Thursday 09/03/2017 - Harescombe Cost Cutter - Match Lake

Is this the start of spring? What a beautiful day to go fishing, three less layers and still hot. I had planned to fish Ray’s Beazley’s rip-off at Windmill but due to a booking mix up by the fishery I went to Harescombe instead. I breakfasted at the fishery with the usual suspects plus it was good to see Stuart Graham back fishing.

The good weather meant a good turn out with 18 fishing which some say was just right number for the Match Lake. In to the draw bag and out comes peg 17. I was very happy with this one, not only because it was an end peg on the far bank but the wind had been blowing down this end for a good few days. Found myself pegged next to Rob Roy Liddell understanding his Scottish accent is murrderr!

Set up a 4x12 F1 to fish 4mm expander or meat at top-set plus two and downwind to my left at 10-o-clock. The only other rig was a 4x10 Speedy Titan to fish again down wind in the margin on the top set to fish maggot.

I started on the F1 with 4mm expander over some micro and expander feed. I had an F1 first put-in. The amazingly the wind turned 180 degrees – bugger. I re-plumbed out in front and started again and had four more F1’s and a 2 ½ lb Mirror Carp. The swim completely died but could catch tiny Skimmers! Had I fed the fish up in the water? Had the arrival of the bright sun put them off? However, I suspected it was due to our end going from a nice ripple to completely flat calm. Early try in the margin where on maggot hook bait over the maggot feed I could catch a menagerie of small fish one a bung. This wasn’t going win any coin. So I opened a longer margin line which I was now fishing into the wind with 6mm meat over meat. This bait tends to be left alone by the small Silvers which allowed some time for the F1’s and the odd small Carp to get to the hook bait. After a productive hour which included three small Barbel and a spell of losing foul hooked F1’s the swim died and with the wind ever decreasing the fish moved to my right to Roy who started to catch well short on the maggot. Roy slowed in the last 45 minutes only for Stuart Graham on peg 20 to take over catching on maggot in his margin.

I finished with 6lb 14oz of Silvers and 33lb 2oz of Carp for a total of 40lb. I’m sure the swing of the wind buggered it for me today. That said this put me 5^th overall in what was a very close match and a very enjoyable return to this popular fishery.

The match was won by Martin Hook (pictured upper right with his spoils) with 56lb 8oz from peg 5. Martin caught short on the deck with big maggot over loose fed Pinkie of which he about a pint all match.

Steve Brown on peg 14 included 26lb of Silvers (pictured right) in his catch which included Barbel, Chub and Skimmers caught long over to the piles.

Full Result:

1. Martin Hook 56-08-0 peg 5
2. Steve Brown 48-04-0 peg 14
3. Terry Girdlestone 44-02-0 peg 29
4. Stuart Graham 42-02-0 peg 20
5. Mike Nicholls 40-0-0 peg 17
6. Mike Goodluck 37-0-0 peg 2

Weigh Sheet: