Ivy House Winter League, R4, Sunday 27th February 2022

 Travelled to this one as usual with Tony, over breakfast we did say it's about time the van had someone with a pick-up in it, as we have yet to manage that between us this league.

Tony was on Old Match Lake, myself on Kingfisher, I somehow managed to draw 50, completely the opposite end I wanted.  Ryan Ship on 48 kindly told me 50 was the worst peg on the lake, not sure it is, but it is a bit of a feast or famine peg and with the wind hacking against the end bank (50 is an end peg on a canal lake) I suspected famine today.

Set up to fish at 13m, 7m and down to my RH side just down the near shelf.  fed two lines at 13m, one with GB and maggots, one with micros.  The 7m line had GB and maggots, the short line had casters loose fed.

It took a while to get a bite and it was one of those days where working out a feeding pattern or what the fish wanted was nigh on impossible.  I couldn't get two consecutive bites from any line, I had a couple of carp on the short line on caster, one at 13m on soft pellet, one on corn, a few on maggots, I even started up a couple more lines round the peg, but that didn't help.

The roach and skimmers, if there were many in the peg, didn't want to feed, so it was sit it out for carp, the last 30 minutes was the best of the match, I had 3 carp including one about 4lb right at the end.

Sadly not enough to get that missing pick-up, as I was one out of the money, being 3rd on the lake, as was Tony on his lake, just one round to go for us to ensure we don't get a full house of no pick-ups this league.

Viaduct Silvers Open, Saturday 26th February 2022

 Was really looking forward to this one, the silver results have been looking good in recent matches.  I drew 115, not disappointed with that.

This is a very short blog, 20 mins into the match, a gust of wind brought a branch down onto my head, then onto my pole cracking the 11m section in two places, the second time I have had this happen (both No.11 sections!!) at this venue.

Somewhat pissed off and with a headache, feeling nauseous, I packed up and went home £650 worse off than when I arrived.

Acorn Winter League, Final Round, Saturday 19th February 2022

 The last round of what has been an unsuccessful league for me, if I were to compare it to football's Premier league, the last two years I finished in the Champions league places, whilst the year I was flirting with relegation.  I could do with a decent match to round the league off.

I was in what is the section that consistently puts up the highest weights, but was desperate to avoid peg 1, the pegs are drawn for you, so I was certainly happy to hear my name and then peg 5, it's where the fish are holed up this winter.

Just for a change, it was forecast to rain and be windy, the wind was South Westerly so was perfect for where I expected to catch.  The picture below shows the peg, the area I was expecting to catch and the SW and W wind direction

Given the forecast of wind to mid 40 mph, I set up two lead rods, one to fish bread and the other for maggot, three topkits, although one would remain unused.  A 4x12 Des Shipp maggot and the same float in 4x14, these in strung and bulk shotting patterns, respectively. 20 Kaizen hook on each rig, on 0.13.  I just got the 11m of my Sphere Power Partner out of the bag, not expecting to be able to fish across and achieve any sort of presentation.

Started at 2+2 into the zone on the picture, this was easy with the wind over my shoulder, I had a couple of liners, lost a fouler, then had a fish around the 7lb mark, as expected this line went quiet so I pushed out another section, had a couple more fish and indications, the wind started switching round to a full on Westerly,  This made presentation all but impossible in the area I wanted to fish, so I picked up a lead rod and went across with popped up bread, had a 3lber straight away, hen a couple of liners on the next casts, but no more fish.

Paul on 11 had been catching, but with the wind now blowing Westerly, we both stopped catching, I tried the bomb and maggot over my to no avail.  The fish definitely wanted it on a light strung out rig, so I persevered with that and had a couple of skimmers, a goldfish well over a pound and a F1, When the wind dropped I dropped back in to bowl and managed a couple more carp, I though Paul on peg 9 had beaten me, he had more fish, but I had a better stamp and I managed the section and match win by 3lb.... finally in this league!

Well done to Paul and Brian for running it (well done to me for doing their admin and excel work 😉 )

Gareth absolutely dominated, even his stand in won B section today, great performance.

Roll on the spring league, lets hope the wind has stopped by then!

 Final league table

Peg scores.  The figures below the chart are total weight per match, average per angler and median per angler.

Ivy House Winter League R3, Sunday 13th February 2022

 Back to Ivy House and back on Heron lake for me, not my favourite lake, but it's full of fish. so hopefully a few bites to be had.  As seems the norm lately, it was forecast to be windy, but I drew peg 15, which did see the wind off my back, allowing me to fish up to the 16m limit if desired.

Two lead rods set up, one for bread, although it was probably a bit too coloured for it, one for a cage feeder, 2 topkits were enough, with the depth being very even all over the peg, so a light rig with strung out shotting and a heavier rig with bulk shot and droppers.

Had a fish first chuck on the bread, but that was it, nothing else on it.  It took ages to get a bite, I finally had one on a topkit + 1 where I'd been feeding maggots, I alternated between 14.5m and the short line fishing maggots to weigh 14.08 which beat the pegs either side, but was no good, same fate for Tony on Kingfisher, so we were soon on our way home.

