But as is the current trend, fish are tending to be feeding better in some areas than others and to do well a tidy match needs to be fish alongside a decent draw.
The weather for the day was forecast to be windy, though not at windy as it was predicted by the mid-week predictions. The wind, coupled with some light rain/drizzle was seen as the bulk of the conditions, but a weather front was due around 3pm, this was to bring heavy rain....
Anyways there were 16 of us on the sheet to fish and I guess most of us wanted a peg on the near side rather than the far side platforms which would have the weather pushing in and across them.
Into the hat went the pegs, I held out before my draw, but after around 8 or 9 guys had drawn I found peg 11 in my palm, a peg on the far bank (not great!) but not a bad peg really and I was confident of a few fish.
Peg 11, Trinity Woodlands
I made my way to my peg chatting with the odd guy as I went, I had to my left an older fellow whom I didn't get his name and another chap who I recognised but don't know his name (sorry!!). I passed Brian Slipper on about peg 7 and Phil Deacon in the peg to his left. Opposite me I had Rob Fogg and Titch Williams.....I could see pretty much most of the lake which would help me gauge how I was doing.
I set up the customary lead/feeder rod for banded pellet. I also set up a 3 rigs for the pole.
The 1st was for the hoped for skimmers, which can run to 'proper bream' size. This was a Nick Gilbert pattern, a 0.6g caner model on 0.14>0.10>size 20 B611x. This could be fished at 6m right the way out to 13m, but with the wind I was going to focus on the 6m line straight in front.
2 NG Decker XT's were also made up, one for a 6m line at the 10 o'clock direction, the second was for 6m to my left next to the empty pallet of peg 12.
Both were 0.6g models as depths were similar, 0.18>0.14>size 16 B911.
Bait for the day was 6mm meat, wetted micros and 4mm pellets and some pinkies and maggots, I also mixed up some groundbait. Some 8mm, 6mm and brightly coloured pellets were on the tray for the lead/feeder rod..
On the whistle I cupped in 4 Satsuma sized balls of groundbait on the 6m line and 2 on the 13m lines. Some wet micros, 4mm pellets and a few 6mm cubes of meat were deposited both near the empty pallet and also in the 10 o'clock direction.
I chucked a small feeder out with wetted micros in at just under halfway across the lake, I started on a banded 6mm pellet as hookbait.
After an hour of much changing I had noted that Adie Baker on the opposite bank had landed a few decent skimmers and the odd carp, Nick Harvey up on peg 16(?) had got off to a flying start. Rob Fogg, opposite me, had also landed a carp on what looked to be the method feeder.
Further down the lake, Phil Deacon had landed a couple fish, but I could not see if they were carp or skimmers. Brian Slipper was putting a nice bag together by fishing long.
At around 11pm I came onto the pole line at 6m for the skimmers over groundbait, but a biteless 20 minutes saw me try the 13m line, which was difficult as the wind was not helpful. This never gave me a bite, so I came back short and it was a good choice as I bumped a fish then landed a decent skimmer which hardly moved the float, but around 2.5lb it was a bonus. The angler to my right had a carp at this time to. Adie was bagging as was Brian Slipper. Everyone else was now scratching around with only the odd fish here and there.
At just before 12 I had a look down towards the empty pallet and the float immediately went under and I pulled into a carp, a 3lb fish was soon netted. This proved to be a false dawn as despite my trying and rotating my lines it wasn't until around 1pm that I had another bite, this saw a small roach netted from the 6m silvers line. A few minutes after that I hooked another carp from the pallet swim, another carp of maybe 2lb was put into the keepnet. This was followed by another bite and a better carp was hooked, and given the depth of the lake it took a while to surface. But after 10 minutes it came to the surface, I did wonder if I could get it in my net, it was easily a 15lb fish.
Now I had hoped that the 2 fish in quick succession would lead to a run of fish, it didn't.
The weather was not great either and the guy on peg 12 had lost his bait tubs in the wind several times and Mark Walsh on the opposite bank had his umbrella take off and mess up his peg....Everyone was rather wet to boot!!
Adie Baker and Brian Slipper had been catching for most of the match by this point, but Kev Perry (also with the wind off his back) had started to catch well, mostly skimmers with the odd carp thrown in. Phil Deacon had been taking odd carp as had the angler on peg 4. Still I had more than those immediately around me and maybe more than Rob and Titch opposite me, but I couldn't be sure.
I had to wait until 2:30 for my next fish, my 4th carp was from the pallet swim and was around 4lb.
3:15 came and the rain began to get heavier, and by 4pm it was properly p*ssing down and the wind had got up. The all out sounded and I think everyone was pleased to be packing up.
The last 90 minutes was a struggle for most, I only had 1 bite which I missed, but Adie continued to catch and the angler on p12 had strung a few silvers together. Brian Slipper had kept catching and it looked between him and Adie for the win with Nick Harvey's flying start putting him in contention from what I could see throughout the day. Kev Perry's late surge of skimmers had given him chance in the silvers, but it was hard to tell really as with light elastics even skimmers can pull a bit.
I packed my gear away and took the rod bags back to the car. I was rather wet.
I caught up with the scales at Brian's peg and by now the sheet was properly trashed and we had to remember our weights, lol.
Brian's ample bag of fish went 61lb, of which the best part of 58lb was carp.
Phil Deacon weighed around 33lb and then it was my turn.
My 1 skimmer and baby roach went 3lb dead. My 4 carp were worth 26lb, over half of which was one fish!! So 29lb was my weight.
The next couple of guys weighed in, the angler on p12 had around 6lb of silvers, before we got to Nick Harvey, his catch was 40lb 10oz. Next up was Mark Bromsgrove (p19 or 20?), he had 7lb 12oz of silvers to take the silvers lead, he also had a couple carp.
The long bank was weighed and Mark Walsh DNW'd before we got to Adie, his mixed net of carp and skimmers went 85lb 4oz to take the lead.
At that point I decided to load my kit into the car and head home as the weather was atrocious.
My net was in amongst several catches between 23lb and 33lb. It was a tough day, but I did enjoy it up until the heavy rain arrived. But I don't think there was much more I could have done really, I bumped 3 fish, but they could have been roach or skimmers perhaps. I also missed 3 bites, but that happens.
Results:
1st Adie Baker, 85lb 4oz
2nd Brian Slipper, 61lb
3rd Nick Harvey, 40lb 10oz
Silvers:
1st Kev Perry, 22lb
2nd Mark Bromsgrove, 7lb 12oz.
Next up for me is a match on the Bridgwater/Taunton canal at Wide Waters, hoping for the tench to feed, although it would have been nice if it was clearer and we could fish the punch on the whip.....ah well.
Before that I will, hopefully, prepping my kit in the build up for my 1st White Acres festival at the end of the month.......... I will also be hoping for a run of sundays with decent weather conditions, my lounge resembles a tackle store at the minute with kit everywhere drying out!!
Until next time, take care
Lee
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