Acorn Spring Series, Round 1, 7-4-18

I was looking forward to this match as I do like Acorn, but it can be patchy at times at the moment with weights all over the place it is hard to put a figure on the winning or framing weights, but like we do, I did, I reckoned around 120lb to win and 80ish would be in the top 4. But then I wouldn't have been shocked if 50lb won, lol.

Me and the wife travelled up with plenty of time so got some grub in Tescos as it was an 11am draw and fish 12:15 til 18:15. When we got to the lake there were plenty of peeps already there and discussing various things, I just dipped my nets and went for a walk around the lake, plenty of fish showing in areas but a few areas seemed barren in comparison. Peg 6 caught my eye as the breeze was pushing in to that area and the peg has plenty of features and options.
There are not many pegs considered 'bad' on the lake but there are always preferred areas, 1-6, 9 and the bridge pegs usually. But the pegs between 14 and 18 have been consistent recently.

I paid my dues and the draw was soon under way, 21 fishing, 3 sections of 7 pegged in number order this year rather than split them up. I delved in towards the back, as usual, and pulled peg 11. I was happy enough with that, but someone commented prior to the match that although good at times it isn't really a peg for 'now'. Indeed Paul Nichols said the same after the match, it is great when it is really cold and similar it can be great when warm and the fish are shallow/edge dwelling.

Either way I went about my business, 5 top kits were made up.
2 shallow using DT Pingers, one with a band and one without, these would cover across to the island and really tight in to my left.
2 depth rigs were put together, DT RBS open water floats in 0.4g, again one for banded pellet, the 2nd with a standard hook. These covered a few spots all over the peg should I need that option.
Lastly a 'deep edge' rig of 3ft or so, which I could only find in one sensible and sizeable spot down to my left, across plumbed up not so great as it went really shallow to a little too deep then full depth in a very small area.
Bait tray consisted of micros, 4mm and 6mm pellets and a few pints of maggots, oh some expanders were there too. I mixed a little groundbait should it be needed, it wasn't, or rather it didn't make a blinding bit of difference during the day.

Acorn peg 11

At the all in the water was calm in front of me and the breeze was noticeable down to my right in peg 6 and 5 where Bob Gullick and Ken Rayner were respectively. A few fish were moving in my peg but in a way that didn't convince me I would catch. But I sure would try.
I cupped some bait down in the 3ft spot to my left and some maggots at 2+3 in the 2 o'clock direction. Some micro and 4's at the same distance in front.
I began by toss potting tight across but other than a few liners and a couple lost foul hookers it wasn't productive.
I had my 1st fish after 30 minutes, a small 1lb stockie, another soon followed then it went dead. Vince Shipp on peg 9 was struggling as was Darren Wilton on peg 13.
That was my action for a few hours, all the while I could watch Ken Rayner, Bob G and Paul Nichols who was around peg 17 catching well. Bob had 60lb in the first 2hrs.

After 3hrs and just the odd small roach and another 1lb stockie and attempts to catch a few carp I decided to drop in on the topkit just to see what was there, more out of boredom than the fact there were a few bubbles present. Well 1st drop I had a fish, my largest at around 6lb or so and was my only fish from that spot, I did foul hook a couple there but I think I got lucky to catch one.
A look on maggots down to the left saw a few roach and a chublet before a clonking roach of 2lb-ish was netted, a beauty of a fish. But silvers was not what I wanted, in hindsight I should have fished for them because Vince swapped to maggots from pellets and ended up catching plenty of silvers and a few carp in the last couple hours.

With an hour to go I opened a spot right down to my left nearly under some trees and after feeding it I left it for 10 minutes or so, but when I went on it I had a 4lber right away, again my hopes raised but this was yet another solitary fish.
Darren on peg 13 was getting the odd fish down to the empty pallet of peg 12, but not exactly getting lots of action but a fish on the whistle I was sure put me down to last in the section as pegs 1 to 6 had all done well and Vince on 9 had a cracking last 2 hours.

