Sunday 05/07/2009 - Carps AC - Sedges Fishery - Brick Lake

Apparently if you live in Bristol you are the most likely in the country to keep you savings under the mattress!! Perhaps that’s why John Bennett’s back is hurting!!

I decided to give the Preston Drifish 1000 another chance. Brenda sponged it clean and washed it in reproofing. Guess what, it’s even worse! The clothing is NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. So yesterday I ordered the real thing Halkon Hunt ¾ length Jacket and Bib and Brace, all made to measure and to your own design. You only get what you pay for. I will give the Preston kit to Brenda to do the washing up in – that’s all is fit for!!

On our arrival Jamie the Fishery owner had some mates swimming and diving around the islands in Tile Lake to clear the snags that impede the method and feeder anglers. I did notice one diver pulling out loads of high breaking strain line. Perhaps the anglers are impeding themselves!!

A walk around Brick Lake and it was noticeable that the colour had dropped out since Wednesday. However, there were quite a few Carp up in the water on most pegs. The wind had picked up and was blowing at 11 o clock down the Lake, away from the car park, slightly favouring peg 11. Darren did his usual grass trampling on peg 6 and 7 – the best Skimmer pegs.

I drew peg 15 and Darren 9. I thought I might catch a few Skimmers here, but noticed that John Bradford had drawn peg 7 and Mr Pastry peg 6. I decided to feed positive for the Skimmers so at 7 metres put in eight balls of Swim-stim ground bait (the green stuff). I also fed one pot of micro at 11.5 metres. I started on a piece of worm over the GB and had one 12 oz Skimmer on the drop. I changed the hook bait to 6mm expander and had 8oz Skimmer – then nothing. So I tried double (dead) red maggot and had one Ronnie – on the drop. I could see John and Darren catching Skimmers regularly. So I decided to try caster in the margin and had a run of 2oz Rudd and Ronnie’s. I then caught and landed a 10lb plus Carp - on the drop. Next put in on caster I hooked and lost another double due to the 0.14 hook length breaking! I changed the rig to 0.18 straight through. By switching between caster, corn and Paste I landed ten good sized Carp. Which I though would at least get me in the money. I weighed 3lb of Silvers and my ten Carp went 80lb 14oz for a total of 83lb 14oz for first overall by a good margin, picking up the winners purse of £65.

The Silvers was won by John “The Gimp” Bradford (pictured right with the overall winner) with 40lb 10oz (“I can never catch the Silvers at Sedges” – you can now John). Darren did well to get as close as he did to The Gimp from peg 9 with 34lb 10oz for runner up spot in the Silvers. Both John and Darren caught on maggot – John over GB and Darren over potted caster and white maggot.

Full Result:

1. Mike Nicholls 83-14-0 peg 15

2. Tom Magnell 46-14-0 peg 10

3. Chris Davis 46-12-0 peg 20 (that was close)

4. John Bradford 40-10-0 peg 7

5. Darren Gillman 39-13-0 peg 9

6. Colin Golding 38-03-0 peg 6

Top Silvers:

1. John Bradford 40-10-0 peg 7

2. Darren Gillman 34-10-0 peg 9

Some of my margin rules:

• Try and fish with the wind of you back
• Set up to pick up the tow - easier in the margin
• Keep the bait moving - tow, lifting, re-casting
• Fish the slope of your margin and keep pulling the bait up to shot your float
• I don't usually find having two margin swims beneficial
• Never play your fish in the margin - let them slowly swim through
• Learn to read when the Carp have moved in - no Silvers present