Third of my monthly winter opens today, these are 50/50 payout matches (overall/silvers) just to try and give everyone something to fish for.
Given the weather the last few days and Zoe saying the lakes were frozen over yesterday, I did think it would be hard, I tried to peg it to give everyone a chance of a few bites, but the fish don't always agree. 15 fishing, I waited until everyone had drawn and then took the last ping pong ball from the bag, peg 40, I would have taken that at the start, it did have a spell of being pretty dire, but it seems to be creeping back into the framing positions the last few matches.
Bait tray was simple, live and dead maggots, I did have a few pinkies as well, finally a slice of bread, no need for anything else. Rigs were straight forward, one for across on the top shelf, another for down the shelf, simple slim patterns with 0.13 and a 20 Kaisen. For the deeper water by the bridge, I set up Preston maggot float, this with a 18 F1 hook on 0.12, spread shotting. Finally a rig to dob bread across.
I could see pegs 1, 2 and 43 into fish within minutes, whilst it took me a while, dobbing bread across was a waste of time, never had a bite on it. I fed a very small nugget of GB to the bridge at the bottom of the far slope and one at the bottom of the near slope, I did get a couple of indication and a lost fouler from the far line, before finally getting a bite and a fish, a 6oz Tench. I was happy with that, as being equal payouts for overall and silvers, I would take a days silvers fishing.
Well, that wasn't to be, I had a carp next and then had a look on the near line where I had another, back to the far line and I had a couple of indications and then another carp. I did get another off the near line but that was the last one. It was slow but steady going, I tried a bit of a throwaway line off to the right with a ball of GB, but that was no good. I had one fish off the line up on the second shelf, but by far the best line was against the bridge at the bottom of the far slope, just toss potting in a few maggots and waiting for a bite.
I ended up with 2 skimmers, a roach and that small tench and 11 carp, I hadn't got my clicker out, so wasn't exactly sure what I had, I was expecting high 30lb, was surprised to see 48lb on the scales, with the silvers that gave me 51lb and the win. Good to put last weekends disasters behind me.
2. Mark Birdseye 37.14 peg 34
3. Russ Peck 32.11 peg 7
4. Glenn Calvert 28.11 peg 11
Silvers
2 Keith Ray 6.12 peg 38
3. Paul Faiers 5.06 peg 17
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