Trinty Waters Open, Sunday 22nd March 2020

So, the feeling was should I go fishing today, the weekend was supposed to be spent prepping for the Frenzee festival, which has gone the way of all sporting events.
I had arranged to travel down with Tony, but on the morning we thought it would be best to travel separately and I had a feeling that this would be the last match for some time.

Misha did a good job at the draw, she'd asked everyone to bring the right money and put a bucket for it to go in, she spread the swimcards on the floor and retreated a safe distance, calling up each angler one at a time to pay and draw.

Peg 12 for me, not disappointed, its an area where there are usually a few fish to be caught.  I set up a waggler to fish banded pellet and a feeder rod with a hybrid feeder on.  Two topkits, one for banded pellet and one for soft pellet, finally one for down the edge, this lake has deep edges and can throw up fish all year round.

Well, I am going to skip most of the first 5 hours, I had one 2lb skimmer after about 10-15 minutes, I didn't have another bite until an hour and 5 minutes to go, I knew I had to do something to try and turn this around, so fed a 1/4 of a pot of micros and dead maggots down the edge.  In an enjoyable 30 minute spell I had 3 carp, a skimmer, a roach and a tench, all on 4 dead maggots.

 I then lost a big angry common, which quietened things down, before I had one more carp.  I could see a fair bit of the lake and thought I may have done enough to frame, I knew a peg on the opposite bank had beaten me.  Not too disappointed to be second for two Sundays running, sadly no chance of keeping that embryonic run going, as that is fishing done and dusted for a few weeks.

I wonder how the commercials will react to a 'close season' I don't think it will do any harm as long as the owners can afford to manage them and where necessary feed the fish.  Fingers crossed it won't be too long and we all come through this and get back to normal life (whatever that will look like afterwards) sooner rather than later.

Todber Whitepost Open, Sunday 15th March 2020

Back to Todber today for an open organised by Mark Poppleton.  On Whitepost, so a simple affair, pellets and maggots on the bait tray, waggler rods left in the van and just the battle through the axle deep mud to get to my peg, which was 25.

I set up a lead rod to fish pellet on a bomb and another rod with a pellet feeder.  A topkit to fish banded pellet, one for soft pellet, another for meat short and one for down the edge.

The weather didn't disappoint, the usual pissing down rain and wind for at least the first half of the match, so huddled into the Goretex I stared across on the feeder.  I was getting odd fish, but not as many as Joe McMahon on 23, who could reach the far side with a pole, I couldn't.

I switched to the pole at 14m feeding pellet with banded pellet on the hook, again, I was getting bites, but not at the rate Joe was catching., So I got off my box and got another section out, going out to 16m, that was better, a fish first put in, then one took me into the reeds opposite and took the hook length.  I put another on and was catching but still not fast enough.

I had been feeding a line at 2+2 with 7mm meat and left it until an hour and 15 minutes from the end to go in there, I was pleased I did, they were queued up and I started catching at rate that was clawing back ground on Joe and on peg 27 who'd had a run of fish from the end bank.  I had to feed 12-15 pieces every fish, if not it took longer to get bites, great to be able to feed and see fish reacting to it!!

Scales came a long and gave peg 27, 112lb, I had 122lb and Joe had 115lb, that was top three on lake and I was second in the match behind Mark Wynne who had 168lb from peg 11 on the top lake.

Todber Winter League, Final Round, Saturday 14th March 2020

This was a reserve date, so I was hoping a week later on than the league should have finished, my turn on the high numbers of Hillview would see a decent days fishing and for us as a team to claw our way into the money.

Well, Barry drew me peg 50, 49 and 50 had been 1st and 2nd in the match last round, so myself and Ricky Mills who was on 49 weren't too upset. These pegs are just into a arm off the main lake.

50 gives you a check to the far bank, open water and a edge down to 51 which is not pegged.  The wind was blowing L to R and would make fishing the long pole either hard work or impossible - it varied.  I set up a bomb rod, a method feeder, a waggler and 4 topkits.  The topkits were one for meat short, one for banded pellet as long as I could go, an similar one for soft pellet and a rig to go down to the pallet of 51, but not too close in, as I didn't think they come into water that shallow.

