Walked around the lakes after Thursday's storm Doris, there were plenty of fish moving around the area of 19-23 on the match lake, plus a few up in 13/15. Not many seen on Lake 1 or Lake 3 (except peg 55). Plenty of debris in the lakes and on the paths, which Mike cleared that afternoon. It became a toss-up of Saturday at Viaduct or Landsend, or Sunday at Harescombe with PSV.
So I checked the weather both days and I decided on Landsend, a shorter drive and a bit sheltered and the weather looked a little better for Saturday.
I got down to the lakes early enough and waited for everyone to arrive and get breakfasted up, it wasn't a nice start to the day, a bit dull and damp with a decent breeze.
16 of us fished so Mike put 5 on Lake 3 and 11 on Lake 2. I fancied any odd number from 11 around to 23, wasn't keen in 5 or 7 and not particularly wanting to get up to Lake 3 where the fish will have plenty of room to back away from the 5 fishing, plus I haven't fished it more than 4 times I think.
I drew towards the back end of the queue and pulled peg 62, means nothing to me, but saw that the last couple of the So Simple Landsend Winter League rounds on the peg had given 24 and 27lb, which wouldn't be good enough to win, but fish have fins etc.
So after a brisk walk, which almost killed me, I got to my peg. I had the end of one island at 14m in front of me and the end of the next island at 16m off in the 1 o'clock direction but the wind meant I kept the 16m section in the holdall. A fallen tree on my right and another 8m to my left. I never got any pics as the weather wasn't great.
Box sorted, bait brolly up and bait onto the tray. 4 rigs put onto topkits.
One for silvers at topkit+1 (groundbait feed) and 8m (micros feed). Hookbaits of maggot or expander.
One for meat at the end of the tree on my right and off the end of the island in front.
One for banded pellet toward the 2nd island, where I would feed 4mm pellets sparingly, but this rig never gave me a bite,
Lastly a rig for down by the left hand tree using corn mostly, but I never had a bite here.
For company I had Derek Beards on peg 58 and Rich Lovering on peg 66 but I couldn't really see either.
At the all-in I fed 6 or 7 pieces of meat at the end of the tree on my right, similar amount of corn to my left. A small tosspot of micros at 8m in front and 2 walnuts of groundbait on the short line.
Out to the island in front and I fed 4 pieces of meat and had a piece on the hook. 15 minutes later I had a bite and a 6oz crucian was in the keepnet, Derek shouted he lost a carp.
Half an hour later I hooked a carp on the long meat line off the island, but after a few seconds it found a snag just off the island, so that was annoying but encouraging. Alas it was a false dawn out there as I never had another fish from there all day.
As we got into the 2nd hour I had a quick look on the meat line off the tree and on corn to my left, no bites in 20 minutes.
It was now cold and blowing well at me with some rainy type stuff mixed in, I was a bit nippy so I went to see what Derek and Rich had, both didn't have much at all but Mark Walsh on end peg 70 was doing well. Rich Heatley had broke a pole section.
Back at my peg and a cuppa drank I went over my 8m silvers line and managed a couple of small 4oz skimmers and a crucian of 8oz or so. But no further bites.
Onto the topkit +1 line and a couple 1lb perch and two roach of an ounce each were had quickly.
By now it was maybe 2pm and Neil Venning had been down to have a walk and said nobody looked like they were catching on the Match Lake (lake 2). I went for another wander, just to warm up if nothing else.
I took another look over the left edge area, no bites. Out to the end of the right hand tree with meat and I had a skimmer and then a little carp of 3lb maybe, so looking up. But another false dawn as no more fish came from there. So a semi-bored, semi-hopeful decision just to chuck a few maggots at topkit line by the tree to my right in hope of a perch or 2.
I fed the tree with maggots for half an hour while only managing 1 fish, another roach off the micros on double maggot. But a fish swirled at the maggots I fed, not a big fish, but it made me try there and 1st drop saw a small F1 netted, a few missed bites saw me shallow up to 18 inches maybe a little less.
There was maybe 45 minutes left in the match and I had the F1, 2 sensible perch, 2 little perch, 3 or 4 small skimmers, 2 crucians, a 3lb carp and a few roach.
The remainder of the match was quite nice actually, I had a big 3lb F1, another little F1. 3 carp, a decent perch plus a few roach all on the shallow maggot on my topkit, it wasn't hectic but consistent.
At the all-out I think I had 4 carp, 3 F1s, 2 crucians, 3 decent perch and a few roach, skimmers and perch to 4oz. So may 8-9lb of silvers and the 4 carp would be 16lb-ish.
As it turned out Derek and Rich both caught well on their topkits late on.
I packed up, walked my kit to the car park and caught up with the scales before they headed up to Lake 3, 20lb was leading. Derek had 24lb or so, then I managed a surprising 12lb 10oz of silvers and my carp took my total to 30lb 9oz. Rich Lovering had mid 20lbs, Rich Heatley dnw'd as did Alan Oram on Lake 2 peg 24. Walshy then put 12lb 8oz of silvers and his carp on the scales, he ended with 42lb+.
Back to Lake 2 and the pegs from 13 down to 19 had 27lb being best, then Russ Peck put 38lb on the board before fishery owner Mike Duckett's 6lb of silvers and dozen carp gave him the win with 80lb 4oz total weight.
So a day that turned out to be trickier than expected, perhaps Doris had affected the fish and they had decided to have a day off.
Results:
1st - Mike Duckett, 80lb 4oz, p23
2nd - Mark Walsh, 42lb 14oz, p70
3rd - Russ Peck, 38lb 12oz, p21
4th - Lee Williams, 30lb 9oz, p62
Silvers
1st, Lee Williams, 12lb 10oz, p62
2nd, Mark Walsh, 12lb 8oz, p70
3rd, Roy Hughes, 10lb 13oz, p15
 |
| Weights (minus 2 dnw's) |
So I managed a few quid for the Silvers win, which was a bonus, but it was hard going and 5hrs in it looked like it was going to be a 5lb day, so I got out of jail.
Next weekend I am not too sure where I shall be or indeed what day, so lets see.
Tight Lines and Stay Safe,
Lee
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