Carps AC Wednesday Qualifiers Final. Sunday 24/10/10

Only my second visit to Sedges and it ended as the first time, a mediocre also ran! I had some information, but that didn't help me as I struggled to put a run of fish together.
Peg 36 came out of the bag and I found myself next to Rich Coles, who proclaimed it as a crap draw.... Nothing new there then, but as I didn't know wat was good or bad, I remained optimistic as I tackled up a feeder rod with a cage feeder to fish groundbait & maggot and three pole rigs, one Malman winter wire to fish maggot/caster, one MW pellet to fish worm/pellet and a Maver model unknown to fish hair rigged worm or hard pellet.

There was a slightly deeper area straight in front at 11m and after the cold night, I decided to target that as my main CW& C line, I fed a line with micros at about 8m 10'oclock and to let them rest had a chuck or three with the feeder to get some bait out to the gap in the islands. The day got off to a good start (not) when second cast I hooked a big fish on the feeder and it swam straight into a snag, fish 1 me 0.

Dropping back on the CW&C I had a couple of roach, then a skimmer, before hooking a skimmer around the 3lb mark, which rolled on the surface and shed the hook, the red maggot hookbait had gone over the point, fish 2 me 0. I had a few small skimmers and they seemed to be responding to the feed going in, so I upped it slightly - then spent the rest of the day thinking it wasn't the wisest thing I've ever done, as the fish backed off the bait and probably, by the lack of bites, the peg!!  Bloody winter fishing, I hate all this meagre feeding.

Another look on the feeder and apart from  small roach and th odd liner, it was also quiet, I did try a banded pellet, nothing doing. Back on the pole and the micro & pellet line saw another small skimmer in the net, by now my hand was hurting, a combination of the cold wind and the pole pressing into it.

I'd never fished a method feeder, but I had bought a couple, just to try, with a guilty feeling, like being caught in a married womans bedroom by her husband, I slipped the method onto the line and launched it to the gap in the islands, it gave my hand some respite, thats my excuse. I actually had three carp and a goldfish on it, nothing of any size, although it has left me traumatised, I think I need to donate them to a worthwhile cause, just in case I'm ever tempted to put one on the line again.

So well and truly battered, although not by 'venue expert' Rich Coles, who managed 10lb odd from 37, my weight boosted by the carp caught when I lost my principles, still only went 11lb odd. If you read Mike Nicholls blog, you'll see he thinks Terry Bruton was on 36, that means Mike must have been on 32 they say the first thing that goes is your mind...... I still have my swimcard with a big blue 36 on it.

It seems there were plenty of fish caught on soft pellet, I wish I could get on with it, probably my least favourite bait and one I may as well not take to matches, as I can't recall ever having done any good with it.

1. John Thompson 68-15-0 peg 19
2. Terry Bruton 44-01-0 peg 34
3. Vince Brown 35-09-0 peg 40
4. Dave Bacon 32-03-0 peg 20
5. Mike Nicholls 26-11-0 peg 32
6. Mike Owens 26-10-0 peg 18

 Silvers:

1. Mike Nicholls 20-07-0 peg 32
2. Mike Snudden 19-0-0 peg 39
3. Terry Bruton 15-08-0 peg 34