Wednesday 22/08/2013 - Amalgamation Summer League - Round Five - Tockenham Reservior

The second visit in the Summer League to Tockenham Reservoir (pictured right looking from the dam wall). Whilst driving to the match I had that left something behind feeling, then going up Tog Hill the penny dropped I had forgotten my feeder rod. I decided to press on regardless. After breakfast with Barry Fitchew in Miss Piggies (small and friendly) it was off to the draw.

 

I was hoping for a draw on the dam wall however; in to the draw bag and a peg two away from where I was last time stuck to my hand, peg 26. I would have been happy about it had the next peg 27 not been in as I knew from previous experience that it is an out and out Carp area. That said I did expect to catch a few Skimmers on the pole, but believe it or not I didn’t have one Silver fish, not even an indication of one – unbelievable from a venue full of the blighters!

 

So I started with the Silver rig a 4x16 Jolly, which lasted half hour with out a bite on soft pellet over initially GB and then hard fours followed by softened micros until I hooked my first Carp. After about three or so minutes I lost the lot, fish and rig which broke 0.18 G-Line on the connector knot. After some deliberation I decided to retire the Silvers line and put paste over it. Unbelievably it just sat there which is unusual because if Carp aren’t about you do get some nibbling from the small Silver fish. Alas the float just sat there. So from previous experience I decided to give both margins a try with paste over hard 4’s. Second put in the RH margin I hook and land an 8lb Common which appeared to be quite annoyed with being interrupted during its dinner. The upshot was I landed four Common Carp and lost two foul hookers, as their scales testified (even their scales fight like hell) and lost two in the mouth that broke me. The biggest weighed 17lb 8oz which took me 15 minutes to land having to ship back on five times. The fish here fight like demons as many anglers will testify today with plenty of poles being broke. My four Carp weighed in at 52lb 6oz for third overall.

 

I was glad to hear the final whilst but not as glad as Mike Jones who was walking around soaking wet in his wife’s Knickers carrying a broken number five section which Mike had just recovered from the Lake. Mike had drawn the peg he wished for – point peg 23. Alas he put in a dismal performance on this flier landing a few Skimmers and Ronnie’s losing ELEVEN Carp on maggot.

 

The match was won by Malcolm Ockwell (pictured right with some of his Carp) from next peg 27 with 70lb 13oz. Malcolm tried allsorts to catch Skimmers but failed with most he tried, it wasn’t until he went in to his RH margin fishing double Dendrabena over GB that he caught six Carp and a few Bream. Once Malcolm went in to his margin it appeared to cut the fish off from my swim. Malcolm landed one Carp that regurgitated a small Perch (pictured lower right).

 

The Silvers was won by Dusty Barrett (pictured lower right with his travelling partner and match winner - I lost two Carp bigger than these!) with 53lb from Dam Wall end peg 41. Dusty caught at 11 metres on the pole using double caster over GB laced with the same. Dusty feed about 1 ½ pints of casters and 1 ½ kilos of GB, feeding mostly through his kinder pot after every two fish or so.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Malcolm Ockwell 70-13-0 peg 27
2. Dusty Barrett 53-0-0 peg 41
3. Mike Nicholls 52-06-0 peg 26
4. Gary Davis 51-0-0 peg 36
5. Bob Black 42-10-0 peg 23
6. Pete Greenslade 34-04-0 peg 25 

Top Silvers:

 

1. Dusty Barrett 53-0-0 peg 41
2. Gary Davis 45-08-0 peg 36
3. Bob Black 42-10-0 peg 23
4. Pete Greenslade 34-04-0 peg 25

 

Weigh Sheets Follow: