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!