Clevedon Club Match - Shiplate Main Lake, 9/6/13

Today I had a choice of Clevedon's match on Shiplate main lake or Pawlett's one on the little lake at Trinity, I chose the former as I never realised that the other match existed until it was too late, lol.

I arrived at the car-park 15 mins before the draw, we would draw at 9, fish 10:30 - 16:30. I paid my fee and unloaded the kit onto my trolley. The weather was due to be warm and sunny with a north/north-easterly wind blowing for the day. We had 18 on the list to fish and expectations were high as the fish had spawned and they were all over the lake, swirling, jumping, blowing etc.

After a quick walk around half of the lake (I still have not been any further around than peg 9!), it was time fro the draw. Pay-outs were 1st, 2nd and 3rd with a couple silvers pots. I picked the 2nd to last ticket in the hat, revealing a peg I really was not wanting, Peg 5a, a new peg it seems, but with 5 and 6 in the match it would be kind of close knit. I had Kev Perry on my right in 5 and Les? who had a decent island chuck from peg 6, loads and loads of carp were around the island, but still a few in open water as well.
I actually had some rigs made up, which is kind of unheard of for me, but being home alone on Friday night and yesterday saw me knock up 8 or so new rigs.
So for today I had a 0.4 Nick Gilbert XT Decker for 13/14.5m, this would be my bream/silvers rigs and consisted on 0.12 hooklength to a B611-f1 pattern. I had prepared some groundbait and decided to pot in 8 balls along with some caster and micros. But I only had 1 drop with this, resulting in a 4oz  skimmer. My only silverfish of the match.
I also had, but didn't use an NG Margin float for my left hand edge swim, 0.18>14 B911 for corn and meat. I fed this throughout the match but no signs indicated for me to try, although I did have a couple looks without a response.
My final pole rigs was a long lined dibber type float (0.2g) for banded 8mm pellet, to be fished over the silvers line, as there were loads of carp in the upper layers. Line was 0.20>0.18>14 B911. This would be used in the 2nd half of the match (in theory).
I also rigged up a pellet waggler for 30-35yrds or so and a small method feeder for the same line and searching, both rigs had 0.20 hooklengths and 14 B911's. Cast was lined up with left hand tall tree opposite.

View from Peg 5a

 

The whistle went and everyone started cupping bait, and within 10 seconds the chap in peg 6 had attached himself to a carp, this he landed, looked around 10lb, he was fishing the method to the island.

 

After I had put baits where I wanted, I began to fire 8mm pellets out to my wag line, casting my loaded Middy float in the area of the pellets, I stuck at this for nearly 2 hours, occasionally dropping the method over the line, but bites were not forthcoming, as it seemed for everyone else, it was dire really.

 

Still I had a look over my groundbait line with soft pellet and didn't get a knock, though I did have my solitary skimmer. So this wasn't used again. I think it was too bright for the proper bream and no doubt all the silvers were well spread with spawn.

2 1/2hrs in and I was connected to my 1st carp, on the pellet waggler, and a 5lber was netting after a little bit of a scrap. 

In the meantime, not much was occurring, the swim 1-5 were not doing anything, with some not even getting a bite, peg 6 was struggling and Brian Slipper next to him was finding the odd carp, either properly or not, he was also doing well on landing ducks too, I think he had 4 or 5 during the day. The bloomin birds didn't learn.

 

By 2pm everyone was moaning how hard it was, and reality was that 2 or 3 quick carp could be a result as other than Andy Hembrow on the far bank (who was catching ok-ish), nobody had more than a couple carp in the nets and silvers were pretty absent for everyone.

I did hook and land a 2nd carp, banded pellet on the method bought me a 6lb fish, and I did lose a couple, possibly foul hookers.

At the 3 o'clock stage I did hook a proper lump of a fish on the wag, it bow waved on the take and looked like a defo upper double at least, but alas it came off after 10 mins and a hard fight. I did leave me a nice scale though!!

 

A look on the long pole/shallow rig, after seeing the odd swirl at the loose feed, saw me connect and land a 6lb fish, a massive tangle on the pellet wag saw me waste 10 mins re-rigging, but other than a lost foul hooked carp, it didn't bring me any more fish. The wind was iffy all day and consistent presentation was hard, as was feeding accurately.

