Landsend League, Sunday 27th January 2013

Its been a bit of a shock this week, coming back from a couple of weeks in Goa, where the temperature was 39°C, to land last Sunday evening at Gatwick and see the snow and the temp of -4°C a difference of 43°C.  I had fully intended to do a few trips and get some fishing in whilst in India, but I contracted some sort of fever and that well and truly spoiled the holiday.

So with no fishing since December as work and holiday kept me from it, I managed to find a guest spot in the league today and as Landsend usually throws up a few bites in the winter, I was hopeful of having a reasonable day. A free draw this round and I manage to pick 26 on Specimen Lake, with Adrian Jeffery for company on 25 and 27 empty.  I never mind drawing next to Adrian as there is usually some decent conversation and I owe him an apology for wrecking his inside line -  about 1 ½ hours into the match I was shipping back a very small roach when my top 4 came off. Adrian helped me rescue it, but at the cost of us both negotiating it through his near swim, where he had caught a carp, so thanks for saving me £200+ Ade and sorry for buggering your nearline.

I set up three rigs, a 4x16 Jolly on 0.14 with a 0.12 hooklength and a 18 hook. A Sensas Auchy with the stotz spread out, on 0.12 with a 0.10 hook and just in case, (you have to have hope......) a Carpa Chimp on 0.16, with a 0.14 hooklength and 16 hook.

It took me an hour to get a bite and then I had a 3 roach before the top 4 disaster, I didn't have another bite until  2pm, when  5.06 carp took the single maggot offering, a chub followed not much later, then a small perch and roach in consecutive put ins. The storm then hit, howling wind and monsoon like torrential rain, after that the float remained, as it had for much of the day, motionless.

Adrian had 2 carp and a hybrid, I managed 1 carp and 6 silvers and 2 missed bites, thats a long 6 hours for 9 bites and a weight of 8.06. There just didn't seem to be any fish up in our corner of the lake, I had no liners and saw only 2 fish move from arriving at the peg until walking away from it.  Frustrating when you see the weights from the Match Lake and the opposite corner of the Specimen Lake, still thats winter fishing for you.

1.Mark Brennan 71-02-0 peg 13

2.Tony Rixon 64-05-0 peg 11

3.Mike Duckett 60-0-0 peg 32

4.Bela Bakos 59-01-0 peg 22

5.Clint Wojtyle 56-14-0 peg 33

6.Mark Poppleton 48-05-0 peg 19

 

 

1.Bob Gullick 23-0-0 peg 17

2.Tom Thick 22-09-0 peg 15