There was plenty of talk on Saturday in the tackle shop about the weather turning real cold overnight, and the possibility that both the lakes may be frozen over for the fur and feather. After checking numerous weather forecasts I felt much bettter, none of them gave a prediction of lower than -1 degree C overnight. I kept looking outside up untill 11pm and no frost! Good!
I was a bit shocked to find what looked a very coarse frost outside at 7am, but it was only because it had been so damp outside (it was only 0 degree C in my garden), right? Wrong!
On route to the venue (late!) I text someone to see what peg they had draw only to be told that both lakes were frozen solid and that the organiser was going round in a boat breaking the ice.
Eventually we drew, about an hour and a half later than intended, which shortend the fishing time to 11.15 to 3pm. At the draw I was a long way down the queue, a big mistake as all the fancied pegs were gone by the time I got to the bag. Normally even in the coldest weather the reed pegs on lake 2 (71-74) are bankers. I couldn't have drawn much further away from them as it happens!
Peg 35 on the new lake isn't the best peg in any weather, let alone through the ice so I wasn't the most optimistic, less so when I plumbed up after clearing the shattered ice from my peg. Trying to plumb up at the bottom of the shelf was a nightmare, the bottom was all over the place and trying to find a decent area to fish was a mare. I couldn't fish near the island as from about 14.5 m to tight to the island at 16m odd was no more than 18in deep and the water was way to clear and cold for that, with no cover over it was a none starter. I had two rigs up, one to fish at the bottom of the shelf on the best area I could find, in about 4ft of water, and one to fish 3ft deep incase fish didin't want to go down and were cruising. Floats were 4x12 and 4x10 Preston chianti's, using .125 dia line and 18 hooks on both. Elastics were very soft 12 latex's.
At the start I decided not to feed and try all along the ledge looking for any sort of indication. After 20 or so biteless minites it was on with a toss-pot and I started to drip in maggots 3 at a time on the decent area on the ledge. An hour into the match and as the rig was just settling the float burried with a single red maggot on! Shame it was only a perch of about half an ounce in weight! My next bite was 20 mins later, an exact repeat of the first and the same result, another tiny perch!
The rest of the match passed eventlessly, despite trying everything, even breadpunch and the shallow rig. I did bump off another tiny perch near the end but that was it. I was honestly sure that I'd never had a carp infront of me all day, and finished the day rather peeved over a wasted Sunday to be honest! I think the only way I could have had more was to fish in the deep water in the middle on light gear for tiny perch, execpt I don't carry that sort of gear with me now!
My lake was won with 8lb, one carp and a bream, while the fancied reed pegs on the other lake threw up one 30lb+ weight. Many people only weiged in ounces on my lake.
I'm not sure if I'll be fishing next Sunday yet, but it can't be much worse than this weekend can it!
No comments:
Post a Comment