Ivy House Open, Saturday 4th May 2019

A trip back to Ivy House today, the match was on both canals and I do enjoy the mix of carp and silvers these lakes, especially Kingfisher offers.  My first trip since the fishery only pellet rule was introduced, so I had to go and buy some pellets whilst chatting to Andy before the start.  I fully understand its a business and that Andy and Karen have invested a good deal of time and money into improving  the fishery, but for me, I'd rather pay a higher peg fee than have to use fishery only pellets - that said, it won't put me off returning.

Since I last fished the canals, they have been renumbered, so when I drew 44, it meant little to me, but it was on Kingfisher on the straight, so I was happy with that.  I was surprised how cold it was and maybe I underestimated the effect the low temperature would have on the fishing.  I'd only brought a pole, so just a few top kits to set up.  One for right across at 16m, this is usually a banker for a few carp, its deeper than you'd like, but by pulling the pellet onto the slope, you can usually catch a few. Its nice to fish somewhere that you can ship 16m behind you as well, no need to double ship here. A simple rig with a 18LWG tied with a band on 0.14 was soon set up and plumbed up. Next a maggot rig to fish just up the near shelf, this has been a successful line in the past for me. Then a margin rig, same one wold do for both sides, I planned to fish maggots one side and micros/corn the other.

Two more rigs one 0.2 and one 0.4 to fish lines in the open water, one line fed with micros, one with GB and maggots. Simple bait tray, pellets, maggots and corn.  Starting across, I expected to catch a couple of quick fish, but it took 20 minutes to get the first one, a feisty little mirror about a pound and a half.  After 35 minutes I binned the long line and switched to the very short line, where I had been dripping a few maggots in.  This saw a hybrid and a roach netted, but no sign of the big skimmers which will come in and feed on this line. Back across, but after an hour and a quarter, I was sure I was holding 16m in vain.  I never had another fish from that long line, which is a first for me.

I managed a couple of skimmers and a small carp in the next 3 hours and with 4 hours gone I reckon I had 8lb in the net, the guy on 46 was catching odd carp, but I was rotating lines, started up a new negative line and all to no avail.  With about an hour and a half to go, I did start to get a few bites and had to swap between the GB/maggot line and the micro/soft pellet line to get bites and I did start to claw my way back into the match, but the last 30 minutes it died on me again and I was left scratching my head.  I had gone down to a 20 on 0.10, that didn't make any difference, I fed one line negatively and one positively, both reacted the same.  The margins were devoid of fish, not sure what the answer was - I delayed writing this blog to try and think it through, I just can't work it out, I am not sure what I would do differently.

Its about time we had some proper seasonal weather, warmer and more settled.  Hopefully that will settle the fish down, let them get spawning over and done with and get some normality back.  Well done to the framers today, it was a tough day for all.

Next up, two day pairs match at Trinity.