White Acres Winners' Week. Day Two of Three. 11-10-16. --- Pollawyn

Right, with a non-existent chance of framing in this mini festival I was hoping for a really good draw on Pollawyn, a peg on the high bank (22 to 29) or perhaps 13 which had won the lake yesterday with 36lb.
The lakes have switched off and looking at the weights for the lake from yesterday we had a 8oz from peg 45, there was a 7oz total from peg 14 along with another 5 weights under 10lb.

Pollawyn Peg Layout

At the draw we gathered, Clint dished out the winnings from yesterday and all the relevant draws were made. I managed to squeeze into my queue around halfway along and my had entered the bag.....bugger peg 45. Not impressed to be fair, it can be a nice peg though but knew it wouldn't compete against the rest of the section. None the less I loaded the barrow and set off on my way. A quick chat with Jason Fay who fished peg 28 yesterday informed me he had 2 carp including one of 12lb or so, and a couple small silvers for 18lb. The wind was gusty and could prove awkward at times as it was blowing sort of down the arm peg 45 is set in. The reeds opposite were being buffeted all over the place.

Arriving at my peg and found I had Chris Kitchen next to me on peg 19. I surveyed the peg and went about sorting my bait and rigs.
A pellet feeder for across at 18m or so, but the reeds are tall and some are hanging over, it also resembled a tackle graveyard with several floats and feeders visible.
A few pole rigs were made up, all on pretty light set-ups with the mindset taking into account yesterday's weights.
A topkit rig for casters as per the norm.
An edge rig for down to my left, carp were the target there, but this rig remained fishless.
A rig for 9m just off centre in front of me using meat over a pinch of micros.
A rig for 9m off to my left to fish chopped worm and caster, no groundbait today as I didn't think it'd be much good.
Lastly a pellet rig for 16m in front, but the wind put paid to fishing this.  
Bait was simple worms and caster, damp micros, some 6mm pellets and some meat.

Pollawyn p45 lhs, worm line was in the middle tree reflection

Peg 45, Pollawyn. White Acres.

The all-in was called and I actually made a nice cast, missing a stray reed and landed around 12 inches off the main reed structure. I turned to grab my flask and pour me a cuppa when I felt my rod wrench round.....then I saw the reeds shake, then the line went slack.....I reeled in the feeder minus a hook....bugger. A few more casts saw me not avoid the stray reed and I gave that up as a bad job, the reed left a gap of around 12" and with the gusty wind the feeder was lobbed up the bank.

Onto the topkit rig and a few roach and a couple perch came to my nets over the next half hour or so, but it was very very slow.
After an hour I decided to pot in a small helping of meat on the relevant spot and a half pot of well chopped worm and caster on that spot.
I spent 10 minutes on the topkit but no fish were forthcoming.
Onto the worm and as the rig was lowered in the elastic was pulled from my pole, sadly the carp didn't hang around but left me with a souvenir scale, but it was a positive sign.......... I thought.

Chris on peg 19 had landed a carp and some skimmers from his 16m line and along with peg 27 and 28 (I think) had landed some fish.
Over the next hour or so I managed to put some roach and small skimmers in the net, nothing big but it was bits and bobs each drop in, though a 6oz perch was my largest fish. So at the halfway stage I had perhaps 2.5lb of bits, so at least I had managed more than the day previous' weight.
A look on the meat line, which I had kept topping up with 4 or 5 pieces of meat every 10 minutes, saw me connect with something that pulled back, after a short scrap a 1lb barbel was landed, this was followed up by a nice 6oz roach and a skimmer of 12oz. But I was getting loads of missed bites, shallowing up didn't see any improvement, well not even a bite, it was like the fish were mulling around about a foot off bottom.
Another look on the worm saw me net a 2lb F1 and then the micro perch arrived knocking back my heightened hopes!!
At this point I looked like being last in section as the chap on peg 20 had landed a couple nice skimmers and a 12lb+ carp on the lead while he was faffing around on the internet. Chris was doing well and putting a few carp and F1s in the net. Along with the pegs on the high bank catching carp it was looking pants for me, other than the foul hooked one earlier, I hadn't seen a carp in my area.

So on to the last hour and I was getting more bites, but my connection ratio wasn't great and various attempts to remedy this never worked, but a few more barbel and 3 more F1s around 2lb graced my keepnet. With 20 minutes to go the lad on peg 20 had another carp, this time while he was packing up his kit, he was behind his box when I saw the rod bouncing and being pulled round.

The all out was signalled and I slowly began to pack away, I even managed to lose a keepnet arm into the lake.....bugger!!
Chris asked what I had, maybe 12lb or just over, he reckoned on 25lb and the lad on peg 20 had 20lb or so was his guess. Elsewhere I could see Tony Oatley on peg 13 catching a few in the second half of the match plus most of the pegs on the high bank had at least 25lb each and they were in my section.
The scales arrived and I saw that my section had a 3lb weight, I wouldn't be last in section, yay!! But the rest of the section over there all had 22lb+.
I tipped my assorted fish onto the scales and it settled at 22lb 1oz. I didn't see exactly what Chris had, but I think it was around 30lb and a section 3rd. Peg 20 had 18lb and ounces, so I had managed a lowly 6th in section. But it was a close contest.

In hindsight I think I should have maybe converted my meat line to a pellet line and set up a shallow pellet rig, but I am not completely convinced that the bites I was missing were the F1s or just roach. I should have moved or at least set up a couple of pellet rigs for the same distance in a new spot. But I could see the reeds opposite moving around and was hoping the wind would drop.
But it was another match that I was pretty happy with how I fished and that fishing for anything was enjoyable, not sure if I could have had carp but I figure I should have had a few more F1s.

Next up for me is Twin Oaks on Thursday. Not sure which area I fancy, I will look at their scores.

Until then, have fun.
Lee.