So a busy half hour had passed, Brian on Peg 6a was on 5 carp now and Nick Harvey had landed a few fish, but he had lost a load during the match so far. A few guys had packed up and left, including a couple venue regulars, it must have been hard!!

 

With less than an hour to go my clicker showed 17lb, but I am pants with the counter, as my Thursday evening match on Sedges saw me click to 18lb, when it weighed 25lb!! I am crap at guessing carp weights.
Anyways, I went back on the shallow pole line as there was some fizzing and odd fish swirling at the freebies. A few minutes later I was connected to another carp, and after a spirited fight, a 5lb fish was landed.

The all out soon sounded and it was hard to decide if I had done ok or not. I had clicked 22lb on the carp and 1 pound on the silvers(but knew only it would only be 4oz).

 

All in all I had landed 4 carp, lost a lump and also lost 3 others, but all the lost fish, I believe were foul hooked. I had fed 4 pints of 8mm pellets and 3 of 6's to at least keep some activity in my swim.

 

I loaded the gear on to the barrow, had a quick ask around about what had been caught, and my 4 carp might do ok. With the weigh in taking a while due to the Shiplate summer series on the other 2 lakes, I loaded the car while waiting.

By the time the scales got to me, Andy had weighed 54lb, there were a couple low 20 pound weights and Brian's 5 carp and few silvers weighed 35lb, so with only me and Kev Perry to weight I knew I could either just miss or just make 3rd spot as Kev was weighing for silvers.

 

So onto the scales went my 4oz skimmer, followed by 4 carp, totalling 23lb 12oz, taking 3rd spot......just!



Make shift weigh sheet...on 9 weighed in!!



 

 

So all in all it was a tough day, as you can see from the weights, or lack of. But I do like the venue and will defo return, there are plenty of fish and not all carp either.

I also used a pulla on a carp for the 2nd time today, after using it on for the 1st time on Thursday at Sedges, and is defo something I need to practice, but the 14-16 Middy lacy is soft, which when shallow, has done me ok getting back to the top-kit. Whether or not it'll be ok at Viaduct remains to be seen......

 

Results:

1st - Peg 14 - Andy Hembrow - 54lb 12oz (14lb 4oz of silvers plus 40lb 8oz of carp)

2nd - Peg 6a - Brian Slipper - 35lb 6oz

3rd - Peg 5a - Lee Williams - 23lb 12oz

 

Silvers:

1st - Peg 14b - Paul Faiers - 7lb 6oz

2nd - Peg 13 - Nick Harvey - 4lb 12oz

 

Next up for me is 2 days on Viaduct, Campbell and Cary, this Friday and Saturday. Maybe Sedges on Thursday evening,

 

Take care and have Fun

 

Lee















 

 



 





More Bream.....Newtown Lake, Highbridge. 01/06/13

So we are almost halfway through the year, the winds have not really left us, and when they have, the temps have not been great. Catches on the whole have been really patchy, plenty of crap weights and struggles, often combined with someone drawing well and running away with the match.

This year hasn't been too bad for me, no outright wins(but then I don't expect any for a while), but a few sections and silvers pick-ups. But more to the point, I am getting back in the swing of going fishing, the last few years have been slack in bankside time. All I need to do now is become just a bit more prepared...........and catch a few more fish.

So this last weekend was due to be warm and sunny.......with a reasonably strong wind!!
I didn't have any matches to go at, although on Friday evening I ventured upto look at Acorn fishery, dragging the family in doing so. It was the 1st time I had seen the venue since the late 90's, but with reading more and more blogs which mention the place, I deemed it a good idea to have a look. I also momentarily consider fishing their Saturday match, but changed my mind on arrival a the fish were all over the 1st pegs you come to, Toby (of Cadbury Angling) was catching a few from the margins with a bit of help with the feeding from Mark Bartlett. Nobody else was fishing, but there seemed plenty of carp in there. I will give it a bash at some point for sure, but maybe a recce session 1st is sensible.

So Saturday came and with nothing to do, I faffed around the house before we decided to go fishing. After a bit of deliberating (I didn't fancy fishing for carp) I had a choice between Walrow, Apex and Newtown. I decided on the latter, a) because I have fished Walrow recently, b) Apex would be rammed with dog walkers and have a great wind on it and c) I haven't fished Newtown for a decade or so.

