Todber Manor Open, Hillview Lake, 14-4-18

A long awaited visit to this super fishery yesterday, somewhere I should try and venture to more than I do, actually it was possibly last September-ish that I went. You are usually guaranteed of a few bites even if you have drawn away from the 'hot area' on the day. I just wish it was at least 40 minutes closer.
Anyways the weather on the way over was rather foggy and at times visibility was bad, luckily the roads were clear with the exception of numpty people towing trailers whom all hogged the whole road. I made it in plenty of time and had a look around the well stocked tackle shop.

Nearly 30 I think were fishing and we were all on Hillview Lake. Pre-draw chatter with Mark Poppleton and Allan Oram plus a few others was good, nice to see a few faces like Dave Chidzoy who I hadn't seen in a while.
On to the draw and you really don't know where the fish could be and where the winner and framers could come from, obviously apart from a few of the slightly more consistent pegs. I drew halfway down the rabble and pulled out peg 53, didn't mean much to me initially and had to double check where it was. It is the end peg in the far leg of the lake.

Peg 53 Hillview, Todber Manor

I made my way to the peg, one of the few pegs you cannot drive right up to, but gravel paths and a short walk is no issue. Bit muddy off the paths, to be expected with the work they have done and the recent weather issues.
Not much in the way of company, I had a guy called Bob (I think...sorry) next to me on 52 and Mr Chidzoy on peg 51. Other than that it was a nice view of the countryside. And thankfully the fog cleared to leave a lovely sunny day. Spring had sprung.

My peg looked ok, but the water seemed clearer than most others and along with peg 52 we had nothing in the way of wind or ripple, which was pushing over my head and away from me. I was certain that my are would not be ideal, but fish have fins and you never know what will occur.
Setting up a large bream rolled in front of peg 52, but that was it apart from odd roach.
I assembled a method feeder for across to the far bank, and a bunch of rigs for the pole, simply because I had entered the silverfish pool and I had not been in so long I hadn't a clue what to do.
So A shallow pellet rig using a DT Pinger, this went unused.
A depth pellet rig for 11m in front, slightly right as this seemed a nice area off the shelf but not in the deepest part of the peg. A 0.4g RBS Open Water float with 0.14>b911 size 16.
A depth meat rig on the same set up as the pellet, but even further round to the right at 11m, but this was only tried a couple times and remained fishless as did the rig I put up for around 2ft off the bank even further around to my right at 11m.
Only 1 silvers rig though, a DT Pencil float 0.2g for topset plus one section in front, just before the deepest water. I would feed groundbait and casters there and fish caster on the hook.

It was soon the all in, I fed the peg and I began on the method feeder, 25 minutes and no indications.
A look on the 11m lines, again no signs, not looking good after around an hour.
Elsewhere people were getting action, especially behind me in 43 and 45. Dave on peg 51 was getting a few stockies on his feeder. Bob was struggling but had put a couple roach and skimmers in the net and a couple small carp.
On the hour I had a look on my silvers line and began to get a few roach, very odd skimmer and even less tench......all interrupted occasionally by the odd stockie carp which were manageable on the silvers rig. You need a few of the 5lb+ carp to win the matches there, I really don't think there were enough of them down our leg to do that.

I could write on about the rest of the day, but other than 2 small carp on the 11m pellet rig I never really looked for the carp for more than another 40 minutes throughout the match. I just carried on putting silvers in the net in little spurts. I did get interrupted by a decent bream of perhaps 3.5lb which I hoped would see me add a few more like that, especially as Bob had a couple, buy I only added a couple 1lbers throughout the day plus odd 12oz tench, but it was mostly roach from 1oz to 5oz. Elsewhere Lee Woodhouse had netted a couple really clonking slabs, 2 possibly would have weighed 13lb between them.
I kept bites coming though and carried on doing what seemed to be ok, but I was not sure I had got it right, feeding half a dozen casters every minute and odd top up of groundbait.

Just before the all out Dave Chidzoy had a 1st, his 1st ever catfish, only a kitten at perhaps 5lb and fairly hooked in the tail, this gave him a shock when it surfaced, but it was good to see, I do like catfish and a trip to catch one or 2 this summer may well be in my plans. He had fish all day but only small ones in the main and was admitting to 70lb of carp.

Anyways the all out was called and I tipped back my carp, maybe 25lb of them, from 8oz to 2.5lb and wanted to just weigh my silver to gauge how I had faired for future reference.
So kit packed up and waited for the guys and the scales, I got to see Dave's cat and his guess was as close as I have known with just over 70lb of carp and catfish boosted silvers of 8lb gave him 80lb-sh.
My neighbour on 51 had 19lb of silvers and 22lb of carp. Elsewhere peg 43 had 125lb, Pete Neate had 105lb from 45 and best silvers was 33lb and a 23lb.
My turn to weigh and I had more than I thought by a long way, no surprise to some perhaps, but my total was 29lb 12oz. Lots of roach especially. This put me 2nd in the silvers on the day and a pick up, sadly not enough to put me into the King of the Manor Silvers final. But I will try again a few times this year I hope.

Results:

1st: Lee Janczyszyn 125lb 4oz (Peg 43)
2nd: Pete Neate 105lb 12oz (Peg 45)
3rd: Nigel Alford 95lb 4oz (Peg 49)
4th: Dave Chidzoy 80lb 1oz (Peg 51)

Silver's 1st: Lee Woodhouse 33lb 0oz (Peg 50)
Silver's 2nd: Lee Williams 29lb 12oz (Peg 53)
Silver's 3rd: Matt Skyme 23lb 0oz (Peg 41)

Section A: Ian Graham 53lb 7oz (Peg 34)
Section B: Terry Death 74lb 12oz (Peg 54)

Looking at what I could have done, maybe got off my backside and set up a 2nd silvers rig for further out may have been a better option for the quiet spells rather than trying for carp, but that is hindsight but I will take it with me going forward.

Next week I am back at Acorn for the series on Saturday and Sunday I have a match on one of the best silvers waters around with the Pawlett guys in Apex.

Until then, take care and enjoy the warmer climes this week....

Lee