It was the first visit there for a while for me, but I was looking forward to it, well I was less so after finding out the results of the fishery's own Christmas match yesterday. It was patchy with a few struggling while others made hay, so to speak.
Anyway, back to today, I arrived at the fishery at 7:45 as it was a 8am draw....which over ran a touch, fishing 10:00 to 15:30. After a chit chat with a couple of guys the draw was called, we had 26 fishing, which was less than expected due to a few people pulling out late on. I must say if I got on Brick lake then peg 6 would be my choice, maybe peg 10, anywhere on Tile would do otherwise, I expected the latter to do the majority of better weights thanks to the larger numbers of smaller carp.
I drew about halfway down the rabble of hands and reached for a ball from the container and pulled out peg 5, not too bad. Peg 4 done 50lb of skimmers yesterday, so would they be put off by that or would they be in the area feeding again?
Next to me on peg 4 I had Kev Crouch (again) and the likeable Colin Haggett on peg 6.
View from my box - peg 6 - Brick Lake - Sedges
It was quite a mild day, a touch of drizzle in the air and a breeze (on and off) from the southwest, so over my right shoulder slightly.
I set up 3 pole rigs today and a waggler rod, I didn't fancy staring at a quiverttip, so never set up a feeder rod, although I had 2 in the bag, which may have been an error, but none the less it wasn't what I wanted to do.
The 3 rigs consisted of:
Two for silvers on no.6 laccy and 0.10>size 20 B911f1, one bulked for a deep area at 11m (skimmers area?) and another on the drop rig for topkit+1slightly to the right, for roach, but I never had a bite on that so I wont mention it again. I also had a heavier rig for carp (no. 12 elastic, b911 to 0.14 hooklength) at 14.5m where the water was shallower and hoped to bag a lump or two, but only had a greedy 2oz roach from there so no more on that either. At Sedges a couple carp could be 10lb or 35lb, so a single fish could make a big difference.
The waggler was for around 20 metres out where I could comfortably cast and feed accurately. 0.10>20 B911f1 hook was the end tackle, I had 3 number 8 shot spread evenly in the last 3ft of water.
On the whistle I cupped in a single ball of groundbait on the 11m line, half a pot of 4mm pellets with a few bits of corn and 6mm expanders on the 14.5m/carpy line. I also flicked a few casters on the short, fishless on the day, line.
I started on the waggler baited with double red maggot, firing 5 casters every minute over the top.
It took 15 minutes to get a bite, which produced a 3oz silver bream, then I had a second before I hooked a slightly heavier fish, gently I played and netted a 1lb skimmer. A couple more silver bream followed before decent skimmer number 2, another 1lb specimen.
After 90 minutes I probably had 3lb in the net, and only 1 carp had been landed on the lake.
Elsewhere Keith Clapp behind me had lost a carp and landed one, and I heard of a few getting landed from various swims on Tile.
Between 12 and 2 I managed to net a handful of silver bream and roach upto 4 ounces, but it was hard going. I had also lost a lump of a carp on the waggler, it was a decent double, but was foul hooked and left me with a scale as a thank-you parting gift.
Kev on peg 4 had landed a carp on the waggler slightly further out than me, Mike Davis up on peg 9 landed a few, Will Puddy on 10 had lost and landed some carp. Otherwise everyone on Brick was struggling, the skimmers that did show yesterday obviously didn't want to play as only a handful were caught.
Jamie Cook on peg 40 (Tile) was into a few fish as was peg 37 also Phil Clapp on end peg 30 of Tile had landed some carp according to his brother. But Rich Coles was bagging on end peg 31 of Tile.
At 2:15 I had another tentative bite and struck into something lumpy, I had hoped for a better 3lb skimmer, but a little more of my no.6 elastic came out on the strike and I was into a 'bonus' carp...it chugged around for a while on my topkit and made a detour towards peg 4, I just held tight in the knowledge that I was a good way behind on the carp front, but alas it plodded it's way back where after 5 minutes more I netted a double figured mirror, well hooked in a barbule...bargain.
