Erm, I know it's not a very good title but I really couldn't think of one! I wasn't sure if the fish would be spawning this Sunday with the spell of very warm weather we've had here, but on arrival at the venue I have to admit I was quite surprised (and pleased) that they weren't. I was a lot less pleased mind when I drew the peg that I did. With only 3 pegs around the island I thought there was a good chance I'd draw in the favoured open water but nope, I got the peg furthest around the island! And peg 57 isn't my favourite anyway!
On arriving at the peg I spooked a carp that had been laying in the margins, plus there were 2 small commons laying in the edge about six metres to my right. With the water now very coloured and warm I was pinning my hopes of catching a few in the margins so I spent a fair time plumbing up to find two nice areas in the margins to my left and right that were a very similar depth, about eight metres to my left and nine to my right. Frustratingly quite a few fish were moving in the bank to my left at around 13m, but you can't fish past the next peg on the venue (where I'd plumbed up both sides), even though the nearest peg was 53! I had a depth of about 3ft in the margins and the rig was on .16 line to an 18 Fox series 2 hook (very big for the stated size, with a wide gape ideal for meat) and matched to purple hydro. Across I fished at about 15m, slightly to my left where I had about 2ft of water close to the bank. In front the island goes away from you a bit but is very shallow, only inches tight and while fish move in it I prefer a little more depth on this venue to hold the fish. Line was .16 again and hook was a 14 B611 and this was matched to a slightly softer Preston Hollo 15 elastic. I did put a rig up for the track at 11m where it had just started to shallow up but with the heat I wasn't sure I'd catch there. This was on the same rig line but in the six and a half foot of water I used one of the excellent power trap floats in .4gr. these are hand made by Mark Haskins but are much easier to get hold of than some of the other handmade pole floats that some people rave over! lakky on this line was a 14 latex.
For the second week running I wasn't ready at the start so fed the far bank with about 20 6mm pellets while I sorted out the rest of my bait! eventually the track line was fed with half a pot of hemp and corm, the right hand margin got the same while the left hand side got the same but with a decent pinch of meat in it too. Going across I got instant indications, some of them proper liners but many of them nudges off small roach. I tried corn instead of pellet as the small fish were stripping the pellet off but with no proper bites I went back to a 6mm expander. It was frustrating as there were obviously some better fish there amongst the hoards of midgets but none were forthcoming. The first fish came in the form of a 1oz roach on the 45min mark just as I had topped up the other lines again, but more encouragingly this was followed up by a crucian of about 12oz before the line started to fade. I potted in another 30 or so pellets (I had been dripping some in) but it made no difference so on the hour mark I came into the margins.
The right hand margin gave a liner fairly quick on single corn but nothing for a few minutes after so I dropped in on double corn and dripped a few grains of hemp and corn in too. Just as I was about to leave the line the float buried and after a lively tussle a 3lb common was in the net, hooked just outside the mouth showing that it wasn't feeding properly. I topped the swim up with a quarter pot of bait and tried the other margin with no success so went back across. The far line was much the same as it was before, definite indications but no bites, despite varying the depth and trying away from the feed. I wondered if the pole was spooking them so I got my tip rod out of the ready rod sleeve. After quickly knocking up some groundbait a small method feeder found it's way across. I have to say I was fully expecting it to go yet despite my casting being pretty damn near spot on (a surprise after the last time!) all this produced again was liners. After six casts on this in half an hour it was chucked up the bank!
The only line I'd not tried was down the track but after ten fruitless minute's on this I topped it up and then re-fed both margins and had a little think. Off came the 14 hook from the far bank rig and was replaced with a 16 and on went a smaller pellet. I shipped the rig over and no sooner had it settled than the pole went over and out came the lakky! A rather spawned out looking fish gave a good account of it's self before finding it's way to the net but no more followed so I topped up the swim.
Back into the margins with 2hrs left nothing was really happening, just odd indications but I was sure they were from carp so I decided to feed a whole pot of bait into the left margin and leave it for a few mins. The left margin gave no joy so I went on it pretty quick. It didn't take long to get a bite on meat and pretty soon carp number 3 was in the net. Topping up with a toss-pot full of bait bought just knocks so in went another big pot of bait. After a couple minute's again another fish joined the others in the net. Not big fish for the margins (some right lumps were milling around) but at least I was catching. Another pot of bait went in but less indications followed and the fish had clearly backed away to the cover further along the same bank.
With the fish seeming to want a bit of bait I fed a decent pot of bait across and went onto it and soon managed another fish before losing what felt a right lump that I'm sure wasn't foul hooked. That pattern followed till the end of the match with me rotating the left margin and across, never managing more than 2 fish in a row off either line. The right margin seemed lifeless strangely! I finished the match on 11 carp, the last one from the margin being the biggest at about 5lb.
When the scales came round the weights were low and my fish went 37lb 15oz for comfortably 1st place, but only beating the next angler to my right on peg 61 by just over a pound who had a good last hour on cat meat. My lead lasted until the scales got to my predicted winner at the start of the match on peg 66 who had 48lb 8oz and was then pushed into 3rd by someone who weighed in 41lb despite admitting to half that, the lying swine! Still I finished the day quite happy having caught a few fish!
I'm pretty sure had I approached the peg a bit more confident at the start I could have won from it, it certainly fished a lot better than I thought it was going too but I wasted half the match really by being negative even when it was obvious there were some fish there. Guess that comes from having a poor run lately. On the plus side I did try one or two little things that seemed to bring results but I want to work on them a bit more before I reveal what they are! Still, for the first time in a while I packed up happy having caught a few and given myself an idea or two to work on. The only downside of the day was the mozzies, I must have squashed 20 of the buggers that were attacking me, but I didn't notice the swines (big ones too!) until I'd already been bit on the arm and started itching. I've now got a golf ball sized lump on my left arm where I was bit 3 times near my elbow, bloody things!
No comments:
Post a Comment