Arrived at the fishery by 9:30 and said a few hellos to a few guys including some of the PSV chaps on Sellicks. Paid my dues and waited for the draw. I didn't want to be on Willow as although there are more silvers in there I fancied catching a few carp from Lily, I had never been on Willow before and Lily has been ok for me. But 18 or so fishing and top 4 and 2 silvers payouts, common sense told me that Willow would be a more viable option for a pick-up.
Onto the draw and the Golden Peg was drawn and was peg 5 on Lily, I managed to pick 3 from the end and had Willow peg 11, no idea what it looked like at that point. But I got to my peg and recognised it from Jamie Rich's blog. I had that man opposite me on peg 7, he offered a side bet on silvers, like a numpty who wanted to fish for carp I agreed...!!
 |
| Peg 11 Willow, Summerhayes (Jamie Rich opposite) |
Rigs were simply, 1 edge rig, a DT RBS in 0.3g on 0.18>0.14>16 B911, for 8m to my left around 1m out from the bank, I intended to fish here using banded pellets, this same rig done for the same distance off to my left a little and near a small island. The 2nd rig was a meat rig for 2+2 in front and 2+1 to my left on a point of the near bank, using the same DT RBS but with a size 14 B911. The water levels are down and on plumbing up this meat line and the pellet line off the island I felt plenty of roots and rocks etc, this meant I couldn't fish as close as I fancied.
Lastly I set up a lighter maggot rig using a DT Pencil in 0.4g on 0.14>0.13>Guru LWG size 18, but on strongish elastic, for silvers at 8m in front and off in the 2 o'clock direction, but these spots would be fed with various amounts of micros and a few maggots. Any further in front and me and Jamie would have almost been touching pole tips.
That maggot rig also would double up as a topkit rig to feed heavy-ish with maggots, hoping for some eels as they can be of a decent size. I also hoped for maybe a tench or a few stamp roach/rudd from here.
At the all-in I fed my left edge and 2 spots with micros for silvers, I decided not to initially feed my meat lines or the island, instead I chose to begin on the short meat line just using a toss-pot.
Not much happened for 10 mins, Jamie had a couple skimmers and one or 2 carp had been caught.
So out over my silvers line in front and I kept bumping plippy roach and rudd, so a quick elastic change to a 4-6 maybe would alter this, but I didn't fancy catching 1/2oz bits all day.
Jamie soon had his 1st accidental carp, this made me come off my silvers and try near the island, again feeding via a tosspot, 1st drop I missed a bite but as I re-lowered the rig back in I was into my 1st carp, a nice 6lb fish to boot.....back out and nothing...!! That was the opening hour, 1 carp and a few small silvers. I began to feed my topkit line heavy and irregularly with maggots.
The second hour was another quiet one, peg 9 was catching a few fish as was Nigel on peg 13.
Jamie at this point had a dozen small skimmers and a few roach. I was still unsure about which route to go down, try for the silvers or fish for the carp. Nobody was really flying along on the carpy side of things but I knew the silvers would need a proper effort to catch enough should they be feeding well for someone. But after Jamie's slowish start I wasn't too sure how much would be needed to get a quid off Mr Rich, 8lb perhaps?
Anyways I managed a few plippy silvers and 2 carp I actually attempted to catch on the meat line to my left. But as time went on I could see pegs 13, 9 and peg 1 catching a few, I couldn't see peg 3. Lily lake looked slow and not many fish had been caught and a few guys had walked the banks, Steve Jackson and Ray Wickham both packed up early, they were not to only ones on that lake to do so.
The 3rd and 4th hours were a bit better as I had been feeding my topkit line and I tried there and low and behold after a few plips I began to get a few better 3oz fish, just odd ones and they would be interrupted by carp, as were Jamie's silvers, his silvers were smaller fish not skimmers also.
My carp clicker was on 24lb at this point and I knew at least pegs 13 and 9 had double that, so really other than for resting my silver's lines, the carp fishing exploits had stopped.
I was occasionally trying the longer lines and I would only get a few more plippy fish and odd carp.
I had also upped the feed on one of my silvers lines hoping the tench and better skimmers would move in, preferably not the carp.
The 5th hour was decent enough on the silvers front, mostly on the topkit where I was getting a fish a bung and a couple may have been 6 to 8oz, most were 2-3oz, I also had a few fall off and back into the water!! But every now and then I would be attached to a carp which would take a bit of time to land, but I never lost one, just minutes I could be fishing for silvers. I did have a nice looking 4lb ghostie.
The odd occasion I would try either of my meat lines, more hoping for a bigger fish of the non carp type, I would miss a bite or land a carp. Jamie was also getting the run around from carp on his silvers rigs. But had started to catch a little better on the silvers front and as far as I was concerned I would be giving him a shiny pound coin.
The last hour was really quiet for me on the silvers side of things, perhaps 7 or 8 small roach/rudd but I did have a couple or so carp taking my carp tally to around 30lb as my clicker said. (some carp were 1.5lb fish) and I had 8 or 9 carp come the end of the match to go with perhaps 2.5lb of silvers, maybe 50 silvers, no skimmers at all, just rudd and roach.
I packed my gear away, half of Lily already had ages ago. It didn't take long and I caught up with the weigh-in as we got to Jamie, he had 27lb of carp but 5lb 2oz of silvers, definitely more than what I had, but he said he thought I had more and it could be closer than my guesstimate. But I gave him the quid as promised.
Peg 9 put a good 50-odd pounds on the scales before they got to me. Silvers first and surprisingly 4lb 3oz of bits and bobs was my total. Ady asked did I want to weigh my carp and I insisted I may as well as I'd been there 6hrs. 33lb 11oz worth, plus my 4lb 3oz, which at that point put me 2nd but I knew Nigel on peg 13 had a good 60lb+ at least and I presumed somebody on Lily would have been better off than that.
Nigel weighed in 61lb 14oz total. Onto the few left on Lily and Glynn Wickham said he'd had a big eel and been bitten off by a couple big eels, plus he had 3 or 4 actual silvers. He totalled 3lb 9oz of silvers. So I had 2nd in silvers. Nobody had more than 25lb of carp either on Lily.
I went off and loaded my car before the results were given.
1st, Nigel Wickham, 13W, 61lb 14oz
2nd, Chris Whitham, 9W, 57-07
3rd, Lee Williams, 11W, 37-14
4th, Geoff Francis, 3W, 35-01
1st Silvers, Jamie Rich, 7W, 5-02
2nd Silvers, Lee Williams, 11W, 4-03
3rd Silvers, Glyn Wickham, 12L, 3-09
Myself and Jamie both agreed that perhaps we could have fished for the carp and possibly threatened the top 2, as there seemed to be plenty around come the 2nd half of the match, actually every time I tried my 2 meat lines I would get indications and often a fish or 2. But none the less it was a nice day in decent weather with good company as usual.
It was a low weight (for the lake) affair in the PSV match with 70lb-ish winning by Alan Healey on peg 23 Sellicks.
Next up for me at the moment is Pawlett's next match at Sedges on Sunday, just got to decide, silvers or carp, haha. I may do the MMT at Viaduct on Sunday, just have to see how I feel.
Take Care and Have Fun,
Lee
No comments:
Post a Comment