Sunday 26th September

First of all, I'll apologise for the use of a "library" picture, but with the rain for the entire day I didn't want to get the camera out! We were back an lake two this Sunday, and while the last few days had been cooler I still fancied the island pegs to be the area to draw, although with a rather cold wind anywhere out of that would do. As you can seen from the (old) picture I didn't have an island in front of me! My home for the day was peg 68. I wasn't sure really what to expect from the peg- it's about the deepest on the lake (the same as 46 opposite) but it doesn't have the nice shallow margins that 46 has, with a good 5ft of water next to the reeds. It's a peg I've had a few times before and either had decent days off it or struggled.


Rig-wise for the day I started off with a deck rig for 13m. This was a .4gr NG Decker float, a nice stable pattern that would hold still in the skim in the six and half foot of water. This rig also doubled for the 2+2 line where it was about five inches shallower. This rig was on .17 line to a .15 hook-link and an 18 Fox series 2 hook. Elastic on this was black hydro. I also put up two shallow rigs on this line, but whether they'd be any good would remain to be seen. I also put up a tip rod to try if I was struggling. I'd elected to ignore the margins as they're so deep, I had the 2+2 line close to me and didn't think I needed another line so close to me in water not much shallower.


On the whistle the long line had a quarter of a pot of hemp and corn, while the 2+2 line had a third of a pot of corn. Starting on the long line on corn and very little was doing, and even toss-potting small amounts of hemp and corn every few minutes failed to get a response. On the half hour mark odd fish could be seen cruising, despite the rain, occasionally rising for a leaf. I decided to pick the catty up and flick a few pellets in, but stick on the deck rig for the time being. The rattle off loose pellet seemed to have an effect on some fish as I started to get odd nudges on corn, so I tried a pellet but this was just shredded by small roach. I went back out with a piece of corn and a bite which saw the lakky streaming out followed. I played the fish to the net and the moment I lifted the top-kit the common of about 3lb came off!

The swim carried on in the same vein after this, and even trying the shallow rig was fruitless, unless I tried and expander which was shredded whatever rig I tried it on. After an hour and forty I decided to have a drop on the closer line, which I had been regularly feeding by hand. First drop on a grain of corn gave me a common of about a pound and a half almost instantly, but no more bites followed. I had a last few minutes after on the long line which I had put half a pot of bait in before leaving but that failed to bring it to life so I decided to abandon the line and try a small method feeder about 16m out. I had a few casts on this and I was just beginning to think it wasn't going when the tip pulled round and a cruician of about a pound was in the net. Next cast saw a carp of about 3lb fall, both to corn before this line slowed and odd nudges were all the next couple of casts produced. With the pegs on the opposite bank catching in their shallow margins, and the match at the halfway mark I needed something to switch on for me!


Dropping back on the close line seemed to be the answer, as the next hour saw seven fish fall on this line all to single corn fished just over-depth. I'd shortened the line right up on this rig and just a gentle lift saw me connect with every bite I had in that hour, and topping up with a few grains of corn after each fish kept them there. None of the fish were big, all about 3lb, but it was fish going in the net none-the-less. The swim seemed to slow a bit after, although I was still getting indications, so I potted in about twenty grains of corn and left it for about twenty minutes while I had another go on the tip, although this was fruitless.


Going back over the close line saw bites coming, although not quite as fast and I started to miss odd bites. I was still catching though, but having to search the swim. Previously I was catching just to the right of where I was loose-feeding, where I guessed the feed was landing in the tow but I was having to fish around it to keep bites coming. I also found it better shallowing up and fishing at dead depth. The next hour saw seven more carp fall, and while the average stamp was the same 3lb'ers, the only two bites I'd had fishing right to the left of the bait in that time (above it with the tow direction) produced two bigger fish, one about 5lb and one about 7lb, with the biggest fish falling with an hour to go exactly.


The last hour proved to be very slow going, with bites hard to come by on the close line, and despite tinkering with the rig and depth, and trying both double corn and small bits of meat I seemed to be missing any bites I got. A spell back on the tip gave me another crucian and carp number sixteen before trying back on the close line. This produced only a small carp of about a pound and one fish that I bumped and I didn't manage to add to my net in the last twenty minutes, only missing two bites. In hindsight I wish I'd spent the last spell on the tip.


When the scales got to me the top three weights had come from the two pegs opposite, and peg 53 in the corner round the island. With 59lb 2oz being top, 57lb 9oz second and 47lb third the top was close. I honestly thought I'd be settling for third with about 55lb in the nets. With the weights being totted up after my three weights (two for carp and one for my two crucians) I really thought I was narrowly second but it turned up that I was narrowly first with a total of
59lb 5oz, which made a whole day sat in the rain seem worthwhile in the end! Looking at my gear after you'd have thought it had been in a lake all day, not beside one!

Sunday 19th September

After last Sundays struggle on lake 1 I was looking forward to going back on lake 2, except that lake 2 had a club booking so the open was on lake 1 again! Still, at least peg 27 wasn't in, so all I needed to do was avoid the other pegs in the 20's and I'd have been a happy man at the draw. I was somewhat miffed then when my hand came out of the bag with peg 25 in it, as not only did it DNW last week, but the angler on it actually blanked!

Having walked around the lake before the draw there was very little sign of movement anywhere on the lake, with the early morning rain seeming to have put everything down. I had won of the peg the two previous times I'd drawn it so while it had no recent form, fish do have fins and swim! First job up was finding a suitable area to target across. After a fair bit of plumbing around to find an area clear of roots I eventually had a small area, perhaps two feet wide tight to the island to target, where the slope was nicely manageable, at 16m and just to my right. Depth here was about 2ft. Simple rig set up was a small NG Floats XTM on .15 line direct to an 18 Fox Series 2 hook. Lakky was Preston 15h. Second rig up was for the 2+2 line. Depth was just over 6ft here, but I wasn't that optimistic on it going as I never seem to catch on it in the 20's! Last up was a margin. I had to do a bit of bank side trimming to allow me to drag the rig in to the only area I could find suitable- a tiny area about the size of a shoe box at a distance of my top-kit plus the short no 4 to my left. Rig for here was the standard .18 line to a 16 Fox Series 2 hook, with purple Hydro. I'm sure regular readers will know the form by now with regards to rigs!

On the whistle I fed across with just a dozen or so pellets, while the two closer lines both had about a third of a pot (hemp, meat and corn) I was being a little more cautious after the slow form of the area and one or two colder nights. Starting across on a 6mm expander and it took ten minutes for before any movement appeared, slight dinks almost certainly from small fish. I started to trickle a few pellets in via a small pot after, and this produced a liner which was followed up by a roach of about 1oz. The next couple of drops gave more knocks so I tried a grain of corn over. This done the job of avoiding the roach and after a short while gave me my first carp of the day, a small common of about a pound and a half. Topping up with a few pellets each drop the next two put-ins also gave me carp, both around the two and a half pound mark. Bites weren't coming fast by any means, at around a seven or eight minute wait, but I was pleased to be off the mark!

Predictably, after that flurry bites faded away so I topped up with about twenty pellets and had a look on the 2+2 line. First drop in on a single cube of meat gave me a dumpy perch so I sat on corn for a few minutes, but with no joy. Going back across on corn gave no joy, just liners so I went back on pellet. Three fish in three drops (all about 3lb) followed the pattern of the last spell on this line to a tee; bite and fish, drop in and re-feed, wait a couple of minutes and repeat! It also went off again after the third fish! I topped up again with the bigger pot and tried both the other lines, but again no joy followed here.

Going back across and the next spell of the match followed the pattern again, where I'd catch two or three fish before they would back off. Topping up and waiting (on another line) they always came back. The fish all looked to be averaging 3lb, with an odd one a touch bigger and with just over two hours left I found myself on twelve carp. The most frustrating thing was not having a productive second line to dip in on while resting the far bank. I wasn't feeding a lot across so followed that on the other two lines; small amounts regular, but with nothing to lose I dumped a whole pot in the edge. After a wasted five minutes on the 2+2 line I dropped in the edge on double corn and soon found myself playing something a bit bigger. A common of about 7lb graced the net but (unsurprisingly, as I hooked it so close to myself) no more bites followed, so I gave the line half a pot and went back across.

Resting the far line had done the job and with fifteen carp in the net with ninety minutes to go I put another net in (fishery rules, max fifteen carp in a net) and found myself thinking about getting the lake 1 match record back! The far bank line was seeming to fade a bit and for the last spell of the match I found myself catching in ones or two's before it needed resting. I was at least managing to nab odd fish from the margins now, but only ever one before needing to rest that too. Meat seemed to get a quicker response here, and the fish were bigger there aswell, averaging 5lb. A steady run of rotating lines saw me finish the match on twenty four carp, missing a bite on the last drop in across and wasting the chance for twenty five fish (I did lose one fish, so I could have done it!)

I was guessing I'd have in the region of 80-85lb (with the match record being 84-10 I think) so I had a funny feeling that the lost fish would stop me breaking it. Despite my steady day I was surprised to find that the form pegs of the last few weeks had struggled, and 20-25lb weights seemed to be the norm. After weighing my two "plips" for 3oz I lifted my second carp net out and was surprised when the scales went to 47lb. With six more fish (albeit smaller) in the other net it I began to wonder what I might have. With definitely more weight in that net two weighs were done and with the first one going just over 30lb it looked like I'd not only do the record, but may also do the the first ton weight too. Looking at what I had left mind, it was going to be close. I wasn't going to look at the scales but couldn't help peeking, seeing a figure of 27lb something and meaning that I'd done it, not only breaking the record but also doing the first ton on the lake, and my first in a few years too! I can't remember the ounces but a total of 104lb something was WAY beyond what I thought I would ever have had off the peg!

Sunday 12th September

With two wins in a row under my belt on the new lake I was looking forward to this Sundays match, especially as we're entering the time of year I find the best for fishing- early Autumn, where the fish hopefully are feeding up for the winter which is creeping up upon us!

I fancied an early number, any of the pegs between 5 and 14 would have done me nicely (the pegs I won the last two matches on) but I have to admit I was very disappointed to draw peg 27. Not only have the 20's not been in decent form, but I can't remember the last time 27 was in the bag! Must have been a while, as I had to clear a lilly bed from the front of the swim that had grown right over it, plus two branches that were in the way!

By the time I had my box levelled on the peg everyone else I could see were plumbing up, so I was slightly hurried to set up from the start. The 2+2 line was ruled out as there were still straggly lilly stems to about 6m, so I had a long line where the bottom just started to slope up at 14.5m. Depth here was 6ft and float was a .4gr NG Decker on .17 to a .15 hook-link, an 18 Fox series 2 finishing the rig off. I also put a shallow rig up for this line, just in case but didn't imagine using it. I eventually found a gap in the nearside roots in 3ft of water where I would have my margin line. Usual gear here for the edge really, with .18 line direct to a 16 Fox 2 and Purple hydro. Float was a .2 gr DC5. Lastly I put up the tip rod for trying the method to the island (too wide for the pole at about 19m), although a few casts with the bomb just seemed to hang up in the water chucking tight, meaning that it would be dropping short to get the feeder to the bottom, not ideal I find.

On the whistle the long line got half a pot of hemp and corn, while the margin had a whole pot of the same, plus a little meat. I started on the long line and regularly toss-potted a few grains of hemp and corn over the top. After about half an hour I started to get indications, although they seemed from small fish. Just on the hour mark I had my first proper bite on a single grain of corn, giving me a common of about 3lb. No more bites followed so I picked up the catty and started pinging pellets over the top. Odd fish were cruising so I had occasional fruitless tries on the shallow rig.

On the two hour mark I had a few chucks on the feeder. It didn't seem right with it dropping just short so I tried chucking it closer to no avail as it seemed to hand up on roots every time (and once it hung up the island too!) To cut the rest of a long boring story short until the last hour I never had another bite, and by this time the angler to my right had packed up bite less. I hooked a fish on the long line on meat which came adrift halfway back. I then dropped in the margin and had a mirror about 5lb on double corn. I foul hooked a fish next chuck and that was that! The two anglers to my left also had two fish a piece, all caught in that last hour.

The first and second weights were next to each other (pegs 12 and 14) with 66lb winning and 50lb+ second. All in all a disappointing day from a peg that I'd run to from November to March, but have struggled from both times I've drawn it in warm weather.

Sunday 5th September

Well, it seems that I fished the wrong day last weekend, as the bank holiday Monday open on the old lake was won with 105lb and the back up weights were decent too! When my hand went in the bag it came out with form peg 53, the peg that won on Monday and has framed in the last four or five matches. I was quite happy with that, until I found out that the peg had been fished the day before on a private booking- meaning that you don't know whats been thrown in the peg, including floating baits.

On putting my box down there were a few fish moving about and it looked like a good day may be in the offing. The plan of attack was easy enough, I ignored the far bank totally and decided to concentrate on two margin lines (left and right) and a 2+2 line. The left margin was a touch deeper than the right, with 2ft to the right and a few inches more to the left. I used one rig for both, but used the extra time gained from the quick set up to tie loads more margin rigs in case I needed them! The margin rig was a NG floats XTM on .18 line direct to a 16 Fox Series 2, with purple Hydro completing the set up. The 2+2 rig was a .3gr diamond bodied float in 4ft of water. Terminal gear was .17 to .15 and an 18 Fox Series 2, with black Hydro.

On the whistle the right margin got a whole pot of hemp, meat and corn, while the 2+2 line had half a pot of corn. I didn't feed the left margin to start with, waiting to see what happened on the other lines. I had half an hour on the 2+2 and had nothing to show for it apart from a liner. With odd fish showing in the edge I decided to have a drop there. It didn't take long to get a bite on double corn. I played the fish, which looked a good 6lb to the net before I lost it! It felt weird playing it and the reason why was revealed after, as I had a float and a length of line (complete with stonfo and a short piece of elastic) wrapped around my rig! I decided to feed the other margin with a small amount of bait after this, and ended up dropping in on this soon after as the right margin didn't give me anymore bites.

The left margin was quick to show life, and two bites in two chucks on double corn saw me off the mark. Neither of the fish were big, both about 2lb. After this bites faded so topped it up with half a pot and dropped back on the 2+2 line which I had been regularly loose feeding. No joy here in about ten minutes saw me back in the right margin. After a wait of about half an hour the steady toss-potting of bait saw a flurry of action with two quick fish falling to double corn. The first was about 5lb and the second about 3lb. The swim then started to fade away, although this seemed to coincide with the start of the Duxford Flying Legends airshow!

The next few hours were very frustrating, as while fish were present in the swim they really didn't want to feed, no matter what I tried! I did lost two fish in the next two hours, both probably foul-hooked! Still, at least the planes gave everyone something to watch, with the Red Arrows tree top skimming above us, rattling my footplate under my feet! Just as the display started to subside carp number five fell to meat in the right margins, at about 4lb in weight. Any thoughts of the fishing starting to pick up again was scuppered by the Battle of Britain memorial flight buzzing over the top of us, with the Lancaster looking low enough to near take the tops off the trees! Actually, I quite enjoy seeing them, and anyway, everyone on the lake was in the same situation.

Eventually, with just over an hour to go the fish started to settle in my right margin. Two fish of about 6lb a piece fell to meat, before I lost one which bust the hook off in the roots further along the bank. On with a brand new rig (and float) and another fish fell, this one about 4lb. The next bite saw another fish that went under the roots and broke the rig, and trashed the float! Who says hand-made's are tough? just one fish on that float then! Just as well I made up plenty of margin rigs before the match. I topped the swim up with the big pot and had a drop in the other margins, and an 8mm cube of meat got me a bite which gave me a little tiny common of 1oz! The rest of the match went fairly steady in the right margins, finishing up with a dozen carp, including a ghostie of about 8lb plus a couple of 6lb fish. Most of the bites came on a whole toss-pot of bait, and if this didn't give a bite in a few minutes than dropping half a cup of bait in seemed to do the trick.

When the scales got to me a weight of just over 70lb was top, with two close 49lb weights behind, all from the open water. My proper carp went 50lb exactly on the scales, and my little carp 1oz for a total of 50lb 1oz (easy maths that!) for comfortably the best weight from the island pegs, but only just good enough for second! Typical, I draw the island and the fish preferred the open water! The planes definitely effected the fishing, and I'm sure some good weights would have been had if it were not for the disturbance!