Tuesday 06/04/2021 - Acorn Cost Cutter - Paddocks

Booked into Acorn with the weather at the moment wondered if I did the right thing. Decided to go making sure I had plenty of layers with me. Once the sun was "out" Spain and "in" Alaska. Can live with that but the wind is another thing - I hate it.

Mike drew me peg 22 a peg I've always wanted due to it's history of Tench up to the Bridge.

I have noticed recently on a few fishery pictures that the water looks bright blue and thought it might be the camera white balance - nope definitely Caribbean blue - pictured.

Found myself next to another Silver Dacer returnee - Richard Britton the other side of the bridge peg 21. The Bridge is just below water level so with the wind driving right to left Richard's side was quite rough with the wind battering the bridge. However, the opposite being true my side being flat calm, sheltering the next two pegs to my left. Out of preservation of life Mike had left all the pegs out to my left around to peg 30.

Tackled up and a walk around and found Tony Rixon grinning like a Cheshire Cat on flyer peg 5 - Suit you sir -pictured.

Two rigs - 4x13 MR for up to the bride mid-stanchion and a 4x12 Winter Titan for top set plus three at 10 0'clock for Silvers.

Naturally started up to the bridge with 6 mm expander over micro. For thirty minutes trying different baits not a bite, whilst Richard had a few fish including some decent Tench. Fed the Silvers line with some dryish GB with loose Pinkie. I caught a few Skimmers and Carassio's on single dead, but was foul hooking and bumping fish - I assumed it was because of the bright light and no wind cover making them shy to pick up the hook bait. I noticed that on empty pegs 25,26 and 27 Carp crashing around in the rough wind driven water - wish I was up two pegs. After a fully expired Silvers line I messed around to the bridge for an hour with one small Tench to show for it. For at least 3/4 of the match the thinking was to go long towards the wind cover - but didn't, instead more messing around. With an hour to go the wind picked up so was driven to turn my back to it and do what I should have done after the first hour and fish long. I started to catch decent Carp on double maggot over kindered maggot. However, I hooked one which I thought had gone under the platform even though I was fishing a metre out from it. I lost it! This happened again but this time realising it snagged well away from the platform - bugger. I did pull one through it the others came out ok. In the last hour I netted 30lb and was kicking myself because I knew it wasn't all due to Carp o'clock but me not doing what my brain had been telling me for most of the match - feel I cocked the peg up.

My Silvers weighed 11lb which was nowhere on a day when they really fed well all around. My few Carp weighed 29lb. The peg was definitely worth a higher placing if not a winning peg, folded a winning hand.  I must say all the fish I caught were in excellent condition.

The match was won by Tony Rixon (pictured right with the Silvers winner) on peg 5 with 69lb 14oz - see his blog for the grinning details.

The Silvers (Green's) was won by John Mills (pictured with the match winner) with 31lb 5oz from peg 6. John caught mostly over Pinkie - see his blog for further details.

Result: