This weekend was that of PSV and Pawlett's Xmas Matches, so as is generally the way it goes for me, it was Pawlett's at The Sedges for me (and 33 others). A mild week preceded the day, but Saturday night saw a drop in temps and when we arrived there was almost a frost and the temperature gauge was showing a balmy 2 degrees as I made my way to the fishery. I arrived to a very full car park for the 8am draw.
Trolley loaded, nets collected, tea served (with thanks) by Denise and the draw would soon be made, but 10 minutes or more of chit chat with a few guys and the usual ideas on where each of us wanted or didn't want to be drawn for the day. Me, well I wanted Brick Lake, firstly it is because I prefer it but expected Tile to be more consistent, secondly I won the corresponding match last year from the lake, and lastly I cannot ever seem to catch silvers from the Tile Lake. Pegs 8 around the top end and down to peg 13 was where I wanted to be, peg 12 being may favourite. Golden pegs were 32, 22 and 40.
Nearly last in the basket, after pegs 8 around to 13 had gone......I drew peg 15, not too bad but I was still inclined to think I was maybe 2 or 3 pegs away from the bulk of fish, especially as a warmer south/south-westerly wind was due to pick up as the day wore on. Getting at my peg I found I had Mark Leader on p14 and Paul Lock on peg 16. Rich Coles was up in the corner on peg 11, which was definitely showing signs of carp.....well to be fair the lake was showing a few all over as we assembled our arrays of tackle.
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| Peg 15, Sedges Brick Lake |
So I sorted my bait and tackle for the day:
Wag and mag, feeding groundbait around two thirds of the way to the rope.
Lead and bread or meat, fished from the waggler line and beyond.
A short meat pole rig, fished over groundbait at 6m.
A silvers rig for maggot or expanders over 2 lines at 14, one with micros in line with Jason King on peg 5, the 2nd with groundbait in line with Jamie Parkhouse over on peg 7.
The 9:30am all-in was called and I fed the 3 pole lines before starting on the waggler, some 20 minutes passed before I had a couple small skimmers and a roach before it went quiet. Rich Coles already had a carp and a few skimmers had been snared too.
Out on the lead and bread, so I could have a cuppa, and a 6oz skimmer was bundled into the keepnet 15 minutes later.
On returning to the waggler I was getting a few bites but they were not resulting in fish, probably small roach as Paul on p16 was suffering the same on the pole. It was fishing tricky though all over.
12pm came and I chucked the waggler back out and had the rod pulled out from between my legs as I grabbed my catty, a spirited battle saw me win and a carp of around 9lb landed.
I hoped for more, well hope is all I managed.....
Meanwhile up on peg 11 it was Rich Coles landing a few lumpy beasts on whatever tactic he dare try and really it looked like he'd sail into the distance in regards to winning, at least, the lake. The rest of us were hoping for a run of skimmers and carp to compete.
Mark on peg 14, who was contemplating going home, was getting a few 2lb skimmers and a few palm sized specimens of the same species and was doing well. Everyone else was on 2 or less carp.
We were now at around 1:15pm and I managed to get a foul hooked carp on the feeder (I had switched to that from a lead hoping for skimmers), a prolonged battle saw me land a common of about 11lb which was a bonus. It was a bonus as the rest of the match saw both running lines not produce another fish between them.
So the last 2 hours and 15 minutes was mostly spent on the pole lines, hoping to get some proper skimmers and maybe a carp or 2.
I didn't manage any more carp but just the odd small roach succumbed to my maggot hookbait, I couldn't get a bite on expander yet Locky on my left and Mark to my right were getting a few skimmers and they'd both had a carp each, on 4mm expanders. But I was doing ok really with only Rich on peg 11 and Mark Sweeting on peg 12 doing better from what I could see, but then a couple of quick lumps would change things around.
3 o'clock soon came and I had managed a nice 2.5lb tench which gave a nice little battle on the skimmer kit. Mark had at least 10lb of silvers and 1 carp. He hooked and landed another lumpy carp on his skimmers kit around this time. I suppose he must have 20lb of carp, similar to me, but had 10-12lb of silvers or more at the all-out.
I spied a few bubbles over my short meat line and the last half hour was spent hoping to connect with a fish or 2 from this short line, especially as the long lines were not doing anything worthwhile.
I did get 3 bites in the last ten minutes, liners methinks, but I never did hook any, but that's the way it goes. Oh Paul Lock on peg 16 hooked a carp a minute before the finish and landed it after the hooter. He probably had the same-ish as myself as he'd had some skimmers.
I packed my gear away, loaded the car and waited for the scales, they had to weigh Tile and we heard of a couple upper 40lb nets and John 'plug' Fuidge had again underestimated his silvers haul, admitting to mid-teens only to have 24lb of them.....Rich Coles looked to have won overall as I reckoned on him having 50-55lb.
Scales arrived and the sheet showed Rich winning on 53lb-ish and peg 12 had 26lb. Mark Leader then put his fish on the scales to have 33lb+ before I managed 27lb 6oz with my 2 carp combined totalling 21lb. This gave me 3rd on the lake and 7th on the day.
Locky was 2oz shy of my total, that last gasp carp almost overhauled me....haha.
We left them to continue the weigh in and I made my way home before Mr Paul Berry gave me a lift to the Legion where the presentation was done and sausage and chips consumed.
Thanks to the Club for the prizes we all got and the food.
Results:
1st - Rich Coles, peg 11, 53lb 10oz
2nd - Mark Hembury, peg 36, 48lb 7oz
3rd - Kev Lock, peg 37, 44lb 3oz
Silvers:
1st - John Fuidge, peg 24, 24lb 14oz
2nd - Jamie Cook, peg 26, 18lb 2oz
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| Brick. Weigh Sheet. |
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| Tile. Weigh Sheet. |
So I needed one more decent carp for 2nd on the lake, but that wouldn't have got me into the top 3 but maybe had won me the section ahead of Mr Leader. Actually the 3 of us in a row all had 2 carp and each of us weighed 21lb of them. A tidy average size is that.
Next weekend is the next round of the Avalon Teams of 3, a nice day catching 45lb of skimmers would be cool.
Until then.....have fun
Lee
