PSV match, Landsend Match Lake. 01-03-15

With today's weather forecast showing some strong winds coupled with the odd blustery shower I was pleased to wake up to some sense of spring, sunny skies and not too chilly.
The lake also provides a touch of shelter with all the trees at the complex.

16 of us fishing today, no match secretary or his trainee, so it was down to Adam Caswell and Alan Healey to run the show. With the payouts being top 3, 1 silvers and 2 sections of 8. Adam drew the golden peg, peg 1......I tend to get that peg regularly, but didn't fancy it today!!
I unloaded the car and had a brief chat with a couple guys before the draw was called 15 minutes early as all were present and paid.
I waited until there was 2 balls in the bucket, one for me, one for Mr Healey. I had peg 20, he had 18. Both on the far side of the match lake. I wasn't to unhappy with the peg, though would have rather been up towards 13 to 17.

I arrived at my peg and left my coat off as it was warm enough to do without. To my left on peg 19 was Steve O'Toole and to my right on p21 was Steve Wynne. I could see most guys down my side of the lake plus a couple of guys on the opposite bank (Chris Szakacs, Adam and Lionel Legge).

Peg 20, Landsend Match Lake.

I set up 3 rigs, a hard pellet rig for across to a clump of dead reeds, another hard pellet rig for just up the far shelf at around 13m. Lastly I set up m usual meat rig for 2+2 distance in front where I found a spot some 4 inches deeper.
Bait wise, I had hard 6's, 6mm meat, some wet micros, casters and a few maggots.

I didn't set up a silvers specific rig as I fancied the carp to be moving........!!

Looking up the Match Lake from p20

At the all in I cupped some caster and meat, not too much, at 2+2. Some wet micros and a couple of 6mm pellets went in at 13m.
I went straight over without feeding in the hope I could snare an early fish.
15 minutes in and Alan Healy up on p18 had landed a foul hooked carp and a couple perch. The 2 Steves either side of me both had a carp each.
It was soon my turn to hook a carp, a foul hooked one which came off, then I netted a 4lber that was hooked correctly. Another lost foul hooked fish saw my initial hour over.

The next 4hrs were uneventful for most, with only Darren North up on peg 15 and Lee Waller on peg 13 catching a few carp. Everyone else was struggling by, Steve Sewell on peg 24 had landed 3 skimmers. But other than the odd crucian and skimmer, most people were not catching. A few guys only had 1 carp each, if you had 2 then you'd done ok.
Other than that, Alan Healey was getting lots of small silvers fishing over to a bush in the water.

During that 4 hour spell, I set up a couple silvers rigs and managed to catch a few roach and a skimmer of 6oz, but I was going nowhere fast, I needed a carp of 2 to have a chance of a section money. Fishing for bits was hard work as there didn't seem any pattern in how to catch the 2oz+ fish!!

By 2pm several people had packed up and left (the Radfords) and when we had a deluge of rain and some very strong winds at around 3:15pm, that was the end of the match for a few more guys, with them just leaving their nets in to be weighed. Also Darren up on p15 was catching some proper sized fish on caster shallow as the carp were cruising around the point of the island. Lee Waller lost a lump, but had landed a few of the smaller carp that tend to inhabit the corner pegs of the match lake.

With half an hour of the match left, I decided just to fish on the 2+2 line, partly because it was due to produce a fish (I hoped) and the fact my hands were like ice after the rain/wind we had incurred.
After 5 minutes my float shot under and, thankfully, I was attached to a carp, all I had to do was land it. A prolonged fight, with the fish going on a few long runs, I scooped the fish at the 3rd attempt. A nice fish of around 6 or 7lb.
I had 15 minutes left of the match and hoped for 1 more fish. Other than a slight bob on the float I never had another proper bite.
The all out was called.
I thought I may go close for the section prize, but knew Lee Waller and Darren North would take the top 2 spots, I guessed Alan to have a carp and maybe 10lb of silvers, which was likely to take the silvers money.

I packed up the gear and went and caught up with the scales a we got to peg 13 and Lee Waller.
Up until this point the board showed a best silvers net of 5lb 10oz and 11lb 4oz the overall top weight from pegs 1 to 11.
Lee's combined total was 22lb 2oz, mostly the little carp, but he'd lost a lump last knockings.
Next up was Darren, he lifted what was obviously the winning net, some right lumps, mostly caught and caster shallow. He weighed in 37lb 6oz.
Julian Nurse had just over 7lb, then we saw Alan, on peg 18, pop 7lb 8oz of silvers on the board, less than most expected, with his solitary carp, gave him 12lb 10oz.
Steve O'Toole popped 7lb 6oz on the scales before it was my turn to weigh in. He nearly missed putting a 1oz roach on the scales, but luckily for him he did.

My 2 carp went a nice 12lb exactly and my few silvers was 1lb 12oz. So at that point I was into 3rd place, unexpectedly. Steve Wynne had 7lb 5oz, so was that nearly missed roach behind the other Steve.
Last to weigh was Steve Sewell, he pulled up his net and Alan Healey looked worried as a few skimmers were obvious for all to see, however Alan need not of worried as the 3 skimmers and single roach (I think) gave him 5lb 15oz.

Results:
1st, Darren North, 37lb 6oz. Peg 15.
2nd, Lee Waller, 22lb 2oz. Peg 13.
3rd. Lee Williams, 13lb 12oz. Peg 20.

Silvers:
Alan Healey, 7lb 8oz. Peg 18.

Sections went to Chris Szakacs and Steve O'Toole.

Weights, Landsend Match Lake.

So it was a dull match really, despite a few of us getting a carp, and foul hooking carp, early on, the fish never got their heads down. That late carp for me, on my usually trusty meat line was a bonus.

Darren did well catching the net he did on caster shallow and Alan's net of small fish kept him busy for the most of the match, he did well to get 7lb+.

Next up for me, hopefully, is Pawlett's match on the KSD at Bradney. I am looking forward to that, hopefully a nice day on the whip will be the tactic.

Until next time, take care.

Lee/