I took a days annual leave to fish this match, I wasn't too convinced of the common sense of taking days off in Jan, when the wind was howling round the house at 06.30. A nice bacon & egg sandwich started the day off and that was the best bit of the windy and dismal drive to Plantation.
At the draw there was much talk of the high wind, which pegs to draw and plenty of talk about method chucking - I didn't listen, looking at some of the damage to fishes mouths, I 'm not convinced that the method and some folk who insist on striking like Zorro, aren't to blame.
I said to Glen (Faitheey) Calvert before the draw, that 33 would do me, based on previous silvers form, so I could have a days fishing. Well, I reckon, its the first time in 30 years of drawing pegs that I've ever drawn one prophesised. It hasn't got the form of last year, but the fact that 99 times from 100 you'll never beat the island chucks for carp, means you redouble the efforts to catch silvers, which can be in the peg in abundance.
So a full on silvers attack, the bait tray had 4 & 6mm Devils Spawn, caster, maggot, dead maggot and micro pellet. I set up three rigs, a 4x10 Malman Winter Wire on 0.14 to a 16 on 0.12 for the margin, a Preston diamond shaped float whose name eludes me, on 0.12 t0 a 0.10 hooklength and a 22 hook. Finally a MW Diamond, on 0.16 to 0.12 and a 16 Tubertini 808. I also assembled the ready made waggler rod, just in case the wind proved too much for the pole.
Because the wind was full on sideways, I setteled on a line at a manageable 11m, with the margins as a place to pulnder the big Perch. On the all in I fed micro and dead maggot, it wasn't long before the single maggot accounted for a snall roach, next time the float buried and on lifting into the bite, the pole came up, but several yards of orange Middy elastic came out and a 5lb carp did battle on the 0.10 hooklength. This was landed, as were the other 3 accidental 'vermin' netted during the match.
I managed to keep skimmers, roach and a couple of perch coming throughout the match, I did expect to get a few more perch, but they were conspicuous by their absence. The roach and two perch (small for this lake 10oz and 1lb) both fell to caster, as did a couple of 2-4oz roach, but the main bulk of the weight came to Devils Spawn fished at 11m, over micro and dead magot.
I was surprised myself when the fish went on the scales, whilst my silvers weren't enough to beat Mark Bromsgrove on peg1, who had 8 perch and a skimmer in the last hour for 17lb, to go with the rest of his silvers, they did tip the scales at 18.06, enought to take the silvers 2nd place coin.
Given the frosts in the week, the rumours of a mass otter kill and the forecasted weather, the weights were pretty good, with decent backups. I ended the day with 37lb odd, which was in the lower tier on the day, but as I fished for silvers it wasn't too bad at all and a nice days fishing, culminating in a payday.
1) Simon Jones 84.06 peg 29
2) Martin Lenahan 83.06 peg 4
3) Lance Tucker 78.04 peg 27
4) Darren 'Noddy' Vowles 50.14 peg 5
5) Rich Heatly 50.06 peg 39
6) Nick Harvey 48.00 peg 8
Silvers
1) Mark Bromsgrove 25.08 peg 1
2) Chris Fox 18.06 peg 33
3) Brian Slipper 18.04 peg 25
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