Well, what can I say? Two Sundays without ice! I could get used to this....After my lottery prediction at the end of last weeks blog the weather during the week perhaps wasn't as bad as it looked as though it was going to be. The chat before the draw was about which pegs to draw and I stated that I'd be happy as long as the first number on my ticket was a 2, although there was only one of those pegs left in when I took my usual late place in the queue, with the first round winner taking one of them and last weeks open winner drawing the same peg. It came as some surprise then that the last remaining "twenty something" came out in my hand, given my draw bag form of late!
I was pretty happy with my draw, it's the peg I won the first round of last years winter league off, although it's shoulder-achingly wide! I had a plan about trying to catch in the deepest water which went out of the window on drawing where I did as on the few pegs in that area I've never done any good at any time of the year doing so. The peg it's self is probably just over 18m wide so the first rig up was on the shelf up to the island at 17.5m. Here it was just over 5ft deep and the rig was a 4x14 Chianti on .125 line to a 13h Preston hollo. Second rig, for the same area of the swim was set at three and a half foot deep. This rig had the same terminal gear as the other rig but the float was a 4x10 PB2. I also put up a third rig for this line, using the more or less the same gear as the other shallow rig but with a smaller 4x8 float and a slightly softer grey hydro as the rig was set to fish a little shallower, about two and a half foot. I wanted a margin line on the peg but it was either two foot or five foot with no real depth in between and I didn't fancy two foot in the edge with no cover and the water clarity, so the deeper far bank rig was used on a line at 6m to my right, just down the near ledge. Lastly I also put up a bomb rod to fish on the far line too.
On the whistle I decided not to feed the swim at all, hoping to not scare any fish that may have been present. The pegs in the area all caught late last week and I think it may have been due to them not being used to the pressure. I started across on a grain of corn on the deck and I'm sure that after a few minutes the float had a slight dip but I didn't connect with it. After that I tried caster and a couple of minutes on that gave no bites but just as I was considering feeding I had a definite liner, so I put on the deeper of the shallow rigs and went out on a single caster. Laying the rig in (with the shot spread out at it was flat calm) the float settled nicely and blinked under. The gentle lift saw the elastic come out a few inches before the fish gently nodded and than slowly swam off, probably still half asleep in the very cold water! After a bit of very delicate playing I found myself with my first fish of the winter league, a 2lb common. Shame it took until the second match!
I gave the far bank another quarter of an hour after but no more indications followed so I risked a bit of bait in the swim, feeding a measly four caster across while cupping in three grains of corn and a small pinch of crumb on the close in line. The tiny pinch of bait seemed to encourage signs of fish, plus I could see two people who had fed quite a bit from the off and they both had a carp a piece. The frustrating part was that although I could get indications I couldn't manage a proper bite. I even had a liner on the shallowest rig. Changing baits from caster to single and double maggot red or white maggot made no difference, and I had occasional liners from depths of four foot up to two foot both over and away from where I had fed. I could even see a ghostie cruising about behind my rig occasionally!
On the hour and a half mark I tried the strait lead with corn, one cast on the line of the feed and one as tight to the island as I could realistically cast. I gave each cast fifteen minutes but surprisingly I never had a liner. With the two hour mark just in I put the deeper shallow rig on and laid the rig in about three foot to the right of where I had cupped in the tiny amount of caster. The rig followed the same pattern as the first time I'd tried it, slipping away just as it settled. This fish felt a bit bigger than the first and after a few minutes a ghostie common of about 4lb was netted. I'm guessing it was the one that I'd seen cruise past me four or five times because I never saw it again! I tried again without feeding after that fish, dropping the rig in along the island, giving it a short while in one place before lifting and dropping it in further along trying both sides of where I'd fed but to no avail.
Being near half way through the match I decided to try and bring things on a little by introducing loose feed a little more regular via a toss-pot. Three caster went in the pot and as before the tiny amount of loose feed seemed to stimulate a response, with odd knocks within a short time. I didn't have a proper bite until I again tried a few feet to the right of where I fed but I missed it! A liner instantly after had me reaching for the shallowest rig but nothing came on it so the deeper rig went back on. Same pattern, three casters in the toss-pot dripped over where I had fed before and swing the rig in to the right of the feed. An instant bite followed and I missed that one too! Frustrated by the missed bites I had a quick try down the edge but I never had a sign there. Going back across bought a similar response to before, feed, lower in rig but this time I had to wait a few minutes before I missed the bite!
I have to admit I was cursing a bit to myself and tried the one thing I could think of, take the toss-pot off as I didn't miss any of the bites before! I cupped in three casters via the cupping kit before going across. Trying over the bait gave just silly knocks before I dropped my rig in to the right of the feed and guess what? as soon as it settled I had a bite and this time I didn't miss it! Carp number three joined the other two in the net, this one again about 4lb. The indications definitely slowed after so I fed three casters, again via the cupping kit and with an hour to go carp number four found it's way into the net. Again about 4lb and also taken to the right of any feed. After this fish the temperature dropped and a bit of drizzle started and the indications really faded away. I had another quick try on the bomb but was never really confident of it going. A try on the deck rig gave me just another liner.
With half an hour to go I slid the rig up four inches and again carried on searching along the island. The next proper bite I had came to the left of the bait in an area that hadn't given me any indications before. This fish was a maybe a touch bigger at about 5lb. With only a short amount of time left I re-fed strait after this fish and after a short wait the next bite came, again to the left of the feed and this one was again about 4lb. With hardly any time left after that fish I didn't feed again but perhaps that was a mistake as I didn't manage any more in the last remaining minutes.
After packing away I managed to find the scales about four pegs away from me with about 7lb being the top weight. That was until last weeks winner (on the same peg remember) pulled their net out. While they only had four carp they were much bigger than mine and went 25lb 5oz, which I was sure would beat me. I was knocked back a bit more when the next peg to me put three fish on the scales for 25lb 7oz! My fish went on at 23lb 4oz but I have to say I was a bit despondent as I'm sure I missed a decent chance to win. Who knows, if I had have fed quickly after my last fish I may have managed that one last fish that would have won it. I really perhaps should have taken the little pot off earlier, or not even put it on in the first place. With it not being a race I wouldn't have been at any loss to have just fed with with big pot. Still, I've never had that happen (to such a degree, I won't argue that at long distance the little pot does make a difference to the response time to a bite) before. I perhaps shouldn't be to hard on myself, I still worked hard to get what I had on a day when many would have just sat and waited. Interestingly, on the odd times when a slight breeze picked up and I had to bulk the shot up I had noticeably less indications than when the shot were spread. It's also a bit strange that I had to feed to get bites, but never had a fish actually over the feed! Still, I managed to catch some fish which must make reading my ramblings a bit more interesting! And also with round one's winner blanking, and round two's winner blanking in the first match nobody is really running away with the league so who knows!
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