I did begin to wonder what the day would hold when at 7.10am I went to feed the fish in my pond and had to come back in the house to get a fleece! the preceeding days had been dry, bright and warm but it was destinctly cold out early, probably only 6 or 7 degree's C.
The venue is quite a way out of the town (I'm near the centre) and so is usually a degree or two cooler so a gentle start would be required before the fishing hopefully picked up with the temperature. On the way to the venue the usual chat about what peg was in full swing, and one of the numbers I didn't want was 45, a peg that has a good track record (won the last match with 70+lb) and nearly always has alot of fish in it. However, I don't like fishing against lilly pads for carp and it's a curse drawing the form peg anyway!
At the venue it was obvious it had been a chilly night, the grass was thick with dew and it was very chilly in the shade. Pools paid, into the usual place three quaters of the way down the que my hand goes in the bag and out comes 45! At the peg and it does look nice, a big lilly bed infront and a small island between the me and the peg to my left. The main thing that botherd me at this point however was the angler on the peg to my left, who'm at the draw made no secret of the amount of catmeat he had with him, not really what you want after the coldest night for near 6months....
A nice 3ft at 14m next to the small island and the same depth to my right margin against the foliage made things easy. One rig on .18 line, a .2gr DC5 to a 13B711 and a 16 latex would do for both. A shallow rig for both lines was set up, at half depth using a PB2 float on the same line and hook but with a soft purple hydro. Last rig was for the lillies, these had been producing alot of fish shallow close to them but tends to be very hit and heave, not how I like to fish, but I was told the last match was won fishing to the corner of the small island, however they couldn't be ignored so a shallow rig using a blob float on .20 line and tight purple hydro was set up for here, but I didn't want to use it!
At the all in I decided to take it easy with the feed after the cold night, twenty 4mm pellet and half a dozen grains of corn to the island, then half a dozen 6mm cubes of meat, same of corn plus a reasonable pinch of hemp found it's way down the edge. A 6mm pellet on the hook and out the island we go. Thirty seconds later and back in as the hoards of micro carp had demolished the pellet! out with a grain of corn and a min later float burries and away we go. A min later a 3lb common is in the net, a nice start, but then the day possibly took a turn for the worse! The angler next peg was late starting and at this point a large pole cup full of catmeat went to the lillies between us, followed by 3 more! then a huge pot of meat went to the corner of the island, AAAARRRRGGGH! Needless to say all indications stopped for about 10 min before a crucian of about a pound made it's way in but again nothing followed. After half an hour I decided to start to drip in half a dozen pellets every 6-7mins to try and provoke a response, and after 45min the float burried and what was obviously a lump was on, but as I'd lifted towards the island and lillies it had ran out to the open, and after 4-5mins it rolled on the top and revealed it's self to be one of the huge ghosties in the lake, definatly a double and probably 12lb+, however at this point a problem manifested, the tree's around my peg! I couldn't lift the pole behind me (only the top kit and short 4) to get the fishes head up and over the net and after another couple of minites the hook pulled. Damn (or words to that effect!)
The loss of that fish signalled the death of my swim, not that I could see anyone else catching either mind. Two small carp quick after 3 hours, after I upped the feed gave me hope but again nothing after. The margin was dead and even the lillies seemed lifeless, just odd fish cruising about in the open. I couldn't get a bite anywhere in the swim on any rig, not even an indication, totally lifeless. The angler to my left had only one foul hooker and to my right nothing. The only people I could see catching where those opposite in the open water who were getting odd fish by just sitting in the open water and feeding barely a thing, not a good sign for me after what had gone in nearby! Two more small carp at the death gave me a 15lb 11oz total at the weigh in, good enough for 4th, 48lb won, with another 40+ weight came from the bank opposite, with a 25lb weight for 3rd from the back of the main island.
All in all a frustrating day, I'm sure the peg would have been good for a couple more fish had so much bait not gone in next peg (he fed right at the limit of where he could towards me too!) and also losing that big ghostie which I'm sure given room to play it properly I'd have had in the net before the hook pulled, which would have given me 3rd. Oh well, at least it had been a nice day for two Sundays in a row, a bit rare this year, and there's always next week!
