Plantation Saturday Series, 5th November 2011

I decided  a few weeks back, that my season ticket for City, was a waste of money, I was bored stiff watching them lose every week, so I signed up to the Saturday Plantation Series - bad move after todays experience.

I missed the first match due to the Viaduct Sivers Final, my vermin induced woes at this match have previously been documented, so today was my first match in the series. Once I dipped into the groundbait bowl that held the swim cards, I was pretty confident that the peg which revealed its self, wouldn't give me any pressue. Peg 11, I nearly put my gear back in the van and went to the football. I reckon I will next match if I draw 11 again.....

To cut a long story short. I hooked 5 carp & landed 4, nothing spectacular, as 2 were 3oz with the other 2 4lb between them,so for the second time in three matches on Plantation, I was a spectator, watching peg 8 win the match. The draw had made up my mind before I left the car park and a phone call to Faiersy (Paul faiers) confirmed my decicion to fish for silvers was the best option.

I fed a couple of lines close in, and a 13m line with CW&C, the usual run of fish on caster didn't materialise, in fact I only had one bite on caster, a carp, who played with me for nearly 10 minutes before taking the hook off the 0.10 hooklength. Pieces of worm also resulted in a motionless float, single magggot being the only bait I could induce anything to take. The LH topkit to hand line produced 2 perch around 1lb each, a skimmer of similar stamp and a crucian slightly bigger. The roach wouldn't come in on that line, nor a new line tried further out. I had to continually rotate lines taking an odd fish here and there, I kept tryimg caster, as it usually works well here, not today!!

I fed 2 lines in the RH margin of peg 10, one with caster, one with meat, nothing to suggest there was a fish anywhere near, as the float remained perfectly motionless each time I had a look in.

I had a waggler set up and tried that past the 13m line and over the 13m line, this produced a carp and a few roach, a difficult and frustrating day, but I was pleasantly surprised when my 15.09 for third in the silvers picked up some coin, as top three and top three silvers were paid out. A look at the overall result shows that the draw was important today, with the top four in a line.

1) Rich Heatley 84.09 peg 8
2) Andy France 70.08 peg 5
3) Mark Bromsgrove 58.12 peg 7
4) Craig Tucker 56.02 peg 4
5) Andy Hembrow 54.04 peg 26
6) Pete Sivell 45.02 peg 38

Silvers
1) Lance Tucker 23.08 peg 23 (Lance managed to find some of the big perch)
2) Brian Slipper 18.02 peg 18
3) Chris Fox 15.09 peg 11