Deja Vu!

Well, as you'll probably guess from the title Sundays match was again on lake two, and my hand came out of the draw bag with the exact same peg as it did last week! I wasn't the only one to do the same though, last weeks winner had also drawn the same peg.

I have to admit I wasn't sure about the peg as it's the deepest on the lake, and the carp don't always like deep water in the cold. With a night of cold rain and a sharp hail shower while setting up I suspected that the fish may move into shallower water (cold water goes to the bottom as it's denser). Also finding that someone had fished the peg Wednesday (the only day other than Sunday that the fishery is open) and bagged up lessened my optimism - I think the fish are inclined to move away from pressure in the cold.

I set up the same gear as last week, the exception being that I didn't feed the left hand margin as I didn't get a bite there last week. The 9m line was fed on the whistle with slightly less bait, as was the margin as it had been colder. My first cast on the bomb was with a single grain of corn about 15m out. Instant liners showed that there were some fish out there and on the ten minute mark the rod pulled round then dropped slack. Picking up the rod and winding I connected with a fish that had moved quite a way from where I'd cast. After a few minutes a sluggish common of about 6lb was in the net, a good start! The next drop in the same place produced.... Nothing!

On the two hour mark I'd tried everything, long hook link, short hook links, single and double corn and bread punch on the bomb, all over the swim and nothing. Even a cast with maggot and a small pva bag of maggots and micro pellet failed to get me a bite, as had anything (punch, corn, maggot and caster) on the 9m pole line. It was dire! I'd seen precious little else caught too so from what I could see so with one fish in the net I was better off than most!

A drop in the margin on corn saw the float flicker then vanish, shame I missed it! Next drop in and another bite saw me connected to a very sluggish fish that looked every bit as big as my first, until it came off at the net! I have to say I was cursing! I dripped a few casters in and got up off my box to get a top kit out with grey hydro in it - the softest elastic I'd got with me to hopefully prevent more hook pulls. I had one more bite in the margin and missed it (on caster) and that was that for the margin. I never had another sign of a fish there for the rest of the day, not even on maggot.

The last two hours were spent going through the motions (thank good there was football on the radio to listen to!) The only sign I had was a liner on the bomb about five minutes from the end on the bomb cast down to my left. The last hour and a half did see some people catch, but all in water much shallower than I had in front of me. 37lb won, the same angler on the same peg as last week! 35lb was second and 16lb was third.

Next week is the Christmas match so the fishing will be hard again with both lakes full up, and with the cold weather here the fish are starting to move in to the reeds on lake two, so that's my prediction as to where it will be won from. Check back next week, when hopefully I can draw with some fish in front of me!

Sunday 22nd November

With severe gales forecast, along with rain later I think it's fair to say some people probably weren't looking forward to the day. Didn't bother me though, it couldn't have been any rougher than sea fishing from Walton pier on Wednesday. Mad? probably but I did have plenty of bites and a good day!

Walking round before the draw what wind there was was hardly touching the lake. With the pegs round the back of the island not in as they were covered with leaves I fancied either peg 53 or 62, both corner pegs with the wind into them and on the edge of the leaves, and there were fish under the leaves! When I went into the draw both of those pegs were already gone! I knew I wouldn't get 62 anyway, I've never drawn it in just over two and a half years fishing at Westside!

I was a bit torn about the peg I'd drawn, 68. I've never really done that well on it, framing off it but never winning. I was going to feed two pole lines, one at about 6m and one at 13m as well as the margins but I decided in the end to fish one line at about 9m and then fish the bomb past that. I'd decided on this for a couple of reasons, firstly the best sessions I've had on the peg have been on the tip, secondly the wind would almost certainly pick up and lastly, as you can see from the pic, I had the sun in my eyes and it was incredibly hard to see a float past about 9m. At that distance I had near 7ft of water and had a .4gr handmade diamond pattern float to fish here. This was on .14 line direct to a 16 B611 and a 12 latex. I also had a rig to fish next to the marginal reeds, both left and right as the sun would make the right margin hard to fish later. This was on the same gear as the 9m rig in about five foot of water, yup, that deep right next to the reeds! I did put up a half depth rig for the reeds but didn't expect to use it. Lastly I put up my trusty 10ft Drennan bomb rod with 6lb mainline to a Korum quick-change bead, a 1/3rd ounce Guru square lead and with various length hook lengths to try, made from .15 Preston Powerline to a 16 Kamasan Animal.

On the whistle I fed the 9m line with a pinch of hemp and three grains of corn, the same in the right margin with a few casters too. The left margin got a bit more hemp and corn than the other two lines to try different feeding, I'd only cup in on this line rather than flick casters over it like the other line. With the wind still calm I tried a couple of bits of punch on the hair, casting the bomb just short of halfway. It took only a minute or two to get a liner but it never developed so after ten minutes I dropped in a bit shorter. I had another liner while baiting a hook length with corn, and another liner while tying a tiny pva bag of micro pellet. On the half hour mark I tried a single grain of corn, but without the pva bag as the liners showed there were some fish there.

With the tip set the angler opposite was into a fish on their short pole line in the deep water. I decided it was time for a coffee and typically only a few seconds after pouring it the rod goes round. How often does that happen! A sluggish fight results in a common about two and a half pound in the net. Another grain of corn was hastily quick stopped and cast back into the lake. Time to drink my coffee before it got cold! After a few minutes and I was in again and shortly a common of about 3lb was in the net. The next two casts went without response, even no liners so on went the tiny pva bag hoping to attract some fish. With the ninety minute mark approaching and no more joy I decided to try the pole line at 9m.

As usual picking the pole up was a signal for the wind to increase, albeit to just a swirly breeze. It didn't take long to get a response on corn and carp number three was in the net, again about 3lb. Back out and about five minutes later it was repeated with a fish of about the same size. No bites came in the next few minutes so I topped the swim up with two grains of corn and a small pinch of hemp. This did produce a bite after a few minutes but I missed it! No more followed, and with the wind picking up still more, bringing rain with it too. Still, with two hours gone I was happy with the catch rate of two an hour, which would normally see you there or there abouts.

Back out on the bomb, this time with double corn and the rain increased enough for me to get up and put my umbrella up. After near quarter of an hour I was just about to wind in and go back on single corn when the rod pulled round again. This fish was a bit bigger at around 4lb so on with double corn and back out to the same spot again, just past where I'd cast the pva bag. The next two casts both gave pretty quick bites, both from carp around the 4lb mark before the sun came out again and the bites stopped. I had a drop on the 9m line but no bites followed so I topped it up and left it.

With just over two hours to go I decided to try the margins for the first time. A single grain of corn was lowered in and I had a liner near instantly. It didn't take long for a proper bite to develop and a mirror of about 3lb was the culprit. His (or her) twin followed next drop before the indications faded away. I topped the swim up and tried the lead again with no joy. Trying the margin gave me just one missed bite so with an hour and a half left I went back on the bomb with a single grain of corn. A savage pull and a drop back didn't produce a fish so I dropped back on the same spot and another bite quickly followed, with a common about three pound making it's way in.

The last hour and a half was dire for me as I sat and watched the pegs opposite catching odd fish, but I couldn't buy a bite! I tried maggot on the pole at 9m but just a tiny roach was the result. I was sat almost praying for just one more fish and with just two minutes to go it was answered. A twitchy bite on double corn cast way to the left of where I had been catching gave me my best fish of the day at about 5lb.

I guessed my 11 carp to be about 40lb, but when the scales got to me 74lb was the top weight, guess what peg it was from? Yup, 62! The next weight was only 23lb so when my fish went 40lb 12oz I was comfortably second, and that's where I finished! If I had the peg again I don't think I'd do anything different, I don't think there is any way I could have got double my weight off the peg so I went home quite happy with my result, and was even happier as I got to listen to Spurs thump nine past Wigan as I packed up and on the way home!

Sunday 15th November

Well, thankfully the winds had dropped for Sunday but on the minus side it had rained over night, a lot! something which normally effects the fishing negatively at Westside. I took my normal place late in the draw queue and was happy when peg 29 came out in my hand. It's got good recent form too with a first and a second in the last two matches.

With low weights winning the last two matches I decided on quite light rigs. I had two rigs for the pole across. First was a 4x10 Preston chianti, adapted to take a plastic tip. This was set to fish in just over three feet of water about two foot away from the island, on the front of the slight bay about 16.5m away. The second rig was a 4x10 Preston PB2. This rig was to fish about a foot off the bottom and would later be used to poke right in to the bay later in the match where it was just under three feet deep. Both these rigs were on .125 line to a 16 B611 and on a soft Preston 13h elastic. A third rig was for just down the near ledge to my left. I had a good five feet of water only feet from the bank so I fished at 5m to my left just off the remains of some lillies. This rig had a 4x14 chianti, again with a plastic tip. Line was .14 and hook was a 16 B611 and the lakky was a 12 latex. I did toy with putting up a bomb rod but decided not to as there was no wind and I could comfortably hold the 17m of pole I'd need to go right in the bay.

Plan for the day was to drip feed into just one area of the far bank, and other areas I'd plumbed (the other corner of the bay as well as right in it) would be fed later if need be but not before I'd tried them without bait. On the whistle I fed just six casters across while the 5m line had a small pinch hemp and three grains of corn. I decided to try corn across first and missed a sharp bite on it after only a couple of minutes, followed by two more in the next five minutes. I wasn't sure if they weren't bites from silvers so I slipped a caster on and a similar bite produced a 3oz roach, followed by a dumpy 2oz perch. The bites went a bit iffy after this and on the half hour mark I had a liner so I decided to try the shallow rig. First drop gave a bite from a tiny roach, but the second go the float settled and then slipped away and the lift was followed by a good amount of lakky. After a sluggish start a decent fight gave me a common of about 5lb was in the net, hooked just outside the mouth - a sure sign that the fish weren't feeding properly and what I perhaps expected after so much over night rain.

After that carp I decided to try for another without feeding. The exact pattern of the last drop happened again, the float slipped away just after settling but this time the lift was met with the elastic screaming off into the next peg and what I suspect was a foul hooker broke me. Unsurprisingly no more bites followed so I topped up with a few casters and decided to try the short line. I did have a liner after a few minutes on corn but nothing came of it, while trying a caster gave me just a tiny perch. After a good ten minutes I went back across on the shallow rig and caster and had a run of bites from roach, mostly 2oz fish but with one chunkier fish about 4oz but they quickly dried off. After a bite less few minutes I decided to go back on the deck on corn, missing a bite after a few minutes but connecting with the second. A very lively fight eventually resulted in a cracking looking fully scaled mirror, but it was hooked in the pectoral fin!

No more bites followed in the next few minutes, and by this time the sun had come round and was a complete nightmare. I was squinting trying to see my float, even with Polaroids, a peaked cap and one hand in front of me! At the halfway point of the match I tried the 5m line again, partly prompted by the sun and partly by the angler on the next peg (to my left) landing their second fish in a short spell from that line. No bites came so I went back across. Nothing on the deck led me to try up in the water again which gave just a tiny roach so I decided to try further along right into the bay. Not long after dropping into the bay I foul hooked and lost a fish as I was lifting the rig but it came off very shortly after. I went strait back to the same spot and an instant bite gave me a ghostie common, bigger than the first two fish at about 5lb, and a complete nightmare to play with the sun in my eyes.