Saturday Open, Acorn, Saturday 12th February 2022

 Title says open, numbers fishing could be construed as a knock-up.  Not sure if it's the weather, the cost or the format keeping numbers down, but if it's cost, I'm not running a Saturday cost cutter, I'd rather go and fish elsewhere.  The format sees a decent percentage of the field paid out, it is winter after all, so the summer format of only one silvers place and being able to win both returns.

I took the last ball from the bag, 9, not too disappointed with that, it's in the right area.  The wind was getting up as I set up, but I was able to easily reach the far bank, it's an easy 13m to get along to the right to an even bottom.  I'd brought bread, but put that back in the van, as the colour didn't look right for bread.  So two rigs across, on at depth, one set 6" off bottom to dob maggots.  Two rigs for open water, I've been using the Des Shipp Maggot floats, the fish quite well, so one of those, I also set up a wire stemmed slim RW pattern in case I ended up fishing for silvers.

Started across, has a fouler around 3lb first put in, but that was it, for the rest of the match, fishing across was impossible after that, just couldn't hold the pole still enough, I tried a few times when the wind dropped a bit, inevitably, by the time I got the pole back in, swapped topkits and got across, the wind had resumed its relentless ruining of the match.

I fed a line at 6 joints just off to my left, this produced a carp and two tench, before dying off, I switched to the same length of pole (same rig, same depth) off to my right, lining up with peg 5, this produced a tench, a couple of carp and then died, added a section, had a couple of carp, it died, added another section, had a decent fish and then looked down to the pallet of peg 8.  This produced a fish first put in, but nothing else, had one more from the longer line towards 5 and that was it.  Every fish came to single red maggot tipped with a pinkie.

My 37.07 was enough for the win and the wild roller coaster of inconsistency this winter continues.  Thanks to those who support the matches and let's hope the weather is kinder on the next match.

Acorn Winter League R5, Saturday 5th February 2022

 Another changeable week weather wise, so inconsistent pressures and temperatures unsettling the fish, I quite like winter fishing, but I won't be sorry to see the spring and being able to put some bait in.....

Two pegs left in when my section was drawn, 31 and 40, I would have preferred 40, but got handed 31, its usually a decent peg, but I have never managed to do any good from it.  The advantage to 31 is that if the wind is from the West the building behind it offers shelter and it was predicted to be windy today.

4 rigs, a dobbing rig for over, another for maggot over, that would also do for down to the pallet of 30 and two rigs for down the track, one light with a 20 F1 on 0.10 and the other with a 0.13 and a 20 Kaizen.

Started on bread dobbing along the far bank, not so much a liner, switched to maggot, had a bite, and missed it, then had a another the fish came off half way back, didn't feel foul hooked, but no way of knowing now.  Had another straight away, a ghostie that put up a scrap.

That was the end of bites across, never had another indication over there all day, I had a couple of skimmers, a tench, two small perch, a roach and a rudd down the track. Last hour I concentrated on the pallet of peg 30, had three more carp and frustratingly with a couple of minutes to go I hooked another and it snagged under the pallet, I couldn't free it and had to go down to the pallet and ensure the fish wasn't snagged.  That cost me section points and probably money - that just about sums up my winter leagues this year. 

The venue fished hard, the worst average weight (13lb) per angler in the 3 years records I have.  Even the silvers were having an off day, here's hoping for some settled weather soon!

Ron's Silvers League, Plantation, Sunday 30th January 2022

 Nice breakfast in the Wessex Flyer, might be the highlight of the day.

Consistently inconsistent would be an apt description for me lately, I drew peg 8, a peg you wouldn't complain about drawing, so happy enough.   I had brought a waggler and feeder, but left them in the bag, setting up 4 topsets, two different bulk rigs, a strung rig for skimmers and a roach rig.

Started by feeding two lines at 14.5m, one with a nugget of micros, one with a ball of GB without too much feed in, as I thought the cold might knock things back a bit, finally a line at 7 joints with caster. 

Started on the caster line, but that produced nothing, switched to the micro line with an expander, nothing again, so a look with maggot over the GB.  A small skimmer, but again, it wasn't the usual start at this venue.   Back to the caster line, whilst I changed the micro line to GB/caster.  Had a run of small roach, but they wouldn't keep coming, back out over the GB and had a couple more skimmers,

Peg 8 and peg 7 have to fish with crossed poles and it was made worse by Ryan on 7 being cack-handed.  We agreed a set up and his pole was over mine, I'd put  on of my rollers in place in case he dropped off his back roller and through my pole, so instead of my usual 3 rollers I was using 2 and they were too low.  I also dinked the end of my No7 section and started to lose my head.

The fish weren't feeding, nor did I think there were many there, as I was having no indications at all, I was going to get off my box and set up a waggler, but apathy won, I didn't.  Then the sun came round and with a slight ripple I couldn't see a flaot on either of my 14m lines, so started a new line I could see, never had a bite on that,

I doubt I had a pound and half in the last 3 hours of the match and wasn't sorry when it finished.  Maybe if I hadn't let the roller and sun situation get to me and I'd set up that waggler, I might have done better, but it may well have been one of those days.

Roll on the summer.