I had considered my options for this match and decided to just take meat, pellet and corn, so any sort of silvers coin was not going to be a factor. Arriving at the venue I notice that they have now banned keepnets, another one to tick off my list of venues I won't pleasure fish (not that I have been pleasure fishing for ages). As it was my Birthday on the Friday, I went steady on the celebratory London pride and felt in fine fettle arriving in the car park in time for a walk round the lake before breakfast.
There was also a net dip, but I must admit, it didn't smell too strong, I do fully understand the owners trying to protect their fish stocks though, so complied with the request to dip nets. Karen from Bullock Farm Cafe has taken over the catering and bar side of Plantation, so for the first time in a while I had a Breakfast there.
19 of us fishing the two days, so 2 sections of 10 and pot luck which peg wasn't drawn, we'd have a free draw the first day and fish the other section the next day. A decent bit of banter and piss taking before the draw and it was a delight to see Darren 'Nuddy' Vowles face light up when he heard there was a fresh tub of goose fat gently warming.............
In fact for me, the banter and catching up with a few old friends was the best bit of the weekend, into the draw tub and out comes peg 3, immediately I was deluged with commiserations - "how do you do it, it's the worst peg on the lake".... "you won't win F all from there".... etc etc.
Off the the peg a bit down hearted, but still determined to give it a good go, I set up 3 rigs, a pellet rig to fish banded pellet on the deck at 14m, a meat rig to fish at the bottom of the slope and a rig to fish, what really isn't a margin, it's too short and too deep, but you never know...... ( that's bullshit, I knew I wouldn't catch carp from it, but I was being positive and optimistic). I also set up a straight lead and a waggler to fish at depth, both to be fished out as far as I dare without interfering with 'Nuddy' on point peg 38.
I cupped in a few pellets at 14m on the all in and some meat, starting on the pole, to no avail, all the positivity and new found confidence was still in place, but the lack of any sign of fish activity was chipping away at its thin veneer. Paul Nicholls on peg 1 and Rich Lovering on peg 4 were suffering the same fate. I started fishing the waggler further out, and feeding 8mm pellet did see some signs of fish, it wasn't exactly effervescent bubbling, but was at least some sign of life. The final tally was margin nil bites, meat nil bites, pole a couple of dinks, no fish, waggler 3 carp, one of which was 10lb and straight lead 1 carp, all on 8mm pellet.
The usual pegs produced fish, but weights were down on what is usually expected, talking to Rod Wootten afterwards, he struggled to catch on pellet as well, Rod usually teases a decent weight from most pegs on pellet, so perhaps it wasn't me. My 4 carp went 27.14, beating the two pegs either side of me, but as expected the 'flyers' trumped the less favoured pegs.
Paul Faiers and Steve Mayo had a good head to head on silvers, both catching over 40lb, it did make me wish I'd taken groundbait and caster, but I still think that would have been an impossible ask from peg 3.
Saturdays Results.
1) Simon Jones 83.02 peg 7
2) Kev Perry 74.08 peg 39
3) Lance Tucker 67.00 peg 31
4) M Warne 56.14 peg 26
5) Glenn Calvert 55.05 peg 8
6) Paul Faiers 54.02 peg 23
Silvers
1) Paul Faiers 48.00 peg 23
2) Steve Mayo 45.00 peg 25
So, onto Sunday, same MO today, except I didn't waste my time taking meat, today would be all about fishing pellet. Into the tub and peg 29 reveals itself. It has an island chuck, probably the longest one on the lake and it is set back behind its neighbours, by virtue of the shape of the lake and bank erosion. (I notice that the day tickets for Plantation are now £8, for that I do feel that the swims should by now have some nice solid platforms installed).
Two pole rigs today, a pellet rig for on the deck and a margin rig, although I had the length of margin, it was again, deeper than I'd like and I didn't get a bite there, so no more about it. I also set up a pellet feeder to fish to the island ( and Fairzy had given me some white chocolate band 'ums, which apparently is the bait to use - at least if it was crap they might taste nice...). As I had time, I set up two wagglers, one at depth and one to fish 18" deep.
Starting on the pole, it wasn't long before I had a bite and a foul hooker charged off into peg 28, which had Glenn Calvert in as my neighbour today, it swirled next to his float and led me a merry dance, before I landed it and found the hook snugly nestled in the RH pelvic fin, a welcome bonus that was touching double figures. It also started a day that became more and more frustrating, I could not get another bite on the pole, so tried the feeder to the island, this resulted in 3 small carp in an hour, my first fish on white chocolate bait!!
Back on the pole as Glenn was catching and also hooking, if not landing, fish steadily now. I had been feeding the pole line all the time I'd been on the feeder, but still could not get a bite. This carried on and as the frustration built, I walked up to Glenn to see what he was catching on - 8mm pellet was the answer. Glen was a couple of metres further out, but surely that alone couldn't be the reason for him catching and me not even getting a bite??
I had tried both wagglers, but a left to right wind was skimming round the island making presentation so bad it wasn't worth persuing. So with 2 hours to go, I was virtually ready to pack up, put the gear on ebay and search for the golf clubs, then the wind dropped and I could present a float to the island and I managed a few fish, but was too far behind to catch up, as the wind toyed with me for the 2 hour period, I did give the pole another go for 15 minutes, as I was in virtual disbelief that I couldn't get a bite, whilst Glenn was getting a fish or a fouler most put in's.
I had somewhat disinterestedly clicked 42lb and I thought I had missed a fish or two, but knew I was a long way behind Glenn. At the end I took my topkit up to his peg and laid it along side his, different float patterns but, virtually identical depths, shotting pattern and banded hook. he'd been feeding about 10 pellets regularly through the catty, so had I. He did say, " did you see that float, it spent all day circling between Paul (Nicholls on peg 27) and out to the point of the island" I hadn't seen the float, but it did suggest the main body of fish seemed to spend the day circling between the boundaries of pegs 27/28 and I managed to catch a few when conditions let me get to the point of the island, where they turned and headed back.
My fish went 52lb for a mediocre mid section finish, my positive and optimistic adventure ended in tatters, I am still at a total loss to explain why I couldn't draw any fish from Glenn's peg onto my pole line, which apart from the very early foul hooker, produced nothing for the second day running.
This has to be one of the peggiest venues in the South West, I think that at least 75% of matches I have fished on here have been won or the the peg has framed from 7. It won both days this weekend again, is there a more consistent peg (all year round) than peg 7 on this lake?
The silvers again produced two 40lb+ weights for Paul Faiers and Steve Mayo, with Paul taking the crown again.
Sundays results.
1) Lewis Walker 107.6 peg 7
2) Paul Nicholls 107.00 peg 27
3) Glenn Calvert 96.12 peg 28
4) Simon Jones 71.00 peg 38
5) Darren 'Nuddy'( "is the goose fat up to temperature yet?") Vowles 69.00 peg 5
6) Kevin Perry 56.13 peg 1
Silvers
1) Paul Faiers 42.08 peg 19
2) Steve Mayo 41.12 peg 8
Overall Result:
1) Simon Jones 4 Points 154.02
2) Glen Calvert 4 Points 152.01
3) Kevin Perry
Silvers
1) Paul Faiers 2 points 90.08
2) Mark Broomsgrove 2 points 52.02
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