Back On The Bank

Well, after not fishing last week to watch the Carling Cup final (the only thing I'll say on that is that English players really shouldn't take penalties) it was back on the bank as per usual this Sunday for the open on lake two prior to next weeks winter league match. Having not fished it last Sunday I wasn't really too sure what to expect, all I knew was that the pegs in the open water seemed to be producing, which is probably why I found myself on peg 59 round the back of the island!

Given the weather it wasn't the worst draw, although the wind was blowing at me the island was stopping the worst of it, and it would certainly be easier for me to fish the pole than those pegged up the side of the island with the wind blowing across them. I've never fished this peg before and was quite surprised to find it's a fair bit shallower than 57, the next peg that's put in for matches. That gave me a bit of hope that I'd be able to catch a few fish down the track where the depth is around five foot, a good 18in shallower than 57 is down the track. It was also shallow across, I could touch the island just with 14.5m of pole, but with 3ft of water at 13m and shallowing rapidly up beyond that I placed my options that bit closer. With a fair bit of water to my right along the bank, and also with a few trees overhanging I hoped I'd be able to nobble a few fish along the edge too.

Nothing to complex with the rigs, all three were on .14 Garboline (the water has a good tinge of colour to it now) and 16 hooks on all. Fish around the island tend to be a little bigger so the margin and track rigs had very soft 14 latex's while the far bank rig was on a 13 hollo. With the colour in the water I was pretty much pinning my hopes on catching on corn but I also had caster and maggot with me, I'd forgotten to take my hemp out in the morning! On the whistle I fed a reasonable amount of corn (20 grains or so) in the margin and track lines while only putting about 6 across with a pinch of casters. I've found that the far bank swims on the island pegs don't tend to last long so it was a catch what I can off it line while the others settled!

I started on corn across but after a bite less few minites tied caster, but after twenty odd minites the only movement was the odd gust of wind which had swirled round the corner of the island. I started to drip a few casters in at this point to try and get some roach or something but still nothing happened which was a little concerning. On around the half hour the next peg landed a decent carp so there were some around but another biteless few minites across led my to try down the track, a little earlier than I wanted to. After not long on the float slid away and I was attached a carp that was definitely foul -hooked for perhaps a few seconds before it came off. Nothing else followed so I re-fed it and went back across, not wanting to try the margins yet.

A biteless next 45 minites both across and down the track led me to try down the margin, again a little earlier than I'd like. After only a minite the float was gone and a lively scrap gave me a common of around 5lb, my first carp in a match from lake two since late December! No more followed so it was a top-up and try elsewhere time! At this point what have previously been a sunny but gusty day turned dull, and the temperature dropped significantly and odd spells of drizzle turned to rain and I have to say I went from warm to being as cold or colder than I've been all winter! the wind even picked up and as it was swirling round the corner made presentation hard in the margin swim as it was into the wind. After a short while down the track again a quick bite gave me a little pasty carp of around a pound and a half, giving me hope that the middle line may yet come alive, but this proved to be a false dawn as despite keeping all the lines topped up the next couple of hours gave only a single liner in the edge plus 2 tiny roach on maggot from down the track.

Going into the last hour I'd given up on the far line which had given not even the slightest sign of life and was just rotating the track and margin swims hoping for an odd fish. With about 45 minites left while down the track I took my eye off my float for a second and when I looked back it was gone! (how often doe that happen!) but it must have been another liner as all I got was a brief merry tussle from another foul-hooker! Next drop in the float buried properly and I missed it clean as a whistle, damn (or words to that effect!) Just before the end the sky darkened significantly and a bit of sleet started so I took the decision so chuck the lead down the track (tried that odd times during the day too) while I packed the pole away still pretty dry. On with double corn, out on the middle line and it can't have been there more than a minite when it yanked round and a common the same size as the first was in the net! It didn't work again in the last ten minites though. By this time the hail was pelting it down and it was so cold me and the angler to my right just hid under some tries with our hands in our pockets waiting for it to stop! That was as cold as my hands have ever been, and I thought spring was on it's way! Perhaps that's just Mon-Sat though!

My three carp went 11lb 8oz for the best weight of the pegs around the the island but way behind the 50lb weight that won, with two 22lb weights making up the rest of the frame, although someone apparently tipped back over 30lb!

Next week is round 4 of the winter league and I'm really not sure what to expect now, I'm sure had the wind not been so bad I'd have had a couple more fish from down the track, perhaps I should have just sat on the lead in the deep water, feels weird though fishing it that close! Just gotta hope and prey for an open water or a peg in the reeds next week I'd guess (not 72 though, I hate that peg!)