Tuesday 27/08/2024 - Bitterwell Silvers

The silver fishing here is the best in the area and from looking at the mixed sizes of Skimmers it's only going to get even better. Paul is away with a group in France Carp fishing. Son Charlie has already had a 50 lb fish. So the numbers fishing down with others also on holiday.

So into the draw bag and as Des Shipp wasn't there I temporarily had his peg 23 today. Now wishing I watched all of his video fishing a live match on this peg, but gave up after seeing all his bait options.

I use to be a bird magnet now reduced to a wind magnet, Hate the wind especially from the side. Plenty of rigs set up - the peg is shallow 3 foot at three barrels and wanted to use a 4x12 but the wind insisted on a 4x14 which was only just OK. Long and short Ronnie rigs and a 4x10 Roob/s (RIP) for down the margins.

Fed meet on the long line, loose GB and maggots on the Ronnie lines, and some chopped worm and maggot down the margins.

Had a Skimmer on both the long and short Ronnie rigs and some nice Ronnie's, but pestered by Perch before the Carp took interest. Out long on 6 mm meat was strange foul hooking and missing bites. To test my thinking it was small skimmers fed some maggot and yes it was. Back on the meat and catch one decent Skimmer after feeding then nothing - strange. Messed about with both margins for a decent skimmer from both sides until the Carp decided to start foul hooking themselves losing two Robbs - bugger, day's tally was 6 lost Carp certainly can't fish short for too long here. It was a real struggle for a while until I gave up the meat feeding it to the pigeons instead and switching to neat chopped worm with a whole worm on the hook catching four Bream. Think this may be the end of my relationship with meat - again!

Weighed 20 lb which was third on the day, so a another great days fishing.

The venue expert Martin McMahon (pictured) won the with 35 lb 5 oz from peg 20. Martin caught mostly small Skimmers at top set plus three barrels, catching on and off for most of the day using 4 mm meat over loose fed same.

Ben the Bagger (pictured) was runner up with 27 lb 14 oz from peg 25. His catch including three Tench all caught of maggot. Nice to see a young lad doing well. I was amused to see him giving fishing instructions to his Dad who drew peg 12, usually the other way round. Well done.

Weigh Book:

Thursday 15/08/2024 - Windmill Cost Cutter - Match Lake

Pre-draw got off with a really bad start hearing of Bill Ferris passing away aged 83. Very upsetting, will miss him a lot. We have match fished together for many years, both often fishing for the silvers pool with a competitive friendly spirit. He loved catching small silvers - pictured - Bill pictures with a typical catch of red fins from Shepherds Lake - Cider Farm. RIP matey will be thinking of you during the Westerleigh winter league. Condolences to brother Norman.

Into the draw bag and out comes peg 16. Not one I would choose today, but a good silvers peg, however, came to fish for Carp. My neighbour on 17 was once again my jinx Ray Bazeley - good company nonetheless.

Setting up the wind started to pick up and was to get really difficult especially as

the peg is narrow, seems every visit the wind appears in force. A 0.3 gram RJ Slim for the LH margin on the top set. The RH was a bit undulating due to large stones so didn't bother with that side. The rig was a 0.4 Gram paste float again to fish top set in 4 foot of water. Went on the paste to see how it presented over hard 4's and DR's, then trialled the corn over kinder corn and hard 4's in the margin and had a 7 lb Carp first put in. Umm, could be good then. In again and had and had a swirl and that was it. On the paste and it was noticeable the lack of small fish nibbling the hook bait. Took a while to catch my next fish a 10 lb Mirror. The up shot had another Carp and a 3 lb Skimmer from the margin and another Carp on the paste. The wind was horrendous - again.

Weighed 30 lb 13 oz. Two things hindsight tells my I got wrong - should have fished for one fish at a time instead of trying to empty it - over fed it. As the small silvers weren't feeding should have tried the maggot feeder over to the tree. Steadier start next time!

Paul Barnfield caught a rod and reel on peg 17 last match. Today I caught a old tin - pictured - typical.

The match was won by Paul Barnfield (pictured with the silvers winner) from peg 9 with 92 lb 13 oz. Paul caught on either corn or worm over worm ans corn feed. Well done matey.