By the time the car was loaded and I had driven the 10 minutes to Highbridge it was nearly 10am. Now Newtown used to have a reputation for attracting all sorts of 'roughians' due to the location of the lake, but in days past I had some really good bags of bream, tench, eels and odd rudd/roach/perch. It is a deep lake, with an average of maybe 12ft (over 7ft in most margins), going upto 15ft in spots.

I had a quick look over the lake, and the strong wind was blowing towards the far bank, it was warm and very sunny though, however a few fish were spawning and plenty cruising, I saw carp, bream and tench, so I didn't expect it to be easy.
I settled on a swim on the road bank, a nice comfy carpers type peg with room for wife/kids to catch some rays and read books/play cards. I am really enjoying taking the family at the moment, it gets them away from the ps3 and stuff. And they seem to like it too.
It also means I cant take everything I would take to a match, which is not a bad thing.

Tactics would mostly be a feeder at 45yrds, or so I thought. This was 4lb line, 0.12 hooklength (30 inch long) to a size 16 B611 barbless. Rod was Drennan Series 7 12ft competition feeder rod.
I also had my Drennan 13ft Series 7 silverfish rod, I did want to fish the slider, but ended up on a fixed insert waggler, 3AA loaded, with 5 o.8 shot bulked and a single 8 dropper. 3lb mainline to 0.10>size 18 B611 barbless. Fished to my left at maybe 4 rodlengths away from me at 10 o'clock position in 11ft of water.
Bait was simple, 1/2pt red mags, 1pt caster, a handful of worms and 1.5kg of explosive feeder/sonu tigerfish mix for groundbait, which I got my 9yr old daughter to knock up, she's learning well.

There were a couple of guys opposite, fishing the feeder and catching a few as I was setting up, so I had a dozen quick chucks of the feeder to get some bait out. I had a bite after 20 mins, and bumped a little fish, 20 minutes later a more solid pull saw me play a fish for 20 seconds before it fell off, I think it could have been a bream (these deep water bream hang on a bit at times too, especially on light kit). I then started chucking golf ball sized lumps of groundbait to where I was to try the float later on.

As we sat there for a while, loads of fish were moving and they guys were still picking up fish now and then, it looked like they were getting bream and tench. The wind remained strong, but I was sheltered, and honestly thought that the far side would be a better option, but I was comfy so stayed put.
In the next hour I did land a bream of 2.5lb and a roach of 6oz, I also bumped another.
I sat on the feeder another hour, still feeding my waggler swim, but never had another bite. Though the 2 grebes working my side of the lake were catching a few, so it wasn't devoid of fish!!

I set the float up, plumbed the ample depth and cast out, 10 seconds later I was into a bream, on single red maggot fished 2" over depth. As I said, these fish hang on in the deep water on light gear, but it was all good fun, with the fighting like tench rather than bream.
The next 3 hours saw me land around another 10 bream upto 5lb (they go to over 10lb in the lake) and a solitary skimmer on the feeder, all caught on single or double red maggot. I also pulled out of 3 or 4 fish too. I couldn't buy a bite on caster, and worm just gave me bites which I kept missing, all the fish were not well hooked and the bites were delicate. Maybe if I had fished a slider it may have been different.

So at around 4pm I packed up after 5 or so hours fishing.

My catch.

So all in all it was a decent day, I had to keep the groundbait going in, small golfball sized lumps each cast seemed to keep the fish interested.
Newtown is a venue that is underfished, but people should give it a whirl (it is on the Highbridge/NSAA ticket). There are some cracking roach and rudd to over 1lb 8oz, plenty of bream to double figure, a decent smattering of tench too along with odd rogue carp. Some big bags of fish will be had if the conditions fall right.
I did see a shoal of a rudd, some were definitely over 1lb, and there were maybe 100+ fish in the group. I did see a few carp, but they were no bigger than 10lb. Then sun had kept a lot of the fish in the upper layers and it was good to see the fish.

Next up for me is Clevedon's match at Shiplate, on the main lake, next Sunday.

Also, I may fish Thursday's evening match at Sedges (Brick pond), as I never fished last weeks on their canal lake.

Until then, take care and have fun

Lee