Open, Acorn, Saturday 31st July 2021

 One of my matches at Acorn today, with the optional series alongside.  Had a few drop out, and they let me know, but two no shows on the day put the numbers down to 17, at least it meant plenty of room for everyone.

I had the last but one ping pong ball out of the bag, 21, not the peg it was, I have won from it in the past, but wasn't convinced that it was a good draw today.  I set up topkits for across - banded pellet, down the edge, one for the near shelf and also one for the bridge, to fish against the middle stanchion.

Started across with banded pellet, I had two bites, one small carp (less than a lb) and one similar that fell off at the net and that was it, there really didn't seem to be any fish over there. I fed groundbait and dead maggots to the bridge and slowly started to catch a few tench and skimmers, with the odd carp thrown in. 

I did feed the margin, but that wasn't any more productive than the farside, so I just concentrated on the middle of the bridge, I had to feed a ball of GB after every 2nd fish or the bites dried up.  I knew I had no chance of catching enough carp, so settled for fishing for silvers as the only chance of pocketing some coin.  It worked out a good decision and I won the silvers, so a pick up when otherwise I would have gone home empty handed.

Bit tricky to call the optional series placings yet as there are only three matches gone, but it's difficult to see past Martin Rayet who has won all three matches so far.  Best 4 of 6 to count in the series.

Ivy House Open, Sunday 25th July 2021

 Just a 13 pegger today on the Old Match Lake at Ivy, travelled up with Tony and had breakfast there, it's not the cheapest, but it's nice.

Tony beat me to the draw tin as I wasn't paying attention, he pulled 12 - nice you can reach the island with 16m, somewhat disappointingly I drew 13 out of the tin, same peg as last time on the lake where I managed 3rd, but that time there was a silvers angler on 12, who never went near the island, that wasn't going to be the case today.

Rather sportingly I did help Tony get his pole (Daiwa) up to the full 16m limit, perhaps I should have just stayed quiet... Last time I was on this peg I caught most fish on the waggler, so that was first out of the bag, I did get a method feeder out, but that stayed led on the bank and went away unused.

Topkits for margin, a short line where I intended to fish 5mm pellets as if they were meat, a rig for banded pellet at 11m and a silvers rig, jut in case I had to fish for bites.  Couldn't see the point in going long on the pole, as it's too far from the island, could probably do it with 17m and a metre of lash, but that's not allowed.

Started short on 8mm pellet hoping for  'mug' fish, but nothing, I'd fed two lines at 11m, 10 and 2 o'clock, GB/maggots on one, corn and micros on the other, the skimmers weren't queuing up and I probably spent 15 minutes too long trying to catch them whilst I primed the island to fish the waggler.  I did have a couple of skimmers and two small carp on it, but by now Tony had shipped out to the island and was catching carp.

The difficulty in fishing the waggler to the island was the same as the last time I fished the peg, to get a bite, it had to right up on the mudline and not be dragged away by wind, surface trip (which there was very little of in all honesty) or the ducks that were attracted to the pellets.

I caught intermittently, as the fish would disappear  after 2 or 3 had been caught, switching to the other lines was pretty much a non-start, even though the 5m line was fizzing, I tried worms over it as well, to no avail  I did try worm on the waggler over to the island, I had one on it, but I felt pellet was better when the cast and presentation were right.

Finally the edge started to give up a couple of fish, not frantic, but 3 or 4 better fish in the last 30 minutes, including one landed after the whistle.  I knew Tony had beaten me, he just caught more consistently across to the island. By the time the scales came round there had been a couple of ton weights and Stu on peg 10 added another, I didn't think I had that.  

Tony's fish went on the scales and he'd somehow manged to get 42lb in one net and 83 in the other, losing the second net by exceeding 80lb.  About 4 or 5 years ago we were pegged next to each other in a Viaduct winter league, I did exactly the same with the same weight over, that cost me a 96 peg match win, this cost Tony a 13 peg match win. I did have a ton, just over 105.10 which was enough for 3rd on the day, one out of the money, so a skint van going home....

