Into the tub and out comes ping pong ball 21, a bridge peg, I could never draw one when they dominated several years back, but now the peg has no recent form, I manage to make drawing it look easy!! I'll have to be careful or I'll end up drawing as many bridges as Bob Gullick……
I'd wandered over the bridge at the start and cleared the long grass out of the corner of the bridge and above the bare mud bank straight in front, Ray Bazeley was doing the same the other side of the bridge and we did have a bit of a moan at there being 17 fishing, so plenty of room on the lake and we were the only two pegged next to each other. I didn't think it would do me any favours having Ray there, but at least he isn't renowned for dumping huge pots of bait in.
Plenty of time to set up, so a rig to fish banded pellet tight over in 10" of water, another for the second shelf which was a bit over 2'. I have been using a Drennan Carp 4 for the shallow water and they do seem to be ideal, the float for the 2' shelf was a homemade slim, with a tungsten wire stem, both on 0.20 with a 0.14 hooklength and a 18 LWG tied with a band. A rig for full depth against the bridge by the middle railing upright, this was a 0.4g NG Gimp, this on 0.16 again with the 18 LWG on 0.14. The RH margin is shallow tight in and then drops down to a shelf nearly 2', it has proven difficult to catch the carp in the shallow margin, so I set up a rig to fish on the steep slope from 10" to the 2' shelf. I did set up a paste rig to fish down the track, as fish have been falling to it.
As it was windy and I had time, I did set up a method feeder, a 9' rod, a Guru method set up free running and a 18 hook. Bit of last resort, as I didn't really intend to use it. Bait tray was nice and simple, 4, 6 & 8mm pellets, I did soak some micros for the method, dead maggots and some worms. A bit of GB & a bag of paste completed the bait for the day.
I know some guys have success on here toss potting bait in, but I much prefer feeding with a catapult, so that's how I started, going across tight into the corner with the bridge, as I feared, Ray also started there, so our floats were only the bridge width apart. The bites weren't really forthcoming, I had a couple of smaller fish, but decided to switch to a line in front the mud bank opposite, this was a little more successful and after the first hour I had about 20lb on the clicker and I thought if I could keep that up then have a good last hour or so down the edge, it would be a decent return from the peg.
The next hour was similar, not hectic, but putting odd fish in the net kept me on track for the 20lb target, it did start to slow and I tangled my rig, whilst I was putting a new rig on I did chuck the method over, I had two fish on it, but it wasn't right, so as usual, up the bank with it.
I had been feeding the middle of the bridge with 8mm pellets, so dropped in there with some paste, I did have 2 carp on it, but also two roach and the float just wouldn't stay still with shit fish attacking the paste. A switch to banded 8mm pellet brought a couple more carp, but it wasn't frantic, so back across and I had several more from there.
With an hour and 45 minutes to go I put some GB down the RH edge and within a couple of minutes there were fish over it, but up on the 10" deep shelf, which I didn't have a rig set up for, so off the box and out with another topkit, to this I attached a rig which comprised a Korum blob and a hook, nothing down the line. I dropped some paste in and had a fish straight away, then another, it went a bit quiet so I refed and dropped back in with worms this time, I had another fish after a short wait.
With an hour to go I put a third net in as I had 100lb split between two nets, alternating between worms, bunches of maggots and paste, I put 34lb on the clicker into this net before the all out. So 134lb on the clicker and I was sure that if I had that off a peg that had been out of form, someone would have more. I had watch Paul Lasson on 14 catching one a chuck on the method for a spell and I thought he had more.
The scales came round and it turned out that my 134lb was enough for the win, pleased with that from a peg with no recent form. Credit to Ray, he could have fed loads and buggered us both up, but he didn't. I fed a pint of 8mm pellets, 3/4 pint of 6mm pellets and about 0.5Kg of GB.
1. Chris Fox. 134-00 p21
2. Stuart Barnett. 119-03 p5
3. Gary Flinders. 117-10 p11
4. Paul Lasson. 110-00 p14
5. Lee Waller. 107-08 p25
6. John Miles. 102-03 p6
Silvers
1. Mike Chapman. 29-13 p17
2. Mike Hill. 12-03 p33
No comments:
Post a Comment