The venue is quite a way out of the town (I'm near the centre) and so is usually a degree or two cooler so a gentle start would be required before the fishing hopefully picked up with the temperature. On the way to the venue the usual chat about what peg was in full swing, and one of the numbers I didn't want was 45, a peg that has a good track record (won the last match with 70+lb) and nearly always has alot of fish in it. However, I don't like fishing against lilly pads for carp and it's a curse drawing the form peg anyway!
At the venue it was obvious it had been a chilly night, the grass was thick with dew and it was very chilly in the shade. Pools paid, into the usual place three quaters of the way down the que my hand goes in the bag and out comes 45! At the peg and it does look nice, a big lilly bed infront and a small island between the me and the peg to my left. The main thing that botherd me at this point however was the angler on the peg to my left, who'm at the draw made no secret of the amount of catmeat he had with him, not really what you want after the coldest night for near 6months....
A nice 3ft at 14m next to the small island and the same depth to my right margin against the foliage made things easy. One rig on .18 line, a .2gr DC5 to a 13B711 and a 16 latex would do for both. A shallow rig for both lines was set up, at half depth using a PB2 float on the same line and hook but with a soft purple hydro. Last rig was for the lillies, these had been producing alot of fish shallow close to them but tends to be very hit and heave, not how I like to fish, but I was told the last match was won fishing to the corner of the small island, however they couldn't be ignored so a shallow rig using a blob float on .20 line and tight purple hydro was set up for here, but I didn't want to use it!
At the all in I decided to take it easy with the feed after the cold night, twenty 4mm pellet and half a dozen grains of corn to the island, then half a dozen 6mm cubes of meat, same of corn plus a reasonable pinch of hemp found it's way down the edge. A 6mm pellet on the hook and out the island we go. Thirty seconds later and back in as the hoards of micro carp had demolished the pellet! out with a grain of corn and a min later float burries and away we go. A min later a 3lb common is in the net, a nice start, but then the day possibly took a turn for the worse! The angler next peg was late starting and at this point a large pole cup full of catmeat went to the lillies between us, followed by 3 more! then a huge pot of meat went to the corner of the island, AAAARRRRGGGH! Needless to say all indications stopped for about 10 min before a crucian of about a pound made it's way in but again nothing followed. After half an hour I decided to start to drip in half a dozen pellets every 6-7mins to try and provoke a response, and after 45min the float burried and what was obviously a lump was on, but as I'd lifted towards the island and lillies it had ran out to the open, and after 4-5mins it rolled on the top and revealed it's self to be one of the huge ghosties in the lake, definatly a double and probably 12lb+, however at this point a problem manifested, the tree's around my peg! I couldn't lift the pole behind me (only the top kit and short 4) to get the fishes head up and over the net and after another couple of minites the hook pulled. Damn (or words to that effect!)
The loss of that fish signalled the death of my swim, not that I could see anyone else catching either mind. Two small carp quick after 3 hours, after I upped the feed gave me hope but again nothing after. The margin was dead and even the lillies seemed lifeless, just odd fish cruising about in the open. I couldn't get a bite anywhere in the swim on any rig, not even an indication, totally lifeless. The angler to my left had only one foul hooker and to my right nothing. The only people I could see catching where those opposite in the open water who were getting odd fish by just sitting in the open water and feeding barely a thing, not a good sign for me after what had gone in nearby! Two more small carp at the death gave me a 15lb 11oz total at the weigh in, good enough for 4th, 48lb won, with another 40+ weight came from the bank opposite, with a 25lb weight for 3rd from the back of the main island.
All in all a frustrating day, I'm sure the peg would have been good for a couple more fish had so much bait not gone in next peg (he fed right at the limit of where he could towards me too!) and also losing that big ghostie which I'm sure given room to play it properly I'd have had in the net before the hook pulled, which would have given me 3rd. Oh well, at least it had been a nice day for two Sundays in a row, a bit rare this year, and there's always next week!
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