Wednesday 31/10/2013 - Avon Angling Open - Landsend Fishery

Well they say trouble comes in three’s. First I fall in from peg 126 at Viaduct (to many anglers amusement), next I cut my head on a kitchen cupboard. And finally (hopefully) whilst  walking the River Avon last Sunday I got bit by a dog tearing my jeans and leaving a couple of teeth marks in the back of my leg.

 

The weather has certainly turned to autumn with a near miss frost this morning. Arriving at the fishery early I walked around Match Lake and I thought it looked a bit dour with some of the colour falling out. My hopes weren’t high. Whilst dipping our nets Chris Davis said that Bitterwell lakes are due to open this Monday, so I might have a look see.

 

In to the draw tin and out comes peg 11, the same peg as my last visit. I was reasonably happy with this as you have both Silvers and Carp to go at.

 

I set up a Silvers rig a 4x16 Jolly to be fished at 7 metres at 1 o clock and a corn rig for down to peg 12 platform (only 7 metres to the edge of this platform). I decided to fish 3mm expander over a few wetted micros over the Silvers line. Within 30 minutes I had two carp and a beautiful 2lb Golden Tench (pictured right) which was in pristine condition. Although I was getting a bit of blow over the feed I just couldn’t get a bite, albeit some liners. I tried corn, worm with no result. Time to try the margin swim at platform 12. This resulted in two quick Carp, which proved to be a false dawn. I tried allsorts of baits including paste and with one hour to go I was close to a DNW but had a walk first and our entire bank was struggling. So with Carp o clock looming I decided to stay and bag up. Carp o Clock took and age to end which resulted in just a few liners.

 

My Tench weighed 2lb 1oz and my four small Carp (a mix of Ghost, Common and Mirrors) weighed 14lb 8oz for a total of 16lb 9oz.

 

The match was won by Adrian Clark (pictured right with the Silvers winner) with 54lb 4oz from peg 19. Adrian caught on lassoed 6mm hard pellet fished over minimal micro over to the island.

 

The Silvers was won by Nigel Bartlett with 18lb 10oz from peg 13. Nigel had three swim going catching the lion’s share from his end bank margin. Nigel fished caster, maggot and worm over potted caster.

 

On hindsight: I should have fished caster down to platform 12 where I would have at least had a days fishing. I actually had a pint with me – bugger. The problem was I still had the previous match experience blinding me from the obvious seasonal changes that fisheries are going through.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Adrian Clark 54-14-0 peg 19
2. Martin McMahon 52-07-0 peg 3
3. Keith 48-10-0 peg 15
4. Ron Hardiman 47-04-0 peg 20
5. Tony Rixon 40-08-0 peg 1
6. Jamie Dyte 33-12-0 peg 17

Top Silvers:

 

1. Nigel Bartlett 18-10-0 peg 13
2. Chris Davis 15-10-0 peg 9

Weigh Sheet:

 

 

Thursday 24/10/2013 - Bathampton AA Over 55's and Disabled - Withy Pool

After yesterdays match I woke feeling a bit jaded and stiff, but soon loosened up after exercising.

 

In to the draw bag and out comes disabled peg 69, about right for me today. Although I have won from the peg before its not one of my favourites as it tends to be Carp or nothing. With this in mind I set up two rigs a 4x16 Jolly (the same one as yesterday) to be fished at 11 o clock with an assortment of hook baits and a paste rig to fish at 1 o clock. Both lines to be fished at 10 metres.

 

Whilst setting up I noticed Bob “Medium Sliced” Price playing a tree (pictured right). Judging by the angle he was pulling I thought he might end up with a painful nether regions! You don’t often land the squirrels in this swim.

 

I fed a couple of balls of GB on the left line followed up with a big pot of CW&C on the right line. I started on the worm lone and had a 1lb Skimmer followed by endless pulls from tiny Perch. I tried feeding them off but managed instead to kill the swim. So over to the GB line with single maggot which resulted in a bite (or rather an indication) every put in which was from tiny Skimmers that were almost too small to pull the float under. Time for a Banana walk as my legs had seized up. It was soon apparent that the lake was fishing really badly, so it wasn’t just me. On my return and having tried every conceivable bait over both lines I decided to fish the paste over the GB line kindering a few micros with it. During the second half of the match I caught one Bream and two Carp – three bites.

