Wednesday 2 September 2015

31/08/15 - Lands End - Match

Weight - 135lb 13oz
Catch - 32 Carp, 2 Skimmers
Weather - Damp start, but mostly cloudy and dry
Match - Garry Wall Memorial - 6th out of 28


With 28 fishing today, we were split evenly between Match and Johns Lake. Like yesterday, I wanted to keep it simple, either fishing for silvers or carp. Although not my favourite, p13 was my home for day, which has been very consistent this summer (well they say summer, more like the wet and windy season) and decided to focus on the carp, which meant the silvers rigs could stay on the winders.


I also kept the bait tray simple, focusing on pellet and paste, leaving the meat in the tins since I haven't had much success on it recently. However, it would be interesting to see what effect the extra water would have on the fishing following the lake top up yesterday.


Starting on paste (HB redneck 0.3g > .17 > 12 carp feeder), feeding a few 6s in the toss pot at 10m under the left hand tree, I had 5 carp and a skimmer in the first hour, which was a decent enough start, but moving into the 2nd hour it just felt like the swim was fading.


I had already started feeding 6s to the island and down the right hand margin, ignoring the left hand bank. Whilst the left hand bank at 14-16m looking inviting, I envisaged getting caught in the overhanging branches and I didn't want the hassle. So it was a place of last resort that wasn't required.


A switch to the island with  a conventional pellet rig only produced liners, so switched down the right hand margin with the same rig and caught a small carp immediately on 8mm pellet. A switch to paste (HB redneck 0.2g > .17 > 12 carp feeder) produced more positive bites, plus I could pull a bit harder to keep the fish from getting under the p14 platform.


By the half way point it looked like Anton Page on p18 was easily winning. Russ Peck on p15 was slightly ahead of me thanks to some better fish, but at least I was heading in the right direction. To rest my margin I targeted the island again, this time with a long line pellet rig and caught a few carp on 8mm pellet, but it was hard work. I got the impression the fish would have preferred it had I been able to present the rig tight to the island, because Russ was catching (and losing) plenty fishing tight. I was a metre short and a 17m pole extension will be ordered soon!


Back under the left hand tree only produced 1 more carp, whilst a 6m swim fed from the off with 6s was providing plenty of blows, but no actual fish on either pellet or paste. they just didn't want to settle in the deeper water.


With 2 hours to go, I suffered a dodgy 30min spell where I couldn't catch, then lost 3 fish on the bounce, before the fish returned.


In the end I had nice days fishing, plenty of banter with Russ, over 100lb and it even stayed dry. I could have done a few more bigger fish to get into the frame, but otherwise felt I fished a decent match - haven't been able to say that too many times recently.


1st 197- 2  Anton Page - p13
2nd 176- 4 - Tom Mangnall - p21
3rd 154- 7 - Craig Edmunds - p62
4th 149-11 - Russ Peck - p15
5th 136- 2 - Nick Duckett - p19
6th 135-13 - Ken Rayner - p13


Silvers
1st 30- 4 - Chris Fox - p9
2nd 17- 7 - Nigel Bartlett - p22
3rd 17- 5 - Ryan J - p11

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