If I wasn't helping Paul organise this one, the forecasted weather may well have had me crying off and watching some football on the telly!! The drive down was eventful, a Mondeo flying down into the dip by The Airport Tavern and hitting the large flood was evidence of someone not paying attention to the road.
Once at the draw, there were some requests to cancel the match and some others to reduce it to 5 hours, we did put back the draw back 1/2 an hour and the start time, as it was reported that things should improve later in the day.
It was a free draw today and I managed to get C section, the island of Horseshoe Lake at Plantation. We had to reduce the numbers in the sections, due to no shows - it would be good if people rang!!Who'd be a match organiser....
There were some trees down at Plantation, but that was on the main lake, not Horseshoe, it looked nicely coloured but the ferocity of the wind and rain gave the portent of the day ahead. I set up a MW diamond 0.6g, which might seem excessive given the depth, but it did sit stable in the wind and severe surface skim. This had 0.10 and a 20 6313, a lighter diamond with a B960 and a band, just in case...... Yes, you're right it was a waste of time, so no more about it, as it stayed in the rig roost. I also set up a margin rig, more in hope than expectation as the margin was only 15 - 18" deep, too shallow I felt in the cold wind and rain.
I started at 5m maggot over caster and had 3 small carp in the first hour, then a 12oz perch, silvers being hard to come by. It then took me nearly an hour to get another bite, which came as I was struggling to get a neoprene glove on (as my fingers were numb and siezing up), Mark Broomsgrove opposite saw the elastic coming out and told me, the fish tried to get into the bankside rushes and in my attempt to turn it, with stiff and freezing arms and shoulders, it rolled on the surface, a huge perch, 3lb I reckon, sadly the roll on the surface disgorged the hook as neatly as any slammo.
I suffered a biteless 3rd hour and tried groundbait/pimkie and some chopped worm, to no avail The visits to the margin proved equally fruitless, as I suspected they would. It took until 35 minutes before the end before I had another bite and I landed 3 more carp and a roach not far off 1lb before the all out. I wasn't disapponted to finish, miraculously with 10 minutes of the all out, the lakes tempest ravaged surface took on a smooth glass like sheen - it happens far too often to be mere coincidence, doesn't it?
My 2 quality silvers went 1.11 and the carp 14.11, the middle 4 blank hours being costly. Acorn lake saw only 3 left at the end to weigh in, it was some of the worst weather (and the coldest April day) that I've fished in. I have some soggy weigh sheets to try and decipher now, I doubt if I will put an update to the tables until next weekend.
Thanks to Ken Rayner for the use of his Salter scales.
A Section (Acorn Paddock Lake)
1) Lewis Walker 47.04 peg 40
2) Simon Carvello 23.00 peg 6
Silvers
1) Simon Carvello 3.08 peg 6
2) Scott Smallwood 2.00 peg 36
B Section (Plantation Horseshoe Outside bank)
1) Rod Wootten 26.04 peg B7
2) John Page 24.12 peg B6
Silvers
1) Mark Broomsgrove 11.03 peg B4
2) Glenn Calvert 8.09 peg B5
C Section (Plantation Horseshoe Island pegs)
1) Brian Slipper 29.09 peg C3
2) Lance Tucker 27.00 peg C10
Silvers
1) Paul Faiers 8.04 peg C1
2) Brian Slipper 5.03 peg C3
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Maver Match, Viaduct, Sat 28th April 2012
In January I had a spare £100, so booked tickets for the two Maver qualifiers on Viaduct. It seemed a good idea at the time and Viaduct does seem to be the place, where my luck at the drawbag, sometimes exceeds my usual dismal dips into hats, tins or bait boxes.
Simples. That was the plan for today, one waggler rod, two lead rods and a couple of pole rigs, the waggler being one of those middy clear wagglers, they cast well and just need a little shotting (or a big swivel) to get them sat perfectly. The two lead rods were virtually identical, except for the hooklengths, one was 12" of 0.16 and a Guru 16 with a band, the other 18" of 0.18 with a 16 Guru and a quickstop for meat or bread. Pole rigs were a MW diamond on 0.18 to 0.16 with a 16 B960 and a MW slim power on 0.16 with a 16 Drennan Hair Rigger on 0.14.
Bait tray was simple, 8mm meat, 8mm pellet and 6mm pellet, with a, reduced to 30p in the Esso garage, loaf of bread to pop up should that be necessary - as it wasn't (or didn't work) no more of it and the bread became duck food.
Sadly my consistently shite drawing arm, once again played a blinder, putting me on one of the best skimmer pegs (70 on Lodge) - with no silvers qualification, nor money to fish for. I started on the lead and 8mm pellet and had my one and only liner within 10 minutes of the start, no ther indications on the lead on the several occasions I tried it. The wind (just for a change) was rendering the waggler a waste of time, as the surface drag from L to R and the undertow in the opposite direction thwarted all attempts to keep it in one place for more than a few seconds.
The pole at 12m produced a 5lb carp on the fith or 6th put in and that was to be the sole representative of Cypry's relatives to grace my net. I had a nice days fishing, I filled the bottom rung of my keepnet with skimmers and bream, 45-50lb would be a conservative estimate, but it was, in the context of the day, a total waste of time. I wasn't alone with most pegs on my bank, except 73 (who caught a few carp down to the tree) not weighing in. Oh well, I've another opportunity on 19th may, a carp peg would be nice.....
Rather than my usual photocopies of the weigh sheets, Steve gave me some hand written results, including some info on baits etc.
1) Tont Gilbert 196.08 peg 64(The Monk) 31 Carp on double 8mm meat at 16m in the margin
2) Martin Preston 165.07 peg 81 18 Carp on 11mm pellet on the lead
3) Jeb Attwood 158.08 peg 110 pellet on the waggler
4) Miles levy 139.13 peg 86
5) Ray Hayward 134.12 peg 102
6) Roland Lucas 128.14 peg 85
Simples. That was the plan for today, one waggler rod, two lead rods and a couple of pole rigs, the waggler being one of those middy clear wagglers, they cast well and just need a little shotting (or a big swivel) to get them sat perfectly. The two lead rods were virtually identical, except for the hooklengths, one was 12" of 0.16 and a Guru 16 with a band, the other 18" of 0.18 with a 16 Guru and a quickstop for meat or bread. Pole rigs were a MW diamond on 0.18 to 0.16 with a 16 B960 and a MW slim power on 0.16 with a 16 Drennan Hair Rigger on 0.14.
Bait tray was simple, 8mm meat, 8mm pellet and 6mm pellet, with a, reduced to 30p in the Esso garage, loaf of bread to pop up should that be necessary - as it wasn't (or didn't work) no more of it and the bread became duck food.
Sadly my consistently shite drawing arm, once again played a blinder, putting me on one of the best skimmer pegs (70 on Lodge) - with no silvers qualification, nor money to fish for. I started on the lead and 8mm pellet and had my one and only liner within 10 minutes of the start, no ther indications on the lead on the several occasions I tried it. The wind (just for a change) was rendering the waggler a waste of time, as the surface drag from L to R and the undertow in the opposite direction thwarted all attempts to keep it in one place for more than a few seconds.
The pole at 12m produced a 5lb carp on the fith or 6th put in and that was to be the sole representative of Cypry's relatives to grace my net. I had a nice days fishing, I filled the bottom rung of my keepnet with skimmers and bream, 45-50lb would be a conservative estimate, but it was, in the context of the day, a total waste of time. I wasn't alone with most pegs on my bank, except 73 (who caught a few carp down to the tree) not weighing in. Oh well, I've another opportunity on 19th may, a carp peg would be nice.....
Rather than my usual photocopies of the weigh sheets, Steve gave me some hand written results, including some info on baits etc.
1) Tont Gilbert 196.08 peg 64(The Monk) 31 Carp on double 8mm meat at 16m in the margin
2) Martin Preston 165.07 peg 81 18 Carp on 11mm pellet on the lead
3) Jeb Attwood 158.08 peg 110 pellet on the waggler
4) Miles levy 139.13 peg 86
5) Ray Hayward 134.12 peg 102
6) Roland Lucas 128.14 peg 85
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Avon Angling Open, Wildmarsh, 22/04/12
I like fishing Wildmarsh, it usually fishes a lot harder in matches, than pleasure fishing and it doesn't take huge weights to frame. I was grateful for the 10.00 draw, as I had been into town the night before on my leaving 'do'. (Large quantities of Jaegerbombs and then fishing really don't mix.......)
Still once I'd got to peg 29 and set up a small groundbait feeder, a waggler and two pole rigs, I was feeling much better, the two rigs were a 0.5g MW diamond to fish at 12m and a Carpa Chimp 4x14 to fish close in. On the whistle I fed caster short, micros, caster and dead maggot at 12m, then had 1/2 an hour on the g/bait feeder, which produced on tiny roach. That went up the bank and I had a look over the 12m line and almost straight away hooked and lost a good fish, straight after I had a decent skimmer. Then another, but bites were hard to come by, a look on the close rig produced a few roach, but not at anywhere near the rate needed to make it a viable option.
Back to 12m and a tench was gratefully netted, by now the rain in the face had stopped, but the wind had increased making presentation at 12m impossible. A switch to the waggler brought a bream to the net, but even with 12" of line on the bottom and 3 No8 shot, the wind was pushing it through as if it was rigged with sails.
I started a new line at 7m to my left, hoping that the presentation would be better, that produced nothing, the feeder was resorted to again, but I had nothing on it. I did wonder if g/bait was the problem, as I didn't catch over it at all, only where I fed micros and caster. I tried a new feeder line with micros and dead reds, all to no avail. So the odd roach and motherless minnow were all I could manage for the last hour or so, the match ruined for me and the others on the spit (with the exception of the method slingers...) by the wind.
My 11lb odd was just out of the silvers money, one more decent skimmer would have done it, still you can change the way you fish, but you can't change the weather - unless of course you are a water company and announce a drought, hasn't it rained most days since they told us the South West was in drought??
Still once I'd got to peg 29 and set up a small groundbait feeder, a waggler and two pole rigs, I was feeling much better, the two rigs were a 0.5g MW diamond to fish at 12m and a Carpa Chimp 4x14 to fish close in. On the whistle I fed caster short, micros, caster and dead maggot at 12m, then had 1/2 an hour on the g/bait feeder, which produced on tiny roach. That went up the bank and I had a look over the 12m line and almost straight away hooked and lost a good fish, straight after I had a decent skimmer. Then another, but bites were hard to come by, a look on the close rig produced a few roach, but not at anywhere near the rate needed to make it a viable option.
Back to 12m and a tench was gratefully netted, by now the rain in the face had stopped, but the wind had increased making presentation at 12m impossible. A switch to the waggler brought a bream to the net, but even with 12" of line on the bottom and 3 No8 shot, the wind was pushing it through as if it was rigged with sails.
I started a new line at 7m to my left, hoping that the presentation would be better, that produced nothing, the feeder was resorted to again, but I had nothing on it. I did wonder if g/bait was the problem, as I didn't catch over it at all, only where I fed micros and caster. I tried a new feeder line with micros and dead reds, all to no avail. So the odd roach and motherless minnow were all I could manage for the last hour or so, the match ruined for me and the others on the spit (with the exception of the method slingers...) by the wind.
My 11lb odd was just out of the silvers money, one more decent skimmer would have done it, still you can change the way you fish, but you can't change the weather - unless of course you are a water company and announce a drought, hasn't it rained most days since they told us the South West was in drought??
1. Adrian
Jefferies 32-14-0 peg 25
2. Dean
Malin 27-08-0 peg 42
3. Tony
Rixon 26-09-0 peg 30
4. Steve
Kedge 26-02-0 peg 9
5. Steve
Tucker 24-07-0 peg 58
6. Glen
Calvert 23-01-0 peg 6
Silvers:
1. Steve
Tucker 16-10-0 peg 58
2. Paul
Faiers 16-05-0 peg 20
3. Tony
Rixon 15-0-0 peg 30
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Pole Only Series 2012 Match Three
My turn to fish Acorn this round, Paddock was fully booked so it was onto the newly redesigned Match Lake, which has had many carp removed and plenty of skimmers added. We pegged it out in the reverse of the old permanent pegs, with A1 being at the top end and A10 was the old peg 2. I drew A7 which actually turned out to be the old peg 7, I would rather have had an end peg, but its a bit of a suck it and see today as the lake hasn't been match fished since the changes.
