A Good Friday?

An early blog this week- with the long Easter weekend I decided to fish on the Friday this week. With the weather having turned a bit colder during the week I wasn't sure where I wanted to draw really, although walking round before hand I liked the look of peg 46. The margins on the peg can be good with a nice clean bank with two and a half foot of water to fish in tight to the bank. It also had the wind behind it and with rain forecast later it would at least be comfortable. Why am I talking about it? because I actually drew it! I couldn't do that in the winter league could I!

First task was a rig for the open water at about 12m. This was a .4gr diamond bodied pattern in about six and a half foot of water. This would also double for the 5m line where it was just 3in shallower. Line was .14 dia direct to a 16 B611, lakky was a 12 latex. I also had a shallow rig up for half depth, a 4x12 PB2 with the same hook and line but on a 13h lakky. The third rig up was a margin rig for the left margin. In about two and a half foot of water float was a 4x12 Somo with the same hook and line as the other two rigs and on Preston 13h lakky too. Lastly, I also put up a bomb rod to try past the pole line to start with.

On the whistle the long line got three grains of corn and a pinch of hemp, while the margin had the same but with a few 3mm pellets mixed in too. The 5m line would just receive corn flicked in by hand. First cast was on the bomb, about three meters past the pole line and further to the right. With nothing on the first cast on double corn the next two casts had single corn with a small pellet cone. With not a nudge approaching the 4o minute mark it was time to try the pole line. A single grain of corn went out to the 12m line, but after five minutes with no joy I decided to put a small toss-pot on and try trickling some bait in to stir a response. After two more drops and nudging the hour mark I was just debating trying the bomb again when I had my first bite. After a good tussle a common of about 6lb was in the net so I gave it another quarter of an hour, topping up after that fish but with no more signs of life.

I decided to top up the margin line before having a chuck on the bomb. I was just debating my options when the rod steadily pulled round but it was obvious it wasn't a carp and a crucian of about a pound and a quarter was soon on the net. With that I decided to give it a bit longer but at the hour and a half mark and no more bites it was back on to the long line. A bite (again on single corn) wasn't long in coming and a small common of about 2lb was quickly in the net. I topped up with two grains of corn and a tiny pinch of hemp and perhaps five minutes later my next bite produced a lively 3lb ghostie. After this the indications I had were very finicky so I topped up with a pinch of hemp and three grains of corn and went back on the bomb, although this produced nothing.

As the half way mark came others started to catch too, including the angler opposite netting a right lump that looked comfortably double figures. The rain started and it seemed to stop indications on the longer line. I gave the 12m line a decent pinch of hemp and half a dozen grains of corn and dropped in on the 5m line, which I had been steadily flicking grains of corn on to in ones and twos every few minutes. A liner after a few minutes was followed by a proper bite and carp number four was soon in the net- a common about 3lb. No more bites followed so I cupped in four grains of corn on it and had a drop in the margins. A few silly bites on corn told me that roach rather than carp were in residence, and trying double maggot confirmed it as a roach of about 1oz was the result.

Back out on the long line and the rest and extra grub had the desired effect as indications soon turned in to a proper bite and a mirror of about 3lb was in the net. The wind picked up and I had to lower all the shot on the rig to stabilise it a bit more. Not too long after and another bite gave me another 3lb common. A missed bite next drop followed by a decrease in indications led me to top up the swim again and drop back in on the 5m line. With nothing to show there I tried the margins again but just the roach knocks again led me back out to the 12m line. With silly indications resulting there I decided to stop feeding the hemp. With just a missed bite to show after another 15 minutes I came back on to the 5m and a chunky 4lb common was the result, but again no more bites followed.

Dropping back out long and cutting out the hemp seemed to have the effect as a common about two and a half pound was in the net. Next drop in and an instant bite again saw me attached to another carp which inexplicably came off half way in. I dropped in four grains of corn and left the line alone for five minutes, trying the 5m line but with no joy. Back out long and another bite saw me attached to another carp, and half way back that one came off too! I didn't even check the hook, cutting it off and changing it after dropping in a few grains of corn again. Predictably though, the two lost fish had seen the end of the action and I had to sit and watch others catching while whatever I tried I couldn't buy a bite, not even past the catching area.

The last hour passed uneventfully, apart from roach knocks in the margins. With the last ten minutes remaining I decided that the 5m line was the best bet for a fish and decided to sit on it. With a few minutes to go it seemed a good choice as carp number 9 resulted, another common of about 3lb but I didn't have time for another.

Packing away it looked pretty close between me and three others I could see, and I just had a feeling that those lost fish would cost me. As the third to weigh in I was comfortably first when my fish totalled 34lb 3oz. One of the island pegs produced a 31lb weight then the scales got round to the peg's I'd been watching. The first one to weigh in narrowly pipped me plonking 34lb 8oz on the scales! I knew it! The other two put 32lb and 29lb on to the scales and while I'd finished second the lost fish had cost me a win! I shan't grumble too much mind- I enjoyed the day working for bites, and it was nice to catch a few fish after such a long tough winter. I was surprised that the margins never really went, but nobody really caught in the edge this week (they did last week) I can only guess the two cold days and a frost in the days before had just taken enough of a toll on the water temperature to stop them.

Next Sunday sees the last round of the winter league, on lake one this time. After a bad start I'm in joint third so hopefully I'll be able to get a good result and get a respectable final placing. I'll let you know next week!