Shay Gillman took the silvers with 13 lb 9 oz from peg 10. A good weight on the day. Shay caught on maggot over Gb and maggot. Well done matey a good weight on the day.

Finally; matey Bill Ferris not only caught Silvers he occasionally caught some accidental Carp.

Weigh Sheets:

Tuesday 06/08/2024 - Bitterwell Silvers Open

Usually fish Thursday's but unable to this week, so booked in to Bitterwell Silvers. Great group of blokes here plenty of banter. Paul Issac's is in Serbia this week on England duty with his son Charlie who's fishing for the under 15's. So Ricky's Scaffold and Martin Mc stood in. TBone was was promoted to tea boy for the day and suggested one of us should go to the Pharmacy to get some laxative for Des Shipp's tea 😂.

Into the draw bag and peg 1 comes out, happy with this as I've not fished it for 50 years! Groans followed when Des drew peg 23 again. Not from me as he will will be difficult to beat off any peg. Good to have the opportunity to fish with him, he's always happy to give advice. Some anglers moan when he's fishing their match but as the greatest ever Chess player Garry Kasparov said "to be the best you have to beat the best". Anyway the laxative wouldn't have worked, he was too close to the toilet.

So three rigs a 4 x14 Winter to fish top set plus three barrels hoping to get meat to work. The short Ronnie rig and the banker a 0.3 RJ for the tree line (pictured) on the top set to give me one second to tighten to the Tench. Would have used the 25 elastic but only had my silvers kit but had sneaked in a Drennan 2.4.

Started by feeding corn to the tree line, 6 mm long and loose GB and maggots on the Ronnie rig. Started on the Ronnie rig and caught a few small skimmers and Ronnie's but pestered by small Perch. Looking around it was a slow start for all so stayed with it adding ounces regularly. Got fed up with the Perch so went to the tree line with a big worm and yes another Perch so the idea of feeding worm on this line forgotten. On the corn and started to catch some Tench to 5 lb but pulling them out of from under the tree isn't for the faint hearted. Lost a couple of fish but not sure it they were Carp or Tench. Martin McMahon on peg 3 had started to catch decent skimmers regularly on meat. So went long with the meat and surprised to catch a couple of quick decent skimmers and a Tench. That was it as I think my feeding brought them off bottom. So back on the tree line with meat and had a few skimmers and another Tench, however, the corn was edging it so stayed on that to the end adding more skimmers and the odd Tench. However, pulled hard on a couple of skimmers in case they were Tench pulling out. Last hour the Carp arrived and spent some time mending rigs. Got two 7 lb Carp out though! I thought Martin may have just pipped me.

Weighed 41 lb 2 oz for second my Tench making the difference with Martin's 36 lb 14 oz. Top three pictured above.

The match was won by Des Shipp (pictured) with just 63 lb 12 oz! Des started on ground bait and worms for a few small skimmers with worms definitely not feeling right went onto his pellet line with expanders and which was ok but the skimmers were small missing lots of bites, he decided to changed to hard pellets on the hook and this was much better with some slightly better stamp fish. With the wind getting up and blowing straight at him, he gave the reed edge line a go on meat, this was good adding quality skimmers.

Very enjoyable day out. I hooked the bottom on the Ronnie rig and came back with a piece of brick clinker - why was this in here, looked like it had been in there for hundred's of years. Another lucky charm taken home.

Weight Book:

 

Sunday 04/08/2024 - Alcove Inter club with RBL - Whitehouse Farm - Margret's and George's

First things first Blackberry picking for Chef. Got some here last year and were approved.

Match spilt in two 8 on Margret's and 7 on George's so loads of room. Paying top 3 on each - no silvers 😢.

Into Alcove draw bag and out comes peg 17 on Margret's again. A great peg and third time I've drawn it, but a tad disappointed as would have preferred one of the many pegs I have yet to fish.

Simple plan start on the maggot feeder to see if the big Chub would oblige, then into the LH margin for Carp with a RJ 0.3 gram slim. No point in fishing for small fish today. The first issue was it's very overgrown down both margins. I tried to clear the LH as best I could but was hampered by bramble's. So was left to fish in 3 foot. Need to get tooled up next match to give it a real go.

