11/04/10 - Todber Manor - Park Lake

Weight – 85lb 2oz
Catch – 34 Carp, 21 F1, 1 Tench, 1 Roach
Weather – Cloudy, with sunny periods. Cool gusty wind
Match – Match Fishing Scene Website - 5th overall

Something different this weekend, a match with the MFS internet boys organised by Nick Merry. Originally I wasn't going this weekend, because Sue needed my car to drive down to Bournemouth (she hasn't found a replacement yet). However Mark offered to take me although he lives in Trowbridge, so a big detour and fair shout, because not many would be prepared to do that.

I have never seen Todber Manor, but reports about Park Lake where it was fishing well with 150lb likely to win and it was full of carp averaging 3lb & loads of small F1, so hopefully plenty of bites. The lake is a typical snake lake, with 31 pegs around a long central island, plus a further 6 up a 13m wide arm. Best draws were around the mouth of the arm, pegs 6,7,37,38 and around the oak tree (pegs 13 & 14).

Walking around the lake with Mark before the draw, neither of us fancied drawing the arm, due the NE wind blowing out of it, although we later found out that Saturdays match was won from peg 1 at the top.

With 25 booked in, 2 no showed which wasn't on since there was a waiting list, needless to say Nick was happy. I found myself on peg 10 which according to a local was OK, but probably just out of it. With peg 9 to my left vacant at least I had some room.

The island was lined with thick sedges, that drooped into the water, although slightly to my left was a gap with an exposed bank which was obviously the catching the area. Slightly to my right the sedges weren't quite as dense and this would be my back up swim.

4 rigs were set up, 2x hair rig pellet and 2x paste rigs for tight across and down the track. Bait was 4 & 6mm pellet, plus hemp. ½ pot of 6mms & hemp went down the track 11.5m to my left & I started on the paste tight across. The wind however was proving troublesome. Although I had a carp within 5mins it was going to me easier to fish pellet. After an initial slow 10mins, bites became more regular toss potting 4mms with a few 6s and for the next hour I caught carp and the odd F1 quickly, but gradually more smaller F1s put in an appearance.

2 hours in I had about 20 fish and from those I could see was doing well, although Tim Shuttle on peg 8 was probably on par with me. A switch to my back up swim didn't produce much, so I persisted fishing the gap.

I had been feeding a pouch of 6mms & hemp every 15mins down the track, but only managed 1 carp and bumped another. After 4hrs I was up to about 40 fish, but other than a tench and a roach I hadn't caught for 1/2 hour.

Catapulting pellet to the island wasn't working, although there was carp slurping in the sedges, I couldn't catch, even using a shallow rig tight against the mud and the wind was making it difficult to present into the smaller gaps. Therefore decided to cup ½ pot of pellet in the gap to get the fish down. In the meantime I had also set up a new down the track swim at 6m in front of me feeding 6mm by hand, whilst still feeding 6mm & hemp to my left.

Tim was starting to get ahead of me thanks to a some bigger paste fish. Fortunately my paste swims kicked into life, mainly at 6m, although I bumped a few (general consensus was the fish weren't having it properly, only mouthing the bait).

The far line also benefited from the pellet dump, where the carp had returned and the last hour proved to be quite productive putting 13/14 fish in the net.

At the all out, the usual banter started with Tim saying I had beaten him, but he had 2 better fish (6lbers). It was close, but I was proved right, when he weighed 91lb.

Overall for a first visit I was pleased with how the match went, although next time I would probably spend less time feeding with the catapult, because it only encouraged the F1s & created lots of liners. Also I should have switched to the paste a little sooner.

A fair venue, with plenty of bites and a tight frame.

1st 115-4 – peg 26
2nd 100-0 – Mark Blake – p3
3rd 91-2 – Tim Suttle – p8
4th 89-10 – Mark Brennan – p19
5th 85-2 – Ken Rayner – p10
6th 82-8 – Roly -p25