A nice coating of ice on the car made me glad that I had pinkies in the bait bag, I set up a Malman Winter Wire 4x10 with a .08 hooklength and a 20 gamma black hook. A Carpa Chimp with a 0.12 and a 18 63.13 at the same depth just in case they went mad..... and a rig for up the far shelf completed my rigs, this was a J range dibber with a 0.12 hooklength and a 16 63.13.
I found an area of the peg that was at least 6" deeper than the rest, this was at 9m at 2 o'clock, so this was where I targetted the skimmers, initially feeding some groundbait, micros and pinkies. I found a nice level area on the far shelf and fed this with caster. I didn't have to wait too long before the float dipped and a small carp graced the net, then another - I thought they'd been taken out!!! Next was a skimmer around the 6 -8oz mark and I managed to keep them coming one every 5 - 10 minutes for a couple of hours, by using a pole pot to add micros and pinkies every put in,
The skimmer line then went quiet, so I refed the line with groundbait and had a look up the shelf with double maggot, that produced a small rudd, a 12oz perch and a carp, that was it for up the shelf, every other look over there produced no so much as a twitch of the float. Back over the groundbait and 2 quick skimmers, then back to waiting for a bite, topping up the groundbait, or potting in some micros and maggot seemed to bring a fish or 2, but then the wait after was longer than a steady drip of bait via the topkit pot.
Going into the last hour I expected to put a few more fish in the net, maybe even a bonus from ther far shelf, it proved hard going, I didn't have a bite from 15.30 until 16.25, when I had 2 skimmers in 2 put ins just before the all out at 16.30. I could see that Sam Johnson on A10 had a really good last hour from the end margin and that proved to be my downfall, as he beat me for the silvers by 14oz, but it was an enjoyable days fishing, my 4 carp going 4.12 and the silvers 24.08. Dave Wride won the lake by a convincing margin, with 65.06 from end peg A1.
Todays results:
A Section: (Acorn Match Lake)
1) D Wride 65.02 A1
2) G Calvert 30.09 A2
Silvers
1) S Johnson 25.06 A10
2) C Fox 24.08 A7
B Section (Plantation Main Lake 1 - 19)
1) S Carvello 113.04 Peg 12
2) M Broomsgrove 70.11 peg 7
Silvers
1) M Broomsgrove 26.09 peg 7
2) Ken Raynor 18.00 peg 4
C Section (Plantation Main Lake 20-39)
1) R Wootten 81.02 peg 30
2) B Slipper 66.14 peg 27
Silvers
1) P Faiers 28.00 peg 39
2) L Tucker 19.12 peg 33
League Top Six after 3 Matches.
Overall
1) R Wootten 29 pts 214.04
2) D Wride 27pts 198.13
3) M Broomsgrove 25pts 154.11
4) B Slipper 23pts 138.05
5) R Lovering 22pts 186.11
6) K Rayner 21pts 147.10
Silvers
1) M Broomsgrove 30pts 61.08
2) P Faiers 29pts 77.13
3) G Calvert 25pts 65.01
4) D Wride 23pts 54.08
5) A Hockin 23pts 39.12
6) K Rayner 21pts 34.05
A nice coating of ice on the car made me glad that I had pinkies in the bait bag, I set up a Malman Winter Wire 4x10 with a .08 hooklength and a 20 gamma black hook. A Carpa Chimp with a 0.12 and a 18 63.13 at the same depth just in case they went mad..... and a rig for up the far shelf completed my rigs, this was a J range dibber with a 0.12 hooklength and a 16 63.13.
I found an area of the peg that was at least 6" deeper than the rest, this was at 9m at 2 o'clock, so this was where I targetted the skimmers, initially feeding some groundbait, micros and pinkies. I found a nice level area on the far shelf and fed this with caster. I didn't have to wait too long before the float dipped and a small carp graced the net, then another - I thought they'd been taken out!!! Next was a skimmer around the 6 -8oz mark and I managed to keep them coming one every 5 - 10 minutes for a couple of hours, by using a pole pot to add micros and pinkies every put in,
The skimmer line then went quiet, so I refed the line with groundbait and had a look up the shelf with double maggot, that produced a small rudd, a 12oz perch and a carp, that was it for up the shelf, every other look over there produced no so much as a twitch of the float. Back over the groundbait and 2 quick skimmers, then back to waiting for a bite, topping up the groundbait, or potting in some micros and maggot seemed to bring a fish or 2, but then the wait after was longer than a steady drip of bait via the topkit pot.
