Sunday 15/08/2015 - IVY house Open - Match Lake

With the general election on the horizon in May, The question I want answered is:

“When is the population of UK considered full”?

The first issue in this respect is that current government doesn't know the size of the current population. However, all small country’s (such as ours) should have a “we are full number”. The UK is currently undergoing a number of significant issues such as:

• Hospitals are bursting at the seams
• Schools are full
• Roads are full
• Public transport are expensive and full
• Care for the elderly is declining in quality
• Jobs are declining (excluding zero contracts)

So when the political door knockers come round ask them the above simple question!!

Bela and I decided to go to Ivy House. However, on Saturday I went for a walk and found the NW wind bloody freezing. I was in two minds whether to cancel, but didn’t want to let Bela down. After purchasing Bela one of Karen’s large breakfast which he devoured in quick time. I had a walk around the fishery. Andy has done some more work on the venue, draining the Old Canal (pictured right) and transferring the fish around the venue, Andy is planning to dredge out this Canal and restock with new mixed fishery.

The wind was in the East, I suggested to Andy that he peg it such that the 18 anglers were out of the freezing cold wind. In to the draw box and out come lotto ball 22.

I had a look at the previous six results from the peg and the reading wasn’t promising, which left me wondering why the peg was in, especially as the wind was driving in to it. Apparently the angler that fished it the day before DNW’d and went home early because he was frozen.

Arriving at the peg I did have a huge amount of room. Next peg to my right was corner peg 27 and to my right peg 19. I set up two 4x14 Jolly’s – one with an 808 - 18 hook for the soft pellet over micro and the other a 20 for caster and anything else. I decided to fish the pellet at 10 metres at 12 o clock and the other at 11.5 meters at 2 o clock in slightly deeper water. The problem was that the wind was causing both tow outwards in to deeper water and to my right also in to deeper water. It was also a guess on where my liberal amount of feed landed.

Having tried the full menu of hook baits – 4mm soft pellet, dead red, piece of worm and finally Pinkie, the upshot was for the first three hours I didn’t have a bite except for a foul hooked Carp which came off. I decide to try and warm up and walked around the outside of the venue, everyone was struggling. However, there were plenty of pegs I would have preferred than mine. Arriving back to Bela who was also blanking on peg 17 he suggested I should pack up because of my current health issues. I negotiated another hour, which was also unproductive. I didn’t even have a Ronnie.

My Doctor told me not to get cold (constantly repeated by the Special One) so with two hours to go I threw the towel in for the first time in 8 years. !! BLANK.

During packing up I upset the bait tray; at least the NASTY wild fowl had a good feed (pictured right)

Bela and I soon turned the day around with a visit to the White Harte and bar gar-age.

Don’t know who picked up except when I left the miserable guy on peg 27 had 4 fish, Mike Etheridge opposite me on peg 32 had three small Carp on the straight lead to the Aerator.