Withypool - Carps AC 17th March 2010

After the last match here that turned into a rover, I was pleased to have the backing of Mike Nicholls against that, if the suggestion was made. Fortunately the 'norm' applied and the pegs were selected and put into the hat, I found 50 on the card I pulled out.

I've never fished the peg before, but it usually produces a few fish, so I wasn't too disappointed, Tom Thick was having a moan, but Charlie (Barnes) and I just renminded him how he usually draws a flyer on here - and with that Tom pulled peg 43, one of the most consistent pegs on the lake!!

On peg 50, there isan inviting LH margin, an island at 14m and open water, although the depth is very uneven, the peg deepens from left to right and shallows up once you get past 10m (it seems as if the 'tail' of the island slowly tapers down to full depth over about 15m.

Whilst the air temperature has risen, the water was still cold, so I set up a MW 0.5g pellet float on 0.15 to a 18B911 to fish pellet at the bottom of the shelf, a Galman winter wire on 0.11, 0.10 hooklength and a gamma black 20 completed the maggot/caster rig which was for a line at 7m at the 10 oclock position. I set up a waggler to fish corn or pellet to the point of the island and a margin rig, which would cover the LH margin and the 14mm reach to the island.

At the whistle, I fed corn into the LH margin and pellet (micro) onto the 10m line, both by pot, I fed the 7m line by hand with caster and the 14m line with corn by catapult, starting on the 10m line with soft pellet, saw me waiting 20 minutes before the first bite, a carp around the 4-5lb mark gladly netted. Shortly afterwards, I had another bite andthis carp shed the hook, possibly a foul hooker? After an hour and a half, 1 carp was all I had to show for the pellet line, a couple of drop in's with maggot didn't improve things, nor could I get a bite on the 7m line.

Earlier than I'd like I had a drop into the LH margin, not so much as a liner in 20 minutes, I then dropped the rig into the 14m island swim and within seconds the float buried and carp N02 was on its way to the net. Back out with a fresh grain of corn and within a couple of minutes the float buried again, the fish ran away to my left, tight to the island, then the hook pulled - foul hooker No2 I feel. Another fish followed shortly after from this line, then another which ran off to the right and again shed the hook - not sure if this was a fouler or not. After that, the line died completely, so I decided to rest it and back on the 10m pellet line.

First put in on soft pellet and the float dipped twice, a lift of th pole saw a 6oz skimmer come to the surface and come off, something I wasn't surprised at, the carp are a decent size in withy now, so I had black hydro in the topkit, lands the carp OK, but that sacrifices small skimmers.
No further bites from this line so I tried the 7m line, a few small roach fell to maggot, but not nearly big enough or frequent enough to be worth persevering with.

On the next peg (49) was Andy Gard, fishing the waggler and catching roach steadily, as he gives himself a match long commentary on what he is doing (never heard anyone vocalise there thoughts for so long!!) I knew he'd snapped off a couple of carp. The bankside whispers that it was fishing hard, so I had to get the carp to feed. I decided to abandon the corn and feed maggot to the island, some to the far side of the point to fish the waggler and some fed over the corn.

I set up a new rig to fish shallow at 14m, first put in tight to the island resulted in another carp on double red maggot, then a run of bites from roach developed, trying the waggler wasn't fruitful, it was impossible to keep the float in the right place because of the wind, so I gave that up. With 10 minutes to go I was dropping the 14m rig in a metre or so to the left of the feed area, thankfully I hooked another carp, a better fish this time after a decent tussle a fish around the 8lb mark was in the net.

5 carp for 26lb 11oz and 1lb of roach saw my 27lb 11oz good enough for second place, Tom wasn't moaning at the end, as he won comfortably with carp and 20lb+ of skimmers.

I know everyone has there own thoughts on payouts, but I can't convince myself that equally splitting the main pool and silvers pool is the way to go, coming second, I picked up less than the 5th place man (silvers winner).I don't fish for the money, but it does seem that at many matches now spread the money so widely that you just about get the entry back for a frame place. I have had several conversations with Rich Coles about this (Grumpy Old Men) and we both recall that winning a match (or framing) put a weeks or more wages in your pocket. Obviously the size of the field affects this, its a shame there can't be some rotation system between organisers and fisheries, to see one big match every wednesday, instead of several smaller ones.


1) Tom Thick 55.13 peg 43
2) Chris Fox 27.11 peg 50
3) Mike Nicholls 24.10 53
4) John Bennet 8.15 peg 73
5) Bob Price 7.02 peg 47
6) Andy Gard 7.01 peg 49

Silvers:
1) Tom Thick 20.08
2) Bob Price 7.02
3) Andy Gard 7.01

Withypool - Carps AC 10th Feb 2010

Ever have one of those days when the best laid plans go completely tits up.......

Two reasons to book into the Carps match on Withypool today:
1) I thought that a few silvers would be on the cards, even with the forecast overnight freeze.
2) Its nice and close to home so a lie in is possible.

On arrival most of the lake was frozen, apart from the pegs in the 40's behind the island, this caused discussion on whether to peg those pegs, or pegs that had the northerly wind off our backs etc etc. The end result of this was a rover, I think I was the lone dissenting voice, I really do not like rover matches. I then drew 2 from last walk off, although it didn't seem to matter, the walk off order was loosely, if at all adhered to.

My knowledge of the lake is pretty limited, so I was unsure which peg to choose, in the end I sat on 42, a peg i have had some good pleasure sessions on, but admittedly not at this time of year. My bait selection wasn't too varied, maggots, caster and pinkie were the main plan, with a handful of 4mm expanders and a few wetted micros for a line away from the maggot line. I also had some corn, don't know why, I've yet to catch a fish on it this winter!!

I started at the bottom of the island shelf, cupping in a few casters and pinkies, with pinkie on the hook - all to no avail, maggot and caster meeting with the same response. Andy Gard on peg 45 hooked and lost a carp first put in, then had a 12lb fish second put in, all the while my float remained motionless.

I had set up a waggler rod, as this tactic has caught me decent roach in the past on Withy and Bridge, switching to this brought my first bite, the microlight looped over as a big vermin made off with the single red maggot, I played the roach spoiling monster for a few minutes before the 22 90340 pulled out. Half an hour later, another bite, another vermin, this time it led me a merry dance around the peg, going up to peg 43 to see Bob Feltham and down to peg 40 to have a look at Coiln Golding. After 10 minutes it tried to get towards some vegetation and the 0.07 powerline hooklength parted.

I had a Maver Reactorlite II waggler rod made up in the hardcase, 4lb sensor and a 0.13 hooklength finished off with a B911 size 18. This saw the next two carp landed and next cast after landing No2, I hooked another, this came in like a bream, as I drew it over the landing net it suddenly woke up, dived for the bottom and I was left with an airbourne waggler rig, that had a curly pigs tail where the hook once was.

That proved to be the end of the action (1pm), I couldn't get another bite, I fed two other lines, tried corn, switched back to the pole, even fed a squatt line as I had half a pint with me. At 3.45, 15 minutes before the all out, I had a roach, the only silver fish I had all day - hardly a successful day when they were my intended species. Even less succesful were the lost carp, costing me second place and some coin.

Where, oh where, is the global warming.... bring it on I say, today was bloody freezing! Iced over lake, chill north wind, snow flurries and water that was 4.5°C.

1) Bob Price 54.00 (Vermin on the straight lead and hair rigged triple corn)
2) Andy Gard 18.12 (2 vermin and some silvers)
3) Bob Feltham 12.08 (All silvers, skimmer & bream to 3lb, roach & hybrids on pinkie)
4) Chris Fox 11.08 (2 vermin & 1 roach, red maggot)

Silvers
1) Bob Feltham 12.08
2) John Bennet 9.08