Pawlett Club's Silvers-Winners' Final, Durleigh Reservoir. 10-07-16

So after the quiet day at Sedges on the Saturday in my series, I was expecting bites a-plenty on Durleigh Reservoir for Pawlett's Silvers Winners' Final.
A strong 16 person line up and the 8 peg additional match wasn't too bad either.

I got up to the 80 acre Ressie in plenty of time, with my minimal kit and loaded the trolley.
I had fished the venue on the previous Wednesday in an area about 50 or so yards from the canal overflow inlet. I had between 50 and 60lb on the whip in 4 hours, but the 2hrs I spent on the feeder were a let down, but that area isn't the best for skimmers/bream, so decided that should I draw in that area again (around 7 or 8 peg stretch) the feeder would be the second option behind the whip.

So I spent the hour before the draw speaking to and discussing the day ahead with various guys from the Clapp brothers to John Fuidge and Rich Coles.
I expected, given the windy and overcast conditions, the bream and skimmers to provide the better weights. The deep pegs, pegs 1 to 4, a couple pegs either side of the inlet and the last peg or two in the shallows should provide the top 4 or 5 spots. But if for some reason the day was hard for the bream then the whip could dominate. But warmer, sunnier and calmer water I find a better scenario for that. I surmised that 50lb should win the match and would need 40lb-ish to be in the top 3 and 30-odd to take one of the 2 section payouts. Bream or whip fish was the question....I guessed deep water bream, but hoped whip.

None the less, although I wanted to win (who doesn't) I really wanted a day on the whip catching mostly silver bream (they weigh around 2oz per fish heavier than the roach as a rule).
I was 2nd last to draw and was on peg 16,the end peg in the Winners' match, but the small-side-match continued from peg 17, so no advantage there then... Oh there are no perma-pegs on the venue, but 16 was between the lawns and inlet (halfway down the lodge bank). I was ok with that to be honest, although the pegs 15 to 18 were in a slight bay that is only 2ft or so deep.

I made my way to the peg to find I had Dick Richards and Rob Dodd to my right, Jason King and Nigel Hopkins being on my left and they were the 1st two guys in the small match.

My peg for the match....Durleigh Res. Lodge Bank.

It took my 10 minutes to set up, 2 whips, a 3m one for up in the water and a 3.5m whip for at depth, well on the bottom in around 2ft of water. Bait was simple hemp and casters.
I sat around bored, before John Fuidge and Nige Hopkins came over for a natter, I believe neither had fished the venue before but told them what I expected.
As I was bored I did set up a feeder for 45 turns and mixed up some groundbait, opened my worms and corn and muddled up my side tray a bit more, something I said to myself I wouldn't do after Wednesday's visit.....oh well..!!

The match got underway at 10:30 and I fed my feeder line with a big feeder, around 20 feeders full went out in double quick time.
I started on the whip, but after 10 minutes I hadn't had a bite, then out of the blue I hooked a big rudd of 12oz+.....it fell off!!

So soon after I went on the feeder and that remained quiet, but I could watch Jason and Rob to see if they were getting whip fish. Jason had a couple but it wasn't quick bites and he had to wait. Rob was getting a few more, but it wasn't hectic enough to get the 50lb I thought should win.
I stayed on the feeder, which Vic Bush who was 3 pegs above me commented didn't look like a whip, for a short period and I suppose I put a pound or so in the net off that method in the first hour.
Rob had maybe 3lb and the 2 guys to my left had similar to me.
John Fuidge who was this side of the inlet had bagged a few big skimmers on the feeder, but he wasn't in my match.

The whip sport was picking up for Rob Dodd and he was getting a fish most put-ins, silver bream not roach, now when I have the fish in front of me on the whip I think I can do quite well once in a rhythm. But I wasn't getting fish as quick as I would have liked on the whip, and when I did most were small roach, so in effect Rob was doubling my weigh with each fish ad his were around the 3 or 4oz mark. Both of us, Jason and Nigel were getting better fish occasionally, but they were not really targeted as such more luck. I did find it interesting that the 2 on my left were on short poles and laccy, I was on a flick tip and Rob was fishing with elastic but set tighter than the other 2. I guess we were catching at similar rates most of the day.

The rest of the match was spent 80% fishing the whip and 20% on the feeder when the pike rattled my whip fish, I did hook a couple pike and had a few swirls from these.
But I knew that the whip was unlikely to finish in the top 3, especially from where I was pegged and the fact I heard that the lawn pegs had caught skimmers and if they had then surely the first 4 pegs would defo have had some.
My best fish on the feeder was a 12oz skimmer at around 1pm and I had a few 8oz roach and rudd on the whip, but also bumped a couple which can be expected fishing a flick tip and barbless hooks.

The all out was called and I supposed I had 12 to 15lb of fish, I had around 80 or 90 fish in total but felt as they were roach I needed about nearer 200 to at least be competitive. Rob had a few more, not masses more when I went and looked at his net but as I said, he had silver bream that were all at least 2oz per fish bigger than mine, I reckoned he had low 30lbs or maybe a bit more.
We had heard that the early pegs had done ok with 40lb estimates given by Jamie Cook, he isn't usually far out.
Ziggy and John Fuidge had a good dozen big skimmers each in the small match and looked nailed on to be the top 2 in that match.

On to the weigh in, as the scales got to me, I was sure that Jason and Nigel had more than me, though they were not in my match, but I knew I had more that Dick on my right, he struggled on the feeder and tipped back. Rob and everyone to my right all looked and admitted to 30lb nets.
A look at the sheet saw Ziggy (24lb) and John (30lb) the top 2 in that match. Nigel and Jason had 15lb and ounces with Nigel 4oz ahead of Jason.

I was the 1st to tip on to the scales in the winners match and I had 20lb 12oz. That was a touch more than I expected, maybe I could have had 25 to 27lb had I not wasted time on the feeder, that wouldn't be enough but felt a fluked handful of proper 4lb+ bream were needed to have a remote chance of pick up, especially as I was getting small roach.
Rob had 31lb then Vic had a touch less including a massive perch.
I didn't watch anything else, preferring to get the car loaded and wait to say well done to the winners.

As expected the first 4 pegs did produce and the far end peg and the one before the inlet.
Congrats to Keith on the win and well done to all.

Results, all mostly feeder caught skimmers/bream.
1st, Keith Clapp, 50lb. Peg 2.
2nd, Bruce Hunt, 41lb 10oz. Peg 3
3rd, Jamie Cook, 38lb 2oz. Peg 9.
4th, Phil Clapp, 37lb 15oz. Peg 1.

Weigh Sheet.....Nice average weights there and not a carp in sight!!

So not my best result, the whip fish obviously had switched with the pressure and weather change and took an hour to come into range for the whip, maybe a waggler could have worked, maybe not.
When they did arrive it was like they wouldn't settle properly and there was a few blank spells during the match. But it was a fair match and the average weight must have been close to 30lb across the winner's match, decent fishing by any standard, especially with no carp.

Not sure if I am fishing or indeed where I will fish next weekend, but I have some casters and worms to drown so a few hours on the KSD or somewhere may cross my path after work tomorrow or Saturday.

Until next time, tight lines.
Lee