Going into the last hour I expected to put a few more fish in the net, maybe even a bonus from ther far shelf, it proved hard going, I didn't have a bite from 15.30 until 16.25, when I had 2 skimmers in 2 put ins just before the all out at 16.30. I could see that Sam Johnson on A10 had a really good last hour from the end margin and that proved to be my downfall, as he beat me for the silvers by 14oz, but it was an enjoyable days fishing, my 4 carp going 4.12 and the silvers 24.08. Dave Wride won the lake by a convincing margin, with 65.06 from end peg A1.
Todays results:
A Section: (Acorn Match Lake)
1) D Wride 65.02 A1
2) G Calvert 30.09 A2
Silvers
1) S Johnson 25.06 A10
2) C Fox 24.08 A7
B Section (Plantation Main Lake 1 - 19)
1) S Carvello 113.04 Peg 12
2) M Broomsgrove 70.11 peg 7
Silvers
1) M Broomsgrove 26.09 peg 7
2) Ken Raynor 18.00 peg 4
C Section (Plantation Main Lake 20-39)
1) R Wootten 81.02 peg 30
2) B Slipper 66.14 peg 27
Silvers
1) P Faiers 28.00 peg 39
2) L Tucker 19.12 peg 33
League Top Six after 3 Matches.
Overall
1) R Wootten 29 pts 214.04
2) D Wride 27pts 198.13
3) M Broomsgrove 25pts 154.11
4) B Slipper 23pts 138.05
5) R Lovering 22pts 186.11
6) K Rayner 21pts 147.10
Silvers
1) M Broomsgrove 30pts 61.08
2) P Faiers 29pts 77.13
3) G Calvert 25pts 65.01
4) D Wride 23pts 54.08
5) A Hockin 23pts 39.12
6) K Rayner 21pts 34.05
Monday, 9 April 2012
Acorn Open, Monday 9th April
I fished Friday, but just couldn't be arsed to write about it, Trinity Waters, I drew peg 9 which I wasn't unhappy with, but my match was a waste of a day, I foul hooked 1 small tench and 1 small carp, the only thing I hooked fair and square in the mouth was a 12oz eel.
Today was my first visit to Acorn Paddock Lake since May 2010 - it was a toss up between this or watching City v Coventry, I booked into this before I saw the wet weather forecast..... Still, the breakfast has improved since the early days and at £5.50 for the large one, it wasn't too bad at all.
Peg 7 was to be my home for 6 hours, having been advised by those with local knowledge that I'd need to carch from the shelf in front of peg 8 (handily vacant) if I was to stand a chance of beating peg 5 or 6. So a 4x12 Carpa Chimp was set up to fish this very flat plateau that extends a few feet from the margin of peg 8. I also set up a rig to fish meat tight across and another Chimp (4x14) to fish at the bottom of the far shelf for skimmers.
My silvers quest started OK, with a tench and a couple of skimmers, then I hooked a carp which promptly saw the skimmers do a disappearing act. By this time I was becoming a spectator, watching Glen Bailey on peg 5 catching well and Rich Heatly catching - a smaller stamp of carp - from his far shelf next to the bridge. I persevered with the silvers quest, but after two hours gave up, as the odd carp that I hooked and landed, scared the skimmers off for periods of up to an hour. It was the dilema of if I fed it attracted carp, but not in sufficient numbers to catch consistently or if I laid of the feed I could get the skimmers back, but how do you keep them coming without feeding?
I hooked a big carp that came off and as it did the float exploded, so up the bank with that top kit and a try with banded pellet, that produced my one and only fish from the plateau of peg 8 and I had one more over against the far bank, but I wasn't getting liners or foulers, they seemed content to stay in peg 5 and by the bridges.
I topped up the skimmer line with 2 balls of groundbait and had a little run of fish, but again a carp moved in and that was the end of the skimmer action, as this one ploughed through the swim, before taking me out into open water in front of 8 and snapping the hooklength.
I ended the day with 29lb odd of carp and 11lb 12 of silvers, which I believe was one out of the silvers money, I don't think there were enough carp in the peg to compete with the carp weights (I only had 6 or 7 for the 29lb), so they were big (for the venue) carp pushing out the silvers. In contrast Silvers winner Steve Mayo didn't weigh a single carp.
Not fishing until next Sunday now and I reckon it will take that long to dry my kit out.
Today was my first visit to Acorn Paddock Lake since May 2010 - it was a toss up between this or watching City v Coventry, I booked into this before I saw the wet weather forecast..... Still, the breakfast has improved since the early days and at £5.50 for the large one, it wasn't too bad at all.
Peg 7 was to be my home for 6 hours, having been advised by those with local knowledge that I'd need to carch from the shelf in front of peg 8 (handily vacant) if I was to stand a chance of beating peg 5 or 6. So a 4x12 Carpa Chimp was set up to fish this very flat plateau that extends a few feet from the margin of peg 8. I also set up a rig to fish meat tight across and another Chimp (4x14) to fish at the bottom of the far shelf for skimmers.
My silvers quest started OK, with a tench and a couple of skimmers, then I hooked a carp which promptly saw the skimmers do a disappearing act. By this time I was becoming a spectator, watching Glen Bailey on peg 5 catching well and Rich Heatly catching - a smaller stamp of carp - from his far shelf next to the bridge. I persevered with the silvers quest, but after two hours gave up, as the odd carp that I hooked and landed, scared the skimmers off for periods of up to an hour. It was the dilema of if I fed it attracted carp, but not in sufficient numbers to catch consistently or if I laid of the feed I could get the skimmers back, but how do you keep them coming without feeding?
I hooked a big carp that came off and as it did the float exploded, so up the bank with that top kit and a try with banded pellet, that produced my one and only fish from the plateau of peg 8 and I had one more over against the far bank, but I wasn't getting liners or foulers, they seemed content to stay in peg 5 and by the bridges.
I topped up the skimmer line with 2 balls of groundbait and had a little run of fish, but again a carp moved in and that was the end of the skimmer action, as this one ploughed through the swim, before taking me out into open water in front of 8 and snapping the hooklength.
I ended the day with 29lb odd of carp and 11lb 12 of silvers, which I believe was one out of the silvers money, I don't think there were enough carp in the peg to compete with the carp weights (I only had 6 or 7 for the 29lb), so they were big (for the venue) carp pushing out the silvers. In contrast Silvers winner Steve Mayo didn't weigh a single carp.
Not fishing until next Sunday now and I reckon it will take that long to dry my kit out.
1. Glenn Bailey 120-10-0 peg 5
2. Des Shipp 85-12-0 peg 21
3. Mike Nicholls 84-06-0 peg 38
4. Rich Healey 80-14-0 peg 6
5. Kev Perry 79-04-0 peg 40
6. Lance Tucker 69-09-0 peg 39
Silvers:
1. Steve Mayo 42-04-0 peg 15
2. Mark Bartlett 35-04-0 peg 1
3. Paul Faiers 17-08-0 peg 30
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Pole Only Series 2012
Round two of the series today, after a week of chopping up meat I decided on a change and aimed for a pellet attack. Plenty of worm and some caster also in the bag, all left over from Whiteacres. I knew I was in C section, pegs 23 - 39 on Plantation. Peg 32 was my home for the day - not an ideal draw, but I felt there was enough water to enable a few fish to be caught.
I set up 4 rigs, a shallow rig, as the fish do come up in the water early in the year on this venue, a rig to fish hard pellet on the deck, another to fish Devils Spawn and one for worm and caster. I started at 14m towards the island and foul hooked 5 fish in 5 put ins, so switched to a shallow rig, that produced nothing. Back on the deck and I managed a couple of skimmers and a carp, but the liners and foulers were a problem.
I dumped 2/3 of a large cup of 6 & 8mm pellets in to try and get the fish down, that proved to be a big mistake, the indications stopped - but so did the proper bites! Onto the short caster line and that produced a reasonbabale hybrid, but little else, the water was green and the bright green algae bloom kicked up by a hooked fish was worrying this early in the year.
I ended up going 19m towards the island to get another 3 carp, but finished with a dismal 29lb 10oz, another 6lb would have given me 3 more points, but I would have need another 43lb to get another point, once again I was at the end of the lake with low weights, I didn't help by dumping the bait in, but it would be nice to draw a favoured peg.........
