was still near impossible especially as I didn’t had sufficient line left above the float due to my messing with the depth and couldn’t be bothered to add some more, so tried fishing with a snotty nose but the elastic being hollow floated and was worse in the wind. The wind ruin most anglers’ day hardly anyone could shelter from it. I was very disappointed due to the conditions that I was unable to use the expanders properly.

I finished with 56lb 14oz for fourth in section. Callum Craig fished a tidy match, mostly concentrating on his margin and just sneaking the section and coming second overall. Well done matey.

Some say that he knows two facts about Ducks – both are wrong! He also has invented a waterproof keepnet. All I know its The Trig again winning the match from peg 45 Hillview with 104lb 4oz. Trig caught initially on the feeder and later on the long and short pole. Well done matey.

Full Result: