A Change Is Good!

I have to say it was nice to wake up in the morning and not have snow, frost, wind or rain! For once on a Sunday morning the weather looked nice, while it was dull the morning was still and not too cold although it had rained most of the night. Even the carp in my pond were quite active, I just hoped the carp in lake two at Westside were feeling the same!

There was quite a poor turnout at the draw, still, it did mean the pegs around the island wearn't in! I have to say if people could manage to turn up on a dire morning like last Sunday I can't see why they wouldn't this morning! Still, some didn't turn up. I drew peg 74, one of the two rush pegs that were put in. While it wasn't the 'form' rush peg I was happy, it's a peg that always hold fish, even if the few straggly rushes in the margin (pic below, what I could see from my box) didn't seem to be moving as I put my box down I'm sure fish would move into them as people made there way round the lake. I have to admit I've drawn the peg three times before, winning once in the summer away from the reeds and twice last winter fishing to the reeds. The lake was still frozen on Friday so while I was hoping for a few fish I could only hope to get near my lowest weight off the peg before, 48lb (66lb being the best)

I put up two rigs to fish around the reeds (there are still straggly submerged ones around what is visable, plus some in the bank hidden by the tree in the pic) Both rigs were on .14 dia Garboline direct to a 16 B611 to Preston 13h Hollo elastic. The only difference was in the size of float and depth they were set to fish. Both were Preston pink's (small in-line dibbers, I find they don't catch if dragged through the reeds), a 4x8 to fish around 16in deep and a 4x10 to fish 2ft deep. Both had just one stotz down ( a 12 and an 11) and one of the same under the float. My intention was fish my side of the reeds as long as possible, pinching odd ones behind, hoping to not push the fish towards the next peg. Two rigs were put up to fish out in front (at 11m) in about 5ft 6in of water. A 4x14 Preston Chianti to fish on the deck and a 4x12 to fish half depth, both on .125 line and with 18 hooks, a 12 latex was for the deck rig and a grey hydro for the shallow rig. Just at the whistle a few fish started to knock the reeds.

Perhaps the thing that most shaped the day happend on the whistle. Up until the start there appeared to be many more fish in the reeds in the next peg (that won the Fur and Feather last week), but on the whistle he fed a large pot of bait to his reeds to the left (my side) and ignored the reeds to his left, (I only had reeds to my, left) At the whistle I only fed my long swim with corn and hemp, then dropped in on the shallowest rig with a single caster to the reeds. Instantly the float dipped and a min later a 2lb common was in the net. An hour later and nine carp were in the net, not a bad start when nobody else had caught a fish!

I knew the fish would back off, I lost my tenth fish, about twenty mins after the ninth fish, although it was hooked in the tail! The story of the rest of the match was to nobble odd fish my side of the reeds, then occasionally drop behind them (nowhere near interfeering with the next peg), but not too often so as not to push the fish away from me. The last 35 minites were fruitless after losing two fish in a row, one foulhooked and one not, but all day I only lost three carp, and finished with twenty seven. Every carp was taken on the shallowest rig, between 14-18in deep, with liners only on the deeper rig and nothing at all in the open water. Sometimes changing the depth as little as 2in would produce a fish or two from not even getting liners, it just seemed that you really had to put the bait at THAT depth to get a bite. The only bait I caught on was a single caster with the hook hidden but not totally burried. If I hooked it like a maggot I didn't get a bite. All the bites were shy 'dinks' too.

The next best anyone had managed was only two fish for just over 5lb so it was fair to say I'd won my a mile, my guess was around 80lb, not far from the mark as the fish went 82lb 7oz after three weighs. It was just one of those days when everything seemed right, including the rig. The Preston 13h seems perfect for these pegs, alot of people fish heavier in the reeds and lose alot, yet I lost just one fish that wasn't foulhooked. It seems soft enough that the fish don't bolt but has a little ooomph if you need it to pull, but most fish (I'd say twenty) were just guided away from the reeds. I have to say, it kind of made up for struggling so much last week! And to think, I nearly didn't fish this week!

The Ice Man Cometh!

There was plenty of talk on Saturday in the tackle shop about the weather turning real cold overnight, and the possibility that both the lakes may be frozen over for the fur and feather. After checking numerous weather forecasts I felt much bettter, none of them gave a prediction of lower than -1 degree C overnight. I kept looking outside up untill 11pm and no frost! Good!

I was a bit shocked to find what looked a very coarse frost outside at 7am, but it was only because it had been so damp outside (it was only 0 degree C in my garden), right? Wrong!

On route to the venue (late!) I text someone to see what peg they had draw only to be told that both lakes were frozen solid and that the organiser was going round in a boat breaking the ice.

Eventually we drew, about an hour and a half later than intended, which shortend the fishing time to 11.15 to 3pm. At the draw I was a long way down the queue, a big mistake as all the fancied pegs were gone by the time I got to the bag. Normally even in the coldest weather the reed pegs on lake 2 (71-74) are bankers. I couldn't have drawn much further away from them as it happens!

Peg 35 on the new lake isn't the best peg in any weather, let alone through the ice so I wasn't the most optimistic, less so when I plumbed up after clearing the shattered ice from my peg. Trying to plumb up at the bottom of the shelf was a nightmare, the bottom was all over the place and trying to find a decent area to fish was a mare. I couldn't fish near the island as from about 14.5 m to tight to the island at 16m odd was no more than 18in deep and the water was way to clear and cold for that, with no cover over it was a none starter. I had two rigs up, one to fish at the bottom of the shelf on the best area I could find, in about 4ft of water, and one to fish 3ft deep incase fish didin't want to go down and were cruising. Floats were 4x12 and 4x10 Preston chianti's, using .125 dia line and 18 hooks on both. Elastics were very soft 12 latex's.

At the start I decided not to feed and try all along the ledge looking for any sort of indication. After 20 or so biteless minites it was on with a toss-pot and I started to drip in maggots 3 at a time on the decent area on the ledge. An hour into the match and as the rig was just settling the float burried with a single red maggot on! Shame it was only a perch of about half an ounce in weight! My next bite was 20 mins later, an exact repeat of the first and the same result, another tiny perch!

The rest of the match passed eventlessly, despite trying everything, even breadpunch and the shallow rig. I did bump off another tiny perch near the end but that was it. I was honestly sure that I'd never had a carp infront of me all day, and finished the day rather peeved over a wasted Sunday to be honest! I think the only way I could have had more was to fish in the deep water in the middle on light gear for tiny perch, execpt I don't carry that sort of gear with me now!

My lake was won with 8lb, one carp and a bream, while the fancied reed pegs on the other lake threw up one 30lb+ weight. Many people only weiged in ounces on my lake.

I'm not sure if I'll be fishing next Sunday yet, but it can't be much worse than this weekend can it!

A Good Day To Have An Ark!

Well, as you may be able to guess from the title it was another wet Sunday, my brolly has been used more in the last three weeks than in the last three months I think! At the draw I was really wanting to draw along the side of the lake, from numbers 25 to 33. I didn't draw along there but wasn't too dissapointed with peg 20. It's a peg I've drawn a couple of times before, but only in the summer when I've caught in the shallow water of the bay just to the left on the island, but its a bit too shallow to catch there now! I put up two rigs to fish either side of the bay on the island. The one to the left was to bare bank at 16.5m and at 16m infront was just to the right of a tree (just visable in the pic) where there was a few rush stems on the bank. Both were just over 3ft deep tight to the bank. I also put up a shallow rig to try over both areas, set to fish a foot off the bottom. With no wind I could fish with light floats so a 4x10 Preston Chianti (with a plastic tip) and a 4x8 Preston Pink in-line dibber were used. Terminal gear for both was the same, using .125dia line, a size 18 hook on a very soft 12 latex. Bait was a few red and white maggots, casters, corn, hemp and a couple of slices of bread.

On the whistle I decided to try both lines with out feeding them, trying corn over both gave no indications so I fed the left hand swim with a dozen casters and a dozen grains of hemp, while I started to use a toss-pot to drip in casters half a dozen at a time infront of me. After an hour and a half (yes' it was slow, and I'd tried both rigs) I had my first indication over my left hand swim at depth, which led to a merry dance with a foulhooked carp before it came off at the net! No indications followed so I tried infront again, which gave an instant bite and gave me a small perch of about half an ounce (at best).

