Well they said it was going to snow, with severe weather warnings and all. When I got up there wasn't the slightest sign of snow! By 7.20am it had just started to snow, only a little though. That wasn't really my worry, it was the fact that it had been mild up until Friday and the sudden drop in temperature was hardly likely to be conducive to good fishing.
By the time of the draw it was snowing fairly heavy, although with quite a lot of sleet mixed in. With the onset of the cold I really wanted a peg in the open water where I could fish the bomb, partly as I thought a static bait would pay off (and it was windy) and partly as it's easier to keep my hands warm! Out of the bag came peg 66. I was fairly happy, it's a peg not quite on the end of the island, you can just get away with casting to the end of the island, plus it's wide so I had plenty of water to go at.
I decided not to fish a long pole to the island, the fish seem to move close to it on this peg, even though it's shallow, but they seem to spook from the pole. To search along the island I put up my 10ft Drennan puddle chucker. Set up just to fish a strait lead with either corn or hair rigged bread. A simple running lead stopped by a Korum quick change bead with a .15dia hooklength with a size 18 Kamasan Animal with a hair rig using the excellent Korum quickstops was the kit for this. I had a few hooklengths set up at different lengths and with different length hairs. I would use a catapult to feed if I wanted too, but intended to start off not feeding. I put up one pole rig to fish two lines in the deep water at about 9m at 1 o'clock and one at 11 o'clock. Elastic was a 12 latex, rigwise it was on .125dia line to an 18 hook and float was a .3gr DC6.
On the whistle one pole line was feed with just casters and the other was feed with hemp and corn. First cast clipped the island vegetation (whoops!), as I wasn't clipped up to allow me to search the swim! A new hooklength on and just as I settled down the snow turned totally to sleet and started to sting like hell so I had to get up to put the brolly up. Ten mins after casting with no indications and I wind in with a stick on the hook. Next cast drops a bit closer to avoid rubbish. After a couple of minites its time for a cuppa, so I reach round for my flask and round goes the tip! No more than 60 seconds later a very sleepy 4lb odd common is in the net, just as the sleet gets to it's heaviest, not that I care as I haven't blanked!
The next 30 mins passes with just one slight liner, so I try casting further along the island, nearer the point. Each cast I leave in for around 10-12mins but another 3 casts later nothing else has happend. Casting back in-front of me to where I caught my fish gives a quick dropback but tightening back up shows it was just a liner. Still, signs of fish meant I was happy to leave it longer and about 15 mins later the tip yanks round and again a very lethargic common comes in, smaller at about 3lb. A couple more liners but no proper bites on the next 2 casts, including trying some pineapple flavour corn made me try hair rigged bread. No sooner had I put the rod down than the rod went round and a livlier fish was on the end and after 3-4mins a 6lb odd common finds the net.
Just after recasting the sleet turned to rain and all the ice and snow on the bank thawed and all signs of fish dissapered. At this point the 4 other anglers I could see haven't had a fish. After a biteless hour on the tip the sun actually came out and with the tip being lifeless I tried the pole. Ten minites over both swims with corn was fruitless so I tried a single red maggot. After about 5 mins I had a bite, well, I think it was, it could have been a liner as I looked round and when I looked back the float was gone. The fish chugged gently into me, then just as it came to the net it came off, damn! I wasn't sure if it was foulhooked. It came sideways to the net but I think it may of just rolled over the line. Still, I'll never know!
The rest of the match was fruitless untill the last 30 mins when the angler next peg had 2 carp quick then his swim died. About 15mins from the end, casting to the tip of the island with a single grain of corn the rod goes round again a 4lb odd common nods it's way gently to the net.
At the weigh in one angler is admitting to 5 fish, but says they are all small. Other than my 4 carp the most was 2, so I knew I'd got 2nd! The 5 fish from the reed pegs went just short of 15lb, so I thought it was going to be close. On the scales I was suprised when my 4 fish went 20lb 6oz for 1st. And then it was off as quick as possible to get back into the warm! Winter is here!
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