Match One, Kev Perry Series 2010

As per Thursdays blog entry, Paul(Faiers) and myself went to Bullock Farm to have a practice and finalise the pegging for this years series. All done and dusted, I sorted out the spreadsheets etc on Friday and was all ready to have an easy Sunday morning's draw and enjoy the fishing.

A phone call from Paul Saturday night, a change in the numbers, so we re-organised the sections and pegging over the phone, then I stayed in and revamped the weigh sheets etc, missing out on Saturday night in the pub.

All was going well on Sunday morning, we'd arrived early to re-jig the pegging on North Pool after Saturday night's phone conversation and we adjourned to the cafe for a breakfast before the draw. Then at 08.30, 15 minutes before draw time we were informed that the extra one, who we had re-jigged the pegging and sections for, wasn't fishing the series after all. Another rethink and re-jig saw us decide on four sections of 7, with 14 pegs on the Match Lake and 14 pegs on North Pool.

Next year, if anyone hasn't paid by the closing date, they won't fish, as simple as that!!

After hastily drawing up some weigh in sheets by hand, the draw was made, Lance drew me peg 8 on North Pool, I would have preferred the Match Lake, but having previously won a match from peg 8, I wasn't devastated, although I feel it's still a couple of weeks early, I'm sure it will win at least one match this series. Paul had peg 22 on the Match Lake pulled out for , one peg away from where he practised on Thursday. Little did I know that the mornings frustrations were going to carry on for the rest of the day!!

Given that I wasn't convinced the carp would really go for it on North Pool, I set up a caster rig - a Malman Winter wire 4x10 on 0.11 with a .10 hooklength and a size 20 6313 hook. A rig to fish expander for crucians, a MW slim power on 0.13 to 0.11 and a 18 808, a heavier version of the same (0.15 / 0.13 and a 16 808). I more in hope than expectation set up a paste rig and a marging rig to fish corn/maggot, which was a MW HC margin to 0.15 straight through to a 18 B911.

At the all-in, I fed a line at 1 o'clock with caster, an open water line with micro's and wetted 4mm and a couple of lines on the far bank, to the right and left of the tree. I'd felt some fish whilst plumbing up, so was confident that there were fish in the peg, I intended to leave the far lines for a while to settle, whilst bagging on the caster..... After 30 minutes, I'd had a small fantail and a couple of roach on the caster line, switching to maggot and even pinkie hookbait couldn't tempt anymore from this line. I switched to the open water soft pellet line and first put in missed a bite, second put in saw a small crucian landed, third put in another missed bite and next drop in saw a carp around 3lb in the net. Then that line died.

I switched to the far bank lines as I'd seen evidence of fish moving tight to the far bank and this was where the days frustrations grew, switching between three lines, fishing maggot or corn saw me hook around 18 fish, of which, at least 8 were obviously foul hookers, I managed to land 3 more fish, losing two double figure fish, having 0.15 powerline snapped twice, fish diving ito the mass of branches and crap in the peg twice transferred the hook from their mouths to the debris. With 40 minutes to go, I got up and went for a short walk, as my frustration was just about to boil over, one of my four carp was landed after this walk, so it probably helped me regain some sanity.

I knew that I'd had enough fish on to win the match - why were they coming off?? I lost one that I estimate at 15lb, I saw it before it bolted round the end of the peninsula and off towards Mike Owens on peg 25.Another was at least 10lb and one of the fish I landed was around the 10lb mark, there are some big fish in North Pool now.

I was using familiar elastic, hooks that I have used for ages, with no problem, I can only assume that the were very lightly hooked, some of the bites were finicky and there were a lot of fish in the peg, they wouldn't get there heads down (or up, I tried fishing shallow, although shallow on Bullock virtually means surface fishing!!)and feed properly. I think it would have been better if there weren't so many fish in the peg, as this would help eliminate the foul hookers, as after each fish hooked and lost, the line it was hooked on went quiet for 15 minutes. I weighed 10.120KG which should have been nearer 25KG.

The silvers (crucians and fantails) failed to show on North Pool, top weight being 3.260KG Dave Roper and Dave Poole sharing the same weight. Top weight on the lake was a 14.100KG of catmeat caught carp, which was worth 2nd place overall, with a 12.400KG, again catmeat and two 10+KG weights.

The Match Lake produced some more consistency and the individual winner, as well as a 10KG, two 8KG and a couple of 7KG silvers weights,.

1)L Jones 19.750KG peg 25 ML
2)J Osbourne 14.100KG peg 10 NP
3)I Currie 13.100KG peg 26 ML
4)D Wride 12.730KG peg 17 ML
5)A Hockin 12.400KG peg 4 NP
6)T Thick 12.140KG peg 27 ML

Silvers

1)D Wride 10.700KG peg 17 ML
2)T Thick 8.800KG peg 27 ML
3)B Gullick 8.080KG peg 30 ML
4)M Walsh 7.800KG peg 24 ML
5)L Jones 7.750KG oeg 25 ML
6)C Barnes 5.280KG peg 8 ML


Section Winners (By default)

A (ML) T Thick
B (ML) D Wride
C (NP) A Hockin
D (NP) S Kitteridge 8.900KG peg 13

The best bit of the day was getting home, chucking the tackle in the garage and walking round the pub, then over to the local Indian for a very nice curry and several Kingfishers.

Roll on Wednesday, although the weather forecast is for it to get colder and rain, deep joy!!