It was another good hour before any more indications, even on punch, and the light was so bad with the rain that I had to grease up both floats so I could see them easier. At this point I also cupped in a dozen maggots to the left, hoping that a bait that wriggled would tempt something. After leaving it ten mins I baited with a single maggot and started to ship across, and as I did the angler next peg hooked a fish. After maybe only a minite or two my float burried and soon I had a small common of about 1lb 12oz in the net. A liner net drop so prompted me to try the shallow rig but no more bites followed so I decided to try the other line. After two drops feeding a few maggots and the float burried and another small common came to the net, slightly bigger at just over 2lb.

Nothing else followed in the next 20 mins so I decided that I'd not feed after anymore bites and try fishing out the feed, thinking that even dripping six maggots over the top of the fish may have spooked them. After missing a bite then bumping a small fish on the line infront I decided to try the shallow rig. Out with a single caster and after a couple of minites I had a bite and another 2lb'er was in the net. Back out again and an instant bite gave another fish of a similar size. With around 45 minites left I was hoping I could keep it up for the rest of the match! The next bite doing the same again produced something that felt much bigger, but I'll never know how big as I never saw it!

The lost fish spelled the end to any bites over either line for about 20 mins before both swims seemed to become full of tiny fish that I either bumped or came off on the way in, apart from one 2oz roach which was the only fish to pull any elastic out! One last bite on a single caster a depth gave a larger common of about 4lb but the last minite was fruitless! The angler to my left also had five carp but his were all bigger fish so I knew that I hadn't won, but the lack of people left to weigh in gave me hope of a place at least.

My fish went 13lb 6oz, good enough for third, but some way behind the next peg who had 19lb odd for second, narrowly beaten for first place buy a weight of just over 20lb which was just three carp and a 4lb+ golden orfe! I also realised why my right foot felt wet after it raining all day, as I went to pick my box up I noticed that my boot had a 3in split along the foot! sodding things are only just over a year old!

Next week in the Fur and Feather, a total sellout which uses both lakes so it could be hard! I just hope it doesn't rain or snow after the last couple of weeks!

(note, sorry if the paragraph structure is wierd, for some reason blogger keeps getting rid of the spaces!)

Let It Snow!

Well they said it was going to snow, with severe weather warnings and all. When I got up there wasn't the slightest sign of snow! By 7.20am it had just started to snow, only a little though. That wasn't really my worry, it was the fact that it had been mild up until Friday and the sudden drop in temperature was hardly likely to be conducive to good fishing.

By the time of the draw it was snowing fairly heavy, although with quite a lot of sleet mixed in. With the onset of the cold I really wanted a peg in the open water where I could fish the bomb, partly as I thought a static bait would pay off (and it was windy) and partly as it's easier to keep my hands warm! Out of the bag came peg 66. I was fairly happy, it's a peg not quite on the end of the island, you can just get away with casting to the end of the island, plus it's wide so I had plenty of water to go at.

I decided not to fish a long pole to the island, the fish seem to move close to it on this peg, even though it's shallow, but they seem to spook from the pole. To search along the island I put up my 10ft Drennan puddle chucker. Set up just to fish a strait lead with either corn or hair rigged bread. A simple running lead stopped by a Korum quick change bead with a .15dia hooklength with a size 18 Kamasan Animal with a hair rig using the excellent Korum quickstops was the kit for this. I had a few hooklengths set up at different lengths and with different length hairs. I would use a catapult to feed if I wanted too, but intended to start off not feeding. I put up one pole rig to fish two lines in the deep water at about 9m at 1 o'clock and one at 11 o'clock. Elastic was a 12 latex, rigwise it was on .125dia line to an 18 hook and float was a .3gr DC6.

On the whistle one pole line was feed with just casters and the other was feed with hemp and corn. First cast clipped the island vegetation (whoops!), as I wasn't clipped up to allow me to search the swim! A new hooklength on and just as I settled down the snow turned totally to sleet and started to sting like hell so I had to get up to put the brolly up. Ten mins after casting with no indications and I wind in with a stick on the hook. Next cast drops a bit closer to avoid rubbish. After a couple of minites its time for a cuppa, so I reach round for my flask and round goes the tip! No more than 60 seconds later a very sleepy 4lb odd common is in the net, just as the sleet gets to it's heaviest, not that I care as I haven't blanked!

The next 30 mins passes with just one slight liner, so I try casting further along the island, nearer the point. Each cast I leave in for around 10-12mins but another 3 casts later nothing else has happend. Casting back in-front of me to where I caught my fish gives a quick dropback but tightening back up shows it was just a liner. Still, signs of fish meant I was happy to leave it longer and about 15 mins later the tip yanks round and again a very lethargic common comes in, smaller at about 3lb. A couple more liners but no proper bites on the next 2 casts, including trying some pineapple flavour corn made me try hair rigged bread. No sooner had I put the rod down than the rod went round and a livlier fish was on the end and after 3-4mins a 6lb odd common finds the net.

Just after recasting the sleet turned to rain and all the ice and snow on the bank thawed and all signs of fish dissapered. At this point the 4 other anglers I could see haven't had a fish. After a biteless hour on the tip the sun actually came out and with the tip being lifeless I tried the pole. Ten minites over both swims with corn was fruitless so I tried a single red maggot. After about 5 mins I had a bite, well, I think it was, it could have been a liner as I looked round and when I looked back the float was gone. The fish chugged gently into me, then just as it came to the net it came off, damn! I wasn't sure if it was foulhooked. It came sideways to the net but I think it may of just rolled over the line. Still, I'll never know!

The rest of the match was fruitless untill the last 30 mins when the angler next peg had 2 carp quick then his swim died. About 15mins from the end, casting to the tip of the island with a single grain of corn the rod goes round again a 4lb odd common nods it's way gently to the net.

At the weigh in one angler is admitting to 5 fish, but says they are all small. Other than my 4 carp the most was 2, so I knew I'd got 2nd! The 5 fish from the reed pegs went just short of 15lb, so I thought it was going to be close. On the scales I was suprised when my 4 fish went 20lb 6oz for 1st. And then it was off as quick as possible to get back into the warm! Winter is here!

Be Carefull What You Wish For!

Well, after my mini rant two weeks ago after winter flyer peg 18 on the New Lake at Westside I actually went and drew it for the first time ever! However, just as I put my box down on my peg the heavens opened! I was also concerned that I was the only angler with someone next peg (I think) with peg 17 being in. Why does that happen to me, it never seems to be in otherwise! Could that be an omen of what the day was to hold?

The peg is quite wide (I'll try and get the pic up soon, my photo thingy is playing up!-update, I deleted the pic by accident! Oooops!). There is a small bay on the island, with the far bank steadily sloping up towards it. I decided to put up just two rigs to fish along the far bank, one just over 3ft deep and the other around 2ft 6in deep. It took just over 16m of pole to use the deeper rig on my side of the slope, and 17m the other side of the bay, and could just reach the shallow side of the bay next to some reeds with 17.6m of pole with the shallow rig, which I could also try over the deeper line. Both rigs were on .14dia line to a 16B611 on Preston 13h elastic. the deeper rig had a 4x12 Preston Somo float adapted to take a plastic tip, and the shallow rig was a 4x10 Preston Black in-line dibber.

On the whistle I cupped in a few casters and a couple of grains of hemp on the nearest deepr swim, I didn't want to feed further up and on the other side of the bay to start with, to give the fish somewhere to back off too, so I could hopefully rotate to keep odd fish coming. After 7 or 8 mins with a bit of corn on the hook and no bites I put on two red maggots and started to drip odd casters in with a toss-pot. The float settled and shot under and I was thinking 'here we go!', yet all that was on the end was a small perch, less than an ounce in weight. That proved to be the only sign of life for the next hour in my swim, then two ghosties cruised through my swim.

To cut a long and rater boring story short no matter what I tried, and where in the swim I tried it, nothing happend apart from an odd liner.That was until an hour before the end of the match. By this time peg 17 had just started to pack up, having not had a bite. I missed a bite on the nearest deeper swim and then had a 2lb common followed by one about 6lb next drop, both on single caster. By this time I could see one person (peg 20) with 4 carp and someone else with 2 so thought that a good last hour would give me a chance, but as soon as it had started it had stopped! The next bite gave just one tiny roach. Five mins before the end I missed a bite, then had a chunky 4lb mirror carp, then missed a bite seconds before the whistle. I have to say I was thoroughly gutted!

The match was won with 44lb from peg 33 (the peg in the corner I won from late in September) the peg to my left had 24lb for 2nd and 21lb was 3rd. My 3 carp gave me just over 13lb which was good enough for 4th. I sat and pondered the whole way home what had gone wrong, but I honestly believe I didn't have fish infront of me. Perhaps it was the rain, which felt very cold (and wasn't forecast!) but I don't know, I really don't. Two bad weeks in a row now, we can only hope for next week I guess!

Not The Best Of Days!

When I drew peg 45 on the Old Lake at Westside I was reasonably happy with the draw, after all the peg has features and is not too deep but I just had a feeling that the day was going to be hard. I had no reason to expect it as the weather had been settled and conditions were good, it was just one of those feelings.

Rig-wise I had three put up. The first was fished towards the small island on the slope leading up to it. This was in just over 3ft of water. The float was a .2gr DC6 on .14 dia line to a 16B611 to a soft 14 latex (due to the remains of a big lilly bed in the swim). I also had a rig to fish next to the remains of the lillies, the hook and line for this rig was the same as the other rig but with a larger .3gr DC6 float in around 5ft of water. Last rig was in the margins where there were a few straggly reeds in the edge in 3ft of water, float for this was a 4x12 Preston Somo with the same hook and line as the other rigs, elastic was a soft black hydro. This rig would also double up for trying shallow over the other lines. Bait-wise I had caster, corn, hemp and a few red and white maggots for the hook.

Each line was fed at the start with a pinch of bait but with no casters on the deeper line to keep any fish down (as the hemp and corn sink fast) Starting on the far line and it was awkward to see my float in the mottled light but the first half an hour gave me just one liner before a bite on double white maggot gave me a small carp of about 2lb. Absolutely nothing followed in the next hour, even trickling casters on the far line via a toss-pot failed to get a response. The angler next peg had struck at odd bites fishing to the other side of the lilly bed, then had a fish there so I decided to drop in there. An instant bite on corn produced another 2lb common but nothing else, not even a liner. Odd fish had started to top by this point but the next hour produced nothing except one missed bite on the shallow rig next to the lillies. Out of the blue an hour after the first fish next to the lillies another 2lb common finds it's way to the net.

With an hour to go and nothing else was happening, but other anglers on the opposite bank had started to catch odd fish; all of those were sat with the sun on the water, I was in the shade. I decided to get the catty out to flick a few casters to the long line while I was fishing the deeper line, as this was were I thought I had the best chance of a few fish. I had one bite next to the lillies with half an hour left which stormed strait through the lillies and I lost, though I'm almost certain it was foul-hooked. This led to me going on the long line and an instant bite on maggot gave me another 2lb common. Next drop and I was strait in again but this fish stormed towards me and into the lillies, then pulled off. After that hoards of floating leaves came through and it was practically impossible to fish.

My four carp gave me just over 9lb which was good enough for 4th, 48lb had won, from peg 48 on the end of the island. This peg is shallow on the island (2ft) and had been in the sun all day. 21lb was second (5 fish) and 13lb was 3rd (4 fish). I was left a bit peeved with the day, I got home feeling that I hadn't fished well. I'm not sure if catapulting the bait over the long line had helped or if it was just that last 30min spell you get on commercials, but I should have tried it earlier, but even then my peg wasn't good for near 50lb but I really should have framed. Never mind, always next week!

Winter Begins.....

Actually, this morning wasn't too bad! the rain had just about stopped when I got up, and the wind had dropped to nothing. It was also a lot milder than previous mornings, and certainly nowhere near the -2 and -3's that we have had. Even the carp in my pond were quite happy to feed so I was hopeful of a few carp feeling the same in Westside!

I had a walk around the lake when I got there as I hadn't fished that lake for around a month or so. Most people wanted to draw an early peg (1-18) as thats where all the fish were caught last time. I have to admit I wasn't so sure they would be the best from looking, they had a distinct black / grey colour to the water up to about peg 15, which I think comes from rotting leaves.

My usual place two thirds down the queue and I was quite happy with peg 31, although there were quite alot of floating leaves that I thought could be a pain! I set up two rigs to fish along the far bank, in two areas of the same depth, as I didn't have a great area to fish in the margin and I've never done that great fishing the deep water on this lake. I did have to chop some lillies that were infront of my peg first though! Both rigs were on .14 dia Garboline with 16 B611 hooks. The first rig up was for fishing on the bottom in near 4ft of water, on the far slope. This used a .2gr DC6 float, while my other rig was to fish about 14-16in off the bottom and used a 4 x 10 in-line Preston Pink dibber. The two areas were at 16m in front and at about 16.5m to my right in a slight bay on the island. Both rigs were on a soft Preston 13h elastic.

At the whistle I elected to only feed the swim directly in front, leaving the fish somewhere to back off. Three grains off corn, about ten casters and a small pinch of hemp went in, then the full depth rig went across with a grain of corn on the hook. A liner after five mins gave hope of a quick fish, but the only other action was a lost fish that I foulhooked as I lifted up. Nothing else followed in the first 15 mins so I started to drip a few casters in and try one on the hook. Just an odd liner was all that happend in the next half hour, in that time the peg to my right had a perch (later weighed at a level 2lb) and a small carp, while the peg to my left (33, which I won off last time I fished this lake) had 2 small carp from the margin. A brief try on the shallow rig was fruitless (apart from cursing at the floating leaves!) so I tried double white maggot. A quick dob saw me strike and soon net a small 2lb common, at least I hadn't blanked!

A fruitless hour followed, while peg 33 had two more small carp. No liners even followed so I tried and fed the other line. All of a sudden the sun broke through and at the same time a group of carp came swimming round the corner of the island up in the water and into my peg. Out with the shallow rig and under goes the float... ooops, missed it! Back in and under again goes the float and out comes a couple of yards of lakky! a couple of minutes later and a 5lb common is in the net. Strait back out, half a dozen caster are tipped out of the pot onto the float and it buries again! A few min later a maniac 5lb ghostie is in the net, this is fun! Next drop in and the pattern is repeated, this time with a smaller carp of about 3lb, and a slightly longer wait next chuck gives another 3lb'er.

This spell of action was short lived however, and as soon as the action had started it had stopped, not a disaster as nobody near me had caught anything else. The next hour was fruitless whatever I tried, over either line, failed to produce. One lone 4lb common came out of the blue on the shallow rig so I tried pushing the rig slightly closer to the far bank. An over enthusiastic strike at a bite I missed however saw me attached to a tree on the otherside, damn! (or words to that effect!, and yes, it's still up that tree!)

Back slightly closer and odd liners started again on the shallow rig. For some reason I decided to drop the rig in way to the left and it instantly went under (should have tried that earlier!) this fish ran all along the far bank and got stuck on a branch and a load of line under a tree quite a way to my right. I could see the tree moving, and when I pulled a big branch with a load of line lifted out of the water, eeerm, now what! I was convinced I wasn't getting this fish out so just pulled and I felt something give. I was sure I had just the branch attached (and said so to the angler next peg) till it swam past me when shipping back! In the net and it was a ghostie of no more than 3lb that had caused so much trouble! I had to cut a load of said line off my rig, it must have been at least 8lb line, with a hook tied knotless knot style with the hair stop still in the loop, and it had been in the water a while!

I had one last common of around 4lb that was in the net just before the whistle, but didn't have enough time to get another. I reckoned that my 8 carp would go around 32lb, way more than anyone else I could see. It was only when the scales can round I found out that someone had 50lb off peg 18, now I hate that peg, mostly 'cos its a winter flier, and I never draw it, EVER! That peg (with the same angler normally!) beat me a few times last winter, hence my dislike of it! I will draw it one day!

I was only reasonably happy with my 2nd (14lb was 3rd off 33 to my left) I do feel if pushed I could have had a bit more from my peg, but not enough to win. It's just a bit of a bummer when there is one peg that seems to beat you (as opposed to the angler), and more so when the same lucky swine seens to draw it. He even had the balls to complain about it as he said it was too far to the island!! Some people are never happy!