The next few minutes gave no more bites so I dripped a few more casters in and shortly after I had another fish on. Again with the sun in my eyes I couldn't see what it was doing or where it was going and it came off half way back. I'm sure it wasn't foul hooked and was cursing as lost fish were most definitely not the way to keep the swim going, and predictably the bites dried up, both over the feed and in the bay. I tried the other side to the bay and this gave a small roach to caster but nothing else so I had a quick, but fruitless try on the 5m line. I have to say I was surprised there were no silver fish as I'd regularly been flicking a few casters by hand on it in an attempt to bring it to life.

With the whole swim seeming to be dead I decided to try dripping in a little bait regularly via a toss-pot, just 4-5 casters and an odd maggot in an attempt to liven things up. Not that long after trying it I hooked another carp, although it wasn't over the bait, I'd decided to have a quick drop in half way between where I was feeding and the back of the bay where the last fish had come from. This carp was much smaller than the others at around 2lb but hopefully I could pick a few of them up. Also, thankfully, the sun had dropped enough behind the far bank trees not to be a problem. Unfortunately any thoughts of lining a few up were gone as with an hour to go I foul hooked another fish and it tore off to my right before coming off.

The last hour produced very little. Coming shallower produced some very dithery bites on caster which when the did develop were just tiny perch. Maggot got instant bites, both shallow and on the deck but from the same tiny perch. Corn produced nothing, not even a liner and the other areas of the swim were equally lifeless. The only thing of note was a chunky 4oz perch on caster on the deck, plus the angler to my right having four carp in the last hour on the bomb!

I have to say at the whistle I was ruing not setting the bomb up as I was sure the angler to my right would beat me. I carry the bomb rod made up so it was as simple as put it together and put a hook length on! Even if I hadn't fished it all day it would have been worth a try, especially when the fish were very spooky, plus not to mention when I had the sun in my eyes. Very little else had been caught and when the scales got the the next peg 12lb was comfortably first. When they put their 4 carp on the scales they went 17lb 8oz and I really thought he'd pip me. My bits were first on the scales and went 1lb 11oz. Pulling my carp out I was thinking they'd go 15lb at most, so was surprised when the scales went to 16lb 11oz, giving me 18lb 6oz in total and a very narrow win.

I have to admit I felt a bit lucky to have won as I didn't feel I'd fished well, losing as much as I'd landed (albeit foul hooked) meant that I was never able to get the fish going. Plus I do think the bomb in the quiet spells, certainly perhaps in the last hour, could have been worth an extra fish or two. I still really don't know why I never put it up as I certainly had the time. That bomb rod will be out every week now!

Sunday 8th November

Well, after waking up my mate at 8.30am ringing him to ask him where he was I was beginning to think it may be one of those days! After some phone calls to get a message to the organiser that we would be there late I was a bit happier. Arriving at 9.30 I found that peg 44 had been drawn for me. I had mixed feelings about it, I won off it last time I drew it, but that was in the margins in the summer! It's a hit and miss winter peg - I had it a year ago (to the weekend I think!) and struggled for about 10lb off it, and have blanked off it in the cold too!

I hastily put up a rig for fishing on the slope up to the little island, with .14 line to Preston 13h lakky and a 16 B611 Float was a 4x12 Preston somo with a plastic tip in just over 3ft of water. Next rig up was at 6m for the remains of the lillies, this was on .16 line to a 12 latex in about 5ft of water. As I was sorting a margin rig the organiser came up behind me and kindly offered to start the match late and finish it a little later (how many would do that?) but I declined. It's not everyone else's fault! On the whistle I few a few caster and three grains of corn across, a pinch of hemp and corn at 6m and a bit of hemp, corn and caster down the edge. I then finished shotting my margin rig ( I didn't make any lighter rigs up, and the colour had dropped out of the water ) before putting up a shallow rig to fish a foot of the bottom on the long line. Terminal gear for that was the same as the deck rig but with a 4x10 PB2 float.

