Sunday 25 July 2010

Sunday July 25th



It has to be said that I'm always eager to get on the bank on a Sunday, but this week I was a little extra eager! Why? because after six years of good service I've retired my trusty Superlegion and had a new toy to play with, a nice shiny new G-Max 800. I can't be the only one who's like that with new fishing gear, can I?

After walking around the lake I really fancied a draw around the island, but by the time I got to the draw bag the island pegs were gone. That said, I was happy enough with peg 75, the end peg on the lake, which means you can fish in to the corner. While the wind wasn't pushing in to the corner there were a few fish milling about (some big buggers too) and I fancied it to produce.

Plan of attack was three lines; a throw away 11.5m line to start with (I didn't want to drop on the others too soon) a 5m line, and 11m down the edge. The long deck rig and 5m line used the same rig, a .3gr diamond bodied float, in about 5ft of water. This was on .17 line to a .15 hook link and an 18 Fox Series 2 hook, lakky was Preston 13h on a pull bung (something I'm trying instead of latex for deeper rigs) I also put up a shallow polyball rig to try over it, using .18 direct to the same hook as the deck rig. Elastic on this was Preston 15h. Last rig was for the margins. Depth here was just over 2ft, and the rig was a .2gr DC5 float on .18 line direct to a Fox Series 2 hook in a 16. The elastic on this (as correctly predicted by Tom Legge!) was purple Hydro.

On the whistle the margins had half a big pot of hemp, corn and meat, while the 5m line had a decent pinch of corn. The longer line had a small pinch of hemp and corn. I dropped in longer to start with and instantly had silly knocks from roach. To cut the first two hours short I thought that the new pole was cursed! Topping up the margin with quarter of a pot every 30 minutes, feeding the 5m line by hand, all I had to show was a tiny roach that I'd had up the side on meat. I'd even been flicking pellets long and fished shallow. It was dead on the 2hr mark when I had my first carp, on meat down the edge, a lively common of about 3lb. Next drop in I went back to daft indications from small fish and the next bite was from a small skimmer- something of a rarity on this lake! Dropping on to the 5m line on corn and a proper bite, an elastic puller, gave me a small mirror of about 2lb, but again no more followed.

Dropping back on the rested margin gave an instant bite again, another small common of about 2lb. The next drop on meat produced another small skimmer! I topped up with half a pot of bait again and dropped back on the 5m line. Having caught on theses two lines I abandoned the longer line, choosing to rotate the 5m and margin lines. It was a good half an hour before any more proper bites were forthcoming, then I had two fish in two drops on the 5m line. Not big fish, both mirrors of about 2.5lb. Going past the half way mark I dropped back in the edge on meat. I could see some fish moving in the corner but a couple of drops on meat only produced some 1oz roach. I switched to corn and it seemed to have the desired effect, and the next hour produced half a dozen carp. All were small again, around the 3lb mark, but very lively and a good test for the pole! I did lose two fish, one just pulling off and the other snagging me.

After that flurry of fish the line faded away and the next hour saw me catching one fish from the 5m line, then one from the margin, and I was un-able to settle the fish properly in front of me. With just over an hour to go I was on 14 carp and as I could see others catching I decided to gamble on upping the feed down the edge and gave it a whole pot of bait. Carp number 15 was the the biggest fish of the day, a ghostie of about 5lb. I kept up the heavier feeding in the last hour, giving half a big pot of bait after each fish and was steadily catching again. With only minutes to go I was on 22 carp and to trick just one more I fed just a large toss-pot of hemp and dropped in on double corn, hoping that it would stand out over the top. It had the desired effect and shortly before the end a common on about 4lb was in the net. I didn't have enough time for another, as just after slipping 2 grains of corn on the hook the whistle went.

I could see that others had caught well, but was guessing my 70lb odd would hopefully be enough to frame, although I was last to weigh in so I had a wait to find out. A host of 40-50lb weights were weighed before peg 62 put 70lb 15oz on the scales, this was going to be close... A few more decent weights went on the scales before I was to weigh in. My few bits and carp eventually tipped the scales at 72lb 9oz, giving me the win, and a good first result with the new pole!

Monday 19 July 2010

Sunday 18th July


As ever, after a weekend off, I was very eager to get back out on to the bank. Walking around the lake before the draw made me even keener, as there wasn't really anywhere that I wouldn't have minded drawing.
My hand came out of the peg clutching number 23, which had a feeder chuck to the corner of the island, plus the nice looking bay pictured above as a margin line. A simple approach was order of the day, with my trusty 10ft Drennan Puddlechucker for the 25 yard chuck to the island with a small in-line method, and the pole at 13m, in to the bay. Standard stuff really, 8lb line to .20 hook links on the tip, and .18 strait through on purple hydro on the pole. Bait was simple, hemp, meat and corn for the pole and pellets for the method. Easy enough!
On the whistle a whole pot of hemp with a pinch of corn and meat went in the margins before the method was dispatched to the island. I don't mind admitting that after a break from fishing (and not having used the tip for a while) that the first few chucks weren't as I'd like, and it took a few goes to get it bang on! A few fish were moving about, but nothing was really happening. Just after topping up the margins on the half hour mark I had my first bite on the method, totally out of the blue. With one fish about 4lb in the net I was hoping that it would be the start, but it proved not to be, with the only person I could see catching being peg 20.
It was an hour and a quarter later before anything else happened, just as I was toying with dropping on the margins. An 8mm white boilie proved to be the downfall of a common about the same size as the first, followed about twenty minutes later by a lumpier fish of about 8lb. Quite a few fish appeared on the island line now, but they weren't feeding, just laying in the sun. I wasn't getting liners either, just watching fish sunning themselves! I tried dropping the feeder shorter but they only result on this was a skimmer of about 4oz. I was hoping that by keeping the bait going in that eventually the fish would start feeding, and carp number four following about half an hour after number three led me to think they might, but no matter what I tried; tight to the island, short, leaving the bait in longer or casting every minutes, nothing seemed to work.
Half way in to the match I decided it was time to try in the edge. First drop on meat led to a missed bite almost instantly, but the next took a while in materialising and led to a perch of about an ounce! I topped the swim up with half a pot and gave it a few more minutes, and just as I was about to leave it I had another bite, albeit from a crucian of about a pound. Back on the tip it was then! The rest seemed to have done the trick as I had carp number five instantly, but no more followed! The fish were there, but not feeding properly. I tried changing the baits, burying the bait, leaving it on top of the feeder or just leaving it hanging, but nothing worked!
With just under two hours left I dropped in the edge again, but this time the swim seemed a little more lively. After ten minutes of liners I decided to drop the bait in away from the feed, and had a proper bite instantly. After a good tussle, another decent lump of a carp was in the net, again about 8lb. Topping up after I dropped in again but the fish weren't really interested, just odd liners from fish moving out of the bay... like they were backing away from the feed. I tried corn and had another crucian, but the swim wasn't right.
I had another go on the tip, but again the fish over weren't interested in eating, so with an hour left I decided to stay on the pole. After a wait carp number seven was in the net, a smaller fish of about 3lb. I hardly fed a thing after this, dropping in just three grains of corn and a few grains of hemp, and it seemed to have done the trick as instead of liners I had a five minute wait for a proper bite, producing a decent carp of about 5lb. I repeated the trick twice more, both decent fish again of about 5lb before I lost a fish of about a similar size at the net with quarter of an hour to go and I never had a bite after! While I knew I hadn't won, as peg 20 had caught all day, I just had that sneaking feeling that the lost fish would cost me....
When the scales got to me 81lb was top weight, with 54lb 11oz second. My ten carp went 52lb 4oz and third was where I finished! I just knew it would be that way! I was kicking myself a bit, not just with the lost fish, but I really should have worked out the margin swim earlier, although 80lb would probably have been pushing it, I really should have been second and pushed first place closer than I did. Still, it was good to be on the bank after missing a weekend!

Monday 5 July 2010

Sunday 4th July



Halfway through the year already eh? Must be getting old but I don't know where it's gone!

Walking round lake two before the draw I fancied a peg around the island (for once!), with a lot of fish present in the pegs in the late 50's and 62. Putting my hand in the bag it came out with peg 53, probably my least favourite peg on the lake! Still, it was in an area where there seemed to be a few fish.

The main area of interest is the margin of the peg, which looks good for a few fish! A good plumb around was needed to find a clear area on the bottom with a lot of roots in the water. In the end I plumped for an area nearer the furthest lilly bed, between that and the bank at about 11.5m. It was a touch deeper here than I'd like with about 3ft of water but I was still sure it would produce Rig was .18 direct to a 16 Fox Series 2. The float was a .2gr DC5 and it was on purple hydro. Second rig was a track line at 5m, slightly to the right too, keeping my back to the wind that was picking up strongly. It was about 4ft deep here, with the rig being a .3gr diamond bodied float on .17 line to a .15 hook-link with an 18 hook. Last up was an island rig, in about 18in of water, but I wasn't expecting it to produce, plus the wind was starting to funnel through strongly.
On the whistle the margin line got a whole pot of hemp, meat and corn, while the 5m line had a quarter of a pot of corn. I went across with a dozen pellets in a toss-pot but the wind was already starting to become a problem. I came back in and took the toss-pot off but again the wind was still a problem and a gust caught the pole (only 13m too) and left me stuck on the far bank. I managed to retrieve the rig intact and decided to drop in on the 5m line, as despite there being fish moving over the margin area I didn't want to drop in on it just yet.
With a single grain of corn on I was surprised to get a quick response, with the float dipping away almost instantly. While it was only a crucian of about a pound and a half I was pleased to be off the mark. I carried on over the line for the next half an hour, flicking in grains of corn over the float every few minutes but the only signs were odd liners from fish much higher up in the water. With forty or so minutes gone I decided to have a look on the margin line and had liners instantly. It was only thirty seconds or so before the float went and I was attached to a fish that went round the furthest lilly bed, leading me a merry dance before coming off and leaving me with a scale on the hook! I topped up and left it alone for a few minutes, not wanting to ruin it before it started.
I had a brief try on the other two lines without joy, and could see peg 59 catching so I went back down the edge. Again I had liners from the moment it settled, which wasn't for long! This fish was properly hooked, a mental lean common of only about 2.5lb which had a good tour of the lillies! Next drop in, and after emptying the toss-pot of bait the swim was alive again. It didn't take long for a proper bite and another mental small common did a tour of the lilly bed. I decided to have another plumb around to see if I could find a suitable area to fish a bit closer. In the end I found a small area a meter closer to myself, in water a few inches shallower. Perfect! it was in a small gap in the tree roots and could prove to be fun..
I re-fed the margins and had another bite less go on the 5m line, although I was still getting liners. I gave the new line only ten minutes to settle before dropping on to it, with it producing instantly. The next hour and a half gave steady action, with a fish most drops. If feeding a large toss-pot of bait didn't produce a fish, feeding half a large pot of bait did. None of the fish were big, all only in the 2.5-3lb bracket, but they were coming steadily. Towards the 3rd hour, with eleven fish in net the fish started to fade a bit. I was topping up with half a pot after each fish now, and while the bites were further apart the fish were a little bigger, with the next four fish all around the 4lb mark.
With fifteen carp in the net what I worried about, going on the margins early happened, and the swim had faded away from me. After waiting an age for a bite I decided to leave the margin, topping it up with a whole pot before dropping on the 5m line, which I had kept topped up with corn fed by hand. I started to get a few liners from fish that were much deeper down. I had a bite shortly after dropping in on the line, with the elastic yanking out at the same time! Another small carp of about 2.5lb was in the net. The excitement was short lived though as no more followed, with the liners fading away considerably.
The next hour and a bit was very frustrating. I'm not sure if it was that I'd over done it, or that the weather had changed. The wind had dropped and the sun came out and bites came distinctly hard to come by. I managed to only hook two fish in this time, both in the margins, and losing them both. The first was on for only a few seconds and the other made the roots, and I had to play the fish to the net with a large root on the line! Unfortunately, the line parted as I went to net it!
The lost fish had moved a lot of the roots again, and the plummet had to come out again to look for a suitable area to fish. Eventually I settled on an area only just past the nearest lillies. I fed it then left it alone, dropping on the 5m line. The rest seemed to have done the trick as I had a bite instantly. Unfortunately after a few seconds the fish came off! The wheels were well and truly coming off!
Going in to the last hour I suspected I was well behind peg 59, but was still ahead of the two others I could see. I dropped on to the margins and thankfully the fish had returned. I had three more on meat, but again I didn't have any big fish with them all being about 3lb. I started to get lots of roach knocks on the meat, causing me to have to re-bait a lot, so I went on to corn. I had my last two carp on this, although bites were much longer in coming on corn, and I found myself wishing I had some bigger cubes of meat rather than just the 6mm's from the cutter.
With 21 carp in the net I'd had a decent day, although I knew peg 59 was ahead of me. Waiting for the scales and peg 70 was admitting to 27 carp, and third place was looking likely. With 40lb odd being top when the scales got to me I took the lead, with my bag of midget carp going 67lb 12oz. The lead was short lived with peg 59 weighing in 104lb. Following the scales round to peg 70 I was expecting to be knocked down to third until they pulled the nets out, with there fish being smaller than mine. Going a total of 61lb I managed to hold on to second, with a weight of 59lb also coming to the scales. What was noticeable was that apart from a 13lb animal and odd bigger fish caught by the winner, nobody had any fish much over 4lb! The fish were starting to spawn again and I think the bigger fish were perhaps eating the eggs. Still, I was pleased to put the horror for me to bed that had in the past been peg 53, as my best weight off it before was 16lb on a day it snowed!
Lastly, just to let you know there will be no blog next week, as I shall be away in Belfast, but it's business as usual the weekend after.