The all-out sounded and the car was loaded in rapid time while we waited for the scales.
Once they arrived I saw that 1 to 5 all had between 55lb and 99lb and I knew Bob and Vince had more than me. Darren had 20lb and I was not sure I had that, but luckily my 5 or 6 carp and few pounds of silvers gave me 25lb and 6th not 7th in section. Vince had 47lb and Bob won the match with around 130lb from peg 6. I don't think I was getting 90lb to finish in the top 3 in section for sure.

So it is on to the next round in a couple of weeks where I need a run of top 2 in sections for the last 5 matches.....as no doubt that this 2dt round was my dropper.

Until next time, have fun.
Lee

Easter 4 Day Weekend, Landsend, Sedges, Shiplate. 30/03/18 - 02/04/18

So the 4 day weekend has been and gone for another year, sadly we never saw the weather we wanted (well at least I wanted it kind of hot and sunny). But it was not as bad as the doom sayers predicted not a few weeks earlier, we didn't have a 3rd episode of the 'Beast from the East' nor was it a wash out.

Any way the Friday was spent in the company of my family at Tyntesfield House near Clevedon, that was nice, better in the summer no doubt. Being National Trust members is great and gets us out of the house when boredom sets in. After that it was burgers at the Bridge Inn then I went and had a quick look at the Charlie Barnes memorial match at Acorn, a silvers match, plenty of carp caught....the top 3 were taken by the Shipp's on the top lake.
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On to Saturday and I had booked into the Landsend match and the weather looked okay with very little in the way of rain predicted but the wind may have been pain, but generally it was ok.
We had 17 I think, so Lakes 2 and 3 were used, I didn't mind where I would be but I haven't been on a peg in the 20's for a long time, alas I drew the same peg as the last round of the winter series in peg 68. No pics sorry (actually no pics all weekend....) I remarked to Mark Walsh that he would catch a boat load of F1s from his peg 5 draw, he insisted he would catch skimmers....

I set up a shallow pellet rig for against the island, a depth pellet rig for the same spot and this rig also did down to the weed bed to my right. 
A meat rig for 6m off to my left and a light carp rig (heavy silvers?) for 5m in front.
For company I had Jim Jenner across on peg 41, he had Russ Peck further along from him on 46 (I think).
Anyway as the match goes, I wont go into much detail, I lost 4 foul hooked on the depth rig in the first 10 minutes or so but couldn't get any fish on the shallow rig, they seemed to just be mulling around all day.
I did start getting a few on the depth rig by the island, 8 or 9 carp and 3 small F1s by the half way stage. But the carp were small compared to Russ and Jim.
It slowed so I tried the meat line, this gave me 3 carp including my largest at 4lb.
Then for the last 90 minutes I focused on trying to catch some silvers as I was unsure how Mike Duckett was paying the pools, so at least I could try to cover my options as it seemed unlikely I would catch Jim and definitely I would not catch Russ.
I managed plenty of roach, a crucian and a few skimmers on the silvers (I fished caster or maggot over groundbait) but I did pick up a few carp there and also some carp by the weed bed where I hoped to get F1s (count here as silvers).
At the all out I had 18 or 19 carp and my clicker showed 53lb, plus perhaps 10 or 12lb of silvers. 

As it turned out Lake 2 was tricky as Steve Seager was top weight from peg 14, 54lb+. But Walshy had 23lb of F1s to win the Silvers from peg 5, Martin Pettifer had 18-09 of silvers from peg 11.
Jim weighed in first on lake 3 with 79lb, Russ then had 123lb (I told him he had 120lb as I had been watching...lol). The rest of the guys' were topped by 49lb then I was last to weigh and I had 18-02 of silvers and my carp, all 56-12 of them, pushed me up to 74-14 to give me 3rd overall and 3rd in the silvers and a nice pick-up.
Results:
1st peg 46 Russ Peck 123-13
2nd peg 41 Jim Jenner 79-02
3rd peg 68 Lee Williams 74-14
4th peg 14 Steve Seager 54-01
5th peg 62 Richard Lovering 49-02
6th peg 5 Mark Walsh 45-12
Silvers 
1st peg 5 Mark Walsh 23-08
2nd peg 11 Martin Pettifer 18-09
3rd peg 68 Lee Williams 18-02

