The fishing is set across 3 of the venue's lakes, Jennys, Pollawyn and Twin Oaks and you have 1 day on each, sections of 8 (I think we have 48 fishing) and you really need 2 section wins and a 2nd in section to stand a chance of a top 3 finish, no droppers and a grand to fish for.
I arrived on Saturday just as the Parkdean Masters had finished in which Jon Whincup took away 25 grand from peg 11, an unfancied peg. He has won £100,000 in the last few weeks.....who needs work?
Anyways I had a practice/pleasure session on Jennys on Sunday, peg 6, and managed to struggle to around 30lb of fish, this was more than others on the lake, this weight would be a good weight for the section points if the temps drop and the fishing remains hard like the lakes at the complex have been for the last few weeks.
On to today and I wanted the rotation of Pollawyn, Twin Oaks then Jennys, but an open 1st day draw and with the weather to turn windier from Tuesday afternoon I figured that I could handle scratching on Jennys as opposed to doing the same on the other lakes.
I managed to squeeze my way into the queue around 12th and plucked Jennys peg 14, 1st peg in my 8 peg section, sadly I looked at the peg's result from Saturday's match and Bradley Gibbons had 6lb or so, hmmmm. With favoured pegs 15 to 19 in the section I hoped that last nights really cold night had pushed the fish into the narrower pegs where I would be fishing.
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| Jenny's Lake, Peg 14. White Acres. (island point is peg 15's) |
A pellet feeder was assembled for the 22m chuck to the island. A few pole rigs made up to cover all eventualities.
A margin rig for worm or meat over groundbait, in hope of a few late carp.....I did say Hope.!!
A topkit rig for casters with mostly roach in mind, but you never know what you may hook here.
A couple of pellet rigs, one deep and one shallow for at 14m in front.
A worm/caster/groundbait rig for at 11m in front.
A meat rig for 7m slightly to my right.
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| Peg 14 Jenny's, White Acres, looking left towards peg 11 and the other half of the lake. |
Before I tried the topkit I fed a small helping of meat on that particular line, a small ball of groundbait with a bit of cw&c added went in at 11m. I refrained from feeding the long pellet line for now.
On the topkit I started to get some roach and odd small perch, not manic but it kept me happy for now, then after 20 minutes I had a 6oz skimmer which was welcome. A few more roach came and before I knew it we were 80 minutes into the match, I probably had 4lb.
The guy on peg 15 had lost a foul hooked carp and had 1 small skimmer. Hot peg 16 had landed a couple carp but they were the only people I could see.
Out on the meat line and a couple skimmers came before they vanished.
On to the worm line and again a couple small skimmers along with a couple roach were put into the keepnet.
So we were now at the halfway stage and I had started to ping pellets on to the 14m line but I had a couple friendly ducks and a couple of more friendly moorhens, they wouldn't flinch even with the pole tip under their beaks.
Peg 15 managed to land a lumpy mid-double carp, which he got lucky with, it jumped from his landing net, rolled along his feeder arm then fell into his keepnet....oh so lucky, we had a giggle.
I needed carp for sure, but hadn't even seen one in my peg or to my left. Somebody walking by said a couple guys were doing well and had maybe 35lb each at this stage and were well ahead in the section.....then peg 16 had a couple more carp. Things were looking pants for me.
A few fish come to the worm line, but although it was fizzing like mad I didn't feel that many fish were present. A few bumped fish and it was back to the meat line, but only 1 skimmer and a nice 6oz roach happened to join their mates in my net.
So out to the pellets, which I had been pinging for around an hour, this had worked, well nearly worked as I managed a run of 4 carassio on the depth rig and one shallow, all in the space of 40 minutes maybe.
It was now around 2pm so 90 minutes left, I had maybe 10lb of skimmers/roach/crucians/perch and my 5 carassio, so perhaps 16lb and probably not very high up in the section. Defo behind the two guys I could see and further behind those 2 mentioned earlier.
I fed my left edge at 9m where I found a slightly deeper spot by a tree stump. 4 cups of groundbait went in.
A few more skimmers from the meat and pellet lines went into the keepnet, but no better stamp fish, no carp, carassio or F1s. No tench either, yet on Sunday I had maybe 5 of them.
The chap on 15 had a couple skimmers but was definitely struggling. Peg 16 was doing ok and another chap said the 2 guys further down were admitting to 45lb with half an hour to go.
The final 30 minutes was mostly spent down the edge, hoping for a couple carp, only trying the meat line when I re-fed the edge. I managed zero on the carp front but a couple nice roach and a couple skimmers found the keepnet in the last minutes. I reckoned I had around 19 or 20lb.
The all-out was called and as quick as lightening the scales were up to peg 16. So I moved my kit and went to see what peg 15 weighed. 18lb and a few ounces was his total. A look at the sheet saw a couple 50lb+ nets and a 37lb. 24lb 4oz was 4th in section. 6lb was last.
I tipped my fish into the sling and watched as the needle settle at a couple ounces under 24lb. So a section 5th and festival over......
I packed up and made my way to the car, Tony Oatley had come 3rd in the other section on the lake with 32lb and he'd lost a decent carp late on at the landing net, costing him second, maybe 1st in section. He also informed me that Pollawyn had been won with 39lb......Great!! A few 5lb or less nets were recorded.... I am so looking forward to that tomorrow...!!
No match on Wednesday, I don't fancy the open match, but I am fishing Bolingey on Friday, no meat or groundbait allowed so I best buy some corn and/or maggots.
Until tomorrow.
Have Fun.
Lee
