Landsend Winter League, Sunday 27th March 2015

As I am working all of Easter, it was good to get on a local match on the Sunday, before I had to drive to Worcester for a nightshift.

This was my first visit to Landsend for ages, not a conscious decision, just too much work and other matches taking precedence.  Since I was here last, the empty portacabin has been turned into a homely little cafe and I was quite happy with the quality and cost of the breakfast, fortunate timing in opening the fishery cafe for Mike and Diane I think, as the cafe at Shipham was closed when I drove past at 07.36. I was standing in for the absent Roland Lucas and it was to be Specimen lake for me today, I went into the draw tub and was a little disappointed to draw 38, I had spent all the previous day picturing 31,32, 33 or 34 being revealed when I opened the swimcard, but it wasn't to be.

Off to my peg and with ages to set up, had a chat or two on the way, before setting up 4 topkits, one to fish banded pellet just off the island, not sure if it wasn't a little too deep, there was a little flat area just off the island, but it was about 3' deep.  Another rig for caster or soft pellet, I intended to fish one line down the track at 10 o'clock and the other at 2 o'clock, feeding softened 4mm's on one line and caster on the other, a rig to fish meat at 5m and finally, one for the RH and LH margin.

The plan was scuppered when I opened my bait bag and realised that my casters were still in the fridge at home.... Doh, great start.  Also I was buggering about trying to get my pole rollers in a decent position to get up the bank behind me.  I needed a higher roller, I did have a V roller in the van, but have shied away from using V rollers having broken a couple of sections when the roller has blown over and with the wind forecast today, I was going to be content with breaking down the pole.

Venue owner Mike Duckett was chatting as I was doing this and kindly offered me the use of his brand new Preston roller, which certainly towered over my Matrix rollers.  Top man Mike!!  He even revealed some plans for the fishery, I hope he manages to pull them off, as it's a great place, just a shame I don't ever catch many carp here........

Not only did he lend me his shiny new roller, he also brought me down a pint of caster, which I must rather red facedly admit, that I forgot to pay him for in my haste to get home and have an hours kip before work.  If you read this Mike, you know I won't forget and will pay my dues.

Onto the match, on peg 36 to my left, I had Rod Wootten and to my right, Octbox display merchant and genial chappie, Adrian Jefferies on 40.  I had a chat with Rod before and he said I'd catch over early, then the fish would disappear - would you like to pick my lottery numbers next weekend Rod?

I fed the 10 0'clock line with some pellet and the 2 o'clock with caster, before picking up the catapult and pingng a few 4mm's to the island, first dob-in with a 6mm pellet, the float buried, fish on, but it was a 6oz roach.  Next put in a 4lb carp, then a liner and with 20 minutes gone I had another carp and a roach, before any signs of activity stopped.

I'd love to wax lyrical about the rest of the match,  but there isn't much to say. We had a rainstorm, I struggled to get bites on any of my lines, nothing in the RH margin where I had been feeding meat, nothing in the LH margin (down by the pallet of 37) where I fed 6mm pellet and dead maggot.  One sole, solitary bite on the short meat line - a 6oz roach, these were also present on the pellet line - although it was a long, long wait for a bite and I didn't have a bite over the 2 o'clock caster line. I did managed two other carp from the pellet line by the island, I did set up a shallow rig and tried that up tight to the island, but that too remained biteless.

At the end I wasn't too disappointed to have the all-out called, as it was one of those days where there seemed to a lack of fish in the peg create any competition for feed.  As I was guesting for someone not needing league points, I did try and force the peg more than I would have, had I been after section points and it didn't work, my handful of decent roach went 5lb odd and the carp just over 26lb for a fairly dismal 32lb odd.

My result aside, it was good to get back to the peace of Landsend, hopefully it won't be too long before I get back there.

Sedges Mad March Pairs, Saturday 19th March 2016

Back to Sedges today to see if we could somehow get two section wins and scrape into the overall, no point in messing about, so no gossamer silvers rigs, no pinkies, not even any live maggots in my bait bag.

It was my turn to draw, my faulty drawing arm has had a few malfunctions this year and put me on a few pegs that have produced fish, it has also resolutely lived up to it's reputation on a couple of other occasions.  Today it gave us 27 and 19, so once again, no corner, but Ken was one off a corner, as he was last week - although looking at last weeks result sheets did little to cheer him up as 19 was last in section.  27 had won the section last week, the lowest weight section, but at least there had been fish in the area.

Getting to my peg, I find that I have some good company and banter to my left, with Mosella backed Tom Mangnell on 28 and the silvers legend Bob Gullick on 29, with 30 the corner not drawn.  I though we had drawn the short straw weather wise, as we had the bitterly cold easterly wind blowing at us, whereas those on the opposite bank had nice calm water and it off their backs.  By the time the draw was done and we got to the pegs, that left an hour to set up, an hour usually means I'm not ready, but learning the lesson from last week, I took waggler and lead rods pre set up, I usually make lead rods up on the bank, after a few expensive, broken quiver ips in the ready rod bag.

Two lead rods, both the same, Daiwa Tounament Pro 10', both with 8lb reel line, Daiwa TDR on the straight lead rig and Shimano Technium on the method, this also had a 10' shock leader of 10lb fluorocarbon, to try and keep it pinned on the deck.  The straight lead was set up as usual, a sliding bomb, although as it's allowed here, I did put a float stop behind it.  A 2" twizzled loop, this has another float stop behind it, to allow  lengthening the distance from bomb to hook, a 12" 0.20 hooklength with a 14 QM1 finishes this rig off.  The method was a Guru hybrid, which can be used elasticated here, so that was clipped onto a loop and a 4" hooklength of 0.20 to a 18 MWG hook.

The wind looked to have scuppered any thoughts of catching on the waggler, but in case it dropped, out of the bag came a pellet waggler,  this was set up with a 12' Titan 2000, 4lb reel line and a 0.18 hooklength, with a PR36 size 16 hook.  Initially set to 3' deep.

I didn't have a lot of faith in the pole today, given that feezing wind blowing at us, so two rigs, just in case, a 0.75g Hillbilly Dweezil, lovely floats for fishing long in deep water and windy conditions, that was on 0.20 line, a 0.16 hooklength and a 16LWG and a No10 solid elastic.  That was plumbed up at 14m, where I intended to fish pellet.  The other rig was a Roob on 0.20, with a 0.18 hooklength and a 16 Guru super strong hook, that was plumbed up to fish 7 sections, just up the slope, where I would feed 6mm meat.

Bait tray was bread, 4,6 and 8mm pellets and 6mm meat.  On the all-in I started on the bomb and bread, whilst everyone else was feeding their pole lines, I feel that this can often bring an instant response before a barrage of leads hit the water.  It didn't take long for the tip to wrap right round and for me to strike at thin air - a liner, it looked like a bite!! Another cast and a few twitches, so there were fish out there, but as yet nothing. After 10 minutes I fed both pole lines and went back on the bread, this time a near double figure fish was my reward, a couple more followed before the bites and liners stopped.  Tom had had a couple of fish as well, but they were smaller than mine, he also stopped getting liners.  3 fish for 30lb on my clicker in the first hour.

I had a cast with the method, but after 5 minutes of that tip remaining motionless, it went up the bank, I was fairly sure the fish were out in the open water, near the dividing rope that runs down the middle of the lake, so I started to feed a few pellets, I would have liked to feed 6mm, but would have had no chance of getting them out there, so 8mm it had to be.  I did have a look on the pole line at 14m, I had three bites and 3 skimmers, which weighed exactly 1lb, I wasn't at all confident that the carp would move in, so up the bank with the pole and out with the waggler.

First cast with the waggler the float landed settled and disappeared, after a spirited battle a 9lb fish was in the net and a somewhat bemused Tom was seen scrambling off his box and hastily assembling a waggler rod.  I had another smaller fish, taken by casting towards the island to my right, but the wind was really spoiling it, yet I was getting tiny indications and just had the feeling that the waggler, if it wasn't so bloody windy. would have seen me catch well.  Trouble is these wise old fish aren't likely to be fooled by a pellet whizzing through the peg.

Back on the bomb and another fish on bread, I tried punched meat where I had been pinging the 8mm pellet, to no avail.  Bread by the island accounted for the next fish, that was so fat, I thought it might be near the 15lb weigh limit, so off to the scales with it, but as usual, my guesstimating skills were well adrift, as it went 12.12.  A lull in the wind saw me pick up the waggler and take another fish on 6mm pellet, before the wind decided that it wasn't going to let me enjoy a days waggler fishing.  With an hour to go I gave the meat line 5 minutes, but had no indication, nor any feeling that I would, so binned that.

Hoping the fish would be looking for some feed in the last hour, I picked up the method rod and fished that, micros in the feeder and a 6mm pellet hidden amongst them. This produced three more fish in the last hour and I was confident of having won the section, I thought I had between 80 and 90lb and wasn't too far out with 86lb, which took the section and fourth on the day, albeit jointly with Tom Thick who weighed the same from Brick lake.  Sadly Ken's peg fished to similar form as last week and we didn't get in the frame overall.

