Sunday 25 April 2010

Match Three, Kev Perry Series 2010

I arrived at the venue early, as we had to peg out Rushcombe Lake, as usual, I had to chuck anglers off the Match Lake. I know Phil has the board saying which lakes are open/closed as you drive in, but notices at the lake entrances would make more sense.

Once I'd done this, Paul arrived, looking like he went to the pub yeterday dinner hour to watch the football and stayed all day and night and so it turned out, thats what happened. There are many tales of the drinking exploits of the now defunct Clevedon Veals team, which also included members of other teams, Mark Harper and Kev Dicks being two who readily spring to mind. One of the younger generation of anglers once asked me if these tales of folklore were true, I asured him they were and many were more wild and illegal than was commonly known - how everyone got away with all their limbs and driving licences, I'll never know.

As I just cannot physically cope with the massive drinking sessions and then fish anymore, I walked round Rushcombe with Paul and was glad I wasn't feeling too bad. After a full english, I felt ready to do battle with a decent draw, Charlie Barnes drew me peg 15 on Match Lake and if I never draw it again, it will be too soon.

I started full of optimisim, but soon had that knocked out of me!! I had set up a MW slim power on 0.15 with a 0.13 hooklength and a 20 808, the same float on 0.15 straight through to a 18 PR36, a margin rig which comprised a MW power on 0.17 straight through to a PR28 size 18 and a paste rig.

The crucians weren't in evidence in the open water, I could see Charlie Barnes on 12 and Louis Jones on 10 catching crucians and skimmers, whilst I struggled for bites. I did swap to a 6mm banded pellet and had three crucians, in three put ins - sorted - no, that was the end of that. The LH margin, close and under the pallet of 16 was seemingly devoid of fish, I had nothing from there, not so much as a liner.

I tried paste, maggot produced bites from quality roach, at least 1" long and in desperation I unwrapped the 'emergency, last resort' cat meat - nothing, no indication on the float at all.

The breeze got up slightly with a couple of hours to go and I noticed some fish movement tight to the island (behind peg 27), I fished tight across, in 12" of water with banded pellet and caught small carp in bursts until the all out. I'm sure I've done my pole some life threatening damage, at least 5 or 6 times whilst shipping back I whacked it into the chicken shed, as I had to try and bring the fish round before shipping back. I did try shipping back down the lake and a decent fish came towards me OK, then just kept running and cut through the line on the leg of peg 14's pallet. What with the people walkinground the lake, the chicken shed and the untamed vegetation growth making fishing so much more difficult than it should be, I finished the day pretty pissed off. I managed 3.900KG of silvers and 9.550KG of carp for a total of 13.450KG and hard bloody work it was.

Although not as pissed off as Paul, he'd drawn 19 on the Match Lake, the winning peg last time, there were fish in his peg, but I think it was carp 4 (in the keepnet) rigs in the boards and rushes double figures......

The rushbed between 25 & 26 looks to be spreading with the prowess of a triffid, these pegs may end up unfishable by June or July, Clive Petitt on 26 fished some old Maver pole that resembled a scaffold tube, saw edged braid (OK slight exaggeration) and still lost fish in the reeds, the others he managed to bully and lift out. It can't be good for poles or fish and removing the reeds and boarded areas would be like a big restocking programme.

Special mention to Glen Calvert, winning his second match in the series, especially as I heard from a reliable source that "Glen was out of it yesterday, he went to the Rugby and his kids were round my house as he was too pissed to be responsible for them" Glad to see Glen's keeping up tradition!!

Kev Perry was late, the cashpoint in Clevedon swallowed his cards, you'll be OK Kev, I bet your credit at the Blue Flame is good. Two series regulars couldn't make it today, so Darren 'Noddy' Vowles came along to make up the numbers and lived up to his awesome reputation, managing a creditable last but one in the section.

Disturbing murmerings from Thatchers rent boy and Charlie about the Yatton special and swallowing.........

The pegs on Rushcombe were all on the island with C1 being the second peg on the RH side over the bridge and round to D7 anticlockwise.

1) Glen Calvert 31.950KG peg 22ML
2) Louis Jones 27.500KG peg 10ML
3) Clive Petitt 25.100 peg 25 ML
4) Dave Roper 19.650 peg 8ML
5) Sean Kitteridge 18.070 peg D6 Rushcombe
6) Dave Wride 17.980 peg C1 Rushcombe

Silvers

1) Dave Wride 12.320KG
2) Louis Jones 11.00KG
3) Dave Roper 10.950KG
4) Bob Gullick 7.320KG Peg C2 Rushcombe.

