Wednesday 07/12/2011 - Carps AC Christmas Match - Plantation Match Lake

There is always the first time for everything. Today’s pools of £22 included a mandatory £5 breakfast. Unfortunately it wasn’t the best one by a long way, in addition to me I heard a couple of anglers moaning about heart burn afterwards. Still no Christmas prizes even though the match was billed as such.

In to pass the draw box and out pops peg 38 with “island chuck” written on it, at first that I thought I had won the raffle!!. This is a point peg and has plenty of Silvers form. However, Paul Haines said he drew recently and had problems with the sun in his eyes, hence I was hoping it would be overcast all day, which isn’t usual with high gusting winds which was blowing right to left.

The picture left is the state of the sun after packing up – the best it was all day.

As per usual I decided to fish for the Silvers so initially set up a 4x14 Jolly, which would normally suffice for the depth I had at 10 metres, but because of the wind I had to park this rig and set up a 4x16 Jolly. The second and last rig was my usual Ronnie rig with caster over caster. Unfortunately the sun was out and very low at 10 o clock and would move to 2 o clock by all out. I anticipated this, but fed these lines nonetheless with GB laced with a few dead reds – this was a mistake. I started on the Ronnie rig and – nothing – “don’t believe it”. Out on the Skimmer line and after landing one Carp and losing one which very cleverly managed to untie my hook (how do they do this?) the sun was so bad my head was aching – now I understand the expression “blinding headache”. I decided to switch to a line at 3 o clock into the bay on the right with a red topped Jolly – much better. So I re-fed GB through the kinder pot with double red on the 16 hook. The presentation was also much better as I was now facing into the wind which was blowing the bait up the inside shelf. I landed another five Carp losing three foul hookers. I did manage a 1lb Perch plus a few Skimmers – but still no Ronnie’s! Because I was compromising on the pole elastic I lost a 2lb Skimmer bouncing off at the net. This was a very important fish as it cost me a Silvers win. I am now thinking I compromised the elastic too far towards the Carp – who knows. Two things that surprised me today – no Ronnie’s and catching Carp over GB.

My six Carp weighed in at 24lb 3oz and my Silvers 7lb 11oz for a total of 31lb 14oz. This left me fourth and fourth (another tin of buicuits has slipped me by)

The match was won by Rod Wotton (pictured right with his first weigh catch) with an amazing 85lb 6oz from peg 25. Rod fished various Carpy baits on the hook – hard pellet, corn and caster. Rod fed four pints of 4 mm pellet fishing towards empty peg 26.

The Silvers was won by Andy Gard (pictured right with the overall winner) with 9lb 6oz from peg 18. Andy fished maggot short.

I should now retie tomorrows rig which I used today, but because my face is now wind burning hot and the headache subsiding, I think I will settled down and doze through tonight’s TV instead.

Full Result:

1.      Rod Wotton 85-06-0 peg 25

2.      John Smith 48-09-0 peg 27

3.      John Dursley 37-0-0 peg 31

4.      Mike Nicholls 31-14-0 peg 38

5.      Chris Fox 31-0-0 peg 4

6.      John Bennett 23-0-0 peg 29

Top Silvers:

1.      Andy Gard 9-06-0 peg 18

2.      John Dursley 8-13-0 peg 31

3.      Steve Dawson 8-0-0 peg 39

4.      Mike Nicholls 7-11-0 peg 38