Anyways I arrived early enough and sorted the trolley out, which is easier said than done now I have a new seatbox. I couldn't get on the bloody thing to sit on the trolley how I wanted it. But I will figure a way to get it right.
A bit of a chat with a couple guys and the draw was started. I was 1st in the pot for my lake for the day....peg 28. Hmm didn't fancy that to be honest and unless the roach had a big munch on then I could definitely struggle. I think it was that peg that Tony Rixon had 20-odd pounds of roach from in the 1st round, but I cannot be sure.
I made my was to my peg and found out that Mr Consistent Gary O'Shea had drawn peg 33....So that looked good for him to get the section win, but he had Matt Williams on 32 opposite him for competition. I had Steve Seagar to my right on peg 31 and Rod Wootton was rather not well down on peg 25. Plenty of room, not always great.
I began to set up and the odd roach was breaking the surface in front of the gap between pegs 29 and 30. So I was a little hopeful of not blanking.
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| Peg 28, Landsend Speci Lake (lake 1) |
I had for bait, maggots, micros, corn and a few expanders and prawns....oh and some casters and I also mixed up some groundbait.
My rigs were simple:
1st was for silvers, a DT F1 float in 0.2g and hooklength was 0.10>20 b911f1 to be fished to my right at 7m and the same in front.
2nd was a rig for carp and was a DT RBS pattern in 0.3g and would be fished in front at 13m at the bottom of the far shelf, it was also suit 7m off to my left.
Two 0.1g pellet pingers were set-up, one for 16m across in 2ft of water against the island using any bait and the second in 2.5ft around 14.5m distance slightly to my right between 2 trees/bushes. I would feed micros and corn on the 7m line and maggots/casters at 14.5m in case the big perch show (they go well over 3lb here). Both rigs had B911 hooks in size 16 to 0.14 hooklengths.
At the all in I chose not to feed anywhere and started at 7m off to my right tosspotting casters and fishing a single red maggot on the hook. I had 2 baby roach in 2 drops, both fell off.....haha then I managed to put the 3rd in the keepnet, only an ounce, but no blank for me. A couple more followed before bites stopped.....they stayed stopped for a while as the first hour passed with my tally was 5oz...5 roach. Some guys hadn't had a bite. But Matt Williams on corner peg 32 had a couple carp and Gary O'Shea was 'emptying it' by all account.
The second hour saw me catch a few more roach from both silvers lines, I did bump a couple better fish, could have been skimmers, could have been perch, they were not on long enough to tell. But half a dozen roach, all around the 1oz size graced my keepnet. Oh and a single 2oz perch from 14.5m between the trees/bushes.
My few looks for a carp remained fruitless and the roach were not of any size worth catching. Steve Seager had lost 2 or 3 carp and Rod had one from peg 25. It was hard fishing for most. The wind was rather blustery and at times it was hard to fish 7m let along 16m.
I then had 2 hours or so where I think all I caught was 3 or 4 little roach. I was last on the lake, so I thought at this point.
As we came to the last 90 minutes I still had not seen a sign of carp in my peg and Steve was getting a few net silvers and looked well ahead of me. But I began to pick up 1oz roach more quickly now and I was getting into a rhythm and at least putting ounces into the net. I suppose I was on a pound and a half.
I had a couple looks for carp, again nothing. I could hear other saying they had only 3 bites, 4 bites, 2 bites etc.....
As the all out was called I was getting a bite a chuck and even managed a couple 4-6oz roach and a 2oz skimmer. I wanted the match to carry on 20 more minutes as I could have put a couple pounds in the net then. I ended with around 60 fish and had loads of bites, missed plenty though, which given the size of the fish is no shock. Plus the fish were up and down in the water that bites would be hard to spot at times, I tried shallower and laying on etc but could not quite get things sorted.
I reckoned I had 2lb 8oz or so, maybe a little more. But I was sure Steve had well more than me on the silvers front, he had caught a late carp fishing tight over. Rod hadn't had any more, 4 bites he had all day. Others had struggled but most had a carp or 2. So I was really looking at the last place in the section, but I could maybe win the silvers pot for the lake should I have more than Steve. I was sure he had more, he was sure I had more....always the way.
Anyway the scales arrived and Rod's single carp was 5-10, my silvers weighed a surprising 5-08, those odd roach that fell off and occasional bumped fish cost me at least 1 point. I followed the scales to the next peg. Steve Seager had 1 carp, but more importantly to me, his silvers were 4-08 which was a couple pound at least less than what I guessed he had. I then went back to my peg and sorted the rest of my kit out and headed back to the car.
I got hold of the weigh sheet and actually saw my net of roach was the best silvers on the lake, so at least I would get an envelope if not the points I hoped for prior to the match.
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| Score Sheet from my section.... |
The full results are on Tony's Blog I believe.
So although a hard day, the last hour was rather enjoyable and I was getting bites, which is more that others had during the day. Maybe it was my downfall, maybe I should have sat it out for the whole match for a few carp, but I really was not convinced that I would have any in my peg, let alone expected to hook one. A 6lber would have been worth loads more points.....Hindsight eh!!
No idea where I am fishing this weekend, I don't think I have any matches so a pleasure day at Apex, where I hope to get 15lb+ of skimmers, just for a change, is my likely foray out on the bank.
Until next time, tight lines.
Lee
