So, whether to go fishing, or to football, seeing as City's game was moved to Sunday. After the last few games, I decided that the season ticket could go to waste and booked in for my first open of the year at Trinity Waters.
I arrived 3/4 of an hour early, so I could have a look round at the work John has done, in levelling the bank between Woodland and Lodge, it looks like a lot of effort has gone into it!! Obviously looking a little barren until the spring starts to cover the mud with new growth, but I like it, the sun now gets onto the water all over the lake. John has tried to create a 3' deep shelf along the margins of each peg on that bank, I had a plumb round and it looks like he has managed it - maybe nature will undo his work, but at least he's tried.
Sue was explaining about the payout to be made at the Xmas match, to the winner of the most opens and the winner of the most silverfish, another reason to get along to the opens this year and try and boost the Xmas coffers. She did tell me the amount, but it has slipped my mind. John was also explaining that in October he intends to divide Wildmarsh into two lakes, one with the big carp in and one with all the silverfish in, so that will make a 37 peg silvers match lake - I'm looking forward to it.
The overnight freeze had melted away in the wee small hours and there was very little breeze, so whilst the van thermometer read 3°C on the way down, it didn't feel too cold. Roach were topping and most thought that we'd catch a few fish, plenty had been coming out in the week. Peg 20 was the golden peg and Kev Perry drew it, although he didn't get off to the best of starts when his cupping kit snapped, lucky Misha had a new one and let him borrow it.
I drew peg 30, on the 'new' bank, I was pretty convinced that the fish wouldn't have settled into the margins just yet, so only set up rigs for 8 & 13M. I also set up a waggler to fish full depth, but with very little shot on the line, just in case there were some fish sitting off bottom.
The rig for 8M was a 1g Jolly on .10 line with a 0.08 hooklength and a 22 hook. The 13M line was a Sensas Jean-Francios Desque 1g, but with a 1.7mm hollow tip in place of the standard tip, on 0.11 line and a 0.10 hooklength and a 18 808. Just in case they went mad, I had a Preston 'Green' set up, again 1g to 0.13 and a 16 808. In the box were similar set ups but in 1.5g, in case the wind and tow got up.
I cupped some feed into the 13M line at the all in and fed the 8M and waggler line by catapult (maggot on the 8M line and corn/4mm pellet on the waggler line).
Starting on the 13M line saw a F1 about 1lb in the net second put in and for the first hour I had a few bites, missed some, but landed 2 carp and 3 or 4 skimmers. For the rest of the match, it was a struggle to keep fish coming, I'd get one or two, some bites and then they'd back off, putting another section on would see a bite or fish, then nothing. Eventually they'd come back over the 13M line and the situation would repeat its self. The 8M and waggler lines proved to be totally unproductive, so I just sat it out on the 13M line, exploing a metre or so past and to the sides of the feed area. This kept the odd carp and decent skimmer coming on pellet or dead red maggot.
I could see Glenn on peg 2 catching, Eric on 13 was getting skimmers, Vince Brown and Steve Fouracres wre getting the odd carp, apart from that, it was fishing pretty hard, so I just kept plugging away. I thought it would be tight at the end, although Glenn had a good run of fish from the RH margin and I would have needed a good final hour to beat him, perhaps if I had, had a mature margin I might, but thats not complaining, as I'm sure Johns work will improve the lake once the warmer weather gets here.
A quick word for Paul Faiers, drawn on peg 4, at least the third, if not fourth time he's drawn it, with the same result - way down the field, John's promised not to put it in next time Paul fishes. Kev couldn't tempt a winning weight from the golden peg, so it stays in Johns money box for another week.......
It fished fairly hard, but the results were pretty close, as far as I'm concerned thats how a match should be.
1) Glenn Calvert 52-06 peg 2
2) Chris Fox 32-15 peg 30
3) Steve Fouracres 30-12 peg 24
4) Vince Brown 27-06 peg 26
5) Terry Orr 20-00 peg 28
Silvers
1) Eric Fouracres 12-10 peg 13
2 comments:
Chris
Considering how every where is fishing it appears to be a good venue. I am hoping to fish it for the first time this year. How did Eric catch his Silvers?
Mike check your email, its a great venue, usually the weights are pretty even, though like anywhere, you get the odd blip.
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