When I finally put a bait on it was nudging 10.15, and as I was shipping out the peg opposite hooked a fish, and could hear that someone else had a fish on. I had the first few minutes on corn but with no sign of fish. By this time the next peg along (in the deep water where I was a fortnight ago) had two fish quick. I went on to alternating caster and maggot on the hook, dripping 4-5 casters in every few minutes via a toss-pot. After a short while I had a dithery bite on single caster that I missed, followed shortly by another that I hit. A roach of about 1oz may not have been the target fish but at least I was off the mark!

On the hour mark (45 min for me!) I picked the catty up and started to flick casters out 3-4 at a time the 13.5m or so I was fishing. I decided to do this hoping that the extra noise of the loose feed being 'pulted would attract the fish, plus it makes you more inclined to feed a little more often - nobody wants to ship in and out every 4-5 mins without a fish on! Dead on an hour after I started a proper 'dig' on caster saw me attached to a carp. After a short but very spirited fight a common of about a pound and three quarters found it's way to the net. The next hour passed without much excitement, I had odd small roach on maggot or caster long, and trying the 6m line gave me two liners in quick succession but they nothing else. I wanted to leave the margins as long as possible with the colder clearer water so I hadn't tried it yet.

With two hours gone odd fish had started to show themselves, including one right lump that jumped three or four times in the peg to my left. Not time to panic as this swim is normally a slow starter. I took the topping fish as a cue to try the shallower rig. The first bite I missed (on caster) while the second gave me another tiny roach. Third drop in, only five or so minutes after trying it and the next bite see's something more substantial hooked. After a hairy few minutes, in which the fish tried to do a lap of the mini island in front of me, a ghostie common of about 5lb made it's way in to the net. I have to admit I thought I had it sussed, but the next half hour on it gave only one better roach of about 6oz plus some more tiny's. I had a fruitless try on both the other lines but even maggot and caster failed to bring a bite on them.

With two hours to go I went back out long on the shallow rig but was again only rewarded with small roach. With other anglers only having a few fish (five was the best I could see) I wasn't too far off the pace. I decided to try back on the deck long on corn as the the sun had gone in. I have to admit I was surprised to get a bite so quick, so surprised I missed it! No need to worry as not long after the float had settled than another bite saw me again attached to a decent fish. A few minutes later a common probably approaching 6lb was in the net and I was right back in the running! The next three drops all produced carp too, although smaller averaging 2-3lb. Each bite was followed by a few grains of hemp and an odd bit of corn. No feed meant no bite but I doubt I waited more than five minutes for a bite after topping up. The next bite gave a crucian of about a pound and a half before the swim faded away a little. I had a quick try on the shallow rig to see if the regular feeding had bought the fish up but with no joy I fed a pinch of hemp and corn with the big pot and left it alone.

The next ten minutes at 6m and in the margins was totally dead. Quite surprising as others were picking off odd fish of those lines. Back out long and three missed bites in a row lead to me having a think. With the wind settling right off I changed my shotting, changing from a spread bulk to totally stringing out the four number 10 stotz. This seemed to have the desired effect and I started to connect with some of the bites. By no means was I hitting every bite, not even as many as I was before but I was putting fish in the net regularly. By the end of the match I'd managed seven more carp, plus another smaller crucian. I did miss my last two bites though! I guessed that my 13 carp and bits would go about 40lb and wasn't far off the mark, being the second to weigh in and putting 44lb 13oz on the scales. With a few 20lb+ weights being the next best I managed a fairly comfortable win, much better than I thought I would do at the start of the day!

I was pretty happy with the way I fished, my previous experience of the peg led me not to panic not catching early as it's never a quick starter. Fishing the corn balanced on the slope up to the island did the trick, and even with the float dotted most bites never actually took the float under. Fishing the corn any other way I think I wouldn't have even seen many of the bites, and while I did miss a few bites every one I connected with ended up in the net, not one fish was lost. You can't ask much more than that! Hope next week is the same!

A Two Flask Day!

Firstly I apologise for the poor piccy, it was taken in a rush in a break in the rain and didn't realise it was quite as poor!

