Silverfox Match Angling: Sunday 21/07/2013 - Avon Angling Float Only League - Shiplate Farm Fishery

Monday, 22 July 2013

Sunday 21/07/2013 - Avon Angling Float Only League - Shiplate Farm Fishery - All Lakes

The day after I agreed to stand in for Clint Wojtyle in the AA Float only league at Shiplate Fishery we were invited to a friends Pool party. I thought about cancelling but as I never like letting people down so I decided to go. However, the Special One went and I joined her after the match.

By the sounds of it the Silvers was only going to be won from the Main Lake. So a peg on here would do me – or so I thought.

In to the draw box and out comes peg 3A on the Main Lake. This Lake is primarily a Specimen Lake with very wide platforms for the Bivvy brigade, but the owners are gradually opening it up to matches so have inserted pegs in between the main pegs, hence “A” pegs.

Arriving at the peg I could see the bank was built up with large stones so using my landing net handle discovered they were out at far as 4 metres before the stones stopped. So no real margin here then – bugger.

So with very little cover it was going to be an out and out Silvers attack. So I set up a 4x16 Jolly and two paste rigs one for the margin just out beyond the stones and the other to fish over the Jolly line at 7 metres.

I decided I might need some GB and luckily enough I was just behind the travelling tackle shop Chris Fox who gave me a bag of his unlucky mix of Gimps and Lake.

I started on the soft pellet over micro expecting a bite first put in, but it didn’t happen. After 15 minutes I did have 6oz Crucian and one tiny Ronnie. An-Ton Page who was on next peg 3 was also struggling and went out on the waggler. It was then that I saw a massive swirl in the water between our pegs I initially thought it was Walrus like, so to stop myths I photographed it (pictured right). I was wrong it was An-Ton swimming around (the teeth's the give away) collecting discarded line that was impeding his waggler casting. An-Ton has a reputation for going in the water and I think he has a fetish for sitting in wet knickers.

Whilst the Walrus was playing around I decided to put on ten ball of GB laced with casters on the 7 mere line and a pint of dead maggot on the inside 4 metre line. As I was getting a blow over the GB I put the paste over it and had a 2 ½ lb Skimmers followed after a long wait before another two 8 oz Skimmers. I tried all the usual baits to try and catch and did have a few tiny fish on red Maggot. With two hours I was hot and wishing I was at the pool party with the Special one. I did try the 4 metre line with paste and lost a foul hooker before I decided to give it up with half hour left.

My Silvers went 7lb 9oz for last in section (sorry Clint).

The match was won by Tom Mangnall (pictured right with the Silvers winner) with 140lb 8oz from peg 6 on West Pool. Tom caught shallow on banded hard 6 mm pellet fished at 8 metres heavily feeding 8 pints of 6’s throughout the match.

The Silvers was won by Joe McMahon (pictured below centre with a 7lb Sturgeon – what a strange looking fish - caviar tonight Dad) as the fish was classes as a Silverfish it significantly contributing to his overall Silvers weight of 19lb 7oz. All Joe’s fish fell to banded 8 mm pellet. Well done matey.

The boy came good today coming in 6th overall beating both Des Shipp and Tony Rixon off next pegs. Well done Bela. There probably wasn't time on the drive home to explain how the full match went!! According to Bela Des is still on his peg trying to workout where it all went wrong!

The few times I have been to this fishery there always seems to be some improvement in terms of the match fishing. Match anglers tend to be impatient, but developing a fishery of this size does take time.

Full Result: