Glad I Didn't Stay In To Watch The Footie!

And that's all I want to say about the football!

The weather was forecast to be the hottest day of the year, so my wish list for the draw was a peg with shade! And unusually, I drew the shadiest peg on the lake (11), under an acorn tree all day and out of the sun! It was a pretty strait forward approach to the day, with only 13m of pole needed to reach in to the back of the bay opposite. One rig was set up for here, on .18 line direct to an 18 Fox Series 2 hook. A small Preston Durafloat and 15h elastic completed the set up, fished in about 20in of water. A margin rig was put up for the left margin, same terminal gear but in 2ft of water with a .2gr DC5 and a 16 hook. I did intend to only have these two rigs up but with a few minutes left I decided to put up a rig for the deep water. As I was sitting on a point I had this 5m line at quite an angle to my right, keeping it well out of the way, but also well away from the bank. This was my pretty standard rig for deeper water, a .3gr diamond bodied float on .17 to .15 and an 18 hook. Depth here was about 5ft.

On the whistle I fed the far bank with about a dozen pellets, while the margin got a whole pot full of hemp, corn and meat. The 5m line was just fed by hand with corn, nice and easy with a handy reflection to aim at on the water! Going across on a 6mm expander bought instant indications and after lifting and dropping the rig the elastic was pulled out, only a small fish mind, with a carp of about 10oz finding it's way to the silvers net. The next chuck bought nothing so I started to top up with a few pellets via a toss-pot. This didn't really have the desired response with two perch and a roach the next fish to fall for the pellet hook bait. This was starting to go the same way as the last time I drew the peg, with a small carp strait away but fading instantly after.

In an attempt to draw the swim to life I picked up the catty and started to ping a few pellets across. This had the desired response as a few carp started to fall- not big, all around the same size as the first, or a touch smaller. On the hour mark I hooked something bigger, and had a lively tussle with a common of about 3lb. Indications faded a little after so I dropped in a slightly larger amount of pellets with the cup. Small fish started to fall again, with a couple of roach and even a small skimmer falling, then the return of the small carp, with one of about a pound and a half followed by a crucian. I was happy with the way things were going, as nobody else I could see had any more than me, plus I was getting bites!

On the two hour mark I decided to drop in on the margin, which I had regularly been topping up. I had a few liners and silly indications here on meat so I had a try on double corn. The float had barely settled here when it shot under, but my lift was met with no resistance! No more followed so it got another pot and I went back across. The rest, plus quarter pot of pellets had the desired effect as a couple of carp around the 2 to 3lb mark fell. I then hooked and lost a fish which charged under the tree trunk to the left. I topped the swim up with about a dozen pellets while I tied a new hook on, and could see a bright coloured carp feeding on the far bank. Dropping back over and I watched the bright coloured fish move strait on to the hook bait and bingo! on it was! After a lively fight a koi of about 5/6lb was in the net, a yellow and black one with a silver head that I recognised from catching in the pairs match at the start of May, when I was on the next peg.

The next hour or so continued in a similar vein, although bites were a touch slower. I'd get two fish and then have to rest the swim. I was dropping in to the margin in between but all I could catch here was 2oz roach on meat. The fish were probably averaging around the 2.5lb mark, but one lump of about 7lb did bulldoze it's way in to the action. With just over an hour to the swim started to fade away from me, with fish in the swim but distinctly wary. I decided to drop in over the 5m line for the first time, and instant knocks were followed by a proper bite that saw me attached to another pea in a pod common. Only knocks that looked distinctly roachy followed so I went back over. An instant bite say be attached to a small sausage chub, but no more. I rotated the lines for the last hour but only a 1lb common from across and a big fan-tailed goldfish from the 5m line added to the tally.

At the end I guessed I'd have a mid 40lb weight, with a dozen carp in the proper fish net, plus the smaller ones. As the scales reached me a low 30lb weight was top. My fish comfortably made that, going a touch more than I thought totalling 51lb 2oz. The rest of the weigh in was tight, with 38lb being second but with a host of weights around the 32-33lb mark making things tight.

I have to admit I enjoyed the day, with plenty of bites that did need working for. My one regret for the day was not bringing any groundbait, as I'm sure it helps in holding smaller carp in the swim rather than just loose feed. I also think the cloud would have helped with the fish being quite spooky, with the water being a little clearer than I'd expect for the time of the year. Unbelievably, the fish have still to spawn properly in the lake, even though those in the old lake have spawned twice!

Sunday 20th June

I have to say I'm not sure what's happened to the weather, but the Saturday was distinctly cold, and it hasn't been that cleaver during the week either!

With a lessened attendance (and a clear head!) due to local river matches starting there wasn't really anywhere that I didn't want to draw. So, taking my customary late place in the draw queue I put my hand in and came out with peg 68... I didn't want that! I hadn't noticed it was in. I'd fancied the pegs around the island as there were a lot of fish around there, particularly 53. After spending so long drawing there when there was no fish, now I can't get there!

The sole reason I didn't want 68 is because it's deep, with four and a half foot of water in the margins and near seven foot from 4m and beyond. The peg opposite (which wasn't in) is just as deep from 4m but has a nice shallow margin! On putting my box down I did have one plus point, as I was out of the quite strong and gusty wind. After plumbing up at 13m, I decided to set up two shallow rigs, as I figured they may be key to pinching a few fish. I had a deck rig, a .4gr handmade diamond bodied float, on .17 line to a .15 hook link. Hook was an 18 Fox series 2 and the rig was on a 14 latex. The two shallow rigs were set for between two and three feet and the other for between one and two feet. Both were Preston Durafloat 1's on .15 direct to an 18 Series 2 hook. Both rigs were on Preston 15h lakky. Last rig up was for the edge. I decided that with the depth it would be treated as my 5m line (which has gave me a few bonus fish the last few times on this lake) This rig was identical to the 13m rig but with a slightly smaller float in four and a half feet of water next to the stick ups.

On the whistle I fed the 13m line with half a pot of hemp and a few grains of corn, while the close line had a whole pot of hemp, corn and meat. I dropped in on the long line on a grain of corn, and not long after the rig had settled the float plinked under, but I missed it! I suspect it may have been roach as they were topping all over the peg. No more bites followed in the next ten minutes so I started to top up the swim with a toss-pot of hemp and corn every ten minutes to try and provoke a response. I gave it up to the hour mark trying this, with nothing to show other than an odd liner. I decided that with the odd fish showing to pick the catapult up and started flicking 6mm pellets over the rig. I was going to give it half an hour before I picked up a shallow rig but after a spell of liners the deeper shallow rig found it's way out after twenty minutes. I'd only been in with the rig for a few minutes when the float buried. Lifting saw the lakky out and after a brief tussle a small lean 2lb common was in the net, the first fish I'd seen caught.

The next forty minutes were frustrating after such a quick response, with odd liners following even on the shallowest rig. With a cooler wind I wasn't sure the fish would be very close to the surface but a spell of sun made me get of my box and put up a poly ball rig to fish shallower. First drop in saw a ponderous but heavy weight on the end. I had the net in hand when a ghostie nudging the double figure mark surfaced (much bigger than what I thought was on!), it laid on the surface for a second, which was long enough for me to mug it. The next three drops produced fish reasonably quickly, all around the 4-5lb mark. I was just thinking that I had it sussed when the fish seemed to back away.

The next few hours were hard work in attempting to keep fish coming, with odd fish coming out of the blue, normally a change of rig or feeding produced the fish, totally out of the blue. Only one fish came to the shallowest rig, with the others on either of the two deeper rigs. What was noticeable was that the fish falling on the deeper rigs were a fair bit smaller (under 3lb) compared to those that had fallen to the shallowest rig. With an hour to go I was on eleven carp, probably just ahead of anyone else I could see, but I didn't know how the island pegs were fairing. I'd carried on feeding the closer line, but was reluctant to come off the shallow line as it's harder to feed, plus you can't read the indications if your not on it! And it also seemed that the odd time I said I'd try it I seemed to get a carp shallow!

Going in to the last hour the wind had dropped, and it got distinctly warmer. This led to fish showing in front of me very shallow. I had a good run of four carp in the next half an hour on the poly ball rig, all around the 4lb mark. I then lost carp number sixteen near the net, and after that I couldn't get a take even though there were still fish in the swim. I plugged away till the end shallow but had no more, and I wished I'd tried the short line, although I was sure I'd manage another fish or two up.

I was guessing that I'd have approaching 60lb in weight, with the smaller fish taken deeper pulling down my weight. Others were admitting to eight to ten fish, but peg 53 admitted to twenty, although they said they were small. They are however, one of those people that struggle to lay strait in bed! I was one of the last to weigh and 53 had top weight with just over 73lb, with a 40lb+ weight second. I knew I didn't have 70lb, and my fish took the scales to 57lb 11oz and I finished in second.

I wasn't too despondent in the end, as I felt I'd worked hard for my fish shallow, and it was noticeable again that slapping the rig, or tapping, didn't work. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect to what I wanted! In hindsight if I'd came shallow earlier, and tried the short line in that dead spell late I perhaps could have made up the difference, but that's on a perfect day and I don't have many of those! At the moment I'd just settle for a cure for the second-itis I seemed to have developed!

Sunday June 13th

I have to admit to turning up this Sunday with a slightly fuzzy head, after enjoying a few cold ones while watching the England game the night before. I needed them too after that Green howler!

I wanted to draw an early or late peg, that would mean I would be on the front of the lake which seemed to be the form area. I was a little disappointed with peg 17, but the fish have fins and they do swim! I had to make rigs on the bank as I didn't make any up the night before. The first area targeted was on the island point, a bit to the right at about 16.5m. The island is actually closer than that in front but along there it's about 4ft deep tight, where as to the right was the only area shallower, where it was about 20 inches deep. This rig was on .15 direct to an 18 Fox Series 2, with Preston 15 hollo. The float was a 4x10 Preston Durafloat. The second area was towards a weed bed to my right. I fished at about 12m, where the weed was a bit thinner as I didn't want to be losing fish in it. Rig was a .3gr diamond bodied handmade float on .17 line to a .15 hook link. Hook was an 18 Fox Series 2, with the lakky a 14 latex. It's about 6ft deep here but with the air pressure being low I thought it may go. Last area was for the margins. I spent ages plumbing up as I had a lot of room to my right, but I couldn't find a nice area. In the end I settled on an area at just 5m, the bottom here was still all over and I wasn't that confident in it to be honest.

On the whistle I fed the island swim with a pinch of 6mm pellets, while the deep line got half a pot of hemp and pellet, with a few grains of corn. The margins were just fed with pellet by hand. Going across on a 6mm pellet it took a few minutes to get any sort of indication and it was probably on the fifteen minute mark when I had my first bite, a small pastie mirror of about 10oz. Any indications slowed after so I put a small toss-pot on to trickle in some bait. The swim livened up a bit but still no more proper bites so I decided to give it a quarter of a pot. This had the desired response and shortly after I had another proper bite, producing a small common of about 2lb. Next drop and I started to snag up on a root, which I could lift clear of the water but it was still attached to the bank. This was a problem as it was a very small area to fish in!

By the end of the hour I'd had a frustrating time, missing a few bites which always left me attached to the snag. I wasn't losing gear on it, but it was definitely stopping me from fishing properly. I'd seen bubbles on the deep line and dropped in there for a few minutes, but only had a few liners. I shortly after added another small common, about 2 1/2lb, which again came after feeding a bigger amount of bait rather than through a small pot. On the two hour mark I again dropped in on the deep line (which I'd topped up with quarter pots twice) After a few nudges and liners I had a proper bite on pellet. A very lively fight ensued and a cracking looking black and gold koi of about 3lb was netted. No more bites followed so I topped it up and had a very quick go on the margins, with no joy

Going back across and the rest seemed to have done the trick and another small common of about 2 1/2lb was in the net. From what I could see I was doing okay, as the lake seemed to be fishing hard, with a fair amount of fish cruising that looked like they still haven't spawned. The far line also seemed to fade, with odd liners and a fair bit of trouble from the snag, which seemed to be moving around but was most definitely still stuck to the bank so I couldn't get rid of it!

The next hour passed slowly, with nobody near me catching either. A lot of fish were cruising about and I seemed to be spooking fish nearly every time I went across with the pole! With just over an hour to go I hooked a fish that charged around the island and never came back, most probably foul hooked. Dropping back down the track and the indications seemed to be on the up, perhaps co-inciding with the drifting in with a layer of scum. It actually became awkward to get a bait in clean, and I had to take a shot off to see the float in the scum. Pellet seemed to attract iffy bites so I added and inch and tried corn. It didn't take long for the float to dip under and another small common of perhaps 3lb was in the net. Next drop in I topped up with a toss-pot but it didn't really happen, so I fed half a pot again. Dropping in I had a bite quickly, but this fish was having none of it, charging through all the weed and getting stuck solid. After feeling a ping which suggested the fish was off I pulled for a break, losing my hook link. I had a quick try in the margins with no joy, so I went back over, but again, with no joy!

With just a short amount of time left I went back down the middle, and a run of bites led me to catch a carp, feed quarter of a pot, go back and get another fish, but they were small, all about 2lb. On the whistle I had nine carp, which seemed more than anyone else was admitting to, but others were admitting to fish much bigger than what I had! When the scales got to me 30lb 2oz was winning, with 26lb 7oz being second. I knew I didn't have 30lb, thinking probably just 25lb at best. Not a bad guess as it happened, with my fish going 24lb 11oz. In the end that was only good enough for 4th, with the 30lb weight winning (and taking the golden peg) and two 26lb weights being second and third.

I have to admit I was kicking myself, I really should have twigged feeding heavier to start with, as feeding with the big pot on a line I was fishing more often than not led to a fish. I also wasted time in the last hour trying two un-productive lines after losing a that fish, when I was getting bites off that one line. Looking at it, while the fish I had were all small I was only one fish of second and two of first, something that was easily do-able had I done what I should. Guess it shows what a night on the beer before does before a match! Just as well the next England game is on Friday night!

Blind Pairs Match, 6th June

I'd actually forgot that the first Sunday of June was the blind pairs match! A simple format really, random draw of pegs on both lakes, then after the match pegs are drawn together from each lake to determine the winner. Now, with a fair spread of pegs in I wasn't fussed where I drew really, and my hand went in to the bag and come out with...... peg 42, the same peg I was sat on last week! I do seem to have a knack for doing that, as I once drew the same peg on a lake five times in a row!


I was reasonably happy with the peg mind, as I didn't have the strong face wind of last week for a start. I had the same lines as and rigs as last week; a 12m rig, a 5m rig and a margin rig. I also put two shallow rigs up. These were both on .15 direct to an 18 Fox series 2 with a pellet band, and with Preston 15h lakky. One was a poly ball to fish between 4in and a foot deep and the other was a small Preston Durafloat to fish between a foot and 18in. Any deeper than that and I'd rather catch on the deck!


There were a few fish cruising about so I elected not to feed the long line, giving the margin a cup of meat, corn and hemp while the 5m line had half a pot of corn. I then started on the deeper of the shallow rigs with an 8mm banded pellet and started to flick a few pellets regularly via a catty over the top. After ten minutes or so I'd had odd liners so I put on the poly ball rig and tried shallower depths. I said to myself that I'd give it up to the 30 min mark, and just as I was toying with trying on the deck the lakky pulled out and a small common of about 3lb was in the net.
This led to me giving the line another twenty minutes, but nothing followed so I tried the deck rig. I only fed a few grains of corn via the toss-pot, but ten minutes on the line gave me just a couple of liners from fish very high up in the water. I carried on feeding by the catty while on the deck, albeit less often. I was also still feeding the 5m line by hand.

With no joy on the deck I had a few more minutes shallow, on the deeper rig. With that giving me just a liner I put the poly ball rig back on. After probably ten minutes I had a fish that hooked it's self but came off just a second later, spooking quite a few carp in the process. With this in mind I decided to rest the line, giving the margin another half a pot (as I had on every half hour) and try the 5m line. Nothing on this in ten minutes so I had a very quick try in the edge. With no indications coming I went back on the shallow line. After banding the pellet I fired pellets out three times with the catty before shipping out. I laid the rig in and as I reached for the catty carp number two tugged on the end. Again, this was a smallish common of about 3lb. The next half hour proved to be a bit frustrating, with two more carp just pricking themselves without actually being properly hooked. Something I've never experienced before really fishing shallow. I changed the hook after the first, dropped strait back in and had the same happen again! The only thing I could think of was to slightly tighten the very slack elastic slightly, to provide more resistance.

It was a good half hour before I got to test the theory, but it worked! A spell of slight ripple seemed to give the fish a bit more confidence and carp numbers three and four followed pretty quickly, but my feeling of satisfaction at having it sussed didn't last long as shortly after the next fish just pricked it's self and predictably the fish seemed to back away again. It seemed a good time to rest the swim again, so I had a quick try on both the 5m and margin lines, but neither gave me any indications. Nudging towards the half way mark I found myself back on the shallow line, again on the poly ball rig. The rest seemed to have the desired effect and the next hour and a half proved to be quite steady, pushing me up to a dozen carp. Most of the time the fish came in two's, and normally in gaps in the feeding when I could either see fish in the feeding zone (wearing Polaroids) or when I was getting liners and swirls. Strangely though, I never had any takes if I slapped the rig or tapped the pole, unusual when shallow fishing and getting bites not feeding. None of the fish were big, all being around the 3lb mark.

With an hour and a quarter to go the fish seemed to have faded away. Even the deeper shallow rig didn't produce. I was just about to try the closer lines when carp number thirteen made a mistake, leaving me to try the line a bit longer but with no joy. With just under an hour to go I went back on the margin line. I didn't wait long for a response as a slightly bigger carp of about 4lb made a mistake. Topping up with a whole large toss-pot of bait and again I hardly waited as another carp, again a touch bigger made it's mistake. I repeated the same process, hoping the fish would again get a bit bigger. It was not more than a few seconds before the next bite, and my bit bigger wish was more than granted, as this fish was twice the size of the last, a ghostie of fully 10lb! The next two fish followed almost as quick, but not quite as big, but both a good 4lb+. However, next chuck I pricked a fish as I lifted the rig at the same moment the float went, and unfortunately it came off. I decided to top the line up with half a pot and try the 5m line. Typically I had a bite on it and missed it! Strait back in and another bite gave me carp nineteen, a small common about 2lb. I tried the margin again after but got just silly indications, as a big rumble of thunder gave people a bit of a start! I gave it another pot of bait, hoping to bring the fish back and dropped back in to the 5m line. A bite on this gave me a 6oz roach, then a crucian about a pound and a half so with a few minutes to go I went back in the margin. Silly knocks produced a 2oz roach on meat, so thinking it wasn't going to give me carp number twenty I went back on the 5m line. This just led to me missing two bites and the whistle went just as the thunder and lightning really started!

I quickly packed my gear away, still dry and just as the I started the weigh in (on the scales again!) the rain really came down. Somebody else was admitting to 21 carp, off the peg I really fancied and I thought that the small average size of the shallow fish was going to cost me. My nineteen carp, one crucian and two roach gave me 73lb 11oz, my best match weight of the year so far. It wasn't enough though as the 21 carp from peg 48 went 83lb 6oz. I had to settle for lake 2nd, the next weight after me was 56lb. However, by the time I got back to my gear I'd spent long enough in the torrential rain that I looked like I'd swam round the lake! The draw for the pairs looked promising when I was drawn with the third place on the new lake, until the two first places were drawn out together! In the end I had to settle for joint second pair. However, I'd had a good days fishing and felt I'd worked hard at it, especially the shallow fish which really didn't want to give themselves up. It's just a shame I pricked the fish in the margin. Perhaps having to put a third net in for the silvers in the last twenty perhaps didn't help too? who knows!. Next week I'll be trying to go one better, as that's two weeks in a row I've been second!

Sunday May 30th

I have to admit I was looking forward to this weeks match on the old lake, partly as I'd had a break from it, and more partly because I'd managed to sneak out pleasure fishing during the week and had a good 150lb+ from the same lake!

I have to admit in the morning the optimism was lessened a touch by the howling wind. When my hand went in to the bag peg 42 came out, a peg I was reasonably happy with, but not out of the wind! Putting my box down the wind was blowing from left to right but at me, a direction that was going to make presentation awkward in the left margin, the one I preffered. I had a quick plumb up at 12m in the open water, as a starter mostly as the pole was just controllable as long as the wind didn't pick up anymore. Rig for this was on .17 line to a .15 hook link with a 20 Fox Series 2 hook. Float was a handmade diamond pattern in .4gr size (very stable for it's weight) in about five and a half foot of water. This rig would also double up for the 5m line, where it was a touch shallower. Last rig up was a margin rig, for the left under a tree and tight to the bank. This was on .18 direct to a 16 Fox series 2, float was a .2gr DC5 in two and a half foot of water.

On the whistle the long line was fed with a pinch of hemp and corn, while the 5m line got half a pot of corn. The margin swim had a whole pot, half hemp and the rest equal parts corn and meat.

Odd fish were starting to cruise about and on starting long on a grain of corn I had a knock instantly that I missed. I had no more indications in the next few minutes so topped up the same line with a few grains of corn with the big pot. The wind meant a toss-pot was a no-no! Odd indications followed after feeding but nothing that probably wasn't from cruising fish. All the while I was flicking corn to the 5m line, while on the half hour the margin had another half a pot.

With an hour gone no proper bites had been forthcoming, and with the wind picking up I dropped in on the closer lines earlier than I wanted. Nobody right at my end of the lake had caught yet, but I could see some people in the middle that had. Ten minutes on the 5m line gave me no joy so I decided to have a drop on the margins. I was just going to leave it when a liner made me decide to give it a touch longer. I hooked a fish only seconds later but it come off after a few seconds. I decided to top the swim up and leave it alone after that.

I had a brief look out long after but the wind had carried on increasing and after a few minutes gave up on it as a bad job. Back on the 5m line and nothing was really happening so I decided to pot in half a cup of hemp to try and kick it to life. It kind of had the effect as I started to get odd liners, but it was nudging the halfway mark before I had my first proper bite on the line, which I promptly missed! No mistakes the second time as I re-baited and dropped back in. I flicked a few grains of corn round the float and then it vanished. I know from past times drawing the peg it's a slow starter but I had to say I was relieved to slip a 3lb common in to the net! It was probably a quarter of an hour before the next bite, but I lost the fish. I'm not sure if it was foul hooked or rolled on the line but it didn't feel right as I played it.

The line seemed to slow a bit after so I fed a decent amount of hemp on the line again and carried on flicking corn on to it while I tried the margin again. I was starting to get liners on the margins but I couldn't get a proper bite on it so I soon went back on the 5m line. This produced a frustrating spell of missed bites, and despite changing depths and the shotting I still couldn't hit the bites. I'd liked to have shortened the line between the float and pole but the wind was nasty by this time. With an hour and a bit to go I dropped in to the margin and still had indications that I couldn't turn in to bites. I decided to put on a new rig for the margin, with the same gear but on a longer line. This allowed me more leeway with the wind, and also allowed me to lay more line on the bottom. To counter the increased likely hood of liners I took off a shot to leave more float showing. This had the desired effect, producing proper bites. I was missing as many as I was hitting, but at least I was getting bites now! The last hour gave me six more carp, the first four about 3lb a piece and the last two bigger, around the 4/5lb mark. All came to meat.

At the end I was close to anyone that I could see, but I did wonder if the sheltered pegs around the island had made the most of being out of the wind. As the first to weigh in my seven carp went 24lb 12oz on the scales, which stayed 1st until we got to peg 62 in the corner, who was admitting to eight carp. The went on to the scales at 29lb exactly and in the end proved enough for the win, leaving me in second with 21lb and some close weights after that. I was a bit disappointed after, not only for sussing the margins too late and narrowly missing out, but with the wind which ruining what would have been a better days fishing, as I wasn't alone in thinking that there were more fish to be caught than the weather allowed us too!

Sunday 23rd May

Well, somebody has certainly turned up the heating out! A fair attendance of people had made their way out in to the sun, meaning that one or two pegs were in that I didn't really want to draw. The one that particularly stood out was peg 15... Now what did I say last week that I have a habit of drawing the pegs I don't want if I say it! So you've guessed what number came out of the bag in my hand! I have to say, sat back right in a corner it was really a margin or bust peg.

I had to fight my way in to the peg, as you can see it was a bit tight to get everything in with the bank side growth. Oh for a pair of shears! (I've learnt the hard way that you don't grab and pull them to rip them out, ouch!) The island is probably near 30m away so it was going to be a tip rod day, although finding it's 4ft odd deep tight to the island in a gap in the reeds meant it was twice the depth I wanted! Crumb mixed and clipped up at the right place it was time to decide my other approaches to the peg. The margin I thought would be the best bet- to my left there was a nice sloping margin so I plumbed along it until I found that perfect (in my mind!) two foot of water. Rig was simple and strong, with the margin pole making an outing as there were some big fish cruising about! A .2gr DC5 float on .18 line direct to an 18 Fox Series 2 hook, with purple hydro was the gear to hopefully subde them. The right margin was deeper than I wanted so I fed a 5m line a bit to the right in about 4ft of water. A .2gr diamond bodied float on .17 to .15 and a 20 Fox Series 2 was the set up. Last up was a rig to fish the weed bed that stretches through the peg in the middle. I found a hole at 12m to the left, but with over 6ft of water there I wasn't optimistic of catching there in the heat. Rig was the same as the 5m line but with a heavier float. Lakkies were 14 latex.

On the whistle I fed the pole swims, the margin getting a mix of hemp, 6mm pellet and corn, while the 12m line had just hemp and corn. Half a pot went on each, then I started flicking corn on to the 5m line. Baiting the method with a single grain of corn it was then dispatched to the island. Liners were evident from the off, and everyone around was getting the same whatever they were fishing as the fish were starting to spawn. Despite regular casting it took half an hour to get a proper indication, a drop back as I was just about to pick the rod up. A crucian of about half a pound was the result, although at least I was off the mark. The indication came a good half an hour later and was a proper yank around. I had to keep the rod up to keep the fish away from the weed and soon a 3lb common was in the net.

The next hour passed pretty slowly and a slight breeze had picked up. Blowing over my shoulder it seems that all the fish followed it as the cruising fish and the liners vanished. I tried the all the pole lines briefly but nothing showed on any of them, and nobody near was catching either. On the two hour mark I had a quick flurry of activity, with two fish in quick succession. The first a small common of about 2lb, the next a funny looking 5lb common that had the body of a 3lb'er with the head of a double stuck on it. A fish that I'm sure I've caught off the next peg in to my right twice before! The flurry of soon slowed, perhaps as they were all that was there, or maybe because the person on the next peg decided that they'd put the feeder up as I was catching on it, and the big "sploosh" seemed to land closer and closer to me each time!

Going passed the halfway mark I picked the rod up to find a fish attached, but once I got it back halfway it got stuck. Letting out slack the fish could swim away but no matter what I tried I couldn't get the fish past the snag and had to eventually pull for a break. A skimmer of a pound and a half soon after proved to be the only activity for a while, with the whole area of the lake seeming to be dead. I tried the pole lines, hoping the steady feeding by hand on the two closer lines would have gained the attentions of something, but it hadn't. With nothing to lose I filled in the margin line, giving it a pot of hemp then a pot of corn and pellet. I wasn't optimistic though! News also started to filter around the the only person really catching was on the golden peg, round the other side of the lake about as far as it was possible to get from where I was sitting.

With half an hour to go I toyed with packing away early when I again had two bites in two chucks, the first indications I'd had since the skimmer. Neither fish were big, both around two and half pound. On the last cast I had what looked like a liner that almost pulled the rod in, and an interesting twenty second tussle followed with a carp of about 8lb that had somehow managed to lasso it's self before it came free!

At the end of the match my fears had came true- that if the fish didn't come in to the edge it would be a struggle. It hadn't been great for anyone really apart from the golden peg who'd had 72lb. The other frame weights were a long way behind with 27lb and 26lb being next, with my 19lb odd being 5th.

Hopefully now the fish will have finished up spawning and the fishing will settle down for next weekend. With it being a bank holiday I'm not sure which day I'll be out, but hopefully it'll be a good 'un!

Sunday May 16th

Well, what a backwards week for weather! I had a suspicion that the fishing might prove to be tricky after a week that provided three frosts. I always remembered that May was warm....

With a decent attendance the craic before the match was good, which helped keep me awake after waking up at 3.30am for some reason. Standing in the queue in my customary late place all the favoured early pegs had gone, and I said I fancied peg 25, although I've only ever drawn it once before. Well, surprisingly peg 25 came out of the bag in my hand! Normally that only happens when I'm thinking of a peg I don't want to draw.....

The peg sits near the corner of the island, and it is about 15.5m to the island in front, although I elected to fish a little to the left in to the bay at about 16.5m, where the water was a bit shallower. The island rig was in about two and a half foot of water, using a 4x10 Preston durafloat direct on .15 line to a size 2o Fox Series 2 hook, lakky was Preston 15h. Plumbing along the island a bit I was disappointed to find only one real fishable area as the bottom was all over the place, plus there were a lot of twigs etc on the bottom. I did put up a shallow rig to explore along the island if need be. This was a 4x10 Preston PB2, again on .15 line direct to a 15 B711. Set to fish about 18in deep. Lakky was Preston 13h for this. Lastly I had a rig up for the deeper water, as it was where the two top weights were caught last week. I was surprised at the depth in front of me, having over 7ft of water from about 4m until about 12m, so the rig was at 13m at an angle to the right where it was just shallowing up. In not quite 7ft of water the rig was a diamond bodied hand-made float on .17 line to a .15 hook link. Hook was a 20 Fox Series 2 and lakky was a soft 14 latex. No margin line as experience tells me the margins here are deep, plus an awkward bottom.

