So there were 34 of us for this match, which is our blind pairs match, so another decent turnout, which is what we get. 17 on each lake.
Had my daughter with me today, she wanted to catch a few rays and do some revision. I am not sure how much she did as she slept on and off for a good proportion of the day.
After a natter with a few guys it was down to the draw, my preference was to draw on Brick, which has been patchy in comparison to Tile. But to be fair I wasn't massively fussed where I would end up.
I managed to get in to the basket about halfway down the rabble after Jamie Parkhouse and Paul Homewood had plucked their pegs. I pulled out peg 40 on Tile, I did double check as I don't often get flyers, but it is usually a good peg, but when it is not so good it tends to be utter pants. But no doubt it will be my last 'flyer' for the next year or so....
A few choice words from more than 1 (read 20) of the guys about my drawing ability, well they must of all had sunstroke and poor memories, but I was happy.
My 2 fave pegs on the complex, pegs 8 and 12 were taken by Mark Watts and Shawn Kittridge respectively, I would have still swapped my peg for theirs.
I got to my home for the day and it looked nice, but a fair bit of scum which was sort of drifting around the peg and could be a pain as it was quite thick, there were some fish in the upper layers and some fizzing in places so I figured I may get a few bites. A couple guys told me where to fish, which is basically a method feeder to a couple spots in the peg. I didn't want to do that thank you very much, I find the island in this peg a touch snaggy.
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| Peg $0, Tile Lake, Sedges. |
A DT Pinger for shallow fishing on the pole at 16m initially in front.
A DT Big D for 16m off towards the end bank in a shallower area, meat would be used here.
A couple DT RBS floats were set up for the deeper water, 1st one off in the 10 o'clock direction just up a shelf at 16 but a good 7 or 8m away from the end bank, banded 8mm was the plan but I never baited this rig all day. The 2nd RBS was for meat off the near shelf to my left at 5m, but this rig never got used either.
For bait I had 8mm and 6mm pellets, some micros for the method. Some 8mm meat and some groundbait mixed (not fed, now frozen).
My company for the day, except Miss Williams, was Mike West on peg 1 and Kev Lock on peg 39.
The all horn sounded and I decided not to feed anywhere in the peg to start, just start at 16m pinging a few pellets. I managed to hook 8 fish, landing 3, in the first half hour. But they were, well I thought they were, small 3lb fish, the 5 lost were due to hook pulls, these small fish on the lake have small mouths and can come off easily.
Then the ripple went and it went quieter and bites harder to come by, but I would get the odd one and after the 1st hour I was on 20lb, a nice start. I decided to feed the meat line towards the end bank with a near full pot of meat. I carried on shallow, catching better when the ripple appeared. The peg was fizzing like mad, which I don't mind on this lake. So I did my usual of lobbing the method over the pole line, this is something I have done here for a few years now, it started off with only me doing it in the evening matches, but now more try it as a viable option rather than a 'what if' tactic.
Anyways a few quick fish on that before I went back on the pole shallow.
It was over 2.5hrs in and I had started to fire a few 6mm and 8mm pellets off in the 10 o'clock direction just to try and draw some extra fish in to the area and as an option should my main line in front slow.
By now I had a few quiet spells and had suffered over an hour without a fish, so a look on the long meat line bought me a small carp and my hopes rose, until the next few fish were small hybrids and skimmers, I decided to give up that line and just stick to my two 16m lines shallow fishing plus the odd look on the method. My clicker was on 60lb (100lb net limt) so I thought I would get a new net at 75lb should I miss calculate my weights.
A few more fish shallow and I sent the daughter get the 2nd carp net, maybe a couple hours of the match left, but then I had another quiet spell when I had no ripple. But when it did return I was getting a fish most chucks shallow, off both lines and the odd couple here or there on the method when in needed a drink.
The final 30 minutes was great as was at times lowering my rig in and the elastic was getting pulled out before the float settled, I bumped my clicker up to 59lb before 2 more fish, perhaps 5lb apiece were added, not clicked. So 70lb in that net, 150lb I thought I could have at a push.
The all out sounded and I packed up and loaded the car before we caught up with the scales up on peg 31 where Nick Selway had been. The best weight so far from the lake at this point was 92lb and there was a 90lb. As the scales carried on their duties I was watching the size of the fish and thought I may be struggling with the net limits as a couple of 2 fish weighs were 8 or 9lb, I would have clicked 6lb....!!
Keith had 107lb, Paul Squire had 101lb and the best silvers was 33lb to Pete Manning, plus a few others weighed before my turn. 2lb+ of accidental meat silvers. My smaller net weighed first, as I lifted it I did think I had gone over 100lb, 3 weighs later and I was 2oz shy of losing the net...phew.
My 2nd net, I knew it was going to be disqualified even before I lifted it as I had clicked 75lb which was 25 fish. Those 3lbers, going by the weights, were likely to have been 4lbs+ and so it proved as the 1st weigh was 50lb 5oz and it was obvious that the 2nd would be over that and when the went on the scales the needle hovered around 58 or 59lb before Jamie chucked them back and the net was lost, bugger. So I weighed in 102lb 2oz rather than the 211lb+ I actually had. Again I had a few choice words thrown at me, I didn't feel bad about not getting the weight more for the fact I know it pisses Jamie off somewhat and that's not me to intentionally to do that. I felt guilty on that side of things.
On with the weigh in and I caught back up with it after a chat with Mike West and saw Jamie take the lead from peg 9 with 140-something, pegs 10 and 11 struggled/dnw's before Shawn Kittridge moved into 2nd place with around 130lb from lovely peg 12. I then left them to it and made my way to the hut to wait for the results.
As it turned out I won my section and Mark Hembery and I won the blind pairs with 192lb+ so a little bit of a silver lining.
Those misjudgements prevented me taking the win, the money and a place in the All Winners Final next year, but such is life, thankfully I am a laid back guy who takes it (reasonably) well enough. It would have also been my 1st net of 200lb+ from Sedges in a match and my best match weight for a long long time. I actually think my new glasses make the fish look smaller than they weigh as a few weeks back at Summerhayes I clicked 66lb and had 112lb, again mostly '3lb fish'......hmmmm something to work on methinks.
I did enjoy it though and gave the new pole a tidy work out and I actually didn't mind fishing at 16m, it was nice to catch a few 1st time out on it.
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| Weigh Sheets... |
1st, peg 9, Jamie Cook. 143lb 5oz
2nd, peg 12, Shawn Kittridge, 130lb 2oz
3rd, peg 37, Keith Clapp, 107lb
4th, peg 40, Lee Williams, 102lb 2oz (knocked back from circa 211lb)
5th, peg 36, Paul Squire, 101lb 9oz
Silvers:
1st, peg 33, Pete Manning, 33lb
2nd, peg 39, Kev Lock, 23lb 12oz
Next week it is the next round of the Float Only Series, at Todber for that next Sunday.
Enjoy the weather this week guys and girls, it is looking hot.
Until next time...
Lee
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