It was an enjoyable series, some confusion over the scoring which, once it was explained I thought was an innovative way to do it.  (Pairs scores added together and the given points for placing, kept it open with something to fish for in the second match).  Not sure if most fishing realised how it was being scored until the end.  One other observation, it would be a good idea for there to be 3 or 4 spare keepnets put by each set of scales, as although I didn't need them, the disadvantage if I did, from say, peg 20 fetching one, could be one or two fish.

It's a fishery I'd like to get back to a bit more this year, hopefully I'll get the opportunity and if this is run again next year, I'll be back for another attempt.

On the day:

1: Dan White 125.08 peg 32
2: James Parkhouse 99.09 peg 37
3: Nigel Garrett 92.13 peg 9
4: Chris Fox 86.00 peg 27
4: Tom Thick 86.00 peg 17
6: Nick Chedzoy 80.07 peg 7

Overall the pairs winners were:

1: James Parkhouse and Nigel Garratt
2: Dan White and Scott Puddy
3: Dave Romain and Dave White

PS.  If anyone wants advice on method feeder fishing, then don't ask Bobby G, I think he must use 0.09 hooklengths, as the fish kept stealing them.......

Acorn Costcutter, Tuesday 15th March 2016

Sometimes, a bright idea acted on in haste, turns out to be something of mistake, today was one of those.....  I thought it might be a good idea to get out and banish Sundays horrors to the shadows of history.  Acorn, not to far, reading Ray's (Bazeley) facebook reports it seems to be waking up and a few fish coming out and Tony (Rixon) was going and offered a lift.

All the above seemed to outweigh my usual reasons for avoidance of snake lakes and after I donned my chef's hat and rustled up a full English for Tony, off we set.  The sunshine had brought a few out, although it was the fact I had a day off, not the weather, for me and I managed to pull one of the favoured bridge pegs out of the ping pong ball bag, No22.  It was never the best of the bridge pegs, but my knowledge of the venue is somewhat rusty, as I haven't been here since 10th March last year.

I set up a Hillbilly Chump to fish at full depth, this was OK for all over the peg as the depth varied by only 6" all over the peg.  A MW Pear to fish up the shelf, another to fish shallower, for bread or maggot dobbed along the far bank grasses.  Finally a margin rig to fish down to the pallet of 23.

Bait tray consisted of maggots, casters, soft pellet and micros.  Staring at depth it took 20 minutes to get a bite, this was a fat little 4oz Perch.  A look up the shelf, just cupping in half a dozen maggots and it took until 50 minutes in to get a carp, a lively 4lber.  I then hooked and lost one, landed another about 1lb.  This line died off, so along the bank away from the bridge and a 2oz carp was my reward, then a roach and another perch.  That was it until 2pm, when I had a 3lb carp over a line I had fed a few micros, no other bites, I kept a couple of the lines frugally fed, I fed another with a catapult and potted a few in by the bridge, none of which resulted in a bite.

Eddie Wynne was on peg 21 the other side of the bridge and he had 3 or 4 fish against the bridge just short of halfway, so I cupped 15 maggots my side and tried to encourage the fish to come my side - they didn't, but they also buggered off from Eddies peg as well.

One odd thing about the peg, was that the bridge is in the water from my bank until about halfway across and then clear of the water from halfway to the far bank.  There was a stiff breeze blowing straight down the lake into the bridge, if I fished the nearside the float presented perfectly, from halfway over to the far bank it was pulling hard from R-L.  I tried a 0.8g wire stemmed float and that was still being tilted by the strength of the tow, I would have needed a flat float to hold it there steadily!!

So, another DNW for me, as my 8 or 9lb was nowhere, but again I wasn't alone as a few were packing up early and drying their nets out. Unbelievable that I go there, draw a bridge peg and not one bridge peg in the frame!!!!!

1st  Dave Stephenson  peg 38  48.13
2nd Mike Owens peg 18  39.07
3rd D Chidzoy  peg 5 36.06
4th K Jefferies peg 27  35.06
5th Dave Wride peg 25  31.04
6th Tony Rixon peg 30 28.09

Ivy House All-Winners Final 2016. Sunday 13th March 2016

Several no shows for this meant that there were 18 fishing, given what I'd seen on the winter league, I fancied peg 19 to win it, 1-3 and 21, 44.  I managed to draw 37, a peg I have won from and would run to it if the weather was warmer, but it was an area devoid of carp in the last couple of league matches.

