The theme of my drawing lately seems to be deja vu, with not much variety in the pegs I draw! That said, I was quite happy with my draw of peg 66 on the end of the island on the old lake, it's got good recent form and it was off the worst of the wind (what's happened to summer!)It was a pretty standard affair with regards to rigs for the day - the far bank rig, tight across at 16m was a Nick Gilbert XTM on .17 line to a .15 hook-link and a size 18 Fox Series 2 hook and Preston 15h elastic. The depth here was about 16in. The second rig was for the 2+2 line using a .3gr Nick Gilbert Decker in about 4.5ft of water. Terminal gear was otherwise the same for this as the far bank rig. Last up was a margin rig. This was fish about 12m to my left under some overhanging branches. Depth here was about 2.5ft and the rig was a .2gr DC5 on .19 to .17 and a size 16 Fox Series 2, with the lakky being purple Hydro.
On the whistle I fed a palm-full of 6mm hard pellets across, while the 2+2 line got half a pot of hemp and corn. I didn't feed the margin to start with for two reasons, firstly I've never caught much in the edge off the peg, and secondly, I hoped I wouldn't need it! It didn't take long for a response on a hard 8mm pellet across and I can't have been in much more than sixty seconds when I was shipping back with a carp on. Not a bad start either, a fish of a good 4lb.
The next few drops were met by nudges, most likely from small fish so I started to flick a few pellets with the catty. The nudges eventually led to me catching a carp of about 2oz on the pellet so on the half hour mark I fed a similar amount to what I'd started with. This again had the desired effect and a common of about 3lb was soon in the net. Not wanting to introduce a large amount again early I carried on feeding with the catty but the next fish was a roach so after quarter of an hour I went across with the pot again. This again had an instant response and another 3lb'er was in the net, so I tried a small pot on the pole, allowing me to introduce a similar amount of pellets but not use the big cup. This didn't have the desired effect though and with the swirling wind plus the fact that I had to un-ship twice on the long pole it made things awkward.
Back to feeding with the catty with the occasional cupping of pellets to keep a tight base area of feed had fish in the swim, but I couldn't get a proper bite! Eventually a bite saw another carp on but this one charged down the island and the hook-link broke. The second hour was frustrating and saw me lose three more carp. I wasn't lifting into the bites either as they were yanking the lakky out, with two pulling off near the net and one more coming off halfway across. I'm sure people thought I was bagging, but in reality I was getting very frustrated! Especially when I had to do a monkey up the tree to get my rig back! At least one of the fish was foul-hooked but I don't think the others were.
On the two hour mark it was time to rest the long line try the 2+2 swim. It took a while to get a response here and the first fish was a big crucian, and then I had a small carp of perhaps a pound and a half. I gave the swim half a pot again (I had been feeding it by hand) and went back across. No sooner had the pellet hit the bottom than the lakky ripped out! Thankfully this one didn't come off and another 4lb'er was in the net, but no more followed.
With three hours gone (halfway) it was time to feed the margins, as it looked like I did need it after all! No messing here and a whole pot of hemp and corn went in. I then topped up the far line via the big pot, giving it half a cup to try and kick it in to life. I had a drop in on the 2+2 line but didn't give it too long as I could see tails waiving at me down the edge. First drop in on double corn and I missed the first bite almost instantly. The second bite wasn't long in coming though and a 6lb common gave a good account of it's self before going in the net. I got odd liners after but didn't want to push it so soon after starting the line so I gave it a hit of bait again and left it.
I couldn't really see anyone else unless I craned right forward off my box, but I could hear a fair bit of splashing from up the lake and the banter suggested someone was catching. I managed to nick another fish from the far bank but still frustratingly I couldn't line them up. The 2+2 line seemed a little better now with more indications. I had two 3lb fish off it on corn, then trying a large cube of meat hoping for a better stamp of fish (or quicker bites) gave me just a missed bite. I decided to drop the rig in the wrong side of the bait (up the tow) on single corn and this did get me a bigger fish, with a common of about 5lb being the result.
With just under two hours to go I was plodding on steadily, not ever lining fish up but nicking an odd fish across before nabbing one or two off the 2+2 line. The margin was weird as it was lifeless unless I gave it at least half a pot, but when the fish came in the were right in the bank in just inches of water, not on the feed! They were good fish too but I couldn't get a bite from them.
The last hour started with me getting two fish in a row from the far bank line putting me up to eleven or twelve carp, but then the fish went iffy so I left it again. The margin fish were still in a weird mood, mooching right into the bank so I found myself back on the 2+2 line. A small carp of about a pound came from here, then another chunky crucian but the next bite after that was a 2oz roach on corn. I gave it half a pot and went back across but for the first time after resting I didn't get a fish from the line.
Coming back on the close line and I started to put a run of fish together in the last thirty minutes, with an odd good fish in amongst them too. With ten minutes to get I found myself on either fourteen or fifteen proper carp in the net, so erring on the side of caution I went with the higher number and put the other net in. That last ten minutes was probably my best spell of the match too, with a 4lb'er and then a 2lb'er going in, then with about a minute to go I hooked a better fish and just after the whistle a fish nudging 6lb went in the net too, all falling to single corn.
When the scales got round to me just shy of 40lb was winning but the end peg was admitting to nineteen or twenty carp too, but apparently they were small fish. My couple of weighs totalled just over 68lb, with my last ten minute net contributing 11lb 12oz to the cause! I was humping my gear past the end peg just in time to see their weight tallied up to 52lb something, so they were all small fish.
The win was more than I thought I was going to manage to be honest, though it was that last thirty minutes really on the 2+2 line that sealed it. I also wasn't the only one to suffer from a few lost fish too, with two or three others getting the same and one person also having the bites pulling the lakky out but losing them. Interestingly, they were hair-rigging on the pole and all mine were on banded pellet, so in both cases the hook was exposed and I'm tempted to think that has something to do with it. I did find myself earlier thinking I'd probably have done better on expanders across when the fish aren't feeding properly, but with the amount of tiny fish it's just not really an option so I guess it's just plugging away as it was and hoping the weather picks up enough soon the get the fish eating properly.
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