I have to admit I wasn't sat on my box when the whistle went, and in the time it took me to sit down and cup a few pellets and a bit of loose crumb across I could see the angler on peg 18 already playing a fish! I fed the deep line with a decent pinch of pellet and some corn. It was a throw away line really, as I never seem to catch in the deep water on this lake. The same reason was also why I elected to feed it with pellet instead of the hemp and corn I never catch over!

Shipping across with a pellet I wasn't to be outdone by peg 18, and as per last week the float had hardly been out long when it slid away. Lifting saw me attached to a sluggish weight which then livened up. I have to admit though that a fish first drop normally for me is a bad sign, like last week! After a bit of a tussle a decent ghostie common of a good 7lb was in the net. Not a bad start whatever way you look at it. I went strait over again without feeding (having had an instant bite I thought some grub would still be there) I hadn't long been out when I missed a bite but no more indications followed so after a few minutes I put a toss-pot on and filled it with half a dozen pellets and a pinch of crumb. This had the desired effect as a liner was soon followed by a bite and a very lively fish was on. Unfortunately after a minute or two of flying about the whole swim it came off! I'm not sure it was foul hooked either.

The lost fish did to the swim exactly what I thought it might and no more bites followed. I carried on dripping a few pellets and a bit of crumb in, in the hope of getting the fish which had now started to cruise about a bit to go down. I wasn't unduly worried, as I'd only seen the one other fish caught and nobody was really getting any indications. Just on the hour mark I was contemplating having a quick drop on the track line when I had the kind of bite I like when fishing long- before I had a chance to realise the float was gone the lakky was streaming out! This one flew round like the one I'd lost before and when netted turned out to be a black and silver ghostie, a cracking looking fish of about 4lb. Quite why they scrap harder than normal carp I don't know- answers on a postcard please!

Nothing else came from the line in the next few minutes, and I'd seen no other fish caught either so I decided to feed a few casters on the long line, so a dozen went in the cup along with a pinch of loose groundbait. I then dropped in down the track on a pellet. I gave it a good ten minutes with no signs of life, then just as I was going to leave it I had a liner. This gave me a bit of hope of something coming from it and I gave the line a bit longer but nothing else came of it. I went back across on pellet and an almost instant bite gave me a sluggish resistance that never gained momentum and turned out to be a skimmer of about two and half pound.

Nothing more followed, and indeed the next hour and a half turned out totally dead, not only for me but for everyone else near me. A few fish were cruising about and while most around me seemed to be hoping that they would get there heads down and just waiting I was shipping back every few minutes to fill the toss-pot, mostly with crumb but with a few 4mm pellets in too. An occasional try on the shallow rig had given me just a tiny perch that dropped off on the way back. I'd actually just thought to myself that it was never going to happen when a bite out of the blue saw me playing carp number three and after a few minutes a common of about 5lb was in the net. Filling the toss-pot with a few pellets and a bit of crumb and no sooner had I tapped the bait out than the elastic pulled out of the pole. Carp number four quickly joined the others in the net, a smaller common of about 3lb. I was just thinking that the warmer temperature of the day had switched the fish on, but then they had disappeared as quickly as they'd arrived.

The next hour followed with no indications, on either the track line or across, and nobody I could see near me was catching anything other than odd silvers. With just under an hour to go another bite saw me playing carp number five. A common of about 6lb was soon in the net, and following the pattern I put half a dozen pellets in the pot then topped it off with groundbait. I doubt the bait had been in the water more than a minute when the float went away and at the same time as I lifted the lakky shot out of the end. I had the fish on for no more than a few seconds then it was gone. Shipping back I found the whole rig had gone- not a trace of line left! Somehow the rig must have came off. A new rig on and I went back over, but that was it. For some reason the rig didn't seem right and I was never as happy with it as the one I'd lost. I did have another go with the shallow rig but all that gave me was a tiny perch. Odd fish were then moving across and I'm sure I'd have caught on the other rig, even though the new one was on exactly the same set-up!

While waiting for the scales the most anyone was admitting to was four carp, although somebody was apparently admitting to having a couple of doubles. It sounded like it was going to be close! When the scales got to me 17lb was the top weight and I comfortably had that, my skimmer and micro perch going 2lb 8oz and my five carp going 26lb 8oz, giving me a dead level 29lb. The next best weight was just over 19lb in the end and that nagging feeling that lost fish would cost me didn't come true. I have to say I was a bit miffed still about the rig coming off, I've used the crows foot way of attaching rigs to the elastic for over seven years and have never had that happen before. Guess I'll just have to put it down to one of those things!