Allan Oram said it was a good peg for carp, but not such a good silvers peg, I wasn't fussed, just wanted a few bites today, after the dismal day I had on Thursday. It is the end but one peg on the old canal (Moorhen), so a nice short walk, not that I had much gear, just a pole - typical when Allan walked past and said a Forces match on there in the week had been won on the method!!
So with just a pole to worry about, I set up 5 topkits, one with a small wire stemmed Malman float to fish across in about 2' of water, the only way to get shallower was pull the float up the mud line, this had a 18 LWG on 0.14 and a band. A rig to fish at the bottom of the far shelf (and the same rig would do to fish from the bottom of the near shelf to the far shelf, as the depth was with 2" all the way across). A paste rig, as paste has been catching fish on these canals, a margin rig, couldn't get too far down either margin, due to vegetation, but surely a few would come in? Finally a silvers rig with a 0.12 hooklength and a 16 F1 hook, for maggots or corn to plunder the skimmers.
First put in, I went across and fed 6mm pellets with a catapult and a 6mm in the band, the response was virtually instant and I was attached to a lively 5lb carp, great, fish landed and unhooked, back out expecting a run of them, but it wasn't anywhere near as hectic as I had assumed.
In the next hour I had a couple of small carp (ounces) and 2 more bigger ones up the shelf, as well as one skimmer on corn at the bottom of the far shelf. I could see a few skimmers coming out, but try as I might I couldn't catch another, I did get a tench up on the shelf and was getting the odd small carp.
I did try a short line I'd been feeding with GB and maggot, but that was no good, maggots were just plundered by tiny roach, even when I tried a heavier rig and bombing the hookbait to the bottom. I did get one skimmer on them, but it was at the cost of many missed bites and small roach falling off the No10 elastic.
I tried paste and that was useless, one skimmer on it, but there weren't many decent fish over the feed, as the liners were all but non existent. I had to get some carp and I felt the only way was to go back over to the far side, pellet wasn't selective, as the smaller carp were taking it, although not at a rate where they'd be useful weight builders. I cupped a pot full of GB over to the far bank and it didn't take long to see evidence of carp turning up and for the last 2 hours, I caught a few between 2 and 8lb, again it wasn't manic or one a chuck, but it was a lot better than it had been. Best bait was double dendra with the band pulled through them, with just half a dozen pellets and grains of corn in the GB, which needed to go in every third or fourth fish.
I though with my silvers, little carp and proper carp I had about 60lb of proper carp and 12lb or so of little carp and silvers, which by the time the scales got to me - last to weigh in - would be enough for second place, as there had been a ton plus from the other canal. My weight was a little more than I thought, 75.08, but not far enough out to be worried about and was indeed, good enough to win the lake and 2nd overall. Well done to Baggy with his 123.06, mostly caught down the margin he tells me and to Allan on a nice net of silvers, with 52lb.
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