13/07/08 – Bullocks Farm – Match Lake

Weight – 26lb 3oz
Catch – 4 Carp, 4 Fantails, 3 Bream, 3 Roach, 1 F1, 1 Crucian
Weather – Sunny and calm.
Water temp – 18.0c > 18.5c
Match – Glenfall Club Match - 3rd

Moment of truth, I have sacrificed 2 days of my Stafford Moor holiday to fish this match, because I wanted to get though to the final of the knockout competition.

I drew peg 2, which was not a good start. I was stuck in the corner of the lake, with no features to fish to, other than the margins. My corner was likely to be busy, with the car park behind me and the left hand bank also serviced as a walk way to the adjacent carp lake, so I was apprehensive how I would do.

I had drawn Roger in the knockout, who drew peg 3, so at least I could keep an eye on him.

I started in the open water, but it became obvious the bright calm conditions were going to have an effect. With an hour gone, I only had a couple of fish and was already using my light right (.11 bottom & 18 B911) and maggot. Fortunately everyone I could see was struggling, but I was aware a few anglers on the other side of the lake had caught carp.

I had tried my margins but I had too much foot traffic, which was worse on the left hand side. As the match progressed, I managed the odd fish from the open water and knew I was ahead of Roger, but a decent carp would make a difference.

Left Margin

With 90 mins to go the grapevine suggested no one had sacked up, so a couple of carp, could mean a chance of framing. I had been feeding my margins, quite heavily, and decided to concentrate here until the end of the match, fishing paste.

Right Hand Margin

The left margin didn’t produce a single carp, everything came from the right hand margin. In the last 30 mins I had 3 carp, so they eventually arrived.

I knew I had beaten Roger so I had at least got though to the final of the knockout, but the question was had I done enough to frame. In the end it was a very tight frame, 28lb won, 26lb 11oz was 2nd and I finished 3rd.

Talking after the match, most people seem to have gone down the route of feeding lightly, which was completely the opposite of what I did. Towards the end of the match was throwing in a handful of micro & 4mm expanders. Make ‘em feed!