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Sunday saw me covering at Sedges in the last round of the Silver League and I pulled out peg 7 on Brick Lake, not too bad really but thought I had my work cut out when I realised I had venue silvers expert Phil Clapp on peg 6 and my White Acres roomy, Jamie Parkhouse on my fave peg 8.
The wife was with me for this match, it was muddy, but she was happy enough and can take the banter.
On to the match, a small feeder was made up, a rig for banded 6mm pellet over 4s at 11m (fishless during the day), my usual meat rig for 6m (fishless for once), and a rig to fish at 13m in a couple spots (one groundbait, the other micros and caster). Oh and another rig that went fishless, that was nan edge rig and would double as a shallow rig at 13m.
Well the match was hard to say the least, the far side started well but slowed (except Jess Jordan) and other than 1 skimmer of 1lb at the halfway stage, the feeder was motionless, I did manage a handful of skimmers to 2lb on my groundbait line, including a couple foul hooked. I also had a tench on the micro/caster line after I potted the best part of a pint of caster in such was how slow it was going.
The odd roach was also added to my net but not many.
Jamie tipped back 2 decent skimmers/bream and a couple roach, maybe 7.5lb, before the all out.
Peg 9 had don't ok but said he was only getting smaller skimmers.
Phil on peg 6 had a couple tench and some decent skimmers and lost a proper skimmer late on, but I had one come off, we all lose fish. I banked on him beating me and also peg 9, so I figured no envelope.
During the course of the day all 4 of us (pegs 6, 7, 8 and 9) all had plenty of carp action, especially late on and especially Phil. Annoying but kind of fun at times.
Come the all out Phil said I was 3lb ahead of him, I laughed.
The weigh in was done and Eric Fouracre had 19lb from peg 1 then there were some nets to 12lb before Phil had 15lb-ish only for me to put 17lb  on the scales and peg 9 had around 13lb I think.
So I had won my section and another pick-up.
Actually Jess Jordan had 24lb from peg 13 to win the lake and match.
Tile Lake saw John Fuidge have top weight with 21lb or so and then weights tailed off a bit with 13lb maybe 2nd on the lake.
I think, not certain, that I was 5th on the day, but I was 3rd on the lake.

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Monday, well the weather forecasters are tits, they said it would be windy and rainy most of the day when I went to bed Sunday night, so a day at home was on the cards.
I woke to see the weather had changed and it looked predominantly dry for the day, but a breezy afternoon.
I was undecided what to do and eventually was persuaded to go to Shiplate, well I was going to be late arriving after only deciding to go 30 mins before the draw, so I rushed around sorting my kit and bait, loaded the car and me and the wife were on our way, 30 mins after the draw I had a pick of 2 pegs in the bucket, peg 6 and peg 12 were left, I ended up on the latter.
I rushed to set up but was almost done by the all in.
I wont bore you with the details as it was hard from peg 7 onwards with the top 3 spots from pegs 5 (empty peg 6 next to him), peg 1 and then peg 3. Ray Wickham won the silvers form peg 10.
I did manage to land 1 carp after 90 minutes, a 4lber on banded 6mm pellet over 4s, I did lose, probably foul hooked, during the day, well in the last 30 minutes.
I managed a few silvers on maggot over groundbait but I also had some come off, they may have cost me 2nd in the silvers, they may not have, I will never know but they felt decent. But I did beat few, so at least it proved it wasn't completely or only me that had a slow day.
But it is a great fishery that I don't get to fish too often, well maintained and very welcoming owners, I will try and get there a few times this year.
Results:
John Hawkins p5. 101-14
Julian Pinkett p1. 57-14
Mark Jones p3. 42-0
Silvers
Ray Wickham p10. 10-6
Ritchie Hawkins p8. 7-2.

So a nice 3 days fishing with a couple pick ups and a few bites if not some tricky fishing at times.

Next weekend I am at Acorn for the 1st round of the Spring/Summer Series on Saturday, there are some very good anglers fishing, but it is a nice fishery and am looking forward to it.

Sunday I am back at Sedges for Pawlett's Silvers match.

Until then, take care and have fun.

Lee