Tony Rixon's Short Pole League, R3, Trinity Waters, Sunday 11th July 2021

 Some trepidation after the really tough round here a fortnight ago when I had only 4 bites all match.   To widen my options this round I brought casters, maggots and worms, to widen my options, rather than gambling all out on carp.  The next important thing was top draw one of the pegs with space or an empty peg next to it -  failed miserably on that account drawing 11, nicely surrounded.

Started on paste, as that is probably the best chance of picking up an early 'mug' fish, it paid off with a double figure mirror after about 20 minutes, next drop in hooked another good one and was only slightly frustrated when it came off at the net...... that could be costly.

I fed my catch all line and pretty much stayed there all day, catching an odd skimmer and 3 more carp on worms to end up with 44lb and a section win - happy with that as I really don't feel I could compete with the pegs that had space.

Ivy House Open, Saturday 10th July 2021

 An open spread over Kingfisher and the old match lake, fancied Kingfisher, but drew OML - not much changes does it.....

Anyway, peg 13 for me, can't reach the island with 16m and that's where you need to be to catch consistently.  So I had to set up a method and a waggler, the pole was set up to try and encourage them short (and long, but 13 is the narrowest peg on the causeway, so is at least a single breakdown of the pole for shipping).

I really couldn't persuade the fish to come off the island and the waggler wasn't much use, so I picked up a method rod, I had one on this and the fish were rolling along the island and over the method, but could I catch on it, I had one and that was it, tried switching to maggots, that saw constant silvers bites, wafters, bigger pellets, smaller pellets and dropping it slightly short, all to no avail.

I fed a line with some 4mm pellets, GB and dead maggots at 11m, just a catch all line, this did produce a few skimmers, but I'd not really come to fish for silvers - unless they wanted to eat hard pellets, which today they didn't - so I spent the rest of the match fishing the waggler and that started to produce a few fish, maybe stopping several times to look on the 5m line and in the margin cost me winning the lake, as I never had a fish from either line.

Ended with 48lb for 3rd on the lake, missing out by 5lb for a lake win, the best weights came from Kingfisher, pretty certain I was never going to compete with those on the day, but should have won the lake, oh well, upwards and onwards.

Tony Rixon's Float Only R3, Landsend, Sunday 4th July 2021

 So, back to my bittersweet venue, I just love its location, its peace and tranquillity, I get frustrated with the bankside vegetation and I also seem to struggle on here, unless I fish for silvers - no point in fishing for them this match, as I have a section second and my disaster on the squircle, at least I can drop that one!!   A section win is a must.

Into the draw tin first and 18 on the match lake for me, next to venue regular Russ Peck and I could keep on eye on Tony, as he was diagonally opposite through the gap in the islands, on peg 5.  This lake has seen a stocking of small tench, F1's and crucians, but I felt to catch enough I'd have to focus on the carp.

Rigs set up for meat short, pellets down the track, margin and across to the island, where there was a nice depth of around 18".  Started short on meat, all that produced was some missed bites and some little bars of soap (tench), harder to handle than eels.....  I stuck with it switching sides and changing to pellet, whilst priming over to the island.  That produced a 3lb skimmer and a couple more tench, but was going nowhere fast, I switched to fishing at 16m to the point of the island.  I had a couple of carp, fishing a banded 6mm pellet over 6mm pellet.  I kept at it, then had 4 carp in four put ins, kiss of death then as Russ on 19, said "You've got them there now", that was it, they disappeared.

I came back on the short line and upped the feed, had a carp and indications that there were others in the peg, but I never felt they were really interested in feeding, just coming to the feed without eating.  By now I had my earbuds in listening to Max winning the GP.  The weather had turned, it was pissing down and it certainly didn't feel like July.

The rain did ease off and stop, I had kept a few pellets going in over to the island and had a good last hour across there and I thought I had about 85lb, turned out with my few 'accidentals' I had 95.11, which was 4th on the lake, but more importantly, the section win.  Got to miss the next round, but I can have a stand in for one match thankfully.