Onto the match, having stood in in the last two rounds for firstly good mate Glenn Galvert and secondly for long time mate and ex travelling partner (when we could stay out until 3am and still go and fish...) Paul Faiers, sadly I had fairly dismal results for them, drawing 53 and 73 on Lodge,
Still onto today and I was hoping for a draw right in the middle of a hungry shoal of skimmers and bream, I tried hanging back until the end last time, so in right near the start today and 129 was my reward, or penance, depending on your opinion.
I was hopeful that some Perch or Tench would put in an appearance to boost my weight, as the bramble bushes to my left, that run up to the spit certainly provide the cover that these fish like. The wind was pushing towards me, so I set up a 3 square GB feeder and clipped that up at 25 turns.
A waggler completed the rod and reel set up and 3 topkits were enough for the pole, a 0.2 Hillbilly Frostie with spread 11 stotz for a line at 7 sections, a 0.3 Hillbilly Frostie with a standard bulk and two droppers for 14m. Last topkit had a Hillbilly float whose name I forget, with a spread bulk, this was to fish to the brambles, so had a 0.14 hooklength with a 16 LWG to start, whereas the open water rigs had 18 Gamma Green hooks to 0.08 line.
I stared on the GB feeder and had enough indications to keep me interested and 5 skimmers in the first 40 minutes seemed to be at least as good, if not better than those I could see on the lake. The next 10 minutes or so were spent playing carp for varying lengths of time, before saying goodbye to the hook!!
Time to switch, I had been feeding casters at 7 joints and this saw 4 roach in 4 drop-ins, great, a good spell of roach 'bashing' would be useful, but the initial burst of bites died a death and no matter what attempts at 'swim CPR' I made, it was a fruitless exercise and I was then left with cupping in some GB on my 14m line to try and make that work. After feeding the 14m line, I dropped into the edge, against the brambles, a 2oz roach took the double caster before it hit the bottom. Next put in I had a decent Perch, back in and his slightly larger brother was in the net with him
That was the end of the bites from there, so back onto the feeder and another carp hooked and lost, I looked back on the line at 7 joints and managed one small skimmer, I tried the waggler, presentation on it seemed to be good, but couldn't get bites on it. I switched back to the brambles and the float buried, a very welcome Tench joined the two Perch taken from the same spot, in the net.
From there on it was a struggle, the last 2 hours saw the lake switch off for most and I added a small skimmer or two, along with two roach, I really wasn't sure what weight I had when I was asked at the all-out, I was thinking, maybe just scraping double figures, when Steve arrived with the scales, the hard won net pulled the scales round to 15lb, which was enough for the section win by 2oz...… Bobby G don't go bank walking!!! Hopefully this signals a change in fortune....
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