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!
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