Overal Table.

1) Louis Jones 17 points 49.770KG
2) Tom Thick 17 points 37.020
3) Glen Calvert 16 points 59.280KG
4) Mark Bromsgrove 16 points 38.400KG
5) Dave Roper 16 points 35.850 KG
6) Dave Wride 16 points 35.360KG
7) Bob Gullick 16 points 33.970KG
8) Mike Owens 16 points 33.930KG

Silvers Table.
1) Tom Thick 21 points 19.150KG
2) Dave Wride 20 points 24.970KG
3) Dave Roper 18 points 22.050KG
4) Bob Gullick 18 points 16.770KG
5) Nick Collins 17 points 17.650KG

Some trivia:

Match 1, total weight caught 224.500KG of which, 87.610KG were silvers. Giving averages of 8.314KG /3.244KG per angler.

Match 2, total weight caught 272.620KG, of which, 103.760KG were silvers. Giving an average of 10.097KG / 3.842KG per angler.

Match 3, total weight caught 354.910KG, of which, 125.020 were silvers. Giving an average of 13.144KG / 4.630KG per angler.

Friday 23 April 2010

Landsend 21/04/10

The title should read "Battered (again) at Landsend"

Its a venue that I have mixed feelings about, its mature enough to house a variety of species in pleasant surroundings, but it does resemble fishing in an outdoor swimming pool. I think my transition to commercials isn't complete, its just a shame roach don't live to 50 and aren't as tough as carp.....

I think my difficulties at Landsend are twofold, feeding and finding where on the steep island slope (apart from peg 19 I've yet to find a real shelf) to fish.

I set up a rig to fish hard pellet up to the island, two to fish at the bottom of the shelf, one for soft pellet, one for paste and a caster rig.

First put in, Adrian Bishop on peg 21 to my left had a fish, it took me a few minuites longer, but I did have two F1/Cruciany things from the island swim.
I then had a carp, which was 8lb or so and a couple more a bit smaler, all on the hard pellet. The next three hours were pretty unproductive and saw only one other fish come to the net. Each time I looked at Adrian I could see yellow elastic streaming from his pole. He was catching up into the vacant peg 20, shallow 3m away from the island. During those barren three hours I had two carp, one on soft pellet, one on maggot and two decent skimmers on soft pellet.

With two hours to go, I started seeing some fish activity against the island and in the last hour and a half, had 6 more carp to round the day off.

I'm not even sure what weight I had, either 76lb something or 76lb something + 6lb 4oz of silvers. I didn't bother to check, Adrian had virtually doubled my weight from the next peg, by catching in open water, shallow - I never had so much as a bite trying it.

1) Tony Whitcombe 160-02 peg32
2) Adrian Bishop 138.10 peg 21
3) Tony Rixon 128-14 peg 27
4) Phil Harding 108.09 peg 31
5) Jamie Dyte 98.15 peg 19
6) Dean Malin 98-10 peg 3

The fish are still shoaled up, a couple went home early, including venue expert Gary Wall, who couldn't buy a bite. That aside, this a venue that seems to resond to experience and I've a lot to learn.

Sunday 18 April 2010

Acorn, New Lake, Sunday 18th April 2010

Plenty of matches to choose from today, I was intending to fish Trinity, Carps had a match on Woodland. The later draw, the likelihood of a better turn out and a new venue saw me heading to Acorn's new match lake.

Rather than go completely blind, I had a sneaky practise on Friday, just to get an idea of the depth and 'feel' of the place. I fished half an hour short of 6 hours and swapped lines/baits as soon as I managed to get fish coming regularly so was pleased to end with about 70lb, a 30lb/40lb split, silvers and carp. The silvers were perch, 10-12oz mainly and I had planned for them to figure in todays match...

Arriving at the draw (so glad it was 10am, as I ended up in town on a stag night last night and the powers of recovery aren't what they once were) there were plenty of good anglers in the car park, but the fact that no one knew what was a flyer and conversely no one was disappointed, as we were all equally in th dark about where the fish would come from.

I drew 21, if there was any downside, its the longest walk and when I got there there was a little surface scum and duckweed, but it was very little and the surface drift took it away before the start.