Section Results:
Weights in lbs & oz
A: (Acorn Paddock)
1) Rich Lovering 108.02 peg 5
2) Ken Rayner 73.14 peg 36
Silvers
1) Mark Bromsgrove 16.12 peg 3
2) Kev Perry 14.02 peg 6
B: (Plantation)
1) Rod Wootten 100.10 peg 19
2) Lance Tucker 100.00 peg 8
Silvers
1) Rod Wootten 40.14 peg 19
2) Paul Faiers 33.06 peg 10
C: (Plantation)
1) Rich Heatly 80.08 peg27
2) Lewis walker 74.09 peg 28
Silvers
1) Dave Wride 23.08 peg 25
2) Clenn Calvert 21.09 peg 23
Overall Table After Two Matches:
1) R Lovering 19 points 148.09
2) L Walker 19 points 144.15
3) R Wootten 19 points 133.02
4) D Wride 17 points 133.07
5) K Rayner 17 points 104.01
6) M Bromsgrove 16 points 84.00
Silvers Table After Two Matches:
1) D Wride 20 points 51.09
2) M Bromsgrove 20 points 34.15
3) G Calvert 17 points 41.13
4) P Faiers 15 points 49.13
5) A Hockin 15 points 24.12
6) R Lovering 14 points 20.19
I set up 4 rigs, a shallow rig, as the fish do come up in the water early in the year on this venue, a rig to fish hard pellet on the deck, another to fish Devils Spawn and one for worm and caster. I started at 14m towards the island and foul hooked 5 fish in 5 put ins, so switched to a shallow rig, that produced nothing. Back on the deck and I managed a couple of skimmers and a carp, but the liners and foulers were a problem.
I dumped 2/3 of a large cup of 6 & 8mm pellets in to try and get the fish down, that proved to be a big mistake, the indications stopped - but so did the proper bites! Onto the short caster line and that produced a reasonbabale hybrid, but little else, the water was green and the bright green algae bloom kicked up by a hooked fish was worrying this early in the year.
I ended up going 19m towards the island to get another 3 carp, but finished with a dismal 29lb 10oz, another 6lb would have given me 3 more points, but I would have need another 43lb to get another point, once again I was at the end of the lake with low weights, I didn't help by dumping the bait in, but it would be nice to draw a favoured peg.........
Section Results:
Weights in lbs & oz
A: (Acorn Paddock)
1) Rich Lovering 108.02 peg 5
2) Ken Rayner 73.14 peg 36
Silvers
1) Mark Bromsgrove 16.12 peg 3
2) Kev Perry 14.02 peg 6
B: (Plantation)
1) Rod Wootten 100.10 peg 19
2) Lance Tucker 100.00 peg 8
Silvers
1) Rod Wootten 40.14 peg 19
2) Paul Faiers 33.06 peg 10
C: (Plantation)
1) Rich Heatly 80.08 peg27
2) Lewis walker 74.09 peg 28
Silvers
1) Dave Wride 23.08 peg 25
2) Clenn Calvert 21.09 peg 23
Overall Table After Two Matches:
1) R Lovering 19 points 148.09
2) L Walker 19 points 144.15
3) R Wootten 19 points 133.02
4) D Wride 17 points 133.07
5) K Rayner 17 points 104.01
6) M Bromsgrove 16 points 84.00
Silvers Table After Two Matches:
1) D Wride 20 points 51.09
2) M Bromsgrove 20 points 34.15
3) G Calvert 17 points 41.13
4) P Faiers 15 points 49.13
5) A Hockin 15 points 24.12
6) R Lovering 14 points 20.19
Monday, 2 April 2012
Bait Tech Festival 2012
Today saw me on 31, Twin Oaks, I'd decided on a line at 14m for worm and caster, a short line for meat and tight to the far bank with a waggler and straight lead. I also set up a margin rig as both margins looked tempting and one rig did for both.
I clipped up the waggler and lead rod, plumbed up the pole rigs and was ready for the start, I had an F1 on the second chuck with the straight lead and then one of those inexplicible cock ups, the lead hit the far bank and I lost the lot. I don't like leaving tackle on the bank, but there wasn't much I could do about it.
Switching to the waggler I had a carp tight across, then heard a commotion as a duck had picked up my lost line and then tangled that up with the waggler set up of Lewis Walker on peg 29, he managed to get the duck in and I went down to his peg and cut all the line off it - it flew away quite safely.
Sad to say that was the most exciting part of the day, the promising looking margins only producing one fish from each side, a few skimmers on the pole and a couple of carp across ensured that my dismal performance continued.
Onto the last day and I was looking forward to Porth, I was confident that I could put in a better showing than on the lakes dominated by F1's. 82 out of the drawbag, so a trip on the boat and it was dropping off at peg 80, so a short walk. I was intending to only take a couple of feeder rods, but I did slip a waggler rod into the rod bag.
I set up two feeder rods, one at 25 turns and one at 60 turns, the 60 turns rod didn't get touched again, so no more about that. I added the waggler rod to the set up, with a large bodied Drake waggler. Hooklengths were 0.10 flurocarbon and size 16 hooks on both rods used.
Starting on the feeder with caster & worm, I had indications and a couple of fish early on, after an hour of bites and a few small skimmers I tried the waggler and had 3 fish including a chunky 4oz roach, in 3 put ins. Then the line caught under the plastic plug on top of the platform leg and broke, I retackled up, but couldn't replicate the bite a chuck of the first 3 casts.
Back on the tip and I kept fish coming, the 2 best fish, skimmers of about 12oz and 1lb, both taken by pike, at 4 o'clock another disaster - the fine glass tip of my drennan rod snapped, so I had to retackle up with another tip section. I kept catching to the end and was happy that I'd fished a much better match than the previous 3 days. I was second to weigh in in the section and was winning the section with 5lb 10oz until end peg 89 weighed 6lb odd. Someone said,"that end peg has won the section every time I've been here!!"
So some redemption on the last day, the festival was a massive learning curve. I now know how little I understand meat fishing, F1 fishing and that good up to date info is crucial to success in these festivals. The bait limit meant I was worrying about taking the full amount, which on every day was too much.
I reckon I'll go again, but next time with full preperation and more prepared to ask questions.
See the Whiteacres website for all the results.
I clipped up the waggler and lead rod, plumbed up the pole rigs and was ready for the start, I had an F1 on the second chuck with the straight lead and then one of those inexplicible cock ups, the lead hit the far bank and I lost the lot. I don't like leaving tackle on the bank, but there wasn't much I could do about it.
Switching to the waggler I had a carp tight across, then heard a commotion as a duck had picked up my lost line and then tangled that up with the waggler set up of Lewis Walker on peg 29, he managed to get the duck in and I went down to his peg and cut all the line off it - it flew away quite safely.
Sad to say that was the most exciting part of the day, the promising looking margins only producing one fish from each side, a few skimmers on the pole and a couple of carp across ensured that my dismal performance continued.
Onto the last day and I was looking forward to Porth, I was confident that I could put in a better showing than on the lakes dominated by F1's. 82 out of the drawbag, so a trip on the boat and it was dropping off at peg 80, so a short walk. I was intending to only take a couple of feeder rods, but I did slip a waggler rod into the rod bag.
I set up two feeder rods, one at 25 turns and one at 60 turns, the 60 turns rod didn't get touched again, so no more about that. I added the waggler rod to the set up, with a large bodied Drake waggler. Hooklengths were 0.10 flurocarbon and size 16 hooks on both rods used.
Starting on the feeder with caster & worm, I had indications and a couple of fish early on, after an hour of bites and a few small skimmers I tried the waggler and had 3 fish including a chunky 4oz roach, in 3 put ins. Then the line caught under the plastic plug on top of the platform leg and broke, I retackled up, but couldn't replicate the bite a chuck of the first 3 casts.
Back on the tip and I kept fish coming, the 2 best fish, skimmers of about 12oz and 1lb, both taken by pike, at 4 o'clock another disaster - the fine glass tip of my drennan rod snapped, so I had to retackle up with another tip section. I kept catching to the end and was happy that I'd fished a much better match than the previous 3 days. I was second to weigh in in the section and was winning the section with 5lb 10oz until end peg 89 weighed 6lb odd. Someone said,"that end peg has won the section every time I've been here!!"
So some redemption on the last day, the festival was a massive learning curve. I now know how little I understand meat fishing, F1 fishing and that good up to date info is crucial to success in these festivals. The bait limit meant I was worrying about taking the full amount, which on every day was too much.
I reckon I'll go again, but next time with full preperation and more prepared to ask questions.
See the Whiteacres website for all the results.
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