With the bad weather there was predictably a no-show or two, and the pegs were chosen with the bad weather (and leaves ) in mind. Off all the pegs in the bag once again the one peg I didn't want came out in my hand, peg 35 which anyone who had read my ramblings for long enough will remember me labelling it as the worst peg on the lake!

When I got to the peg there were no leaves but with the swirling wind I found it impossible to plumb up past 13m, so I simply put up two pole rigs - one for down the track and one for down the margin to my right, down wind and nice and comfortable! I was quite sure of catching in the edge, as despite the rain it has still been warm. I had a nice depth of three and a half foot down the edge under some marginal overhangs, while down the track there was about 6ft. Line on the margin rig was .16 while the track rig had .14. Lakkys were a 12 latex for the track and Preston 15h for the margins. Lastly I put up a strait lead rod to fish across.

On the whistle I fed half a pot of chop and caster down the edge and a small amount of hemp and corn down the track. The lead rod was then baited with a single grain of corn and flicked towards the island. I have to say that it didn't land quite where I wanted, being a bit short. After ten minutes I re-cast and was much happier with the distance it landed from the island, about a meter short. With the rod settled I picked up my flask and poured a coffee. No sooner had I picked the cup up than the rod yanked round and in the process of putting the cup down I somehow managed to spill the coffee down my boot and burning my foot! Some shot in the tipping rain! After a very bream like fight a small common of around a pound and a half found it's way to the net. A liner two chucks later about sums up the next hour so I dropped onto the track line.

With nothing to show on corn I slipped a caster on and it didn't take long for a response, albeit from a tiny perch. No more followed so I topped up the pole swims and went back on the lead but with no joy. With no signs of fish anywhere I decided to flick odd grains of corn across with a catty. I'd have preferred to feed casters but in the wind it was impossible. After two hours it was time to try down the edge. Half a dendra didn't take long to get a bite, but again it was a tiny perch! Caster didn't get a response so it was down the track again but on maggot. Again little perch were the only things to respond and for a few minutes I was happy to put a few in the net before trying caster. This bought a change in species with a roach but it was no bigger than the perch!

With nothing going it's back on the tip but despite trying all along the far bank (and the coffee trick multiple times!) nothing was showing. With about an hour and a half to go the rain started to break and down the edge with double caster bought a response from a perch of about 6oz. Next drop gave a proper 'carpy' liner then I missed a bite. With the margin line looking promising disaster struck! With the clearing of the rain came a change in the wind, and with that came the leaves! As you can see from the pic it made things rather awkward, and they were worse than that at times!

With just over an hour to go the leaves were so bad I got up and took my near empty flask with me and went for a walk, wishing I had made two flasks! I sat back on my box with three-quarters of an hour to go and two un-fishable pole swims, the only gaps being near the far bank. The change in the wind had made the swim a little more sheltered so I plumbed across quickly with my margin rig (no time for a new one!) I found an area with a reasonably flat bottom and about 3ft of depth (the colour had dropped out so I didn't want less) and tipped in the little choppy I had left in the box. I had to ship across holding the pole up with the rig out of the water. Two quick perch were the first to respond on caster before a spell of drifting leaves meant I couldn't fish where I wanted. When I dropped back in I missed a bite then hooked a much better fish and lost it as it plowed through the floating leaves! I'm sure it was foul hooked mind. With ten minutes left the next bite saw what looked to me like an F1, although none have been stocked so it must have been a naturally occurring hybrid! Still, at about 2lb it was welcome. I did miss another bite before the whistle but that was it.

I packed up a little peeved at the day, sitting out in bad conditions is one thing, but with them ruining any chance of having a decent day it wasn't good! I also came home with the feeling that I just didn't fish well too. When I could fish across on the pole I had bites, and with just 12lb 8oz winning, narrowly ahead of 12lb 7oz and third being 11lb it wouldn't have taken much to have made the frame. Still, you have to take the good days with the bad, here's hoping the next one is good!