I intended to fish three lines, the bottom of the near shelf for perch, about 3' short of the bottom of the far shelf at full dpth down the track and up on the far shelf. Plumbing up I immediately discovered that the far shelf wasn't as defined and flat as the peg I'd fished Friday, the same rig for down the track, indicated that this peg was a float bristle length shallower than Fridays.

At the all in, I cupped three balls of groundbait, with micro and 4mm pellet in, down the track, fed 4mm pellet by catapult to the far shelf and caster on the near line. A look at the line down the track wasn't too productive, nor was the far shelf, whilst Louis Jones on my left was getting a small carp every put in from the off. I dropped into the near line, earlier than I'd have liked and had a brief run of the decent perch, but they didn't last long. A couple of small carp and a tench were the only other fish from this line.

The far shelf seemed to be devoid of fish, no bites, liners or indications were forthcoming. I'd set up a paste rig, as I'd not had any of the better fish on Friday, but was assured that they were in there. First drop in with the paste saw liners and the second produced a carp around 5lb, that was the last fish on paste, I hooked another later in the match, probably foul hooked and it came off. I had another decent carp down the track on hard pellet, but by this time was getting a battering on my RH side, as he was getting a fish a chuck across. The wind had got up slightly and was putting a ripple on the surface.

I was at least an hour behind peg 20 when I started catching across, I could see Tony Rixon on peg 19 also catching regularly now. Louis had stopped catching on peg 22 and thankfully, I was now getting a bite most put ins. I had a couple more bonus fish, as well as two more tench, all within 12" of the island. The rig for across was a MW slim power, on 0.15 powerline with a size 20 B911 on a 0.13 hooklength. Similar hook and line for down the track, although the float was a MW diamond that took 8 No8 stotz. Another rig the same for down the track, but with a PR36 and a lasso for hard pellet.

When the wind blew and the surface rippled, the bites came quickly and confidently, when the wind dropped, the bright conditions and flat calm, meant bites were hard to come by. At the all-out I was pretty convinced that Tony on 19 and peg 20 had me beaten, although I didn't have quite so many fish, mine were of a better stamp. A big crowd followed the scales, as it was difficult to estimate your own weight, let alone that of anyone else.

My better stamp of fish saw me manage to pip the two to my right, pegs 20 & 19,who both had good spells of catching, though not the three higher weights. I can't complain, a quality field of anglers and a fourth place. The weights were very close (apart from the winner!!) All I have to decide now, is whether to fish or work on Wednesday,if the weather holds, I think fishing will win.

A special mention to Charlies travelling partner Tom Thick, he drew the peg I fished on Friday, not sure why he didn't frame, it was solid, although hearing the worrying conversation that he and Charlie were having about incestuous relations with Tom's family - no wonder thay all have 6 toes down that neck of the woods - perhaps his mind wasn't on the fishing!! And I always though that the Yatton special was a food item in the chip shop, now it's been revealed as something of a sexual nature.....

1) John Dursley 97-05lb peg 5
2) Jim Jenner 74-09lb peg 8
3) Steve Hutchinson 70-09lb peg 17
4) Chris Fox 66-15lb peg 21
5) Tony Rixon 64-05lb peg 19
6) Tim Clark 62-00lb peg 2

Silvers

1) Charlie Barnes 15-00lb peg 13
2) Ed Wynne 13-07lb peg 25

Monday 12 April 2010

Match Two, Kev Perry Series 2010

The title of Tony Rixon's blog from yesterday, is pretty apt for mine as well.

I went to Bullock Farm on Friday and fished peg 26, it wasn't an easy days fishing, but I managed about 20lb of silvers (mainly big crucians and fantails up to 2lb) and 40lb of carp. Most of the fish taken from the edge of the reed bed on paste. I stuggled to catch in open water, although it seems at the moment when feeding micro pellet or groundbait that there is plenty of fizzing, resulting in foul hookers, but they are not feeding on the hookbait.

So onto Sundays match, Thatchers very own special needs employee, Tom drew me 27 on Match Lake, my heart sank, I have never caught anything worth troubling the scalesmen with from this peg, indeed the last time I drew it I blanked.

