Monday 23 February 2009

A Golden Opportunity? (W/L rd3)


At last, after what seemed like an eternity of Sundays with either ice, snow or both the weather was actually quite nice to us this weekend! I also found out on the Saturday that despite last weeks duff result I'd only dropped to 2nd in the winter league, although 5-6 points behind first. Pre-draw when talking about pegs I mentioned to somebody that along with the usual favoured pegs (25-31) that I wouldn't mind drawing either 33 or 39, and low and behold hand into the bag and our comes 39, then as is about my luck it's drawn as the golden peg, a week after it was won! Funnily enough, the last time I drew the golden peg I was on the exact same peg, that was back in early October of 2007 though! (I did win it then though!)
I do quite like the peg, partially as it's an end peg on the lake. It's not in a corner but to your left is a point where the lake goes into a bay that's peg 1 (not often in) and it tends to be a good margin, although when I last won off it I caught across. The peg also has a bay in the island opposite, it's about 17.5m to the back of the bay so I decided to have a swim either side of the bay just into the entrance at about 16m giving the fish a chance to back off. The left of the swim is shallower than the right by about 10in so two different rigs were put up. The deeper (in about 4ft 6in of water) had a 4x14 chianti while the shallower rig was a 4x10 pb2 which also doubled up for trying shallower over the deeper swim. I also put up a rig for off the deck on the shallower side using a smaller pb2 but didn't expect to catch on it over the shallower side. All those rigs were on .125 Garboline to a 16B611 with Preston 13h lakky on the two deeper rigs and grey Hydro on the shallower. A margin rig in about 3ft 6in of water was on .14 line with a 4x12 chianti with the same hooks as the other rigs but on a 14 latex. I didn't want to go much lighter as the margin fish tend to be big and you don't want them going round the corner!
On the whistle I fed about 8 casters to the right of the bay, leaving the left side to start with. Down the margin went a dozen casters and 2 bits of corn along with a few micro pellet. I'd also done a few 4mm expanders as the weather is starting to pick up I figured they may be worth a go. Ten minites on corn with just a liner across led me to try a shallow rig. No joy in the next ten minites led me to put on a small pot and try to drip feed a few casters to provoke a response. After perhaps half an hour I had a very sharp dig on the float which I missed but I put it down to silvers, something that was probably correct as next put in on the deck rig and caster gave me a 2oz roach, then a small perch after that. At this point I elected to feed just a few casters to the left of the bay at 17m as there are a few branches hanging over. A fruitless nest quarter of an hour led me to try there with no response.
With an hour gone I topped up the margin swim and it was looking as if I would need it to get me out of jail, although nobody I could see had much, just one small carp and an odd small fish. A liner in front got my hopes up but after that neither long swim produced anything to any of the rigs, even on maggot which normally gives tiny perch! Just before midday I decided to drop in the margin on a pellet, earlier than I'd like but I wanted a carp in the net. After ten minites I was just about to give it up when I had a liner so I put on a single caster and dropped the rig in again. Within a minite I had another liner then the float slipped away and a small carp of perhaps a pound and a quarter found it's way quickly into the net. No more bites followed and the next hour or so was very frustrating, with just one liner on the left side of the bay.
By the last hour and a half I'd tried pushing right into the bay, only on the shallow rigs as a carp had poked it's head out there but when I plumbed up there were quite a few sticks on the bottom, but I didn't get a bite in there. I did miss a bite to the left of the bay but I suspect it was a silver rather than a carp. Into the last hour I decided to pretty much pin my faith in the margin. Not long after going in I was getting odd liners on pellet and corn so I went on caster and pulled the rig a bit nearer the bank to move it away from the feed. This got an instant result with a carp of about 2lb. At this point next peg had a decent fish so I knew I needed some more. A missed bite on pellet drew a few choice words before I went back on caster. The next bite came with perhaps 30 minites to go and again came after topping up a tiny amount with a toss pot. This fish was a touch bigger at 3lb and the next chuck followed the pattern of the last two, drip a tiny bit of feed (4 casters and the same of micro pellet) then an odd liner followed by a bite. The next fish felt much bigger but a bit strange, like a big bream but I saw a flash of orange under the water. I panned it without really seeing it, thinking I'd perhaps foul-hooked a koi but it turned out to be a golden orfe of around 4lb odd, a use full bonus! (and a pb) The next drop gave another 3lb carp before got a bit trigger happy and struck at a knock I shouldn't have, foul-hooking a fish and losing it. That slowed things down till right near the very end when indications started but I didn't get another fish.
As the last to weigh in, I had a fair wait for the scales and when they got to me two 19lb weights were the best on the board but with no other double figure weights I knew I had 3rd and that the current league leader had 8lb odd. My fish went 14-12 in total but I perhaps could have had a bit more, one good lump would have good enough to win and was perhaps achievable, still I made up ground on first place, closing the gap up to about 2 points I think, but I don't know for certain!
Next week isn't a winter league and as it's the Carling Cup final I may not fish and watch that instead, being as I missed my moment of glory as a Spurs fan last year fishing the winter league! Have to say I ain't that optimistic of beating Man U mind. Still, I'll let you know if I'm out next week!

Monday 16 February 2009

I Hate That Peg! (W/L Rd 2)


After such a good start to the winter league campaign it was most definitely fingers crossed going into round two. On arriving at lake 2 I was greeted to the sight of the lake being still half frozen. I was torn as to were I wanted to draw, the reeds side of the lake was unfrozen so I was unsure if that would be the place to draw as the only carp that have shown recently have been mostly around the island, not normally the favoured winter areas!
Hand into the draw bag and out comes peg 72, and mixed feelings came with it, it's probably the worst reed peg as you can't get to the back where the fish are so you have to sit and watch the reeds shaking yet can't put a bait within two feet of the fish. On the flip side I've always caught carp off the peg and I was hoping to catch a single carp as I thought just one would be good enough for decent points.
With the ice being around 17m away from me I elected to fish on the pole at 11m in front of me leaving the rest of the area beyond that to explore with the lead. Two rigs were put up for the reeds to my left, set at verious depths on .14 line to 16B611 and 13h Preston elastic. Line for the long rig was .125 on a 12 latex. The normal lead rig was put up to try bread and corn with varying lengths of hook link and lastly, a bit rig as per last week was put up to fish right on the end of my net for tiny roach.
At the whistle I fed half a dozen casters and a few maggots on the long pole line and started on the lead. After 40 minites I was slightly concerned as the lead had not produced even a single liner or twitch. Odd knocks in the rushes led me to try there while dripping odd casters over the longer line to try and provoke a response. I had two quick bites on the pole in the edge, both giving a roach that while they wearn't huge were much bigger than last weeks! At this point I was pleased to have a fish in the net, but that was it for the day!
The rest of the day I'm not sure that I even had a fish in front of me, the ice stayed in front of me all day at half way and no matter what I tried I couldn't get a bite, and even got the number 6 and 7 of my pole stuck together (free now, that's the first time I've ever had that happen!) Even the bit rig failed to produce a bite. Odd carp were in the reeds to my left but none came round into my peg. I really felt that there was nothing I could have done and packed up dejected. Those that caught bits did so long on the pole in ice free pegs and odd carp where caught from the island pegs, I haven't had a carp from that lake for six weeks! My two roach went 3oz and were only good enough for around 9th or 10th, hopefully my result to drop! 25lb won, taking the golden peg with them.
Next week is round three and chance to make amends, on lake one and with the weather settling off I really have to get a result. Hopefully I'll be writing good things here next week!

Monday 9 February 2009

Plip-Plopping!


Well, it's fair to say the weather has been a bit rare lately! To be honest the weather is really doing my head in now, all the snow and frost, roll on spring! This weeks open was less a few of the numbers booked in, though I wish two of them had gone before we had cleared out enough swims for everyone, would have saved a bit of effort! My ice breaker was a not heavy enough for the ice so we used the boat, but some plank, despite me asking him not too, knackered it totally by trying to physically throw it through the ice. Still, I got a better one lined up now! At the draw all the pegs were in a line and all with some marginal cover to give everyone a chance of a few bites. I drew peg 67, the longest walk but it was an end peg, though I wasn't sure if it would be an advantage.
With the weather as it has been the only thing liable to show was the same small roach as a few weeks ago, and as the ice wasn't cleared far enough out as to where the carp were liable to be that's all I set up to go for. One rig simply to fish past the straggly reeds in the edge where the roach would most likely be. Proper scratching is not really my forte so the lightest rig I had to set up was using a Preston 9h elastic with a .09 hooklength to a size 20 hook, which also gave me a chance should I hook a small carp. Float was a 4x12 DC11 but I've replaced the cane tip with an easier to see plastic tip, the swim was about 4ft deep. I decided to see if groundbait would help going for the small fish so I had a small amount of Van den Eynde Supermatch mixed up. I'd wondered about the whip( a long time sice I used that!) but the amount of missed bites last time meant I wanted a shorter line, plus the chance of getting any bigger fish out on elastic.
At the whistle I cupped in a wallnut sized ball of groundbait with a few casters in it, then started with a single maggot just off the bottom. The session started slower than I expected it would, taking around fifteen minutes to get any indications. Once I started getting knocks I shallowed up a few inches as that's what seemed best the last time. All this did was to give a frustrating spell of around ten missed bites. At around 45 minutes in I had my first fish after going an inch over depth but by this this time I was already 7 or 8 fish behind the next peg. Odd fish followed but I couldn't get a rhythm of fish going and was getting frustrated by the missed bites.
After around two and a half hours the weather had warmed up significantly and I started to find a pattern of keeping fish coming. Moving the shot closer to the hook (bulk and droppers) seemed to have helped, then by feeding a small ball of groundbait and fishing around it would get bites. After a few fish they would move, occasionally going over the groundbait so it was just a matter of chasing them about. At the start I'd set myself a target of twelve fish an hour to get 1lb by the end, but in the last two hours I was doing double that comfortably and keeping pace with those near me who were fishing much lighter. Without unshipping I simply hooked the fish and pushed the no4 section behind me and lifted, swinging the fish strait to hand.
At the end I had over 100 fish for 1lb 13oz, 2oz behind first place. Everyone had caught, including an odd bonus fish, but none for me! I felt quite happy with the way I'd fished but odd spells on caster for a bonus fish had probably cost me a win, still, I was just practicing for next week in the winter league. I'm happy enough to know I can get a few of those little fish in the net next week should I draw on them, but the weather again looks to be unkind in the week ahead and next week is going to be a job to get a good result. Here's hoping to a good draw next week and a few fish!

Monday 2 February 2009

Peg 27 Revisited!


Well, as you can guess I sat on the same peg as last week, but managed to get the picture up this week! With the whinging and ranting of one person the day finished out to be a pleasure day so I had a practice session to try a few things out. I do think though that some people would be better off going to work if their Sunday revolves around money, at least that's guaranteed to get you paid!
I set up exactly as per last week, but all the pole rigs had a slightly longer line than usual after last week, but I did notice that the water was a touch clearer than last week. With anglers on the pegs either side of me (25 and 29, same as last week) I could treat the day like a match but could try out a few new things. Normally I don't feed at the start in winter on this lake but decided to from the off, just three maggots and half a dozen casters on the 17.5m line, and the same down the edge. It was definitely a bit earlier getting indications than the previous week, but nothing that was a proper bite, just liners, even an odd one on the deepest of the shallow rigs. My first fish came to the deepest of the shallow rigs at pretty much the same time as my first fish last week, and was practically the same size! However, after I didn't carry on catching, just getting very occasional slight liners for the next ten minute's. I figures that the slightly clearer water had made them a little cagey, something which I think was proved as on the hour the sun came on to the water and killed it stone dead!
The next two hours were totally without indication, and with the wind having an odd gust making presentation hard I kept having an odd chuck on the bomb and corn but with no joy. After about the third chuck on the bomb and corn with no joy I tried bread on a 12 inch hooklength. After ten minute's I was about to bring it in when I had my first liner so I left it for another five but with no joy. Next chuck I dunked the bread into my flavoured corn ( as I did a few weeks ago on Lake 2) and no sooner had I put the rod down than the tip started see-sawing! a 3lb common pretty soon found it's way into the net. Same thing tried next chuck and no after no more than two minute's another bite the same as the first and a 3lb ghostie finds it's way to the net. The next chuck dropped maybe two or three feet short of the clip, again on the dunked bread, and after a similar time to the last the it went again, this time the rod absolutely wrenching round! After a couple of minute's a much larger fish of near 7lb found it's way to the net. Another carp of around 6lb quickly followed doing exactly the same before the temperature took a real drop and things slowed up. I did manage another two fish on the lead before packing up at 3pm having had my five hours. With around 30lb I had more than anyone else on the lake and was quite pleased with the day, except for running out of coffee at not long past two (much easier to drink it when your on the lead!)
I did try the pole in the quieter last spell on the bomb but had no indications, not even on the deeper rig or shorter over where I had the bigger fish. I'm pretty sure the pole had spooked the fish, but whether it was that or the cold, or even the clearer water or perhaps even all three that had made them sit there I don't know, but again it's something I'll try and stick in the memory banks! Incidentally, apart from the one fish on the pole and caster all the fish came to flavoured baits, with only odd liners on un-flavoured. Make of that what you will! I'm a firm believer that on there day they will get you an extra fish or two, but are not the be all and end all of fishing and work as an extra tweak rather than a magic attractor. They won't make up for getting the basics wrong! Another interesting point was the bites, only one gave a typical carp wrap around, the bites were almost bream like with nudges and taps before steadily pulling and holding. I know Steve Ringer has written about this on bread (in last weeks Angling Times most recently) but in the two or so years I've been catching on it that was the first time I've had that, all the other times I've had proper yank arounds! It's something I'd like to have more time trying as I've a few things I'd like to play around with but I don't really get the chance to pleasure fish that much!
Next week is an open on lake two in preparation for the second round of the winter league and I have to say it's looking grim. A few people pleasure fished it last Wednesday and nobody had a carp, and with the weather forecast to stay cold it looks like things wont improve, and it wasn't that great the last match on there . Guess it will be a plip day or hope for a single carp!