"You have to write about the bad, as well as the good" is something you often hear levelled at you when you publish a blog. I guess it's human nature to express when things have gone well and it's certainly easier to write and believe people will want to read it when things have gone well, not so easy to pen a meaningful blog after a disaster, whether that be of my own making, or by outside factors.
Landsend is a venue I like going to, its within an easy travelling distance, its peaceful and in a lovely setting. Fishing wise, I prefer open water venues and it is pole dominated, which shouldn't be a problem but it has been, even given the reasons I like it, a personal bête noire and one venue I have fished a few times without ever winning, frame places yes, silvers wins, but match win no. Have I got a mental block about the place, not sure, there are regular ton plus weights from the venue and I have only managed to break that a couple of times.
I think I have been slowly improving on the venue, but 'dangling pellets' by islands is still not my forte, although I have had some success with that at Acorn, not sure why.
Onto today and I draw peg 11, personally I think a better winter peg, but should still be good for a few fish, as you can get to the island and the end bank, as well as in front of the vacant peg 12. One gripe is the vegetation, I cut back what I could, but the island needs a trim and the edges need more than a trim, as its impossible to get in tight. The wind was pushing across from 13, but it was also blowing down the other side of the lake, causing a skim to come towards, the outcome of this was a eddy of willow fluff, leaves, twigs and other arboreal detritus.
The level is also down and my far shelf which I had been looking forward to plundering was just 2" deep and then dropped off to 2 1/2 feet, before dropping off to 4'. I found a bit deeper water against the end bank, so that was likely to be better and Trigger on 9 said he had caught there in the past when the level was down. I set up a rig to fish pellet 6" deep along the edge of the first drop off, another to fish at 2 1/2 feet (which would do for the shelf across and down to the end bank), a meat rig to fish at full depth 5m, a margin rig to fish in front of the first pallet. Too much time to set up, so I did put up a paste rig as well and a caster rig.
Starting on meat short on the all in and had a roach and a near 3lb skimmer and that was it, no further signs. Picked up the 2 1/2 foot rig and had a couple of F1's across, but there was little sign of fish, I did get a lonesome 8lb carp, but the fish weren't exactly queuing up, as I was getting no indications or liners. The 6" deep rig was tried and it was altered depth wise a few times, all to no avail. As I'd had the odd couple of F1's earlier, I tried a caster shallow line, this was equally fruitless. I did see one fish right in tight by a bush to my left and tried the 6" rig in there, lifting it I caught it on one of the fronds of vegetation that stick out straight at you, making them difficult to see - that was the end of that rig and time for a banana walk...... Had it been an open, I would have most likely been heading for the pub. The fluff and debris, which was still circling the peg, unable to break free and bother anyone else, was making presentation very difficult, getting through it was a pain and on several occasions my hook came back looking like a white nymph - more akin to trout fishing than carp.
Back from the walk somewhat calmer, I had a chat with Ken Rayner on 13, who was as equally fishless and frustrated as me, I decided to fish caster deep and catch all, this brought 2 more big skimmers and a lonesome big ide, that was going to get me nowhere though, so a look around all lines again, but still nothing doing. I did manage a couple of carp from in front the pallet of 12, but that was frustratingly snaggy with sunken twigs.
At the end I'd have been happy to never return, last in section, putting 67lb on the scales and Ken had 69lb and was equally as frustrated (although the wind kept the surface debris of his peg) the surface debris and circulating skim didn't help, Tony suspected that all the fish moved down to him as Ken didn't really feed and fish the island - but in fairness it is a good 17m reach to the island. Trigger had done well on 9, he found 4" of water and fished bunches of maggots and worms in that 4" of water, not sure I would have done that with 4" of water, so fair play to him. I hope Mike can give the place a trim before the next match and topping the water level up would be a bonus too. Results on Tony's blog, as I was off before they were announced.
Upwards on onwards, back to Acorn on Thursday night and Viaduct next Sunday, so hopefully get this one out of my system.
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