With an hour to go I was well behind the people catching on Tile and looked well behind Mike Davis up on peg 9. Nick Selway on peg 18 had landed a couple carp now, both decent lumps. Other than that not much was caught.
I spent the remaining hour scratching around hoping for another good double figure carp, or better still 3 or 4 better skimmers, none of which came and all I put in the net was 3 roach and a siiver bream. The horn sounded at 15:30. I knew I hadn't done much to bother the envelopes, maybe 4lb-5lb of silvers and that single carp of maybe 11-12lb.
As I packed away I was told that Tile had done better than Brick, as expected, and it looked close between Rich Coles, Jamie Cook, Phil Clapp and the angler on 37.
Nick over on 18 had landed 5 carp, I missed him play/land 3 of them!! and only Mike Davis had more that 3 carp on my side of the lake.
I loaded the car and caught up with the scales on the road bank of Tile lake, where to be honest not much had occurred from the first 5 anglers with only Lewis Hembery on p23 putting 29.8lb on the scales and Eric Fouracre had a decent 7lb 15oz of silvers.
Pete Manning on p29 put 24lb on the scales before Philip Clapp put 39lb 12oz on the board.
Rich Coles, who had broke a pole section during the match, plonked top silvers weight of 9lb 14oz on the board along with 50lb 3oz of carp for a leading weight of 60lb 1oz.
The next few anglers didn't weigh 25lb between them before peg 37 put 36lb 2oz on the scales, the next 2 pegs were free of anglers before we got to Sedges owner Jamie Cook on end peg 40, his combined silvers and carp weighed in 43lb 2oz to move into 2nd spot overall.
Brick lake weighed in, with the first angler, Roy Baker not weighing, Kev Crouch on peg 4 had his single carp and few silvers total 8lb 5oz.
Next up was me, my silvers weighed 6lb 11oz and that single carp went 12lb 8oz for a total of 19lb 3oz. Colin didn't weigh, Brian G on p7 had 3lb 5oz and then came Mike Davis on p9, his catch weighed 28lb 11oz. Will Puddy on p10 had 12lb 4oz.
The far bank had the first 5 anglers put a dnw and 17lb of fish between them on the board before Nick's 5 carp and single skimmer totalled up 32lb 12oz for the top weight on the lake (section winner).
After the weigh in we headed off to Pawlett Legion for a presentation of the envelopes and a prize for all that fished was a great touch. A bit of banter, based on the fact that a certain angler spent a good while playing and landing a carp before promptly missing the keepnet....he weighed in a sorry 10oz on the day, so no names mentioned... All in all it was a jovial hour or so in good company after the match.
We also had sausages and chips laid on, which we were grateful for, so thanks to the club and the efforts to put this on.
Results:
1st on the day was Rich Coles (P31)with 60lb 1oz, he also had top silvers weight. Qualifying for silvers and all winners final.
2nd was Jamie Cook (p40) with 43llb 2oz
3rd was Phil Clapp (p30) with 39lb 12oz
Silvers winner, by default was Eric Fouracre. 7lb 15oz.
Tile Lake's weigh sheet.
Brick Lake's weigh sheet.
Overall I was ninth, 3rd on my lake and 3rd best silvers weight, so it wasn't too bad. The fish were not in front of us (pegs 3 to 8) in any amounts, or they just were not interested.
It seems as though the corner pegs, as expected, done the best, giving 4 of the top 5 weights. Maggots were the best bait, the fish were finicky and I had to dot the floats right down and strike at every knock. This produced most of my fish.
I enjoyed today, though a few more skimmers would have been great, but cant be greedy.
Next up for me is a couple pleasure sessions, maybe down on Avalon, maybe carp fishing.
Next weekend I don't have any matches on the calendar, so the next scheduled match is on the 22nd when it is Clevedon FWAC's Christmas match on the Plantation complex.
Until next time, take care.
Lee.
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