Silverfox Match Angling: Sunday 02/04/2023 - Westerleigh Winter League - Round Seven - Final Round

Monday 3 April 2023

Sunday 02/04/2023 - Westerleigh Winter League - Round Seven - Final Round - Taylor's Pool and Shipp's Canal

My turn on Shipp's Canal. No silvers focus for me as Lee Waller and me were only 1 lb behind Bela and Steve from winning the pairs which is done on weight count only.

Had a walk around the canal and noticed that the dreaded peg 13 was alive with carp.

Lee drew well with peg 17 Taylor's and so did I with Shipp's peg 6. That said both Bela and Steve also drew well.

Arrived at the peg and it seems a long time since I've been down this end. Plenty of room as peg 7 not in this year. For company peg 5 was occupied by Steve Shears, we have drawn next to each other a few times this league. - he's no longer on my Jinx list.

In case it was hard got the waggler rod out for a 7" Drake, but noticed the peg was a bit of a bird cage so with Mark's permission cut a couple of branches down with Bela's saw. Had a small area for a clear cast but due to the wind went up the tree with practice casts so packed it away. Just two rigs - 4x13 MR to fish top set plus one barrel and a 0.3 gram RJ (love these floats) to fish top set down the RH margin. Absolutely lovely sloping margin and perfect for paste, but didn't have any!

Both lines to be potted with micro and fish either double LR's or 4/6 mm expander on the hook. Started on the long line (LOL) the very cold wind was blowing in at 11 o clock and was giving perfect presentation blowing the rig up the slight slope towards me. A great start in the first hour put 10 F1's and a small carp in the net. The wind dropped and change direction slightly. The line died. Went down the margin with expander, no bites. Tried double maggot and got pestered by micro Perch and the odd Ronnie - no carp around then - yet. Started to loose feed micro whilst going back out long with maggot and had a run of skimmers and a couple of Crucians, no carp though. Back on the margin with double maggot and no bites - good sign, changed to expander and had three good size carp to 8lb. Made the mistake of too regularly kindering micro and had another carp losing four on the bounce. One snagged me (might have also been fouled), one tail walked landing on the line and two foul hooked due to the deep margin and the kindering. Balled up the micro and potted, things improved landing two more decent carp.

My accidental silvers weighed 5 lb 7 oz (second overall silvers) and the carp 45 lb 8 oz for second lake and overall 50 lb 15 oz. Two more would have got me first and more importantly the heaviest weight of the series. This went to Ricky Mills on peg 13 who had a good day on the carp including two Grass carp with one going 12 lb (pictured above - it's not a Chub), the only two in the venue!! Well done matey a beautiful fish. Lee did well and too and got us this years pairs. I also took the heaviest silvers weight over the league. My 18 points was off the pave this year, could have drawn better and buggered up peg 2 which I should have won from - see below for the league result.

Back to the Inn for the results all today's and overall framers pictured. Thanks to Mark Taylor for the use of his fishery and his excellent fishery management, the best mixed small fishery around - perhaps a few more silver though!!. Thanks to Bri Shanks for running the league once again excellent. Me and others are always sorry when this league ends. Cant wait for next year.