 

My Silvers weighed 4lb 9oz and my two Carp 18lb 9oz foe a total of 23lb 3oz for joint fifth overall.

 

The match was one by Martin Alexander (pictured right with the Silvers winner) with 52lb 1oz from peg 35. Most of his fish were moaned on from his LH margin using maggot over maggot feed.

 

The Silvers was won by Andy Smith (pictured right with his catch of Skimmers) with 13lb from peg 68. Andy caught on the waggler fished a 20 metres using maggot hook bait fished over Marukuy 701 GB loose fed all over the place by hand.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Martin Alexander 52-01-0 peg 35
2. Ray Bazeley 29-04-0 peg 56
3. Alan Jones 26-12-0 peg 49
4. Rich Coles 26-02-0 peg 43
5. Mike Nicholls 23-03-0 peg 69
6. Andy Shields 23-03-0 peg 66

 

Top Silvers:

 

1. Andy Smith 13-0-0 peg 68
2. Mike Jones 10-14-0 peg 73
3. Bill Ferris 10-09-0 peg 62

 Weigh Sheets:

 

 

Wednesday 23/10/2013 - Avon Angling Open - Acorn Fishery

Bryan Shanks is running Winter League at the Westerleigh Fishery with pegs limited to 20 best get booked in early to avoid disappointment. It’s the usual six match series with everyone fishing the two Lakes three times. More details from Bryan on 07971861430.

 

Chatting today with the Acorn Fishery owner and it was obvious that he is becoming increasingly annoyed with anglers discarding fishing line which is becoming entangled in his strange looking Chickens and Peacock legs. You have been warned, as he said there are plenty of bins around the fishery.

 

At last back to a decent draw time 09:00. Tony Rixon decided to throw the pegs on to the café table top and one flew off on to my foot. Opening I found peg 9 a flyer by name and a flyer by nature! For company I had the Gimp on peg 7 and Fabio on peg 11 and a host of Chickens and Peacocks which appear to love casters.

 

I set up two paste rigs one for the down wind LH margin and the other for 5 metres at 10-o clock. A few Ronnie’s have been coming out recently so I set the Ronnie rig up and a 4x16 jolly again for the 5 metre line. Blimey that’s four rigs must be unsure of myself.

 

On the whistle I fed a few casters down the LH edge followed by a pot of 50/50 mix of caster and hard 4’s on the 5 metre line. First cast with the Ronnie rig with single caster I hooked and netted a 6lb Common Carp – not what I was expecting. I followed this very quickly for four more. I then had my expected quarry a Ronnie, three F1’s and a Tench. Next fish was a neat 4lb Tench which I lost at the net. This brought back memories of last Sundays match. That was it for the Silvers as I started to catch Carp again. At mid match it went a bit quite in the margin I think to do as much with the bright sun light as much as anything else. So the turn of the 5 metre line with double caster hook bait which resulted in three Carp but I was getting too many liners and foul hookers because the Carp would not follow the feed down. I found this frustrating so tried the paste over the 5 metre line which accounted for one more carp and again plenty of liners. Back in the margin with the Ronnie rig and a few more quick Carp. The water was also a bit clear which I think would spook the Carp hence catching quick, quick, slow. In to the last hour I decided to switch to paste in the margin fished over hard 4’s this produce another six Carp before the triple call for all out. I fed one pint of casters and half a pint of hard 4's.

 

My Silvers weighed 6lb and my 25 Carp 94lb 5oz for a match winning 100lb 5oz.

 

The Silvers was won by Ziggy (pictured right with the match winner) with 20lb from peg 28. After a lot of translation I deducted that Ziggy caught on pieces of worm hook bait fished over GB containing some caster and chopped worm fed through a Kinder pot.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Mike Nicholls 100-05-0 peg 9
2. Matt Tomes 97-08-0 peg 22
3. Harry Muir 92-01-0 peg 25
4. Tony Rixon 85-05-0 peg 36
5. Adrian Clark 69-12-0 peg 33
6. Phil Harding 58-08-0 peg 11

 Top Silvers:

 

1. Ziggy Slowinski 20-0-0 peg 28
2. Phil Harding 18-04-0 peg 11
3. Clive Feddery 14-0-0 peg 34

 Weigh Sheet:

 

 

Sunday 20/10/2013 - Viaduct Silvers League - Round Two - Campbell, Carey and Lodge

Travelling again with Bela as he is now back from the Safford Moor festival where he didn’t fair as well as last year, picking up a section second. Local angler Lee Werret did well coming second overall on weight count back.

 

After breakfast in Cannards’ Well it was in to the draw tin and out came peg 126 on Campbell. Rich Coles had drawn it in the all winners silvers final the day before weighing 20lb. However, the Dude had come second off 127 with 54lb of Tench. Chatting to him he had caught early in both margins and after out at 5 metres using caster with a bit of worm in the caster feed. He said he didn’t have any problems with carp hooking jut the two. For company on my left I had another Roofer Gary O’Shea on 127.

 

I decided on three lines one at 10 metres over GB, 5 metres with CW&C and the RH margin with caster over caster. All to be fished with Jolly’s plus my Ronnie rig.

 

On the whistle I fed just one ball of GB at 10 metres and a pot of caster with a bit of chopped worm, chopped corn and chopped maggot. I started in the LH margin as this put the skimming wind off my back with single caster. I had a Ronnie and a 3oz Skimmer straight off before I hooked my first Tench which shed the hook in to my keep net (how do they do this trick). I then hooked and landed a 10 lb Common Carp on 0.1 G-Line! I was surprised to catch a Carp that early in the margin, especially as I hadn’t fed much caster. So I switched to the 5 metre line with double caster and I was soon in to another large Carp which again I landed. Back out and I hook what I thought was another Carp and pulled a bit too hard as too late realised it was a 3lb Tench and pulled the hook – bugger. Out again and I hook another Tench which I played carefully until the species was confirmed. And bugger me I pulled out of it. I followed this by losing a decent Perch. By now I was feeling that I was bagging but only had 5oz in the net!! A storm then came over with thunder, lightening and high winds. I decided to try the GB line with double maggot which by now should have been abandoned by Carp and hopefully leaving a few morsels for the Skimmers. I hadn’t count to ten before I was breaking a hook length an a Carp – amazing. I decided to fill this line in with GB and went to get my cupping set only to find it had blown out of my reach by the Great Storm. I got up to fetch it and fell down the back of the “T” shaped platform landing on my pole and top set shattering both, ending up in the drink. Thankfully Gary O’Shea and Steve Kedge came to my rescue dragging me out. I have had a few near misses on these poorly designed platforms which I think are risky.

 

With two hours to go and having sorted out my self I started fishing again and after going round all three swims a number of times and catching only Carp every time even though I hadn’t fed that much. I was amazed how quick I got bites from them. As far as I am concerned the myth that Carp don’t feed over GB is shattered. I had no answer to the Carp problem so I decided to stay on the Ronnie rig in the margin and providing I kept fishing on the drop with single caster kept a few Ronnie’s coming, plus two bonus big Tench, 2lb Hybrid and a 1lb Perch for a total weight of 13lb 12oz for last but one in the section. Landing five Carp and breaking on fifteen.

 

Bela lost his care for the aged payment from the Special One because he hadn’t returned me in the same condition as she sent me. What Bela don’t realise is that if he had only brought my wet socks back “as evidence” he would have got a bonus!! Today has been a disaster which I have put down to me wearing a new jumper which won't be going fishing again.

 

The down side for me today was Steve Kedge missing out on our section win by 1oz most probably because he spent time helping me out the drink. Thanks and sorry matey.

 

The match was won by Tony Rixon (pictured right with his net of Skimmers) with 40lb 2oz from peg 98 (peg 97 won the Silvers final the day before with 54lb of Skimmers). Steve Long is thinking of changing the “Diagonal” bank to the “Ricko” Bank!! For how he caught which involved single caster over GB see his Blog…Class act.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Tony Rixon 40-02-0 peg 98
2. Nick Collins 39-10-0 peg 111
3. Steve Mayo 37-06-0 peg 71
4. Mark Brennan 36-02-0 peg 129
5. Steve Kedge 36-01-0 peg 128
6. Bob Gullick 35-02-0 peg 78

 

Weigh Sheets:

 

 

Wednesday 16/10/2013 - Amalgamtion Summer League - Rund 8 - The Fish Off - Tockenham Reservior

This league is run a little bit like the Rugby Union leagues in that the top teams play off to decide who gets promoted. So today the top ten in the league (final league table pictured right) were to fish off for the purse. Both Barry Fitchew and I were joint top point scorers over the seven matches (not sure where we were on weight count back). A couple of years ago Bath RFC won their division but failed to get promoted failing in the play-offs. Barry and I now know what that feels like. That said you enter these competitions knowingly and have to accept the outcome.

 

So the last match greeted us with yet more rain which promised to be clear by mid afternoon, which is was. In to the draw bag and out comes peg 31. This peg is in “The Woods” and as you would expect the peg is under trees. This peg however is out on a gang plank in the middle off very tall Sedges both sides with no elbow room. Gentleman Dave Bacon was next left to me on peg 30. Dave had also had tall sedges down his Left side which went out some 30 metres. Dave’s peg was also looking at 2 o clock in my direction which meant if he fished the feeder (which he did) he would need to cast out in front of me past my peg. These things are annoying especially as there is so many available pegs available including peg 32 which would have negating these issues. But because I was in a bit of a parrots cage (which 32 isn’t) the feeder was not my first choose. That said I know Dave and I would have gladly share the same feeder swim. Looking at the swim I thought there could be a few Carp about so I set up a margin rig to fish worm/corn. But having plumbed up I found I had 7 foot at 4 metres taking me to the edge of the Sedges. I suddenly didn’t fancy it for Carp as it would have meant playing them on the top four with the pull a bung inaccessible. I then set up a 4x18 jolly to be fished at 6 metres where I had 11 foot of water. The swim was in a bit of a bay and was sheltered from the wind. The plan was to fish double caster over tight golf ball size laced with the same.

 

On the whistle I fed 4 golf balls and started to catch Ronnie’s from 3oz to 12oz. After each small Ronnie I would put another golf ball in. And that is how my match went. It did get me thinking Hemp and Tares (next time perhaps). I did lose the fish for awhile probably due to maundering Carp. At about 15:00 the rain stopped and the wind picked up veering more into my peg causing a few difficulties. The Sedges were being blown across my peg right in front of me and I was being bombarded by Acorns. They bloody hurt if the hit you on the head, so I had to keep my hoods up for protection. I at first thought it was Dave feeding 30 mm pellets!! Near the end the Skimmers started to show but a tad too late to make any difference. My Ronnie’s weighed 20lb 8oz.

 

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed today, but Andy needs to sort of his pegging on this venue, especially at the dam wall end as there were only three fishing there leaving four good empty pegs.

 

The match was won by Gentleman Dave Bacon (pictured right with his Teddy boy hair cut) with 42lb 8oz from peg 30. Dave caught on the feeder at 30 metres using Marukuy 131 GB with worm and caster. Dave caught Skimmers to 3 lb.

 

Runner up was Dave Poole (pictured lower right with his catch) from Dam wall end peg 40, Dave also caught on the feeder.

 

Bill Ferris was next also on the Dam and interestingly enough his Silvers catch included 20lb of margin Perch whilst fishing for Carp!

 

Andy is running the league again next year with nine matches - four at Tockenham, four at Sabre and only one at Pawlett. I did enjoy the league as the venues are not out and out commercial type fisheries infested by Carp making a change.

