Wednesday - 20/07/2011 - Carps AC - Rood Ashton

I had a new travelling partner with me going to Rood Ashton today – Mr Big Foot – see picture right - my size sevens next to Big Foots size fifteens!! Big foot came fourth for the second time in consecutive visits.

It’s seems a long time since I fished this venue. It was nice to be back though because it’s a wonderful setting – that’s if you can find it!! Plus it’s a sensible draw 9-o clock so home by 6 o clock.

In to the draw bucket and comes peg 4. I was happy with this peg even though the guy who fished it Sunday DNW’ed. I decided to fish for the Ronnie’s and set up my usual two Ronnie rigs to be fished at 6 metres with maggot over maggot. This was to be the first big mistake of the day; the second was persevering with them for far too long. I started by fishing maggot over loose feed maggot and started to catch 3oz Ronnie’s with the odd better one. However, it wasn’t long before my 3 hollow elastic was bottoming out on a Carp which required a lot of persuasions to return back in to the top set plus a new hook was required. A pattern was forming two Ronnie’s and a lost Carp. So I up the elastic and did land two Carp on it. Unfortunately, the heavier elastic lead to bumping the Ronnie’s in addition, once over terra firma they would fall off in to a muddy puddle caused by a prolonged down pour adding to my frustration. After switching back to the lighter elastic and loosing more Carp (one was enormous) and with pegs 1 and 2 catching Silvers regularly, I looked at the time and I had 1 hour 55 minutes left. So I decided to abandon the Ronnie’s and go for Carp even though I was well behind Ray Bazeley and Turkey who both had around 18 Carp. I decided to keep feeding the maggot through the kinder pot with paste hook bait and had a steady last part of the match catching 13 decent carp to 8lb-ish. On the whisle I was expecting to be well down the order as some anglers had 25 to 30 Carp. My Silvers weighed in at 7lb 5oz and my Carp 81lb 4oz for a total 88lb 9oz. I was amazed to find that this put me second overall, but not amazed to find both pegs 1 and 2 beat me in the Silvers. Neither of them had more than 2 Carp each! I was going to do an “If only I fished for Carp …”, but I won’t.

The match was won by Leyton (moan, moan, moan) Palmer (pictured right with some of his catch) from peg 8 with 97lb 12oz. Leyton caught initially on the method feeder and later on the pole.

There are signs that the fish are keeping well out in the Lake probably drive there by the method boys.

The Silvers was won by Steve Dawson (pictured lower right with someone else’s catch!) from peg 2 with 18lb 8oz of quality Ronnie’s. Steve fished short up to the brambles on his LH side.

Full Result:

1. Leyton Palmer 97-12-0 peg 8
2. Mike Nicholls 88-09-0 peg 4
3. John Thompson 79-0-0 peg 6
4. Ray Bazeley 78-04-0 peg 5
5. Scott Lovell 49-08-0 peg 7
6. Colin Golding 31-13-0 peg 3

Top Silvers:

1. Steve Dawson 18-08-0 peg 2
2. Andy Gard 13-06-0 peg 1
3. Mike Nicholls 7-05-0 peg 4