The weather was cold, freezing, a damp chilly mist hung over Wiltshire and a north easterly wind was right in my face, one of the coldest days I have fished this winter, even once the mist burnt off and the sun came out, which was nearly 1pm.

Peg 37 has an end bank to fish to, the peg slopes from the end bank for about 15m until it levels out at the full depth of the lake, so I set up to rigs to fish up the slope in a3.5' of water and a rig about 2' deep to try closer to the bank, it would also suffice for dobbing bread or maggots along the bank. Two open water rigs, one to fish up the shelf slightly, about 6" shallower than full depth and a rig that would cover two more lines at full depth. These were fed with micros and 4mm pellets in the line furthest most to my left, a positive throwaway line, a line with a few micros and dead maggots and the line that was just up the slope with maggots only.

The only line I had bites on was the 6" up the slope line and this was small roach, if I had got up and set up a roach rig and light elastic, I could have caught a few, but there was no point, I persevered trying for carp in the hope that the weak sun would encourage them up the shelf, but it wasn't to be, no one in around me had a carp and we joined the big list of DNW's.  The match was won from the peg I fancied, 19, Des Shipp the fortunate drawer of it, who was pleased to go home £500 better off.

Not sure what the future holds for Ivy House, Andy and Karen will be gone soon and the new owners in place, they have said they will continue it as a fishery, but we will have to wait and see how that pans out.

Sedges Mad March Pairs, Saturday 12th March 2016

It was good to get an opportunity to fish Sedges again, a venue I like, it's well run, without loads of OTT rules and is usually a decent days fishing.  Steady drive down and met with with pairs partner Ken Rayner, not much to discuss in the way of tactics, the only decision to make was which lake to fish and in the end we did that on the toss of a coin - me ending up on Brick this week and Tile next.

Ken did the draw and put himself on 32 and me on 4. In my section I had a couple of guys who's names I didn't know and Dan White on peg 1, he was lucky enough to have peg 2 not drawn, so it was likely that he was the one to beat.

I was confident that 4 would produce a few, given that Dan had pleasure fished peg 5 in the week and had 94lb of skimmers, I set up a full depth waggler, a straight lead and a small Guru hybrid feeder, which Jamie allows to be used elasticated.  3 topkits, a double bulk rig for skimmers, 0.10 hooklength and a 18 6313 hook. A rig to fish pellet at 14m and I was trying out for the first time today Malman Roobs, one of which I set up to fish meat at 7 sections.

It was a slow start, two hours in and I had a rudd, that was it, the guy to my left had a big skimmer on a cage feeder and Keith to my right had a carp on the pellet waggler, he had that fish or second chuck on it - had me worried, as my pellet wagglers were at home in the garage, hadn't considered that an option for March, he'd also had a couple on the bomb..... Dan had a few on the waggler up on peg 1 and I could see Bob Gullick on 9 catching, Tom Mangnell on 11 was also catching well.

I had a look on the meat line and it was as dead as the rest of the peg, I decided to give it 5 more minutes when the float disappeared, lifting into the bite, it was obviously a decent fish, it tested the 0.18 Stroft and the No12 elastic to their limits and when I finally saw it, I knew it would be a 'weigher'. (Fish over 15lb have to be weighed and put straight back).  I had no idea how heavy it was, continuing my being hopeless at guesstimating fish weights and was surprised when the scales registered 25lb 8oz, a new PB for me.

There appeared to be a total lack of skimmers in the peg, then I had one about 1.08 and thought they might show up, but it was a false dawn and it was frustrating as those of us in the middle of the lake were struggling, whilst the ends were catching steadily.

The last half an hour I decided to stick with the waggler at full depth, nothing down the line and a banded 6mm pellet, this gave me two more carp and Nicky Ewers opposite who had been struggling as well managed a couple of late fish, so maybe the match finished too early!!

That gave me a total of 48.12 and second in section behind Dan who had 86lb.  Unfortunately Ken had a, in his own words, 'a bit of a nightmare' and was last in his section, not sure if two section wins next week could put us in the frame.

Bait Tech Viaduct Winter League Final Round, Sunday 6th March 2016

Back to Viaduct today for the final round of the teams of 5 winter league, my turn on Cary, which in winter is the last choice lake for me, as it is nearly always a lead job to get good points on here.  But, that said, the right draw could see me in with a chance of the individual frame, as at the start of the day I was sat in 6th place.  The team looking good for a framing place as well, as we go into this match in second place, 5 points behind leaders Viaduct Select.

