Wednesday, 15 July 2026

02/07/26 - Lavington - Ellis

Weight - 64lb 15oz (15lb 9oz - silvers)
Catch - 8 Carp, 10 Bream, 2 Hybrid, 2 Tench, 1 Perch, 1 Rudd, 1 Chub
Weather - Warm & sunny
Match - Club Evening (9 fished) - 3rd overall

I missed the first evening (3hr) match and last weeks match was cancelled due to the hot weather resulting in a temporary keepnet ban.

Due to the increasing number of silvers in the lake, I wasn’t sure whether meat would be as effective as in previous years and speaking to those that fish here more regularly confirmed that it was working as well.

P6 wouldn’t have been my first choice as the margins are 5ft deep due to the bank being rebuilt a few years ago, although I could fish to p7 pallet where it was much shallower.

On the all-in I cast the method as tight as I dare to the island avoid plenty of overhanging branches, whilst I finalised sorting out my pole rigs. A stockie carp was my reward after 15mins and 3 casts.

A switch to fishing down the right margin next to a small patch of lillies, fishing corn and feeding 4mm pellet and corn resulted in a run of small skimmers, plus a bream and a tench, but it wasn’t as productive as I hoped.

I had also been feeding 8mm meat at 2+2 at an angle to my left and the response was much better with a proper bream and a hybrid, plus a couple of carp.

So, after 90mins I was doing ok, but I was conscious that there seemed to be more carp being caught to my left and across on p21 where Brian was fishing the waggler and 6mm pellet. As such, I felt I needed to catch carp rather than silvers.

For 30mins or so the wheels fell off, as I upped the feed over my meat line and right-hand margin, which just resulted in lots of small fish!

As yet I hadn’t fed by the p7 pallet, so ½ a cup of micros and corn was deposited here which soon resulted in tails in the swim. The problem was catching them.

I tried fishing double corn and caught a bream straight away. I then hooked and lost the next 3 carp. A few rig adjustments helped resulting in a couple of carp, before losing a rig on a foul hooker (fortunately the rig pinged back into the tree next to me).

Rather than set up a similar rig I thought I would try paste (So Simple Kriller), which proved frustrating with so many fish in the shallow water, but when I hooked a fish, it was at least in the mouth, netting my final fish in the whistle.

To be honest, I didn’t feel I fished a good match, as I kept chopping and changing, so I was a little to surprised to come 3rd only missing out on 2nd by 2oz (much to Martin’s relief).

1.    77-  6 – Martin Shulter – p21
2.    65-  1 – Martin White – p10
3.    64-15 – Ken Rayner – p6
4.    57-14 – Steve Musitano – p8

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