I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect this week, the weather has been lovely during the week but for the last two or three nights we'd had a frost, dipping down to -2 on some nights. Going into the penultimate round I was 13 points clear of second place, though that doesn't take into account having a dropped result which makes it a bit less as I have yet to score less than double figures. This makes a realistic lead of about 5 points, though on a Sunday morning looking at the board I couldn't be bothered to work it out properly!
I went into the draw near last and was happy with my draw of peg 31, the end of the strait of one side of the lake which always seems to hold carp. The only concern was that the wind was whistling down this side of the lake and was quite strong at times, but I was on what is the narrowest peg on the side. The water had a good tinge of colour so I was expecting to catch a few fish, though with a slow start with the cold night before. I could reach the island with 16m of pole ( though I use a short 4th so 15.5m really) and set up two rigs for across, the first was near the top of the slope in 3ft of water using a 4x12 chianti (with a plastic tip) while I also set up a 4x10 pb2 to fish about 2ft deep over the same area and could also push it right into the far bank. Both were on .14 Garboline to a 16 B611 and Preston 13h lakky. To my right there was a small tree over hanging at about 5m and I had about 3ft of water next to the bank so I set up a rig for here, using a 4x12 somo (again with a plastic tip), same hook and line as the other rigs bit with a soft 14 latex. Last rig was for 6m near the bottom of the slope, slightly to my left as it was downwind. Not a line I normally fish on this lake as I don't do that well on it, but I had loads of time so it couldn't do any harm! Line on this was .13 Powerline and the float was a .4gr handmade float. Quite light for the six and a half foot of water but with the long glass stem it's a very stable float. Lakky was a 14 latex to a 15 B711, it was a big fish or bust line!
At the whistle I fed a few casters and 3 grains of corn across, the throw away line down the slope had a fair amount of hemp and a dozen grains of corn and the margin had a pinch of hemp, the same of 3mm pellet and a couple of grains of corn. The first ten minites across on corn were fruitless so I slipped on a caster and had a bite strait away from a chunky 2oz perch. A couple of minites later the same happened and a similar size roach found it's way in. At this point I started to trickle in a few casters each drop. A missed bite next chuck had me not sure if it was a liner so I went out on the shallow rig. The next couple of minites gave two missed sharp bites that I thought were from small silvers before a 3rd bite saw 2ft of lakky come out. Not a carp this time but a welcome 10oz perch. At this point nobody else I could see had anything though I was slightly concerned about the lack of carp as you normally get early signs on these pegs.
Nothing else of any note happened up to the 90 minite mark, except odd 1oz roach on caster shallow so I dropped into the other lines, a tad earlier than I wanted. Nothing on the slope rig led me into the margins. After a few minites I had a definite liner on corn so I spent a bit longer on it with no joy. A chunky 2oz roach on the deck across was followed by a few missed bites so I tried the shallow rig again but all this gave was an odd 1oz roach and a few missed bites. I topped up this line with the big pot, cupping in some hemp and a few casters to try and encourage some more better roach as the frosts had obviously put the carp off. I also started to flick a few casters in down the margin as I figured with the fishing being hard I may be more liable to get a bite on caster.
With near half the match gone now all I could see was people with odd small fish so with quick fruitless tries on the closer lines I went back across where at least I could put an odd silver in the net to keep it ticking over. the wind had picked up now making presentation bad on the shallow rig so this was only going out on calmer spells. A bonus 5oz chub was welcome on caster (first chub I've had in ages!) followed by a chunky 3oz roach but then it went lifeless again. Back onto the slope rig and news came round that the most anyone had was 2 carp and although I was far from bagging on silvers I had more than the 3 other anglers I could see. Back into the margin on corn and I was sure I had a slight knock so I tried double caster which buried instantly, though the fight belied the size of the fish as a mental ghostie of less than 2lb was panned! Though nothing more in the margin followed.
Going into the last hour I went back across on the deep rig and caster and an instant bite as it settled led to a heavy feeling fish being hooked, but after 15 or so seconds the hook pulled and I swore rather loudly! I don't think it was foul hooked but I'll never know. Just an odd tiny fish followed so I tried the other two lines for a few minites. Just as I was about to leave the margin the float buried but I knew it was foul hooked as I didn't feel it till I'd lifted a bit. A bow-wave left the swim but the hook pulled after a few seconds, and was followed by even more choice words! I re-fed with about half an hour to go and went across on the deck again. I had three chunky roach in as many drops putting about 8oz in the net before I tangled the rig in the wind. With just over twenty mins to go I decided to stick it out down the margins. With only a few minites to go, and after a few definite knocks on double caster I dropped in with just a single caster and a few seconds before the whistle the float slid away. A little elastic came out and what I'm sure was a decent perch of the same size I'd had earlier was on, the the hook pulled again! Aaaaarrrrggghhh! I didn't have time to drop in again and I was smarting as the match finished having lost a few good fish.
I was quite late weighing in and when the scales got to me 21lb was top weight, but after that there were just a big 6lb weight and a low 5lb, and the angler 2nd in the league had blanked (but the third place had the 21lb weight) I couldn't manage to scrape into the frame as my midget ghostie and few bits went 4lb 10oz on the scales, but a 4th place on a hard day wasn't a disaster and still leave me a few points clear in the league, even taking out the worst results of me and others in the top 4. I still was a little unhappy as I hadn't fished well and should have got 2nd. I'm sure I over fed in the edge and I'm sure a lighter caster approach there would have got me enough for 2nd easily, something with hindsight I should have done knowing we'd had cold nights. Bizarrely I felt through the day I'd had very little in the way of carp in front of me, I barely had any definite liners and never saw a carp top in front of me all day, a rarity in those pegs.
The last round is in a fortnights time, and I won't be fishing next weekend as I'll be in Belfast in Northern Ireland visiting my girlfriends parents. Check back then to see if I mange to get the result I need!
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