Monday 27 February 2012

26/02/12 - Plantations - Main Lake

Weight – 30lb 3oz (13lb 12oz – silvers)
Catch – 27 Roach, 21 Skimmers, 5 Carp, 1 Perch
Weather – Frosty start. Mostly sunny and flat calm.
Water Temp – 10.8c – 11.3c
Match – Plantations/Acorn Pole Only Series – 9th out of 30 overall, 3rd out of 10 section

I decided to book myself into Plantations/Acorns Pole only series run by Paul Faires and Chris Fox. Although Plantations Main Lake is a venue I have never match fished and today was the first time I have actually seen Acorns, I really wanted to get back to more competitive angling and I do like to fish in a league. The other attraction was it being pole only, so no chucking the plastic pig.

With 2 sections of 10 on Plantations and 1 section of 10 on Acorns, I was really hoping for a draw at Plantations, which I did pulling p38. This also gave me some time to have a practice at Acorns prior to the next round. I have to say I was quite impressed with Acorns. Paddock Lake is proper snake lake with decent width and depth, unlike the narrow shallow hole in the ground at Bullocks.

Back to my peg and I was initially happy, being on the point of the spit, but the advantage I thought I had was reduced when an angler turned up on p32 on the other spit, which according to the locals isn’t normally put in, this meant I couldn’t realistically fish to my right.

My section ran from p39 behind me to p24, so basically the whole of the right hand bank, which was just as well, because there were loads caught down the left hand side.

A frosty start to the day, combined with flat, bright conditions was hardly classic skimmer weather, but still they were my main target with hopefully some carp. A small amount of 3mms was deposited at 14.5m in front, then 14.5m to my left at 45 degrees. Whilst I let that settle I started at 6m, fishing maggot over a ball of groundbait, but I had a real struggle, losing 3 of my first 6 fish, which included a skimmer and a decent roach.

I really wanted to give the long lines time to settle and after 40mins my short line was a struggle, so time to try my long lines. I had a skimmer straight away on 4mm expander and I kept them coming for a couple hours by toss potting a pinch of micros & 4mms every put in. Whenever the roach turned up a small cup of food brought the skimmers back.

Over my left hand swim I had started to catapult 4mm regularly, expecting to pull in a few carp, but this swim never really took off, I had a couple skimmers and a carp, but it was mainly roach nipping at the bait. As the match progressed the roach were becoming a real nuisance and the last 2hrs was very frustrating with very few skimmers or carp. I even tried 6mm hard pellet and was still catching roach in both swims, which really tells its own story – there wasn’t many decent fish in the area. The guy on the other spit had very few skimmers and I just had a gut feeling they moved away into more open water.

Despite the last 2 hours I enjoyed my match, picking up 1st in silvers in section by default. In hindsight I should have re-started my 6m line, but I was convinced the better fish would come back, particularly over the left hand swim where I feed 4mm’s all day. I did try going to 16m, but still more roach, as was my margins.

The weigh in was interesting, with it being in kilos on what was a shoddy set of scales. After every weigh, the question was “what was that in old money?” (2.2lb per kilo).

Overall quite pleased with the result, particularily since I was against a number of regulars. The next 2 rounds are rotated, which means Acorns at the next round, then back to Plantations (p1-p22).

Weights are in kilos

C section
1) Mark Bromsgrove 18.880 peg 25
2) Rich Lovering 18.350 peg 31

Silvers
1) Mark Bromsgrove 8.250 peg 25
2) Ken Rayner 6.230 peg 38

Overall
1) Lewis Walker 31.910 peg 7P
2) Dave Wride 27.840 peg 12P
3) Nick Harvey 19.460 peg 8P
4) Paul Faiers 19.170 peg 5A
5) Mark Bromsgrove 18.800 peg 25P
6) Mike Owens 18.340 3P

Saturday 25 February 2012

24/02/12 - Plantations - Main Lake

Weight – 59lb 6oz (20lb 14oz – silvers)
Catch – 24 Skimmers, 20 Roach, 10 Carp, 2 Crucians, 1 Tench
Weather – Mild, but grey & cloudy. Westerly wind.
Water Temp – 10.1c – 10.3c

Sapphire had her stiches removed today and she looks a lot brighter and is moving around more freely. So following the visit to the vets, I decided to have the rest of the day off and practice at Plantations for the forthcoming series.

I haven’t fished here for 18 months, so felt I needed to do some sort of reccy. When I arrived there was already an angler on peg 39, who was also fishing in the series. Due to the wind I decided to fish the far bank, which was more sheltered, however there were 2 carp anglers in peg 27 and thought it best to stay clear of them, so I settled on peg 32, which offered me plenty of open water and a chance to try a few things and sort some rigs.

I eventually got started at 11.15, fishing at 6m for roach on caster, but after an initial burst of fish struggled to keep them coming quickly, fishing on the deck seemed best, whilst fishing half depth only produced small roach. Since this was only going to be a backup line, I didn’t concentrate on it, deciding to focus my attention on the skimmers.

2 swims were set-up at 13/14m left and right, initially potting 3mm and a few 4mms in my left hand swim, followed up by toss potting a pinch of pellet every put in. The right hand swim was feed with 4mms by catapult.

After spending 40mins at 6m, it was time to try the left hand swim, using a 0.4g SZ munkeez and 4mm expander. Almost immediately I started catching skimmers, plus a couple of carp and 2 1lb+ crucians.

The reaction from the right hand swim was a little odd. I expected to catch a few carp, but the roach were proving to be a problem, completely ragging the expander and fishing corn only produced 1 skimmer. I continued catapulting pellet, hoping to draw a few carp from the island. When I went back to the swim, fishing 4mm hard pellet produced a better a response as well as being more resistant to the attentions of the roach, but I did pick some more skimmers, a small carp and a near 2lb tench.

As for my margins, I had being feeding to my right by a partially sunken tree, periodically trying with various baits, but again the roach were in attendance. Towards the end of the session, I dumped ½pt of caster, which produced 2 carp on double caster, including a proper fish of 11-11.

Speaking to the angler who had fished p39, reckoned he had about 50lb, mostly carp from the margin on meat and corn. It appears the lake has been fishing hard, particularly on the pole, with most weights coming to feeder, so a pole only match on Sunday should be interesting.

Anyway an enjoyable day and more confidence gained using soft pellet.

Monday 20 February 2012

19/02/12 - Lands End - Johns Lake

Weight – 40lb 3oz (14lb 9oz – silvers)
Catch – 13 Roach, 10 Crucians, 5 Carp, 5 Rudd, 4 Skimmers, 3 F1, 2 Tench, 2 Perch
Weather – Frosty start. Mostly sunny, cold NW wind.
Water Temp – 7.3c – 8.1c
Match – Lands End Winter League – 1st out of 11 lake (3rd overall out of 33)

Well Sapphire (our Blue Staffie pup) had her deformed front right leg removed on Tuesday. I was expecting a dog to be laid up for a week or so, but no she is already running around and I can already see the benefits of the leg being removed. Dogs certainly have loads of PMA.

Back to the fishing and I was glad to get back to fishing after a period of cold/flu and guested for the Lands End Winter League. Tony put me on Johns Lake, which was like a draw bags convention with a couple of the league leaders in attendance.

I found myself on p70, which I thought would be Ok for a few fish as there are usually a few in residences. The concern however was following a week of mild weather, it was frosty overnight and a cold NW wind was blowing down the lake. Fortunately I was a little sheltered from the worst of it, but there was quite a bit of tow.

Settled on 3 swims feeding a small amount of 3mms and caster at 11m by the weed bed and 3 & 4s went in at the bottom of the shelf at the end of the spit. Whilst I let that settle I started off fishing into the corner, where the spit starts to come out into the lake feeding caster, fishing maggot or caster. Rig wise I was using a Hillbilly Frostie 0.3g in the deeper water and a 0.2g in tight to the far spit. The HB frostie has become my favorite winter float, being very similar to the Preston Chianti, but has a wire stem and nylon tip, offering great stability and sensitivity. Hook for the day was an 18 silverfish pellet and .10 bottom.

After an hour I had a few rudd, roach, a 1lb+ perch and a 4lb carp. So not a bad start and it gave me the time to let the pellet swims settle, which had also been topped up.

First drop in on 4mm expander by the weed bed and I had a crucian. For the next couple of hours I caught consistently toss potting a pinch of 3mms very put in, catching mostly silvers and the occasional carp. I did lose 2, a 5lb ghostie which went mental when I got it on the top kit and another which was a bit too quick for me as it dived into the weed bed.

I rotated swims, but the corner swim wasn’t producing anything over an 1oz and the end of the spit was also proving difficult, so I switched to potting caster on the end of the spit, because presentation wasn’t right in the wind for pellet, however despite regular top ups all I could catch was small roach and 15m is long way for small fish.

As for my weed bed swim, this was starting to prove very slow, but at least I was picking up the odd fish, still on pellet. The jungle drums suggested the lake was fishing hard for most. I was sure I was ahead of Eddie on 42 and Bela on 68, but Mike Nichols on 41 had caught a couple of carp, so very close. The only other person I heard that was catching was Tom Thick on 58.

With an hour left I started to pot a little more pellet by the weed bed, which produced 2 more carp in the last 30mins.

Mike was first to weigh and I have to say I was very surprised when he put 15lb of silvers on the scales, plus his 3 carp for 21lb. So 37lb and I wasn’t sure, since I thought I had 35-40lb. As the weigh in continued it was obvious most had struggled, with Tom weighing 34lb I was at least guaranteed a place. Fortunately my silvers weighed 14-9 and my 5 carp 25-10, so 40-3 in total and a lake win.

Really pleased with how the match went and I have gained a lot of confidence recently fishing soft pellet, which showed today.

1st 63- 0 - Dale Housen – p21
2nd 58-14 – Phil Harding – p1
3rd 40- 3 – Ken Rayner – p70
4th 39- 4 – Tony Rixon – p19
5th 37- 2 – Mike Nicholls – p41
6th 36- 4 – Clint Wotlyla - 31