20/11/22 - Covey - Match Lake

Weight - 41lb 14oz 

Catch - 20 F1s, 8 Carp

Weather - Chilly start, mostly sunny with blustery showers

Match - Open (13 fished) - 3rd overall

Only 1 match this weekend and I had hoped that there would be an open on Heron Lake at Ivy House in preparation for next week’s winter league, however that was switched to Saturday, which I couldn’t make.

Therefore, I jumped onto a match organised by Phil Wilkins at Covey. Only fished Covey once before about 2½ years ago and apparently the F1s and carp had grown on a bit. Results from last week match showed 80-90lb won on paste! Personally, I couldn’t see that happening again as this week the weather had turned much colder with plenty of rain.

I drew p2 which won last weeks match, although I was told p3 wasn’t in and I didn’t have that luxury today as with 13 anglers fishing it was nearly every peg in.

Having left 2pts of maggot at home I would have to stick with expanders and corn. I started across, tight to the concrete boards on 4mm expander, hooked 1 fish that came off. In the meantime, Phil next to me on p3 started catching down his margins (which I didn’t expect to work) and Pete Neate on p5 netted a couple of carp on the paste!

I soon switched to the margin and had a good 50mins, catching F1s and a couple of carp on corn over micros, mostly from the right-hand side. So, after an hour I probably had about 15lb.

Fishing tight across just didn’t seem right and after 5mins came back to 14m fishing at the bottom of the far shelf fishing a 4mm expander over a nugget of BMG boosted micros on a strung-out rig.

I spent the next couple of hours here, although I had to switch elastics from a 9 dura to 4-8 hollow as I pulled out of a couple F1s shipping back. I think the issue was the platforms are a little high off the water and the angle of the elastic meant it was just pulling the hook out of the lightly hooked fish.

As the match progressed the fishing just got harder, and I needed to move along the bottom of the far shelf to stay in touch with the fish. A heavy shower didn’t help, and my hands were freezing by the time it passed.

Going into the last hour I had tried my short line without success and really felt fishing maggot here would have been better and I regretted forgetting them, particularly as Kev Hanson on peg 1 was catching well on them.

That last hour was tough going for everyone. Fortunately, I manged a couple more carp from the far line and then a 2-3lber in the last 5mins from the short line to pinch 3^rd overall, only beaten by the 2 end pegs.

Overall, an enjoyable day.

1.    70-12 – Joe Sheppard – p16

2.    59- 8 – Kev Hanson – p1

3.    41-14 – Ken Rayner – p2

4.    40-12 – Matt Skyme – p4

5.    35-  8 – Lee Jan – p14