25/09/25 - Harescombe - Match

Weight - 51lb 2oz

Catch - 13 Carp, 5 F1, 11 Skimmers, 1 Roach

Weather - Cold start, sunny, gusty northerly breeze

Match - Open (18 fished) - 3rd overall, 2nd in section

Today was the last day of a 2-week holiday, which included a week away in Thasos Greece for a much needed break and a last bit of sun.

With 18 booked on and fully booked, it meant the fishing would be tough going and an end peg would be ideal. I was happy to draw p12 and whilst it wasn’t an end peg it is a peg that offers some shallower water across where the bank has collapsed.

On the all-in I started at 14m to my right (as p13 was empty) on corn and then 4mm pellet, hoping for an early carp, but after 30mins I only had liners.

A switch to fishing a 4mm expander at the bottom of the far shelf resulted in my first fish, a roach. Next put in I had 4lb carp. By toss potting a tiny nugget of groundbait (Coco Squid: Crushed Expander) and baninion micros I was getting bites from small skimmers. As no one else was catching I stuck with it hoping some better fish would turn up which they didn’t.

As the swim seemed to be full of small fish, I moved a metre to my right, still feeding a nugget of micros/groundbait and this produced another 2 carp, before the skimmers returned.

Another move to my right produced my best run of fish and I felt I was doing well. When the swim slowed, I moved further right.

Throughout the match the northerly wind had been troublesome, but manageable. However, with just over an hour remaining a stronger gust of wind blew my rig into an overhanging bush and I lost the whole rig!

As I only had an hour remaining, I decided against setting up a new rig and tried my short meat line, margin and tight across in the shallow water.

I was disappointed, although not surprised not to get a bite short or down the margin. Fortunately, I caught 4 carp from the far bank on baninion boosted corn, over micros and groundbait, although I lost 2 to a sunken branch (informed Gary who will deal with the offending snag).

That last hour was quieter than I had hoped and I felt I may have slipped down the frame. I was pleased to finish 3^rd overall and as expected the 4 end pegs all picked up. However, losing my rig to the bush, then losing 2 fish to a snag and a change of tactics probably cost me 2^nd if not the win.

1.    59-10 – Tim Hadland – p3

2.    55-  2 – Luke Seabrook – p16

3.    51-  2 – Ken Rayner – p12

4.    50-15 – Allan Oram – p15

5.    49-  4 – Steve Brown – p9