England Ladies Team Fundraiser, Barston Lakes, Tuesday 26th July 2016

This was originally planned for the Glebe, but due to KHV and the Glebe being closed, Nigel at Barston stepped in and we had the whole lake for the 60 booked in, so plenty of room.  I have only been a couple of times before, but was keen to return, circumstance and opportunity stopping me getting there rather than choice.

A decent breakfast at the nearby Premier Inn and onto the draw, 53 stuck to my hand, I was advised that this was a good draw, so hopeful of a good days fishing.  We went back to the van discovered that some 'pranksters' had given it a liberal coating of Old Ghost....

Although I wasn't sure that Ken and Tony didn't have the rolled up £20 outs........

53 is a longish walk, but you can't complain about that if it's decent, so after sorting out a rod, reel and some method feeders for Tony, I was on my way.

That's the view I had for the day and the information was that there would be carp to be caught on the bomb and waggler, without chucking too far.  I set up a pellet waggler, a full depth waggler and a bomb.  A couple of topkits, one for down the edge and another with a 4x16 wire stemmed float to fish pellet at 11m.  Bait tray was simple, pellets and corn, dead maggot.  I did mix two groundbaits, one for down the edge and another for putting in with the pellets at 11m.

Starting on the bomb and pellet, I had two liners in the first half an hour (I had fed 3 balls of GB and pellet at 11m), switching to the waggler for another 20 minutes, I remained biteless and fishless - that certainly wasn't the plan.

A switch to the pole and with corn on the hook I had a few skimmers, but it wasn't hectic, a switch to banded 6mm saw the catch rate increase, but after a while I started to lose fish, not just the odd one, i was losing 3 to 1 landed at one stage.  I changed hook size, hook pattern, laid line on the deck, fished dead depth, off bottom and all to no avail.  It wasn't foulers, the fish I was landing were only just hooked in the outside edge of the top lip.

The skimmer line died off a bit and I went back onto the the waggler and had a 2lb F1, but that was a lone bite until I saw a fish roll about 10yards further out, I cast to it and soon had another F1, but that was it, no real sign of fish in the feed area.  Back on the pole and more skimmers, more hair pulling frustration at lost fish.  Going into the last couple of hours, a few carp were being caught and I remained carpless, the edge line gave me 2 perch and two big skimmers, but no carp and now the guy on 55 was catching on the pellet wag, whilst I had struggled.

With an hour to go I went back on the waggler and hooked a big fish, played it for 10 minutes and had it nearly to the net, I estimate it to be 17lb, a proper angry common, I had a few passers-by stop to watch and on the way to the net the hook pulled.........  the torrid time with losing fish continued.

A few more chucks on the waggler and nothing to show for it, when I saw a couple of big vortexes down the edge. Dropping in with 10 maggots on a 12 Guru XS - a hook I have been using for a couple of years with no problems - the float buried and I was attached to another Barston lump, this time a mirror in the high teens, when that shed the hook at the net I was completely numb, why, how?  could I lose so many fish in one match, 3 different hook patterns, two different methods.....

I managed three more from the edge before the all out and put 38lb of skimmers on the scales and 37lb of carp which was 3 F1's and 3 proper carp.  A nice days fishing, but a torrid days match fishing, I have lost enough to frame and with hindsight, I don't think I fed enough on any of my lines, although I am sure that that didn't contribute to the lost fish.  Being too negative has cost me, especially down the edge, I was trying to feed for one fish at a time, but once I upped the amount of bait, I had more fish in the edge, by then I ran out of time......

All in all a good day out, hopefully a few quid raised and I really must get back there before too long.

Avalon Float Only Open, Sunday 17th July 2016

Really struggling lately to get my head round the way lakes are fishing and I must admit I was sat at Avalon today wondering if I would be enjoying the Huntspill more......

Whilst on many venues the winning weights are respectable, the back up weights are down for this time of year, with fish seemingly reluctant to get their heads down and feed, even late in the match, I know I'm not alone in thinking this.

I guess I have been a bit negative in feeding recently because of the lack of bites, but today I decided to go more positive and see what that would bring, as it couldn't be any worse than the dreadful run I've been on since May.

The draw saw me heading to peg 19, I don't know the venue that well, but its not the worst draw on the lake.  Two waggler rods set up, one at full depth with a couple of No8 droppers and a pellet wag to fish tight to the island, trying to cover options I had two full depth rigs set up, one to fish hard pellet and one for soft pellet/corn.  A shallow rig and a paste rig covered the open water options and I did set up, although not too confidently, a margin rig, as the shallowest water I could find close in was nearly 5'.

Bait tray was simple, 4,6 and 8mm pellets, soft pellets, paste and corn, on the all in I cupped 3 balls of GB at 13m with pellets and a few grains of corn in, just pellets in at 5m and then onto the pellet wag.  a great start, two fish in two chucks, before it started to go wrong big style, as always (in my experience) happens at thei venue, the fish move tight against the island, even with the feed deliberately dropped short. The next two chucks saw the float lost in underwater roots, I then hooked a decent fish which kited left and went solid in a snag, another float lost.  In my haste in setting back up and casting back out, I snagged again on the island and lost another float, today was getting expensive.....

I dropped back onto the 13 line with pellet and that was devoid of action, I swapped the pellet for corn and had three decent skimmers in 4 put ins, great, sussed it I thought, but that was to it, I never had another skimmer all match.  I tried the 5m line, but that was completely dead, I never saw as much as a bubble from that all match and never had a bite on it.  I reset up the waggler and switched to fishing the open water at the end of the island, this brought a decent fish to the net, but the activity that was there soon stopped after half a dozen casts.

Back to 13m and a fish on paste, then onto the deep waggler and a hard fighting ghostie fell to an 8mm pellet, I kept the odd fish coming by swapping between paste at 13m and pellet waggler.  I think chasing the crusiers that were off the end of the island has cost me, I should have just persevered with the 13m line and kept the feed going in, as feeding was essentiual to get a bite, even though they were few and far between.

I put 60.14 on the scales, I think that was 7th or 8th, it was one out of the money in the section and whilst that is better that my recent run, another 2 or 3 fish would have put me in second place - decision making has cost me, must stop chasing cruisers that aren't feeding!!!