Wednesday 26/06/2013 - Amalgamated Summer Wednesday League - Round One - Tockenham

I decided this year to fish the Amalgamation Fisheries Summer Open Wednesday League. With three matches on Tockenham Reservoir , three on Sabre Lake and two on Pawlett Ponds with the first today on Tockenham. The league is run by Andy Smith and is a sell out although there was a few missing today who are fishing a festival down at Whiteacres.

 

In to the draw bag and out comes permanent peg 28. Which meant nothing to me, only that it wasn’t on the dam wall where I was told you needed to be. Andy Smith said it was OK, but someone whispered in my ear that Andy says that about all the pegs! Arriving at the peg I found I was in a bit of a corner of a big bay. With loads of sedges to my right which I was sure would contain a few Carp although I thought I would be suicidal to fish there. I didn’t fancy it much for Silvers as I was well away from the main body of the Lake. Then to compound my bad luck Steve “The Scud” Jefferies arrives on peg 27. So it was to be a ear battering to my left and a rig bashing to my right. I got both!!

 

I set up:

 

The waggler to fish at depth with caster on the drop over caster.

The 4x16 Jolly (in 7 foot at 10 metres) with soft pellet or caster

The GB feeder to chuck anywhere.

A paste rig to fish over the soft pellet line.

A paste right for the dreaded RH margin.

 

The upshot was that the Wag, Feeder and long paste rig caught nought. The only way I could catch Silvers was with 3mm expander over loose fed hard 4’s, but couldn’t hold them there for long as the water was extremely clear (I could see down 3 feet). I did have a 1 ½ lb Roach.

 

With 13lb 6oz of Silvers in the net I was going nowhere in terms of framing. Then with 1 ½ hours to go I seen the Sedges move in the margin so a nervously placed ball of paste went in and the float buried. However, I wasn't prepared for this and took me a adrenalin fill two minutes to get more pole on, luckily it swam out of the Sedges and a 9lb beautifully scaled Common was in the net. My luck wasn’t to hold out because I lost the next two, with one Carp bottoming out my 22 elastic taking the entire rig. However, I did land the next two 9 pounders both Commons and just before the whistle I pulled out of another even though I had managed to persuade it to swim out on the Sedges – bugger. So the score was three all.

 

My three Carp weighed 26lb 12oz taking the total to 40lb 2oz for fifth overall. I was happy with this result from the peg, but those lost Carp cost me a win.

 

Scud (pictured right - he was so exhausted from his unceasing chatter that he fell a sleep holding his 14lb Common) did more damage to me than the Carp; driving home I had a throbbing headache.

 

The match and the Silvers was won by Malcolm Ockwell with 58lb 6oz from Dam wall peg 40. Malcolm caught all Skimmers on the pole using caster over caster in GB.

Finally we all got home late because some low life pinched the scales from the dam wall section. The moral is don't leave scales on a peg that is not drawn.

Good news for Mr Osborne on peg 25, I retrieved your Diawa top set with a part of a number four. I will bring it to the next match - forsaking my salvage rights!

 

Full Result:

 

1.      Malcolm Ockwell 58-06-0 peg 40

2.      B Black 43-08-0 peg 19

3.      Mike Jones 43-04-0 peg 44

4.      Gary Davis 42-12-0 peg 20

5.      Mike Nicholls 40—02-0 peg 28

6.      Dave Bacon 35-04-0 peg 33

 

Top Silvers:

 

1.      Malcolm Ockwell 58-06-0 peg 40

2.      Mike Jones 43-04-0 peg 44

3.      Gary Davis 42-12-0 peg 20

 

Weigh Sheets Follow: