30/05/13 - Leechpool

Weight - 31lb 8oz
Catch - 21 Carp, 6 Bream
Weather - Bright start, Northerly breeze, showers later
Match - Wiltshire Angling Evening Float Only - 6th out of 9

Back at Leech Pool for the next Thursday evening sprint and reports were the lake had been fishing hard with only 60lb winning at the weekend. The continually changing weather has got to be having a negative effect and tonight there was a northerly wind blowing into the house bank. Mark Poppleton was complaining about the lack of pick ups he hasn’t had recently, following another blow out at Viaduct. He didn’t get much sympathy!

At the draw I didn’t need to drive to my peg, because I was already there. A popular pleasure anglers peg, because its next to the car pack, but not the best match peg, usually because the prevailing westerlies blow into the opposite bank. Having said that, today with the northerly wind there was a nice ripple on the water and a few fish were showing themselves, so fingers crossed for a decent match.

I set up 3 rigs:-

- HB billybob 0.2g > .14 > 16 B911 – soft pellet on the deck

- HB redneck 0.2g > .17 > 12 carp feeder – paste

- HB ratcatcher 2 > .14 > 16 B911 – hair rigged pellet shallow

 

We should have started at 5.45, but Gary Etheridge took so long setting up on the peg next to the house, we were a few minutes late, although it was fun watching him set up his platform as it wobbled on the slippery stones.

 

Half a cup of 4s & 6s was deposited into each margin, with the intention of keeping them topped up ready for the last hour. I started at 11m on paste, catching 2 small carp and then a third on soft pellet. However it didn’t seem right, because there seemed to fish in the swim, but they were just messing about with the bait. Also Tony Gilbert was already 3 or 4 fish ahead fishing shallow. So after 15mins I was on the shallow rig and for the next 1hr was I catching consistently on 6mm pellet and probably had 20lb already, including some better carp up to 3lb.

 

Unfortunately this is where the catching stopped. The fish just disappeared. I added another section and caught a few more, but it had definitely slowed down. Tony was in the same boat, so at least I knew it wasn’t me. The carp had moved into the middle of the lake.

 

My margins produced a few small fish, but it was hard going and the skimmers also started to show themselves, which is always a worry. I persevered with the shallow rig, mainly because I couldnt catch anywhere else. A new swim lightly feed with 4s 11m to my left only produced skimmers and a single carp on expander, so a puzzling end to the day.

 

I also thought it was good to have a heavy rain shower 15mins before the end and the persistent rain whilst packing up. My kit needed a clean!

 

I don’t have the full results this time, 60lb won from the cattle drink swim and Mark in the next peg had 26lb – so another match and no pick up ;¬)