A Clevedon club match today, 18 fishing and we were on the main lake. I had taken the advice and gone into this match with a positive mental attitude and once I'd drawn and seen the peg, I was fairly positive that I didn't fancy it. Peg 10, it is a narrow peg, about 18-20yds to the island. The way the wind was whipping through, I decided to leave the waggler rods in the hardcase and walked back to the car to get the lead rod, which was there as a last resort.
I set up the lead rod, with 0.19 hooklength and a 16 QM1 to fish to the island, 4 topkits, one for meat at 5m, a margin rig and two pellet rigs, vitually identical, but one with a banded hook and one for soft pellet. I fed the margin, 5m line and some micros and 6's at 11m (too windy to realistically fish further) and finally some 8mm pellets fed tightto the island. I managed 22 minutes on the lead, before the motionless tip had me chucking it up the bank.
Out to the 11m line and 6mm Devils Spawn saw a couple of small skimmers in the net, a switch to hard pellet was a fruitless one, as I didn't have a bite on a banded pellet all match (pole or lead). After two hours of persistently trying the pellet and meat to no avail, I gave in and got the maggots out, this saw me net a few more skimmers, but the 0.16 and green Vespe was too harsh for them and a few were lost.
By now, it was apparent that the lake was fishing hard, I had tried the island again amd it remained biteless and no sign of fish, not even any liners. I could see Rod Wotton bank walking and the comments about how hard it was were coming thick and fast.
With half an hour to go, my float buried and I was attached to what felt like a big bream, but the it woke up and a dogged battle was fought, before a 14.06 carp was landed. Back out and I hooked another, mistakenly I tried to bully the fish and it came off, just as it was coming to the surface - a costly mistake. With 15 minutes ro go, what had been a barren island, was now home to rolling carp, I decided to stick it out on the pole, which was now producing bites, I managed ro lose another carp and a big skimmer, both possibly foul hooked amd all too soon came the all out.
My few accidental skimmers went 4lb dead, the late single carp went 14.06 for a total of 18.06, which was enough for 7th, the lost fish most likely costing me third place. I think, not taking caster and setting my stall out for silvers cost me any sort of pick up today, as I think a full six hours targeting them would have seen me catch enough to frame.
1) Andy Hembrow 54.12 peg 14
2) Brian Slipper 35.06 peg 6A
3) Lee Williams 23.12 peg 5A
4) Paul Faiers 22.06 peg 14B
5) Dave Smart 21.08 peg 13
6) Mike Owens 21.01 peg 15
Silvers
1) Andy Hembrow 14.04 peg 14
2) Paul Faiers 7.06 peg 14B
1 comment:
I had 1.5pts of caster......I didn't use 1 single caster.
Tough day, but always another, possibly better one to come.
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