Started on the method, a perfect cast, hit the clip and a nice little plop into the water, and the next cast, the third one somehow got caught on a frond sticking out from the far bank, that was the end of that feeder... Switched a pellet feeder as I hadn't had a bite and soon had a small fish, and then a couple more, but that was slow going, 6 or 7lb in the first hour, it was slow both to my left and right,so it didn't point to me doing anything drastically wrong.

Ricky started to get the odd better fish as he switched to fishing more to his left into the body of the lake, I was getting an odd fish on the method, but had been pinging pellets to the middle or just past and picked up the waggler.  I had three or 4 on the waggler, all small but it was bites, this died off and I ended the match with a brief run of slightly better fish on meat short in the last 45 minutes to stave off a last in section.  All of us in the arm struggled, Ricky had 62lb, I had 52lb, Chris Martin on 52 has had 42lb and MarkWynne on 53 had 57lb.  Section one and two was 48 and 54 who both fish into the main body of the lake and both weighed around the 110lb mark.

So not the best day and luckily my disaster didn't do too much damage and we moved up into 4th place and managed to pick up some coin, so well done team.

Overall on the day

1st Jon gray 128.10

2nd Martin Rogers 125.09

3rd Mark Poppleton 118.12

Overall league

1st thatchers vets 71pts

2nd sw all-stars 72pts

3rd BAS 76. 5pts

4th one local 79pts

5th parsigns 79.5pts

6th tackle UK 87

7th pi thatchers 87

8th Westerleigh 90

9th cod fathers 90

10th sas 93

11th misfits 100

12th pr floats 125

Todber Manor Winter League, Penultimate Round, Sunday 8th March 2020

This should have been the last round of the winter league, but one round was postponed due to a storm and high winds.

Travelled down with Tony and he must have had a funny turn as he waned me to draw for the team, I did advise it wasn't a good idea and he paid the price when I drew him 16, Mark Poppleton went off looking for Prozac after he saw his draw....

My prize was peg 34, the 'poor' section of Hillview, I was advised that there were no fish to be caught on the pole, so I set up a waggler - it was windy, but it was from behind me, so no problems fishing the waggler.  Two lead rods, one for bread and one with a maggot feeder on.

I did set up a couple of topkits, didn't bother with the margin, just two for out in front, one with a Kaizen hook, one with a eyed LWG and a band for hard pellet.

Started on the bread, but didn't give it too long, as no liners or bites were forthcoming.  It was slow in the section, with no one catching.  I could get maggots out to the island with a catapult because of the wind, so fully expected to catch, I did, but it was a small skimmer and a roach.  Troed the maggot feeder, nothing - I was going nowhere fast.

I picked up the pole and fed two lines, one at 14m off to 11 0'clock with micros, 4 and 6mm hard pellets, the other at 9m off at 2 o'clock, fed with the same pellets and a few dead maggots.  I had a carp after about 5 minutes on maggot over the short line, switched to the long line and soft 4mm pellet, this brought another fish after 20 minutes.

I caught odd fish on 4mm soft pellet switching between the two lines, feeding after every fish, I did have an hour spell without a bite and retried the waggler, that was the same as before, one skimmer.

I had a couple of small tench and another skimmer, with the odd carp until the all out was called, I thought I might have finished 3rd in section behind Ben Hagg on 38 who caught on the lead and Steve Tucker on 37, but luckily my 43lb odd just beat Tucks to take second behind Ben's 60+lb.  That was nowhere in the match with plenty of ton + weights - but not in my section....

Teamwise we did no good, but Tony was warned....

Final round is now next Saturday, so fingers crossed for one of the flyers - no, 5 of the flyers for the team..

Individual
1st Ryan Shipp 175lb
2nd Nick Ewers 152-06
3rd Tony Picton 152.00
4th Glen Picton 142lb.00
5th Paul elms 130lb

Silvers
1st Paul Greenwood 25lb
2nd Chris Davis 22lb
3rd lee Woodhouse 18lb.