A hour on the feeder drove me mad getting ragged by small Chub and Ronnie's. No decent Chub, so it was into the margin with sweet corn hook bait over sweet corn and 4's feed, where a surprise was awaiting in the shape of five Bream to 4 lb and was subsequently pestered by small Chub. Went quite and started to foul hook Carp due to the depth, loosing them all, could see the Carp sneaking down from tight against the bank, more frustration. Did land two in the mouth late on though. Couldn't do the peg justice today.

Weighed 17 lb 7 oz accidental silvers and two Carp 15 lb 07 oz for third on Margret's.

The match and Georges was won by Kev Murch with 71 lb 12 oz from peg 3. Kev caught long on the pole using meat. However, his day had a set back breaking his number 5 section in the process. Two other anglers suffering a similar fate. Not surprising as three of Kev's fish went 40 lb! Well done matey.

Andy Brookman was runner up with 68 lb 11 oz taking the win from Margret's peg 13. Andy caught on the method over to the island and later short on paste. Well done matey.

Think these two got Alcove the win over RBL.

Weigh Sheets (muddle by a rewrite silvers and Carp mixed and weights but overall correct, no silvers/Carp columns?)

Thursday 01/08/2024 - Windmill Cost Cutter - Match Lake

With the Bitterwell match cancelled due to only three booking in. I was going to give fishing a miss this week. Geoff had previously booked in to Windmill and wanted a curry afterwards, so booked in last minute. I wasn't prepared for the match and pinched some 6 mm pellets from Geoff and a handful of maggots from Shay and Andy. Had 4's, corn, micro and worms with most of my other baits left in the garage!

Into the draw bag hoping to draw somewhere other than the low twenties. Peg 2 it was - still can't get down the other end of the lake. Handy being drawn next to Geoff peg 1 and Shay peg 3, not far to get my bait! Opposite peg 2 is a line of tall Sedges where lots of Carp live and are notoriously hard to hook and keep out of the reeds. So set up the pellet waggler - 6 banded over 4's feed. A 0.4 gram RJ for top set plus three barrels and a 0.3 RJ Slim margin rig for both sides in the Reeds which was attached to the Drennan margin top set with 25 elastic, any fish hooked wasn't going anywhere far soon.

Started on the waggler for two swirls. The Sedges are so high couldn't get close enough even when I touched the top of the Reeds. The Carp wouldn't or it was too early for them to come out of the reeds. So waggler abandoned.  Fed chopped worm. micro, maggot and corn mix on the long line for just some indications. Not looking good. four hours to go - bit early for margins? Went in anyway with corn over corn and a few 4's. Had some knocks from silvers putting couple in the net. Bit slow so one more try before going for a banana walk and landed a 7 lb common - walk postponed. The elastic is very aggressive but got it out of the reeds. I had plumbed up tight to the reeds as possible on a shelf that was about 8 inches wide and is where I fed. I found laying out the rig out into the lake and letting it fall towards the shelf produced positive takes at what was guessed at as half depth. Leaving it on the shelve did produce four lost foulers. Lost three with hook pulling and line breakages due to the aggressive elastic, but non lost in the reeds, so you have the choice on which way to go on this one. Next time I would makeup some rigs with 0.2 through rather than 0.16 hook lengths. managed to land 11 Carp, 1 Perch, one Ronnie and 2 tiny Skimmers all on Corn! Ten minutes to go one of the 11 jumped out of the keep net so down to 10!! Jump must had been a near record, at least a PB. Really enjoyed today more relaxing than normal Ronnie bashing.

Weighed 11 oz of accidental silvers 😀 with the ten Carp going 62 lb 4 oz for 7th. Some lovely fish

The match was won by Matt Taynton (pictured) with 92 lb 10 oz from peg 6. Matt caught most on paste at 6 metres. With corn in his LH margin and worm over DR's from his RH margin. Well done matey.

The silvers went to Paul Barnfield with 9 lb 11 oz from peg 14. Guessing worm and micro did it for him!. Now hears a thing he's drawn peg 14 four times on the trot. Chances of this with 18 fishing every match is 1/105000. Well done matey 

Best part of the day was in a cool Indian with a pint of draught Cobra, a Chicken Balti and good company.

Weigh Sheets: