It has to be said that after not fishing last Sunday I was very eager to get out on the bank, although I didn't have my normal pre-draw walk round as I was engaged in something else that brought me much joy- gooner baiting! As you do really when your a Spurs fan and you beat them at their own place after giving them a two goal start.
With the Christmas match coming up in a fortnight some pegs went in the bag that generally ain't used, so that they're clear and have been fished beforehand. I drew one of those pegs (67) and I was pretty happy with it as the pegs either side that are normally used are both decent winter pegs. I was slightly tempered by the fact that the pegs in that area of the lake all blanked last week mind!
Plan of attack for the day was simple; a bomb rod and two pole lines. I was going to fish the bomb more to my left towards (but not on) the point of the island. This was standard winter bomb gear, using a 1/3oz Guru square pear lead running on 6lb line and stopped with a Korum quick change bead. I had a few hook-links to try on it, all tied on .15 line using either size 16 or 18 Kamasan Animals. The different hook-links allowed me to try various length traces and different multiples (or just a single) grain of corn. I plumbed around and at 13m found an area where there was a pronounced kink in the bottom. Peg 66 to the left is a fair bit shallower than 68 to the right and the bottom sloped away gently left to right but at about 11 o'clock there was a sharp difference of about a foot so I settled on fishing just away from this. Depth was just over 6ft and float here was a .4gr NG Decker on .15 line to a .14 hook-length and a 16 B611 hook, which looks tiny compared to the Fox hooks I use when it's warmer! A similar rig was put up for the 2+2 line but fished to my right a bit where it's a touch deeper, being as closer in was shallower and the colour has dropped from the water. This was in about 5ft of water and used basically the same rig as the long line but with a .3gr float, both set to fish at dead depth. Lastly I had a shallow rig set at 3ft for trying over the long line. This was on .14 direct to a 16 B611. All the pole rigs were matched to Preston 13h elastic.
On the whistle I fed the long line with four grains of corn and a small pinch of hemp, while the closer line received the same of corn and a tiny ball of softened micro pellets. I then cast the bomb at and angle between me and the point of the island, but about four or five meters short. I had a liner pretty quick so I was sure the tip would go but after fifteen minutes nothing had happened so I re-cast a bit shorter. Again I had signs of fish but again after near twenty minutes nothing came of it. I tried double corn this time, and again a touch shorter but also more in front of me. Again I had a liner but after another fruitless fifteen minutes the occasional liner failed to produce. I decided to try a small pellet cone to try and make a bite, and this was cast towards the point but about six meters short. Again I had a liner, but again a twenty minute wait failed to produce a bite. Still, nobody else I could see had caught either!
With over an hour gone I decided it was time to try the pole line, so I slipped a smallish grain of corn on and shipped out. Nothing came of this after quarter of an hour so I decided to try dripping a few casters over the long line every few minutes via a small pot to try and provoke a response. After two more fruitless drops on corn I slid the float up 1cm and decided to try double maggot. After a few minutes I was sure I had a slight movement on the float which was shotted to the merest pimple. After another minute there was the slightest of dip's under the water and a lift was met with the sight of elastic. I have to admit I played the fish very gingerly and after a few minutes a decent common of about 6lb was in the net. Baiting with double red again and putting just four casters in the pot I shipped out long again. It took a few minutes again but there was again a definite but very delicate sideways movement on the float. A minute or so after that the float ever so gently just dipped under the surface tension. Again the lift saw elastic out and after a much more comfortable fight a small common of perhaps 2lb was in the net. The next drop again gave me a very slight movement but it never developed, so conscious that there were still three hours left I decided to rest the swim, topping it up with just four casters and three grains of hemp.
I had a fruitless spell on the bomb again, but with no liners at all. During this time I saw peg 42 on the opposite bank catch a carp, then news came round that peg 59 round the island had five, including a double figure fish! And they'd moaned like billy-ho about the peg too! After wasting fifteen minutes on the bomb I went back on the pole but disaster struck when I foul-hooked a fish lifting and dropping the rig, with it coming off after two or three seconds. On cold days I've often had that be the end of the swim so I dripped in just three maggots and then left it alone. I had a five minute try on the close line (which I'd flicked very occasional grains of corn too) but nothing came of it, so I had another drop on the bomb. I had every intention of giving it fifteen minutes before trying the long pole again but after only five or six minutes I saw peg 42 catch two fish in quick succession so I dropped back on it a bit earlier.
Again, after a short wait a tiny sideways indication indicated the presence of a fish, with the (very delicate) bite following shortly after. A plump common of about 4lb was followed about ten minutes later by a small mirror of about 3lb. A ten minute wait with no signs led to me cupping in just four maggots and three grains of hemp before I had another fruitless try on the close line which I'd started to drip maggots on. I also had a quick try on the bomb but I'd lost confidence in it so only gave it five minutes. At this point news got round that peg 59 now had seven carp, while others started to catch odd fish too.
Back on the pole and the most positive bite of the day followed when after lifting and dropping the rig the float actually "dinked" out of sight! After a ponderous fight a common of perhaps nearer 7lb than six was in the net. Next drop followed the usual pattern of slight movement and very delicate bite. The bad news is the same slow steady pull of the last fish was followed by the fish coming off! The sky may have been dull the whole day, but the air certainly turned blue then I can tell you! I gave the line a quick rest, again topping up with just four maggots. I was never confident of the other two lines going so didn't give them long, and with just an hour to go I was back on the long line.
A missed bite led me to nudge the rig up to dead depth (the fish had all been hooked just inside the mouth) and the desired effect was had as the next three drops all produced fish. Nothing big, all being around the three pound mark. Again the same pattern happened, a very slight movement being followed by a very delicate bite shortly after, and each time I topped up with just three maggots. I then missed two sharper bites in quick succession so I decided to nudge the float up a tiny bit and the next bite produced a very un-expected crucian of about a pound and a quarter! The steady nature of the swim continued to the end with three slight indications all being followed by a fish, a chunky 4lb mirror and a brace of equally chunky commons, both around the 4lb mark, finishing the match on a nice round ten carp. The ninth carp showed the value of having plenty of the same length hook-links tied when the hook went in the net and bent, as I bit it off and very quickly replaced it with an identical one, allowing me to drop back quickly without checking the depth again. The last carp went in the net with five minutes to go and given the bites had all taken a touch longer than that I dropped in for the last minute expecting not to have enough time for another. I didn't!
While packing up news of peg 59's catch seemed to vary between seven and ten carp, although all said about them having one big lump. When the scales got to me peg 59 had weighed in just over 40lb, with the lump being a ghostie of 13lb 2oz! My crucian went 1-7 on the scales and pulling my other net out it looked as it would be very tight for first. I didn't look at the scales but I knew I had around 40lb, with the weight being called at 41-11, giving me a 43-2 total and a very narrow win. Just 9lb something was third although someone threw back four carp and almost certainly third place as someone had apparently told them that everyone was bagging up! Oops.
Next week is back on lake one, and given that it hasn't had a match on it for a while I'm expecting it to be very hard. The weather forecast doesn't exactly look promising either.....
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