14/08/22 - Ivy House - Old Match Lake

Weight - 120lb 0oz (silvers - 6lb)

Catch - 21 Carp, 8 Skimmers, 2 Roach

Weather - Hot (32c) & sunny

Match - Open (28 fished) - 6th overall

With 28 fishing today we were spread out over the Old Match Lake and Kingsfisher, and a draw with some space was required. Alas peg 6 on OML is a good area, but with pegs in either side it is a little tight and not normally included. That said the lake has been fishing well, so I was hopeful of a few, but with Jamie Dixie on p10 and the space the peg offered it was difficult to see past him for the win.

One good think about the peg meant I would be in the shade for most of the day, in fact the sun didn’t hit me until about 3pm which I was thankful for. I also had good company with Phil Wilkins on p7.

I started on a small method loaded with sludge boosted fishery micros and a 6mm orange gofter cast to the island and caught a carp straight away, and then a skimmer which was a worry, as it usually indicates the carp weren’t really on it. I did manage a couple carp from here during the first half of the match, but it was slow.

An early look under the left-hand tree fishing an 8mm pellet over 6s, produced a couple of carp, but with 90mins gone I couldn’t get a bite anywhere for 30mins.

A switch to an 8m line where I had been feeding just corn, expecting to catch a few skimmers, proved to be quite good for about an hour catching some skimmers as well as some much-needed carp.

By the mid-way point I had 50lb and with my 8m line slowing and the feeder being non-productive I was hoping for my margins to kick in. To be honest it was a bit frustrating.

My right margin didn’t produce a single fish leaving me with the left margin under the tree. I tried to catch tight to the bank, but couldn’t catch on either corn or paste, so I ended up catching most of my fish under the tree a couple metres off the bank in slightly deeper water. The frustration was trying to work out how best to feed, as I would get either too many fish in the swim resulting in foul hookers or they would disappear, and I would be plagued by silvers. At least when I got it right, the carp I was catching were a good stamp averaging 5-7lb on kriller : blue ice paste. Sharing the tree with peg 5 probably accounted for why the fish were unsettled.

As the match progressed a few fish started to show themselves and I managed to mug 2 carp. In the end I was pleased with 120lb, which was the best weight from p1 to p7. As expected, well done to Jamie who comfortably won the match.

1.    228-  8 – Jamie Dixey – p10 (OML)

2.    171-12 – Tom Mangnall – p16 (OML)

3.    148-  4 – Baggy – p8 (OML)

4.    123-10 – Stu Foale – p9 (OML)

5.    123-  8 – Val Murray – p49 (K)

6.    120-  0 – Ken Rayner – p6 (OML)

Silvers

1.    32-  0 – Chris Telling – p18 (OML)

2.    21-  4 – Paul – p12 (OML)

3.    19-  0 – Paul – p15 (OML)

4.    15-10 – Glyn Loveday – p46 (K)

5.    14-  0 – Baggy – p8 (OML)