27/03/12 - Acorn - Paddock Lake

Weight – 68lb 14oz 

Catch – 25 Carp, 25 Skimmers
Weather – Cold start, but warm and sunny with a slight breeze.
Water Temp – 14.8c – 16.6c
Match – Open – 4th out of 19 overall
 

Yet another new venue for me, but at least it’s close to home this time. Doing some research on the venue, thanks to the their website, revealed most of the weights came from either corners or the bridges, so I was pleased to draw peg 34, which won last Saturdays match with 90lb (although I was told later that he didn’t have any anglers either side of him and in fact the angler who had drawn 33 on the other side of the bridge, decided to set up on 34), however it failed to weigh on Sunday.

Setting up on my peg, I had a bridge to my right and to my left I had a gap to the next island. Plumbing around I discovered the far bank was less than a foot deep due to the lake being about a foot below normal level, but there was a few fish moving around and I fancied it for fishing shallow. As for “down the track” the same rig (HB Shindig 0.3g) could be used for fishing under the bridge and 10m to my left in open water. I also plumbed up to the corner of the other island where it was 2ft deep.

On the all in I started firing 4mms at the far bank and went straight over to the corner of the island, immediately landing a 3lb carp on 6mm pellet, but I couldn’t get another and lifting and dropping was difficult due to the overhanging sedges. I did give it a go briefly later on without success.

My constant firing of pellet to the far bank was having the desired affect with tails waving at me, so I went over with hair rigged 6mm pellet. I then spent a very frustrating time trying to hook a fish. I did manage 4 over the next hour, but I couldn’t work why I didn’t hook more. I even tried a new rig, with expander or 3 maggots on the hook – a real head scratcher. In the meantime Mike Owens on p2 was catching well as was p4.

With my 2 down the track swims primed, I started to catch properly on 4mm expander. Mostly skimmers, with carp coming from under the bridge, I managed to keep both swims going rotating over the next 2 hours or so, changing to softer elastic to stop me bouncing the skimmers off the hook, before they both slowed down.

Back to the far bank again, I had kept the pellet going in, mostly 6mm’s this time and there was plenty of fish moving around. But still struggled to catch on 6mm hard pellet, maggot or expander. Then I decided to get some 8mm’s from my carryall and bingo (or doh!) I started to catch properly. Well, to start with it was land 1, lose 1, land 1 lose 1. But a few rig changes sorted that and over the last 90mins another 13 carp where landed.

Overall I was pleased, particularly since it was a first visit, but disappointed, because I spent too long in the 1^st 90mins dicking around trying to catch carp shallow, when I should have concentrated on fishing on the deck, but at least I know for next time. Another carp or 2 would have pushed into to 2^nd, but Mike Owens certainly used his venue knowledge to win comfortably with 92lb.

1^st 92- 3 – Mike Owens – p2
2^nd 73- 0 – Gary Bewdell – p38
3^rd 70- 5 – D Warren – p4
4^th 68-14 – Ken Rayner – p34
4^th 68-14 – Eddie Wynne – p40
6^th 56-14 – D Cole – p8