The peg had thrown up a decent weight of silvers on the last match (trust Tom to draw it out two matches running) as did peg 30. I set up a caster rig, a Malman winter wire float, 0.11 mainline and a 63.13 size 20 to 0.10. Another rig with 0.13/0.11 and a 18 808 with a MW slim power float for pellet and a similar set up with 0.15/0.13 and a 18 B911 in case the carp showed up.

I also set up a paste rig for the open water and a margin rig that would do for the LH and RH margins, although I've never had a bite from the LH margin, its more barren than a convent full of nuns. The RH margin is very short, before the island ends and you are fishing inro open water, but it does produce a few fish.

At the start I fed a caster line at 1 o'clock 10m, another caster line at 11 o'clock 5m, a pellet line at 30'clock 11m and a throw away line as an experiment at 13m about 10 o'clock with 4mm cubed meat and hemp.

First put in I had a crucian around 6oz on the caster, I had to wait an hour before I had another fish, another crucian from the pellet line. I just wasn't getting bites, not even on single pinkie. By rotating the lines, I managed to stay awake, that and watching Nicky Collins and Mike Nicholls bagging. Lance Tucker was in between them, they doubled his weight, but I think his dripping about the pegging must have washed most of his bait away.

About three hours in I had two better roach from the caster line, but the fish that followed shrunk in size, to just bigger than the caster hookbait. A couple of fish on 4mm cubes of meat over the micro line just about rounded off my silver fishing, which was a piss poor effort - did I do anything drastically wrong, I don't think so, the fish had moved, as pegs that struggled in the first match, sacked up this time round.

Trying to regain some level of respectability, I had spent some time and the last hour persuing carp in the margins, as predicted the LH margin remained fish free. I had gone as far as under the pallet of peg 28, which produced one bite on catmeat. The RH margin gave up a small carp on my first put in, second put in the float went under and the fish snagged in the roots and brambles that cascade into the water on the end of the island. I spent 10 minutes or so with a decent stainless steel weed cutter, removing them and plenty of the sunken roots (which are pretty rotten, but too much of a match for 0.15 or 0.17 powerline). This meant leaving the swim to settle for a while, but I had to set up a new margin rig anyway.

With half an hour to go, I was pretty certain I was last in the section, if not the whole match, if it hadn't been a series I would have had a leisurely pack up, the float went under and a good fish rushed to the brambles and roots to snag me - thankfully they were now led on the bank and after a 10 minute battle a 10lb fish was in the net, hoping to repeat the feat, I dropped back into the margin, but it wasn't to be.

I hadn't had a bite on paste, nor over the meat & hemp line or from my 5m line, a pretty poor day and I am struggling to think what I could have done differently, a change in feeding - more or less? I tried upping the feed towards the end, to no avail, obviously I couldn't try less.

My meagre net of silvers went 2.150KG, the 10lb carp and his little cousin turned the dial round to 5.680KG for a total of 7.830, saving me from last in the section by 70 grams.

Unless I can get a section win every match now, it looks like the series is well gone, so I'll be attacking the last four matches intending to win them.

1) Glen Calvert 24.580KG peg 19 ML
2) Mike Nicholls 22.400KG peg 8 ML
3) Nick Collins 22.070KG peg 10 ML
4) Mike Owens 18.410KG peg 24 ML
5) Paul Faiers 17.550KG peg 14 NP
6) Mark Bromsgrove 15.050KG peg 22 ML

Silvers

1) Mark Bromsgrove 14.350KG peg 22 ML
2) Nick Collins 9.650KG peg 10 ML
3) Mike Owens 8.560KG peg 24 ML
4) Dave Roper 7.840KG peg 18 ML
5) Glen Calvert 7.500KG peg 19 ML
6) Lance (dripping) Tucker 6.950KG peg 9 ML

Overall Table.

1) Mike Owens / 13 / 26.410
2) Tom Thick / 12 / 21.970
3) Mark Bromsgrove / 11 / 11.650
4) Paul Faiers / 10 / 24.910
5) Lewis Jones / 10 / 22.270
6) Kev Perry / 10 / 21.230
7) Bob Gullick / 10 / 18.350
8) Dave Roper / 10 / 16.200


Silvers Table

1) Tom Thick / 14 / 12.850
2) Dave Wride / 13 / 12.650
3) Nick Collins / 12 / 12.650
4) Dave Roper / 12 / 11.100
5) Bob Gullick / 12 / 9.450
6) Andy Hockin / 11 / 8.660
7) Lance Tucker / 11 / 8.290