Gary Wall memorial match Landsend fishery

Bank holiday Monday and I guess there's only one thing to do, so it was off down the M5 to Landsend for this anual comp. Started off with a cooked brekkie which went down a treat as usual. Into the draw bucket late and out pops 21. A good peg, that I'm not sure I've fished  before, but it would be the same attack as usual at this venue. A pellet rig for 16m tight to the island in 10 inches of water. A meat rig for 2+2 and a shallow rig to fish meat over the top. Plus a margin rig to fish 8mm pellet at 8m along my left margin next to a very inviting patch of Lillie's. After feeding all lines I started on the shallow meat line but nothing happened after 15 minutes and the tail wagging on the far side was just too tempting. So the next couple of hours was spent over there. But it was hard, as it's so shallow the fish were very spooky. Even though they were feeding on the loose fed pellets they are very clued up to hook baits and ignored the banded pellets, so bites were a premium. But as it sounded as though it was slow for everybody I stuck with it. After three hours and only eight fish. I gave the deep meat line a try. Only one carp resulted in 15 minutes so a look in the margin. First drop in produced a 2lb tench, then a pesky roach. Then a good carp of around 10lb. But that was it for then. Back on the island line and I upped the loose feed and managed a decent run of 6 fish but then one decided to take my elastic. So it was back to the margin for the last hour as Joe McMahon was doing  well next to me, and I took 5 more including a couple of proper margin lumps. I thought it would be close around the lake and it was with 6 anglers within 7lb of each other. My net went 111-7 for nowhere. Joe managed 118-2 for second on the lake. Lake winner was Ken Rainer with just over 160lb. Sorry not 100% sure of weight as my phone battery went so no weigh sheet. Second, on lake three, was Alan Oram with 149lb. Think I managed 6th. Highlight was Trigger coming 7th with 111lb, and threatening to give up fishing. We retrieved his dummy in the car park later. Can I have your pole for spares Trig.

Landsend saturday open.

Early start today as i was expecting the motorway to be busy again, and i wasn't disappointed. All the weekenders had jumped on the motorway to join the gridlock heading south for the weekend. Still got to the fishery with plenty of time to enjoy a fab cooked breakfast. 10 fishing today so lots of room and I was hoping for a draw between 13  and 19 as this seemed to be the best area of late, and was happy when 13 got stuck in my hand. A corner peg at the far end that I had drawn a couple of times this year already and framed both times with good weights. Got to the peg and was surprised how much the overhanging tree has grown. It now goes from the end bank to the left out to 5 metres to my right and is reachable easily with 5 section. Combined with it being only a few feet off the water it's becoming a nuisance to fish long. It realy needs to come out before it falls in as the trunk seams to  be leaning more and more over the water. For company today I had Rod Wooten to my right, and it was good to see he was walking upright again. He has looked pretty rough with a bad back lately. Beyond him was Dave Wescott. Opposite was Roy ?. Sorry but don't know his last name. Four rigs today. A .1 shalla slim to fish tight against the afore mentioned tree stump at 6 metres and also to the point of the island at 16 1/2 metres. I was still a metre short but this side of the island has a decent shallow shelf that I could reach. A .2 margin  diamond to fish pellet in 2 feet to my right towards the next platform. It was snaggy after 6 metres along that bank to that as far as I went. A .4 slim to fish pellet at 16 metres s towards the airiator. And another .4 slim for a meat line at 2+2 just short of the overhanging tree. At the start all  lines were fed and it was out to the island. Fish were straight onto the loose feed but we're shying away from the banded pellet and it was ten minute before I got my first carp. Back out and a pouch of pellets and it erupted again but again it took a while for the next fish. This went on for 90 minutes were I managed about 6 fish. Not the start I wanted. These fish can be very cagey sometimes. Rod was realy struggling with one carp and one roach. Roy opposite was fishing for silvers and was putting the odd fish in the net, but from what I could tell it wasn't on fire around the lake. A look along the end bank only produced one bite and lost fish and that was it for that line for the day. The meat line was dead so that was 20 minutes wasted. As was the right margin. Even the long line toward the airiator was void of action. Back out on the island line and I just plugged away getting the odd fish but it was a waiting game. Rod had taken a couple by now but like my fish they were on the small fish. Roy had now started to get the odd carp and from the silence I guessed Mark Walsh was catching. I managed a couple from the margin but after 3 lost fish I thought I'd rest it and with 90 to go I tried the airiator line again, planing on doing that for 30 minutes as it was fizzing and trying the margin for the last hour, and had a small carp first drop. Five minute's later the best carp of the day was landed. But all I could get then was fast missed bites. So instead of putting that rig down and trying the margin again I stubbornly tried to get more out there. Big mistake. When I did come into the margin it was solid, even though they weren't big. In the last 40 minute's I put 8 in the net and lost 4. I had about 25 carp by the end for what I thought was around 80lb. At the weigh in Mark was leading when I weighed with 92-10. My nets went 88-2. Bugger!!! Wasting time fishing for phantom bites cost me as I managed second with that weight. Rod put 51-12 on the scales but had a torrid time loosing loads in the last hour from awkward for striking  and not setting the hook properly. Russ Peck had a decent second half on peg 19 with 63-0 of shallow caught fish. I guess they say you learn by your mistakes and I did today. Dont waste too much time chasing fish that ain't having it properly. Not fishing the margin early enough was an expensive lesson.

1st mark Walsh 92-10 peg 5
2nd me 88-2 peg 13
3rd Russ Peck 63-0 peg 19
4th Roy ? 60-12 peg11

1st in silvers Mark Walsh 14-8

Mrs Rixon's short pole series, Chilton Trinity, round 3

Round three today and I know I'm already out of contention after two disastrous rounds. But I was determined to get a result. At the draw I just wanted to be away from the bottom corner, as so far it has been the worst place on the lake, and I had drawn it both previous matches. Into the draw box, cardboard, very classy, and out comes 23, yep bottom corner again ffs. So off I trudge head down to peg. On my arrival it was clear it could be difficult as the wind was blowing a hoolie into that corner. So confidence was smashed out the ground especially as I had the legend Tony Rixon to my right with two empty pegs past him into the corner. Four rigs today. A paste rig to fish at max permitted length of top kit plus three sections. A .75 slim to fish the same line with banded 8mm pellet. A .2 margin diamond in 2 1/2 foot tight in to my right side and a slapper. Company was made up of the aforementioned Mr Rixon on 22, Steve Seager to my left, and opposite an array of reprobates in the shape of Father and son duo Martin and Joe MacMahon, and Jason Radford on 15. As usual the banter started early with Tony in the area and everybody was getting a bit. At the start I cupped in a big pot of 6mm on the longer line and a few down the edge then went out on the slapper. After a minute the elastic pulled out but the hook didn't set. And that was all the action I had on that, part from the annoying whitebait messing around with it. I stuck that out for 30 minute's then changed to the paste rig as I had some fizzing going on. It did produce a couple of bites but I recon it was small skimmers, so after a while I put the pellet rig out and had a small skimmer second drop in. It must have been lonely down there as that was all for a while, then I managed to hook and land my first carp. After Two hours Steve had two, Tony had knocked out a couple of carp and two skimmers, and the guys opposite had a couple each.  Martin hadn't had any carp as he was hunting whitebait and eels. Things were looking tough all around and the wind didn't help. It was really hard holding the pole even at the short length. It got to a stage where I changed my pellet rig to have 6 inches on the bottom and two feet between the pole tip and float and it was still getting knocked around. Good bait presentation was almost impossible. So it was time for the margin. Even that wasn't easy as there was waves coming in making it hard to tell if it was a bite or just wave auction burrying the float. But it turned out to just be whitebait messing with the 8mm pellet. Stuck that for 30 minutes with nothing, then switched back to the longer pellet line. First drop and carp number two was landed and it was one of the larger specimens of around 15lb. After 3 hours it was looking grim. Tony was catching a few from his right side margin. Steve hadn't added any more and Joe and Martin hadn't put much more in the net. Jason had a few but they were only small. The second half improved. I had a couple more on the longer line and bumped a couple, also two  good fish from the margin. Tony finished strongly and I knew he had given me a whooping. Steve struggled for bites most of the day and ended with three carp and a couple of skimmers but didn't bother weighing. I guessed my 6 carp would go around 55lb but was a bit disappointed when I totaled 49-1 with the skimmer, which gave me the section win, so it was a minor result compared to the first two rounds. Tony ended up with 93-13 for the match win. Well done matey from what had been a poor peg. Just to rub it in, the wind disappeared with 15 minutes to go. Mother nature taking the piss I recon.

1st, Tony Rixon, peg 22, 93-13.
2nd, Does Shipping, peg 10, 80-6.
3rd Tom Magnal, peg 30, 71-1.

Top silvers, Martin MacMahon, peg 18, 12-3