Winning team
Codfathers 11pts

Overall
Thatchers vets 55
Bac 58.5
Parsigns 61.5
Sw all stars 62
One local 67
Westerleigh 69
Pi thatchers 71
Tackle UK 71
Sas 73
Cod fathers 73
Misfits 81
Pr floats 98

Viaduct Winter League Final Round, Sunday 1st March 2020

With the team having an outside chance of sneaking into the frame with a good performance and the stars aligning, I was looking forward to my turn on match lake, usually good for a few bites.  Paul's turn to draw and he used an unusual style, not taking the pegs from the lake draw tins in order, as every other team does.  Well it seemed to work, 130, 85, 66, 51 and 16, not one draw you could reasonably complain about there.

51 for me and it had the wind pushing from L to R and occasionally swinging round a little to more face on, this was likely to make the waggler a non starter, but I did set one up just in case.  Two lead rods, one with a little cage feeder and one with a bomb, for bread.  Topkits, it was a pretty even depth, so no need for loads of rigs, a Malman Roob for meat short and long and a NG slimpattern whose name eludes me for caster.

Starting on the bread across, I was fully expecting bites, Clayton on 52 had an early fish (first cast) and I was expecting it to go round, well it didn't, I tried at various places along the island, tight in and short.  Trigger on 50 was also in the same boat.  I switched to the pole, having fed GB and caster at 9m and 6mm meat at 14m, nothing over the meat, but a few bites from skimmers roach and perch over the GB and caster.

I was aware of odd carp being caught and the fact I had a couple of better skimmers made me think if I could keep them coming, I'd be in with a chance of beating anyone with 2 or even 3 carp.  I had the occasional look back to the island on the bomb, Trigger had a fish from across there, a 10lber, my first bite saw a real savage pull round turn out to be a 3oz hybrid..... the thought it wasn't to be my day set in there and then...

I was getting some liners over the GB and foul hooked a skimmer, the water was pretty clear and only 2.5' deep, so they seemed to spook off and I was waiting too long between bites, I tried to force it a bit with some more bait and get them down, that was a mistake, it killed it off.  I wasn't convinced that starting a new line would be worth it, the longer meat line was dead, I had one bite, one roach.

I did go back on the lead, but my hearts not in it, I haven't got the patience or the confidence in it and I don't enjoy that style of fishing, where you feed nothing and sit watching a tip...   That showed in the result and what had been a good day on Saturday declined into a bit of a disaster on Sunday.  I did have one F1 that was over 4lb on the bomb and meat, but it was nowhere near enough, as the skimmers had disappeared far too early in the match.

The venue fished harder than I expected, the draw we had should on paper have been a real flyer, but we failed to capitalise and slipped a couple of places, rather than gaining as we'd hoped.

Time for some reflection for me on this for next year, its a big match, its a good atmosphere and plenty of banter, but I only enjoyed one match from 5, this sitting on the lead waiting for a bite an hour isn't really for me, no kneejerk reaction, but I will be giving it some thought, there are a couple of other leagues, including a silvers league that could be fished in place of this one.

Well done to the framers and to those who have the patience, confidence and ability to sit on that lead and know its going to go round.....

On the day:

Overall
1. Gary Coton - 99lb 7oz - peg 131
2. Andy Power - 94lb 5oz - peg 111
3. Ivan Oakey - 77lb 8oz - peg 59
4. Steve Nadin - 74lb 2oz - peg 2
5. Matt Culpin - 72lb 15oz - peg 132
Silvers
1. Vince Brown - 22lb 9oz - peg 112
2. Rob Jones - 20lb 12oz - peg 1
3. Shaun Townsend - 19lb 1oz - peg 10

Teams overall:

1. PI Thatchers - 308
2. Thatchers Vets - 275
3. Team Keyford - 251
4. Trig’s Team - 243
4. Guru Viaduct - 243
6. Garbolino - 238
7. Parsigns - 238
8. Sensus 88 - 233
9. Future Networks - 233
10. 2nd Time Lucky - 231
11. Moaning Maggots - 231
12. Fishing Tackle Warehouse - 223
13. Silverfox - 199
14. Wyvern Anglers - 194
15. Team Amigos - 175
16. PR Floats - 159
17. Viaduct All Stars - 156