Down to the venue nice and early to get the pools paid and continuing the format we have used so far with a different member of the team drawing each round, it was Paul's turn today and when he came back with the team draw sheet, we were somewhat gobsmacked to see the same pegs as last week on it.  Surely we would have to have a disaster to drop out of the frame now, Fred was absolutely over the moon at drawing 113, as he was leading the individual table.  I had the worst draw in the selection of five, with 79 - I did go with positive thoughts, but knew deep down that unless something unusual happened, that was the end of my challenge for the individual places, Mike on 73, Paul on 43 and Glenn on 5.

Got to my peg to find long time angling friend Nick Collins on the next peg (80), so at least there would be some conversation and banter to pass the time and Frenzee star Adam Mitchell on 78.  I set up two lead rods, two waggler rods and then had an hour or so to kill, I went for a walk, as if I had stayed at my peg I would have been tempted into setting up a pole, which was highly unlikely to do me any good.

On the all in I started on popped up bread, gave that 30 minutes with 3 casts into different parts of my peg, all to no avail, the tip remained resolutely motionless.  A switch to meat, that too was met with total disdain from the fish, if there were any in the peg, after about an hour, the tip did flick, but i think that was just a roach liner, as I was feeding my casters in at about 18-20m.  Nicky was getting liners and had a fish, whilst my tip was as still as if I were observing a photograph.

After two and a half hours I decided that I should put something in the net, so had a dabble over the caster feed with a light waggler and put about 7 or 8oz of roach, hybrid and tiny skimmer in the net. Nick had another carp and most people on the lake had one, except me and Adam.  so back on the lead, red meat, plain meat, polony, corn, all tried, all resulted in the same motionless tip, except for two consecutive casts with about three and a half hours gone, when I had two big liners.

With three quarters of an hour to go, I started pinging corn out as far as I could - the wind coming from behind helped - and then fished the waggler over it, a 1lb skimmer came my way first cast, then next chuck another, slightly bigger, came off at the net, it really was one of those days, but I didn't think it would make any difference, as I needed carp.  Back on the lead for the last 30 minutes and at ten past three, the tip curled round and I was finally attached to a carp, it kited to the right heading for the aerator and went under Adams line, sportingly he lifted it clear and I got the fish back under control - or so I thought - I tightened the clutch down to stop the fish disrupting Adam's peg again and then it turned, ran and snapped the 0.20 hooklength - bloody distraught, but it must have been foul hooked.

So feeling pretty miserable at the end, as Adam had 2 fish in the last half hour, a repeat virtually of the last match, as Mike had told me that 78 had 4 fish in the last half hour in the previous round, that left me last on the lake, I did manage 2 points, but only because someone didn't show up.  Torrid, torrid day personally, but more importantly, how had we done?

I watched the Cary bank of Campbell being weighed in and Fred had won the lake and the match with 133lb, he managed not to go over in his net, although he had 51lb on his clicker and there was 60lb in the net - these bloody Campbell fish grow in the net......

So, as I thought I had 1 point at this time, that gave us 20 points, I took my gear back to the van and then went and found the others, Mike had got 15 points from peg 73 (and joint second in the silvers, top fishing mate), so 35 points, Paul thought he had beaten 6 or 7, so credited him with 8 points and Glenn  had 16 points we were on 58 we thought, Paul had actually managed 10 points and my 2, gave us a total of 62 and fourth on the day, crucially that was enough to take the title of Viaduct Winter League Champions 2016. My relief at last weeks mistake not costing us was pretty immense.

Team from left to right, Mike Walker, Paul Faiers, Fred Roberts, Chris Fox and Glenn Calvert.  Well done to Fred for scooping the individual title for a second time.

Big thanks to Steve, Helen, Matt, those who weighed in and to Bait Tech for sponsoring the league, I will need to grow into the EX L shirt, but am proud to wear it.  I hope the lads will resist all the lucrative sponsorship deals that will come flooding in............. and stay together for a title defence next year.

Overall Teams:
1. 2nd Time Lucky - 305
2. PI Thatchers Gold - 297
3. Frenzee Orange - 293
4. Premier Angling - 291
5. Viaduct All Stars - 286
6. Frenzee Black - 282
7. Thatchers Vets - 275
8. South West Nomads - 268
9. Team Viaduct - 268
10. Somerset Angling - 256
11. Avon Angling - 252
12. Maver - 241
13. Moaning Maggots - 229
14. Thatchers Welsh Wizards - 226
15. Keyford - 224
16. Silverfox - 223
17. Amigos - 206
18. Garbolino BVMG - 170
19. Viaduct Select - 165

Next up for me will be Saturday  at Sedges in the pairs match and Sunday will see me at Ivy House in the all-winners final.