Anyways, Sunday, I made my way over to the lakes and arrived in a well filled car park, plenty of nets hung over the fence after being dipped....optimism on the inside, moaning on the outside, a funny bunch are anglers.
With 23 fishing it was a nice turn out, loads of faces I know or recognised, a few of whom can catch a fish or 2. I stood around chatting to Matt Challenger, Derek Beard and a good few others. Tom Mangnall, Tim Ford, Eric and Steve Fouracre and John Fuidge were in attendance along with Ziggy and a late arrival (with his 80's music) Steve Jackson, I am sure his load music scared the fish away from the car park end of the lake.....personally I wanted to be on the 1st island or one of the top corner pegs (23 and 24).
As the draw took place I waited until near the end of the rabble and with 3 pegs left in the bag, Vic, Eric and Myself would have pegs 26 (hmmmm nah thanks), 7 (will be worth a bite or 2) and 5 (Flyer...Flyer..that'll do). I picked first and left 7 to Vic and 5 to the ever consistent Eric. Ballbags.
But onwards and upwards, there seemed to be plenty of fish activity all over the lake......that was until the 10am all-in.
I made my way to my peg, I seem to be edging back up to the far end with each match I fish here, and went about mixing up less than usual groundbait and sorting my tackle.
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| Avalon peg 26 |
Edge rig for carp, Topkit rig for anything, long pole silvers and a long pole carp rig (unused). I fancied a few carp from the margins and possibly tight over on the feeder. As for the silvers, this area can be really good, but in the main I have found it patchy at this time of yeat with only the odd skimmer and bonus perch or tench, the car park end being more consistent.
Baits were the usual caster, dead maggots, meat and a few micros and 8mm pellets.
For company I had Derek Beards up on peg 24, he'd do well for sure, as would Steve Fouracre from peg 23. Tom Mangnall was on a decent peg (38) and obviously Eric looked favourite sat on peg 5.
At the all in I deposited a nice helping of maggot and meat near the empty pallet of peg 27, a couple balls of groundbait went in at 13m, I didn't fancy any longer as the wind was due to increase in strength. I fed both topkit lines by hand with mostly caster.
I spent the 1st hour on the feeder swapping with hookbaits from maggots to pellet to meat, it was literally on the hour that I had a fish, a 3oz perch on maggots, all fish activity had stopped and everyone was struggling, peg 28 had landed a carp as had Derek and Steve.
The 2nd and 3rd hours were a struggle, I only added a couple roach on the long pole, but I wasn't the only struggler. Despite everyone trying, what it seemed, everything, nobody was putting much in the net, Mike West over on peg 19 losing a few carp to the reeds. I was sure the other end would be doing a whole load better.....hmmm. I did see Phil Dodd and Tim Ford (just about see him), net a carp each during this spell. I kept plugging away and it was around 1:30 that I managed a perch of 1lb from down to my left on the topkit, my only successful bite there all day, I bumped an okay fish, possibly a bony mouth perch soon after. The right edge, despite it looking fishy never gave me a bite, similarly the empty peg of 27 never gave me a sniff all match.
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| Avalon p26 lhs |
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| Avalon p26 rhs |
With 10 minutes to go I wanted a carp, but knew I was unlikely to get one so stayed out long and had another knock, it felt like a decent skimmer, it was but just as I reached for the landing net the hook pulled out, upon inspection it showed a maggot had folded over the hook point...ballbags. It was a good 3lb+ fish comfortably. I only added one roach after this as was cursing the luck I had.
The all out sounded and I soon had my gear packed away before Vic arrived with the scales, he'd started at peg 48 and there were some low weights, including a DNW was James Cooper and 1lb 3oz to Jacko. Matt Challenger was leading the silvers with 8lb 4oz, that was 2 skimmers (bream) and Tom Mangnall was top weight overall at this point with 24lb exactly.
I tipped my carpless net onto the scales and registered the 3rd best net of silvers, 5lb 7oz. That bumped skimmer looked to have cost me the silvers pool (paying only 1 overall and 1 silvers), but then everyone loses fish but annoying none-the-less.
I made my way back the car park and was offered soup and mince pies, all of which went down very well so thanks to Vic and his lovely wife. But everyone was moaning how slow the fishing had been and that Eric had caught a few and looked odds on to win.
So it proved, with him winning ahead of Derek Beards and Tom Mangnall. Matt Challenger won the silvers ahead of Jim Jenner.
The presentation was made with some brilliant prizes from rods to large hampers, alcohol in various forms and a good few items of tackle. There was none of those typical poor prizes, all were quality especially the huge hampers.
I came 15th and chose a bundle of expanders, tackle/catty pouches, mince pies and a pellet pump which I gave to Steve Fouracre as he'd broke his.
I had the last chatters with peeps before setting off home.
Results:
1st, Eric Fouracres, peg 5. 28lb 13oz
2nd, Derek Beard, peg 24. 26lb 15oz
3rd, Tom Mangnall, peg 38, 24lb
Silvers:
1st, Matt Challenger, peg 40, 8lb 4oz
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| Weights on the day. |
Until then, have a fabulous Christmas.
Take care, stay safe.
Lee
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