 

 

Full Result:

 

1. Dave Bacon 42-08-0 peg 30
2. Dave Poole 36-0-0 peg 40
3. Bill Ferris 33-13-0 peg 35
4. Bob Black 31-10-0 peg 26
5. John Osborne 25-15-0 peg 33
6. Doug Sutton 23-0-0 peg 36

 

Top Silvers;

 

1. Dave Bacon 42-08-0 peg 30
2. Dave Poole 36-0-0 peg 40
3. Doug Sutton 23-0-0 peg 36

 

Weight Sheets:

 

 

Sunday 13/10/2013 - Avon Angling Open - Platation Fishery - Horseshoe Lake

With Bela away down on the Stafford Moor Autumn festival, I was on my own today so I had breakfast at home.

 

In to the draw box and out comes peg 19, which was on the inside on the first leg. The peg was under a tree which because it rained all day decided to throw a bucket equivalent of water over me every time the wind blew. Luckily the Gortex did its job as I didn’t bring my umbrella.

 

I had an island opposite at 11.5 metres making it a narrow swim. I also had an assessable (because the sedges had be cut back a bit) margin swim to my left. I plumbed up with a 4x12 Jolly down the middle and found 3 ½ foot of water. This depth was more or less the same where ever I plumbed including over and the margin. I set up a corn rig for the margin.

 

I decided to keep my options open with regards Silvers and Carp because the first time I fished this Lake I won the Silvers from this peg. So I decided to focus down the middle with two swims one out in front with 3mm expanders over micro and another with the identical rig at 10 o clock to fish allsorts over GB. Having fed both lines and loose fed a few hard 4’s in the margin I started on the pellet and caught a common straight away. I had a good start putting six Carp in the net the biggest being 8lb. The swim slowed so I tried the GB line with single red maggot and had a 2 oz Skimmer followed by a few “drop-off” Ronnie’s. I then tried the soft pellet over the GB and had a small Common Carp. I re-fed the GB line and had another couple of Carp. This is when things got difficult, I hit a wall. All I could do was add of carp from the margin on corn and one on triple maggot over the GB line which I had converted to maggot.

 

My Silvers weighed 2oz and my ten Carp 35lb 1oz for a total of 35lb 3oz! This left me coinless in 6^th place.

 

On Hindsight: I shouldn’t have fed the GB but had a maggot line instead. Secondly I should have had another line over to the island and pulled up the slope. The reason I didn’t bother over was because I thought the wind was going to pick up, but it didn’t.

 

He match was won By Tony Rixon (pictured right with some of his catch) with 80lb 2oz from peg 6. Tony caught up the bar at 13 metres with bronze maggot…see his blog for all the details…Including when Tony first shouting "all out" instantly followed by “fish on” – organisers perk I suppose!

 

Eighteen fished today with four having an early bath probably due the incessant rain.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Tony Rixon 80-02-0 peg 6
2. Mark Walsh 55-03-0 peg 20
3. Paul Elms 51-12-0 peg 1
4. Craig Edmonds 50-12-0 peg 16
5. Phil Harding 40-01-0 peg 9
6. Mike Nicholls 35-03-0 peg 19

 Top Silvers:

 

1. Clive Federey 8-01-0 peg 14
2. Steve Segar 6-13-0 peg 3

Weigh Sheet:

 

 

 

Thursday 10/10/2013 - Bathampton AA Over 55's and Disabled - Bridge Pool

Walking around Bridge Pool before the draw it was good to see that the water level has been maintained at the same level throughout the summer. However, the water looked a strange colour but appeared to be clear – quite strange. There was hardly any sign of Silvers feeding or Carp come to that. We were also promised cold NE winds with the temperature dropping 10 degrees to 8!! Well we got both, combined with bright sunshine. All didn’t bode well.

 

In to the draw bag and out came peg 18 a peg I haven’t fished for a long time, but have always did well of it. It can be a good Silvers peg, but is always a reliable Carp peg. The peg was also sheltered from the cold wind. In fact I was feeling quite warm in the sun.

 

Two rigs – A 4x16 Jolly for the Skimmers at 7 metres and a paste/worm rig for the RH margin.

