Saturday 11 January 2014

Acorn - Paddock Lake, Clevedon Open match 11-01-14

Today saw me attend the open match, run by Clevedon FWAC, at Acorn fishery, Paddock lake.
These weekly matches are now £12 + £1 optional golden peg. Everyone is welcome, just be there before the 8:45 draw.

Alas, I arrived at around 8:40 due to the worlds slowest tractor leading a long procession of grumpy drivers.
I paid my dues, there were 11 anglers today, and Nick Harvey drew the golden peg, which the money carries over until won. He pulled out peg 26. He then drew himself peg 28 and Adie peg 11..!!
I picked my ping pong ball about 5th, pulled out peg 26. Nice.

Now I have never fished the lake, but have read a few blogs on the place, so I had no idea if it was good or not. A few of the lads told me it was ok, but maybe not so much at this time of the year if the wind isn't blowing. Peg 11 was the peg most seemed to want, that or a bridge peg.
My peg had the point of the island/far bank at 13m in the 11 o'clock direction, so that was 1 line sorted. I had a long margin to my left, so 1 line was fished at 13m along this, towards some grasses.
I also had a line, fed with a few maggots/pinkies at topkit length, plus a line on the 7th section around 1.5m from the far side, at the base of the far shelf.
Rigs were the same ones I used at Summerhayes last week, so 2 rigs were used.
Baits were simple, bread and corn for the margin/far side. Micro, maggot and expander for down the middle.
Peg 26, Acorn Paddock Lake


We were fishing 10 to 3:30 and really expected 5lb to do well in the silvers and maybe 30lb-40lb for overall top 2 places.
On the whistle I went straight over and began lifting and dropping my bread hookbait, I missed a bite after 20 seconds, then another knock a minute later. No fish though.
I then dropped the same rig down the margin and missed a bite. Back out down the margin with corn and the float went under, I missed again, probably small fish. But alas a couple minutes later I landed a chunky carp of around 1lb and then bumped another.

Not much happened over the next 90 minutes, landing just one roach on the longer silvers line and a 10oz skimmer on the topkit. But everyone else was struggling. The guys next to the bridge pegs had a handful of carp between them, plus I had seen Adie have 1 or 2 fish, but he was the other end of the lake, so I couldn't keep tabs.
Nick over on 28 hadn't had a fish, and the angler on p24 also was fishless I think.
Things wee hard.
Between 12 and 2 I never had a bite on the two carp lines, infact from around 12:20 I could not fish the left margin as the sun had risen above the trees and the reflection on the water was blinding, so I never even bothered again, even sunnies never really helped.
At 2-ish I made a conscious decision to fish for the silvers, I didn't have a clue what others had landed in the way of silvers, but by that point Nick was on 3 carp, the guys on the bridge pegs all had 3 or 4 each at least and Adie was getting plenty and from what I could see had won by a mile unless someone went like a windmill for the last 90 minutes.

My last 90 minutes produced 2 skimmers and a few little roach, I also bumped a 6oz skimmer at the net and hooked a fish on the topkit line which took elastic a good few foot before letting go.....I was pouring me a cuppa at the time....typical. I guess I had a couple pounds of silvers to go with my early carp. So probably no pick-up for me as Rich Heatley and Dom Sutherland had a couple better skimmers each from the pegs either side of the far bridge pegs (33 and 34).

The all out sounded and a few anglers tipped back without weighing. But I hung around to see my silvers total 2lb 13oz and my baby carp was 1lb 8oz, so 4lb 5oz for me. Not last of the weighing anglers. And more than some of those who didn't.

As it turned out Adie won from peg 11, almost catching more silvers than everyone else put together
Then his carp weighed more than everyone elses. So a good net for him.

Results:
1st - Adie Baker - 54lb 8oz, of which 14lb 4oz was silvers from peg 11.
2nd - Dom Sutherland - 19lb 8oz, of which was 3lb 8oz was silvers. Peg 34.

Silvers winner was Andy Guard from peg 7. He had 5lb 14oz.

Weigh Sheet (poor pic!!)
 

Anyways, I enjoyed it really, and I will be fishing a few more of these Saturday matches over the year. I learned a little, which I feel is important.

Next up for me is tomorrow's match at Avalon for the 3rd round in the Teams of 3 series.

Have Fun
Lee

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