 

I stared by feeding some CW, C & Wetted micros at 7 metre. It didn’t take long before I realised that the Skimmers weren’t going to feed due to getting dinks on the worm hook bait from tiny fish – Ronnie’s and Perch. In the first hour I had 2lb of the blighters and decided to give the Silvers up and sit out for the Carp.

 

After trying paste in the margin over hard 4’s but unfortunately it wasn’t staying on the hook long enough to snare a Carp, so a more sustainable bait was required. The chose was corn, maggot or worm. I decided on the worm to be fished over casters because both were already on the bait tray! This worked but the first carp broke me – bugger. I then went on to land seven Carp losing 4 foul hookers.

 

My carp weighed 74lb 6oz and when increased by 2lb of Silvers I weighed 76lb 6oz for first overall – but only just.

 

The Silvers was won by Terry Bruton (pictured right with the overall winner) from peg 16 with 13lb 12oz of Skimmers. Terry caught on 8mm punched meat fished over 6mm meat. Terry fed about three small tins of meat throughout.

 

Looking at the high number pegs (far bank) on the weight sheet I was left wondering why they fished so bad - the worse I can remember.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Mike Nicholls 76-06-0 peg 18
2. John Smith 72-12-0 peg 5
3. Ray Bazeley 53-01-0 peg 30
4. Terry Bruton 50-14-0 peg 16
5. Pete Greenslade 40-08-0 peg 15
6. Andy Shields 32-03-0 peg 10

Top Silvers:

 

1. Terry Bruton 13-12-0 peg 16
2. Charlie Barnes 12-05-0 peg 7
3. Bill Ferris 11-0-0 peg 21

Weigh Sheets:

 

 

 

Sunday 06/10/2013 - Viaduct Individual Silvers League - Round One - Campbell, Carey and Lodge

After breakfast in Canards Well Hotel it was off to the first match in the 2013 Viaduct silvers league with 53 0f the top South West and Wales Commercial Silvers anglers booked in. The lakes are Campbell, Carey and Lodge all of which were hard fished yesterday I the all-winners Carp final. So with plenty of bait going in we were all dubious on how it was going to fish. Add the flat calm bright conditions all didn’t bode too well. There was no need to worry on this venue as it always delivers one way or another, as it did today with the majority on the angler breaking double figures.

 

Bait-tech handed out a freebie of their new range of GB a kind gesture I thought. I wanted a peg on Carey Lake and I wasn’t disappointed pulling peg 80 from the coffee tin. Not one of the pegs I would have chosen but on the Lake I wished for. Martin Preston had fished it the day before and said he had been pestered by skimmers fishing meat over meat and hemp!!

 

I set up a 4 x14 Jolly to be fished at 10 metres at 1-o-clock over GB with a host of hook baits to be fished over it. The old reliable Ronnie rig for caster over caster and a 4 x 12 Jolly for up against the LH spit again a t 10 metres.

 

On the whistle I fed five balls of neat GB on the long line and some CW&C against the spit, but starting on the Ronnie rig with caster, whilst things settled. I had a few Ronnie’s but they wouldn’t settle. So I tries 3mm expander pallet over the GB which resulted in one liner so out again with double dead red which only resulted in a Carp which straighten the hook. I tried resettling the hook in the old tried and tested method by bending it between my front upper and lower teeth only to break a piece of my tooth off, leaving me with out a straightening tool, which I was going to need a good few times more! I did have four small Skimmers before the next Carp came to their rescue.

 

I started to catch Ronnie’s which is normally a sign to re-feed. However, I think this was a mistake swim erupted with Carp – bugger.

 

So on to the chop worm line with a biggish piece of worm and first put in I hooked and landed a 6lb Common Carp. So back on to the Ronnie rig and it wasn’t too long before I hooked another carp and a new hook length was required. I kept trying the three lines until I hooked a Carp steadily catching Ronnie’s. So come the end of a frustrating match I still managed to put 18lb 3oz on the scales for last in the section. I think I made a few mistakes today; one which would not normally be associated with me – over feeding. The other mistake was not fishing against the spit enough because switching back there with 30 minutes left and lightly kindering a few casters with single caster on the hook resulted an Tench and an Hybrid bugger. That said most anglers found the Carp very active. Come on the first frost.

 

I have only drawn next to matey Bela twice and twice he has beaten me including today. Bela weighed 25lb for second in section pick up by default.

 

The match was won by Matt Tomes (pictured right with his nice net of decent Skimmers) from peg 78 with 41lb 5oz. Matt caught on soft pellet (4 and 6mm) over dry GB fished at 14.5 metres. I thought Matt fish a good, quite steady match. Well done matey.

Considering the condition's it fished really well with 26lb being the lowest section winning weight with 20lb being par.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Matt Tomes 41-05-0 peg 78
2. Bob Gullick 40-03-0 peg 86
3. Paul Faiers 37-02-0 peg 69
4. Tony Rixon 36-09-0 peg 101
5. Andy Neal 35-07-0 peg 97
6. Ian Didcot 34-03-0 peg 100

Weigh Sheets:

 

 

Wednesday 02/10/2013 - Amalgamation Summer League - Round Seven - Sabre Lake

Colin Golding was at the match today and explained how he was burgled at night whilst in bed. The thief took his fishing box and some rods plus his car. Colin didn’t realise until lunch time when he couldn’t find his car keys and by evening the thief was spotted on camera driving Colin’s car and was arrested. Colin got all his gear back except the aluminium legs off his tackle box as the thief thought it was the only thing of value and sold them for scrap! The low life got 3 years.

 

So after a delayed match of an hour it was into the draw bag and out comes peg 14. It has some Carp history most of it being based on lost and tackle broken as can be seen from the close proximity to the Sedges.

 

After plumbing up I found 9 foot at 9 metres so that would do for the 4x16 Jolly and 4 ½ foot at 4 metres which would do for the Ronnie rig. I then made up a paste rig with 0.22 G-line straight through for fishing in the Sedges.

 

On the whilst I potted a ball of GB laced with dead maggot on the 9 metre line and the same at 4 metres plus a big pot of micro in the RH margin. Starting on the long line with single dead red I caught small Ronnie’s one a bung on the drop. This lasted about half hour. After re-feeding this line I came in on the 4 metre line. Not to go back out long again because I caught a lot quicker plus some 6 – 8 oz Skimmers by regularly feeding walnut size ball of GB laced with maggot. I then hooked a Carp, and luck was on my side as it was worse for wear and came to the net easily. It had bulging eyes and a deformed body. I named it Marty Feldman. I couldn’t tell the species of Carp, but is weighed 6lb. I kept going on the Silvers until two hours to go when I thought I would try and break my top set in the margin where I had been loose feeding with hard 4’s. First put in with paste hook bait I foul hooked a Carp and yep I broke another number two on my top set with the Carp well gone leaving me fighting the Sedges, plus I lost a complete rig. So I re-set up and again and foul hooked yet another Carp, but luckily it swam out only for the hook to pull. After losing another Carp on yet another foul hooker I switch to worm over caster and hooked and landed another three 6lb Carp, beautiful Commons. I then had a 2lb Tench taking my fish species to nine (excluding Marty)!

 

My Silvers weighed 14lb 4oz and my four Carp 25lb 2oz for a total of 39lb6oz which put first overall and third in the Silvers for a double pick up. I am beginning to like this venue, looking forward to next years series on the venue.

 

The Silvers was won by Mike Jones (pictured right with the match winner) with an excellent weight of 25lb 2oz from peg 2. Mike caught similarly to me except he fished a whip at 6 metres using caster in his GB with caster on the hook. Mike’s catch included some big Skimmers.

 

Full Result:

 

1. Mike Nicholls 39-06-0 peg 14
2. Charlie Barnes 33-03-0 peg 13
3. Dave Bacon 30-12-0 peg 3
4. Mike Jones 25-02-0 peg 2
5. Gary Davis 23-09-0 peg 30
6. Dave Poole 21-09-0 peg 28

 

Top Silvers:

 

1. Mike Jones 25-02-0 peg 2
2. Dave Poole 15-01-0 peg 28
3. Mike Nicholls 14-04-0 peg 14

 

Weigh Sheets: