Landsend winterleague round 2

After a disastrous start in the first round when I drew a good peg and bombed out I was desperate to draw well again as a second bomb out would end my league. So after the breakfast was scoffed down I went into the draw late and pulled out peg 32 on Speci Lake. The dream draw for that lake, so I was well pleased. Just had to do my bit now and fish well. Got to the peg and found the wind howling down into my corner. That was gonna be a problem as you need to fish against the end bank to catch the resident shoal of carp. By the end of the match I had to clear it 3 times as I couldnt drop a rig through it. And after tackling up my worst fear was realised as it was nearly impossible to fish tight in as the wind just blasted my pole into the bank. And even when the wind died a bit it was almost impossible to keep the rig still.Plus I had the added bonus of all the crap from the trees drifting into the bank. At the start I went for a look long on the feeder rod right out by the aerator to see if there were any carp in the deeper water, but only a couple of tiny knocks from whitebait. So it was onto the silvers line that I had fed with micros and fished soft pellet over the top. It was slow to say the least and after an hour and one decent skimmer and a couple of pairs of eyes I risked the pole along the end bank. Well blow me doen as soon as i dropped in it sailed away before it settled, and an 8 pounder was netted. Happy days. back out and nothing else happened apart from a possible couple of liners. I persisted with it as I was sure there were fish there, and nobody seamed to be catching, but nothing happened for ages. so I switched around on all lines for not much else apart from a few bits. Then i decided to up the feed considerably as did Mike Duckett next to me, as feeding carefully was doing nothing. And it had the desired effect. with 90 minutes to go I started hooking big fish but getting them in was a problem. I think most were foul hooked and only 3 out of 9 reached the net. But they were all decent fish. At the end I was hoping Id managed to do OK in the section as I hadn`t heard of that much coming out. Mike next to me had a decent last half hour with three netted after struggling for a few silvers all day. Bob Gullick and Tony Rixon never saw a carp all day and went for silvers so I knew I had them beaten. I heard Nick Duckett had five carp and I could see Adrian Clark had beaten me with around 7 carp landed and a grass carp about two foot long. Nicks five carp went 60-01 for another section win. Adrian weighed 56-03 for second, and my four carp and silvers got me third with 37-08. It fished hard today with the wind being a problem. Im sure if I could have fished the end bank properly I would have had alot more, because when I could drop a rig in nicely I had bites. Ah well, C`est la vie. Top dog on the day was Steve "leaf Blower" Seager with 67-00 from peg 1. Full results below.

Landsend winter league

I was looking forward to this as I had a very good series last year, so it was on the road nice and early to get a breakfast and into the draw early. I pulled out peg 42 on lake three. I was more than happy with as its been good for a while and I won the lake in the opening match last year from it. Well things weren't so good this time. To keep it short it was crap. With an hour to go all I had was 6 bits that was my silvers weight for 1-12. Then I managed to get one carp down the edge after dumping a pint of maggots in, that took my total to 9-10 for last but one in the section. All I did most of the day was watch Bob Gullick catch steadily from the start next to me. Strange thing was we were fishing exactly the same for a large part of the match and I couldn't buy a bite. That's fishing for you. Well that's my dropped point out of the way. 5 section wins required now.

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Landsend Saturday open 17/11/18

Back to Landsend Fishery for the last bit of practice before the winter league starts next week. I was a bit late getting there but a call to Mike had me in the pot and when I got there I was told I had the last ticket in the bucket. I had peg 8. A peg I`d never fished before but after being told it was quite a bit deeper than the pegs either side I was quit happy about it, Pegs 7 and 9 are notoriously shallow and not what you`d want when the water is so clear. For company today I had Beanie to my left on 5, Rod |Wootten on 11, Russ Peck opposite on 17, Leon Hubbard on 15, and I could hear Laughing Mark Walsh on 13. So sarcasm and banter was going to be at an all time high today. 4 rigs were assembled. A .15 slim to fish just out from the island in about 15 inches of water on banded pellet in two spots. A .4 Slim to fish corn with no feed  at the bottom of the far shelf. I watch Russ do this a couple of weeks ago and it worked great for him that day. A .3 SS margin to fish to the pallets both sides of me, but I never had a touch on either side so wont mention that again. And a .3 Slim to fish 2+1 on maggot over micros in case the carp didn`t play ball. I was late starting so I fed the lines sparingly while I finished getting ready. Out on the corn line to start with and after 10 minutes I had a fish of about 5lb in the net. 10 minutes later and no more bites I picked up the pellet rig and dropped it in. First drop and I was into another carp. It was a good move as in the next hour or so I put 5 more in the net for about 35lb. a good start so I hoped It would keep going. It slowed a bit but by half way I had 10 in the net and as the rest of the lake was fishing hard I was in front at that point. Rod had started getting some decent skimmers but was struggling with the mass of leaves that were down that end of the lake. As was Mark opposite him. Russ had a couple of carp and the same of F1`s, and Leon had a couple of carp I think, but hes not gobby like the rest of us and doesn`t say too much. My peg went a bit quiet so I gave the silvers a try but the only thing I could get was tiny perch and roach and I had about 20 in 30 minutes for probably just over a pound. Bugger that when Rod is getting 2lb skimmers. That`s the difference in fishing maggot and soft pellet. So it was back across to the island and I started picking off the odd carp, with a few lumps chucked in.The last hour really picked up and I had 7 or 8 for about 50lb before the all out was called. My guesstimates are pretty crap lately and I thought I had about 150lb. but was surprised when it only went 122-01. Told you my guessing was crap. But It was enough for a clear win today. First for a while. Plus I finally won a quid off of Russ, something I hadn`t done for a while as he`s been on a brilliant run of 6 wins in a row. Mike Duckett got second with 61-08 from form peg 1, and third was Adrian Clark on 24 with 58-14. Top silvers as was expected was Rod with 20-02 of good skimmers and a few decent roach. Full results below.

Double blog. Landsend and Windmill

Two in one today. Saturday I went down to Landsend. Haven`t been there for a month, due to other commitments, and I was going to be late to the draw today so a call to Mike was made and i would have the last peg in the bucket. Got there 20 minutes late and was told I had peg 3. Not too happy with it. as its the wrong side of the lake and peg 1 is where you`d want to be on that side. But Russ Peck had that so the quid was on. Wont go into much detail as bugger all happened for me. One carp foul hooked after ten minutes and one other bite three hours later for a single perch. And as I dont believe in flogging a dead horse I left at 2 o`clock and went home to watch football. Russ was catching wherever he wanted so the match was his for the sixth in a row, Go Russ you super star. Don`t know any other placings as interest was at zero.

Windmill on Sunday and the forecast was for a miserable day. And yep it was. Constant misle all day. As Peter Kay would say, " that rain the soaks you through". drew peg 18, which was the golden peg, so pressure on again. Whenever I draw the golden peg it guarantees ill have a shite day, and today was no exception. It was two hours to my first bite on my silvers line, and it was the only bite I had there. Then a bit after I started catching small carp at 11 meters on corn. And I mean small. I had 16 by the end of the match for 34-02. Every body had at least a couple of lumps. So i`ve no idea why I was stuck with the nursery fish. No bites in the margin and only one bite and one fish from my shorter meat line. Overall a crap day. Winner today was Bob 'Bread Head' Price from peg 22 with 77-9 taken on corn. Must have forgotten his bread. Results below.

Windmill Sunday open 27/10/18

Not been for a few weeks as myself and the lovely other half went away last weekend in the caravan and the week before we were busy, so I was gagging to get out on the bank and drown a few pellets. So I decided to go to Windmill fishery as its close and not much else around open wise. The weather forecast was for bright chilly weather.with a stiff breeze. The day didn`t start too well as I got to the old Severn bride and it was shut, so I had to back towards Newport and turn around and go across the second crossing adding about 20 minutes to the journey. So I got there late, but Dave Haines had put me in the pools and drew for me. Everybody apart from Dave had gone to their pegs when I got there. So I was directed to peg 24, which meant I had a nice short walk. The good thing about this peg is in the deepest part of the lake and with the temps being pretty low this was probably a good thing. the bad thing was I had a really cold wind blowing straight in my face  and it never stopped all day. It was bloody freezing. And to top it off I was in the shade most of the day so the sun we did have never got a chance to warm me up. I set up with the intentions of fishing mainly for silver for a change today but I did set up for carp as well. A .3 edge rig. a .75 slim to fish pellet in 8 feet at a 10 oclock angle at 10 metres. And a bomb rod to give my hands a chance to warm up in my pocket when needed. The silvers rig was a .75 slim fished at either 2+2 or 10 meters. The good thing is the lake bottom is totally flat here so easy set ups. I had got my hands wet so at the start they were already freezing so I went out on the bomb for half an hour, but apart from a few liners nothing graced my nets. I then spent 90 minutes on the silvers lines but it was a dead loss and all I had was 3 roach. At the end of that time I tail hooked an 8lb carp on the longer line,and on 4 elastic and a size 20 to .10 it was hard going but after 10 minutes I got it in the net. that was followed next drop in with a 6oz perch. but that was it for those lines, so it was back on the bomb for 15 minutes to warm the hands up. No indications on that line so it was out on the pellet line to my left. After 10 minutes of no indications I lifted to move the float and I accidentlly hooked into a carp. Fouler number 2. But this one had the better of me and slipped the hook. so back on the same line and after a while I started to get indications. Very small dips on the float. then a proper bite and carp two was netted. again my hands got wet so I dropped the bomb on that line and it ripped around straight away. I now had three in the net for about 25lb. by the end of the forth hour I had 6 in the net and they were all big fish, and lost four. But that was it for my day and the last 90 minutes were biteless. I was guessing at around 50lb at the end and was very close as I just topped the 52lb mark for third on the day.  First on the day was John Smith on sheltered peg 11 with 92-06. second was John Osborne on peg 14 with 56-12. I was glad to get back in the car at the end to warm up. the wind was relentless and I was chilled to the bone. Couldn`t wait to get home for a hot meal tonight. Weigh sheet below.

Mathern Mill occasional saturday open

I was gonna go to Landsend today but the weather forecast was for a horrible day, so I decided to stay closer to home and after an invite from Craig Challingsworth I decided the 5 minute drive to Marthern was far enough for today. The day started badly. Went to get my gear from the storage, where I keep it, and found my nets were at home so my 5 minute drive turned into 45 by the time I'd sorted myself out. 10 fishing today so everybody had empty pegs left or right or both. Second into the draw and I pull out peg 9. I've been fishing this place for 6 years and never had this peg before as it's only been used in matches for a short while now. For company I had Andy Gard on 7, who took the wrong turn for Acorn and ended up here 😂. It was carp only for me today as I had drawn the golden peg, so the pressure was on. Four rigs were set up. Two margin rigs, as there was a foot difference either side. A .3 Slim to fish 2+1. And a .5 to fish the full 8.5 meters of my margin pole on pellet. Plus a bomb rod as this can produce plenty from open water on the right day. Fed all lines and started on the bomb pinging 8mm's. 30 minutes in and not a touch. But I'd seen a couple of scalely horses in my left margin so it was into there for a go. After 5 minutes I hit one and the first carp was netted, all of 15lb. They are big in this place. But that was it for a while. There was plenty there, but they were skillfully avoiding the hook bait and clearing up all the loose feed. I had a problem after an hour. With the wind in my face and the non stop rain, I had now lost dexterity in my hands. I was struggling to put pellets or corn on the hook, and I couldn't grip my pole with my right hand. They didn't feel cold but we're swollen from the non stop soaking. So things were hard. And to be honest I couldn't wait for the end already. I was proving to be hard with the fish being cleaver in their feeding and after 3 hours I only had 3 that went around 35lb. Andy though, was catching very well on the silvers and was putting a good weight together. The second half of the match improved a lot and I started to catch a few. Even the sun tried to pop through when the rain eventually stopped. And feeling in my hands nearly returned  to normal. Theft margin was the only place I could get a bite with all other lines void of fish. Even though the size of fish got smaller I managed to put 15 in the net, all but two on pellet, for 132-9 for 4th on the day. So the golden peg lived on. The match was won by Zac Williams on peg 20 with 200-9, caught half at 14.5 meters and half down his margin. Second was Craig Challingsworth on peg 14B (?) With 148-8. And third Norm Sterry  with 147-7 from peg 5. Overall it fished well but it was a miserable day with crappy weather. Full results below.

Landsend 3 day festival.

This was the first time Ive fished a three dayer for many years and I gotta admit it was hard work.  I drove down on Thursday evening with my caravan and stayed on a small camping park about 90 seconds from the venue which was very handy. But the weather was atrocious. Gale force winds and torrential rain. and it was to continue into the weekend. the first night I thought the caravan was gonna take off and the rain kept me awake most of the night. first day of fishing and i was at the venue cafe early for a big breakfast. The rain had stopped mostly but the wind was howling and blowing in all directions. Into the draw bucket and out pops 42 on lake three. I was pretty happy with it but this lake can be temperamental and the weights could come from anywhere. The series was run on an open draw first day then rotate around the other lakes for the next two days. But you were with the same anglers each day. I had Tom Thick next to me on 41 so plenty of chatting would be going on, and Ken Rayner opposite on 70. To keep the blog short it will be a quick run down on each day. I caught early at 13 meters to the island taking 8 in the first hour but with the wind switching around it blew a load of surface crap down the lake and it became almost impossible to drop a rig in, plus the tow was terrible. I was thinking of putting a crow quill avon on. So it forced me to come into the left hand edge fishing pellet or maggot over ground bait and it proved to be a good move. I caught well in the middle two hours and put a big enough lead on to make sure Toms strong finish didn`t peg me back. So I had a section win first day with 146lb. Second day I went from hero to zero in one quick move. I drew peg 25 on Speci lake, which is a killer of a peg that is just about impossible to do any good from. It is barren of any aquatic life. Well it proved to be that way. I had 2 carp and an F1 for 10lb and the end of my chance of winning anything. and with it pouring with rain for the whole day without a break it made it a miserable day. Tony Rixon opposite did better taking just over 50lb from the hay basket along the end bank but did loose alot to the basket. Tom again had a good day and won the section so he was well in contension. Day three and with the weather vastly better today I was on match lake which is my favourite lake at the venue and I drew peg 1. I fancied the other bank as thats the most consistent on the lake but peg 1 was a good peg so I wasnt to displeased. I started against the end of the island and caught well for a while and had about 40lb in the net in the first 90 minutes. but I lost a couple in a snag that I managed to drag out of the reed and it became a real pain to avoid it. so I came in on the top 5 meat line I had been feeding and stayed on that line for most of the remaining time. It wasnt hectic as I had to play the waiting game for bites but at least I kept going all day. I did try the margin line several times but it didnt fire up like I hoped it would so most of my fish came on the short meat line. I finished with 138lb for another section win. but with the dissasterous second day it wasnt enough to win anything.lake winner was Bob gullick on 21 with just over 200lb. Tom again had a good day with over 190lb and it was enough to take the individual honours for the festival. sorry I haven`t got all the results but ill try and tag them to this when ken put hem up. A good few days was had by all and it was thanks to Mike Ducket and Ken Rayner for running it.

Windmill Sunday open.

Not been to windmill for a while as its been bit of a balls up match scene there for a while. The regular anglers have been messed around with which lake they are to use. But today was on match lake. 13 fishing today so plenty of room and I manage to pull out peg 6. I was pretty happy with it as its a decent peg. Opposite in the Island gap I had Tim Ford, so plenty of chatting would be going on, and to my right was Ryan Brushneen on peg 4. 4 rigs today all for carp as all I had on me bait wise was Pellets and corn. I thought I had a tin of meat in my bag, but nope, not there. So I set up a .15 Shalla Slim to fish the far side at 14.5 metres. But when I plumbed up I had about two inches of water right across. So I ended up coming back out by 2 metres and still only had 8 inches. I also set up a dibber for long lining across in the shallow water. A .5 slim to fish 8 metres on corn down the deepest part of the peg. And a .3 SS margin for both sides down the edge. Tho it was a lot shallower to my left I couldn`t be bothered to set up two rigs for that so id just slide the float up and down. I also set up the usual bomb rod for this place. Its always good for a few. At the start I went out on the bomb at the point of the island.

There were loads of carp there and half their bodies were out of the water and they were going nuts for the loose fed 8mm pellets but they were skilfully avoiding my hook bait. Tim started well and was straight into fish doing the same as me. as was Ryan casting to the shallow shelf across to the island. But me, I couldn`t get a sniff. every time I fed a few pellets carp were crawling up the shelf to grab them. Still not a touch. Tim was on three when I decided to change to the long pole and feed the shallow line. It worked and i had a couple in the next 15 minutes, but they were very spooky and bolting when they saw the pole. Tim was storming ahead of me but his fish were a bit small. The first half of the match was slow for me and after three hours I only had 6 all on the long pole. The margin had started showing a bit of life but they were so spooked all the time. They were scared of their own shadows.

The corn rig had only produced a skimmer first drop in then no other bites. Another try on the bomb and finally the tip pulls round and I managed to get one to the net. followed by another 10 minutes later. But then it was back to loads of fish showing and no pull rounds. Tim was catching pretty regular by now after an hour where he had nothing and Ryan was netting a few. At that point they were both well ahead of me. I did keep Tim informed about the mighty Bristol City demolishing Blackburn, I just couldn`t help it after he said how bad the Gas were yesterday. So with just over two hours to go I started to get the odd fish in the margins and they were good fish. I was nowhere near Tim numbers wise but my fish were a lot bigger so I started to peg Tim and Ryan back. A couple more followed when I tried the bomb again but the last two hours were spent mostly in the margins. At the end I admited to Tim to having just over the ton mark, but that was to bite me in the arse when I weighed in. First to weigh in was Matt Collins on peg 2 who put a mighty 218lb on the scales, and that was top weight on the day. Ryan was next and weighed 74.15. I was next and my bad guess was way out and I weighed 87-15. Which amused Tim as I was nearly 20lb out on my guess. I must have clicked one of the double figure fish twice. NUMPTY lol. I didnt follow the scales round so didnt see much of what was weighed, But Tim did let me know that he had whooped my arse by 5lb with 92-15, dave Wilmot had a good day too with 135-13v for second place. dave haynes won the silvers with a nice net for 17-9. Full results below.The sheet is a bit messy but you can see most of it

Landsend Saturday open

Off down the M5 again with all the Midlanders towing their caravans again. Be glad when the holiday season is over. Got to the fishery early and had a very nice breakfast as usual before the draw was made. 10 fishing today so plenty of room. I was in second and drew peg 5. Not fished it for a while so didnt really know how it would go with the water level so low. There were plenty of fish cruising around, but we all know they dont necessarily play ball. 4 rigs were set up today. A .15 Shalla Slim to fish across to the island on pellet, but after plumbing up I found I only had 4 inches of water so I had to come a fair way out from the island bank. But when I did fish it later I found it was snaggy as hell and it was hard to find a decent spot to fish. A .3 Slim to fish 14.5 metres into the gap with pellet. It would also do to fish 2+2 to the right of straight out. A .4 slim to fish meat at 2+2 to the left of straight out. And a .3 SS Margin to fish pellet between the two lily beds to my left. For company today I had Russ Peck to my left on peg 2...AGAIN!!!... he lives on that peg lately. And it was handy to keep an eye on him as we had a quid side bet as usual. At the start I went straight across and while shipping out I spotted a carp getting his head down on the pellets I`d pinged out and dropped my rig in front of it and had it hooked within seconds. So a 4 pounder was in the net in the first minute. But it went pear shaped across as it was so shallow the pole was spooking them, plus I was regularly hooking the tree roots that stick out from the mud. I spent about 45 minutes over there but didnt get anything else, so I went out to to the gap and took three in about 30 minutes. But the wind was blasting through the gap in the two islands and presentation was crap. Several times I had to let the pole go round as I couldnt hold it. So that didnt last to long. I tried the meat line next and in 20 minutes I hadn`t had an indication, Next line tried was the left margin by the lilies. That was fizzing like mad by now but I was getting bites I couldn`t hit. Must be those pesky silvers that hammer the pellets for a while. I noticed that the short pellet line was now fizzing so I dropped my pellet rig on it and I was straight into fish with 3 coming pretty quick. It was now 3 hours in and I had about 40lb in the net. The meat line was dead. No signs of feeding fish but I did try it again with the same result as earlier. So it was back to the pellet line and I got a few more, before I tried the margin line again. Withing seconds of dropping in I was into a lump but it slipped the hook at the net. Back out and I lost two more in the lilies. Back out on the pellet line and apart from 10 minutes near the end, when I lost 2 more and landed one from the margin, I stuck to the 2+2 line and took fish fairly regularly to the end. I did loose a lot of foulers, but thats par for me lately. What did bug me was I lost or trashed 6 rigs. They were going hard today.  At the end I was admitting to 120lb, but after being so far out with my guess last week I was over estimating most of the fish so I wasnt sure what I had. Russ was first to weigh and with him struggling with a dodgy back I had to lift his nets out. Luckily he didn`t have a good day so It was easy. Cheers mate and thanks for the quid 😂. Next was me and my nets went to 100-10,  so I was out by 20lb. Ken Rayner had 60-12 from peg 11. Mark Walsh on peg 13 had forgotten his nets so he risked putting all the carp he caught in one net instead of asking to borrow another one, and he went over by about 7lb so got knocked back to the fishery limit of 80lb all taken on paste. He did borrow a net for his silvers at the start so he totalled 87-7. Last to weigh was Rod Wooton who had no idea what he had as he`s crap at guestimating weights, But he had alot more than he thought and got top spot on the day with 110-11 from peg 24 pushing myself back into second spot. It was a strange day with the fish behaving in odd ways out in the deeper water. Wont go into details but they were doing things I hadnt seen before. anyway full results below.

Acorn Tuesday cost cutter.

Off to Acorn today for a day out with the oldies. Shouldn`t shout to load, I`m just about one of them now lol. Had a breakfast at the bridge Inn that was OK, but could be warmer sometimes. Into the draw and again my drawing arm was good to me. Peg 5 peg  on the island. Always a decent peg if you get it right.

The end road bank has been on fire lately so I was hoping I could get a few.a Tesco store. Only for about 5 months at the mo but its a way in for permanent work. And to make a good start to the day better , i got a call to say i`d got a job as in facilities at  Three rigs were set up. A .15 shalla slim to fish pellet tight to the island. A .4 Slim to fish at a 10 o`clock angle to my left at 2+2 range. And a .3 SS margin to fish by the overhanging grasses to my left margin. Peg 4 was in so I didnt bother with that side. All lines were to fished with pellet. Easy choice today.

Silvers fishing is pretty good there at the mo but this is a known carp peg so couldnt see the point of going for the small stuff. At the start I went over on the long line and had 9 carp in the first hour, but they were all small wit the biggest being 4lb. then It all went pear shaped for two hours and I lost just about everything I hooked. In that time I hooked 25 and landed two, one of which was 8 ozs. this problem was on all lines. the fish were at all levels crashing around and I could hit them in mid water, but when i fished shallow I didn`t get anything. I did manage eventually to get a few fishing with a 10 inch long rig fishing in the grass across, but I didn`t bother striking at bites, I just waited for the elastic to fly out. But that didn`t last long. So I concentrated on the margin for the last couple of hours and started to get a few but still loosing a boat load.

At the end I was disappointed with what I thought I had in the net. I had lost far more than I landed and it cost me today. Mike hill, on peg 9 had a good day catching most of his fish chucking a bomb under peg 8 platform and I was sure he had hit the 200lb mark, which he did with 202-13, which got him first place on the day. I recon peg 8 should be in the matches as peg 9 is just about unbeatable with a decent angler on it and everybody is just fishing for second place. Glen Bailey was second from peg 26 with his usual paste attack. Catching early then heavily in the closing stages to put 159 pound on the scales. The 2 bite less hours in the middle cost him first I recon. I put 131-07 on the scales for third. Should have been more, but then ya cant get it right every time. Need to figure out a way to avoid so many foul hookers. Full results below.

Landsend Saturday open 18/08/2018

As I`ve been relieved of my duties at my latest job I had the weekend off so I went down to Somerset for the usual Saturday knock up at Landsend. The obligatory breakfast was downed and then into the draw bucket.  I managed to pull out peg 11. ( fishing today so plenty of room so I wasnt to displeased with it though it hasn`t shown a lot of form for a while, but then Russ Peck usually draws it ( hahaha, sorry mate). there were fish showing in just about every peg on the walk to the far end of the lake so it was looking like it might be a decent day. 4 rigs today (overkill). The usual .3 SS Margin to fish either side in about 2 1/2 feet of water in pellet or meat. It would also do for the end bank if I decided to go that way. A .3 Slim to fish 2+2 on pellet. A .15 Shalla slim to fish a nice flat spot I found about 2 metres off the island at 14 1/2 meters. Any closer and it was so shallow the ducks were stading in the water and not getting their asses wet. And a .5 slim to fish the deep hole at the same length, but that rig never got touched all day. Opposite for company I had martin Lanaghan on 13 and Mark Walsh to my left on peg 7, so banter would be good today. I started on the shalla rig as there were a few fish showing by the island. It took about 10 minutes to get them responding and the first decent fish was netted. It wasnt hectic in the first hour but I did get a few going. Martin was getting nursery size fish out by the island but he was suffering with fish taking him through a snag. Looking down the lake and it wasn`t fishing as well as I though it would. I stuck with the long pole for the first couple of hours picking off fish and had about 40lb before I changed and tried a different line after loosing a few where they were feeding, as the other lines were fizzing like a jacuzzi everywhere I was feeding. I thought the rest might do it good. First I tried the 2+2 line and had a 6 pounder first drop in on 8mm pellet. But that was it. There was obviously something feeding down there but I couldnt get them going at all. Next was into the margins. The left side was lifeless but the right was fizzing so much I couldn`t see my float properly. I had a 2lb skimmer for about 15 minutes of frustration but again no other bites from there. I must have been a shoal of skimmers but they weren`t interested in 8mm pellets. So it was back out long and I started catching regularly putting a decent weight together. It was Nice to see a long time friend from my childhood days when Mark Little wandered a long for a watch. He brought me some luck as I caught a load when he was watching. He left with about 80 minutes to go and then my luck changed. If it could go wrong it did, and in the last part of the match I struggled to put much more in the net. My lucky charm had gone and taken the fish with him lol. The middle part of the match had gone very well though and It was looking like I had done enough today. Mark Walsh had a good finish, after struggling the first 3/4 of the match, and managed to close the gap but I though I had just edged him out. I was guessing on around 150lb. First to weigh was Russ Peck, with whom I had a gold coin side bet with as usual, and he put 128-12 on the scales. I thought I`d done him so told him to start polishing the quid 😁. Walshy was  next and his good finish got him 126-13. Next was me, and my first net was a bit of a struggle to lift as the water is so low, I couldnt get hold of the net low enough to drag it out so I had to get Steve Seager to help. It was looking a bit iffy with a net limit of 80lb, and yes I was over it with the first net by a couple of pound so it was rounded back to 80. My other nets were all legal and with my few silvers I managed 172-07 and first on the day. Martin, like me had a nightmare finish and caught next to nothing in the last hour but had 107-03 in the end.  Steve Seager on peg 24 was best weight on the far bank with 154-14 that got him second on the day. I cant go wrong at the mo with the draws so I`m making the most of it, as I know it wont last. Full results below.

Acorn Tuesday cost cutter.

Off to Acorn  today for the usual Tuesday bash with the oldies. Plenty of time for breakfast at the Bridge Inn, as I had collected my gear last night and came across the second Severn crossing which is much quicker cutting out all the Bristol bound traffic at the Almondsbury interchange, and a very nice breakfast it was too. Best I`ve had from there. Onto the fishery and my usual sale of floats was done and it was time for the draw. In early and out pops number 9. I was more than happy with that as that area has been chucking up some good weights for a while now. Got to the peg and there were fish everywhere. They were even rolling under my platform when I was setting my gear up. Happy days. I went mad and set up 5 rigs today. One for against the island, but apart from plumbing up that rig never got touched again. A paste rig for 2+2 to fish over micros. A .5 slim for top kit straight out off the end of my nets. A .3 slim to fish to platform 8. Again that never got touched after plumbing up. And a .3 SS Margin to fish both sides down the edge. At the start I went out on the paste rig. As soon as the micros I potted in hit the bottom it was like a jacuzzi fizzing away. The float was ripping under but I wasn`t hooking anything. Then after 15 minutes I had a good tench. Not what I was hoping for but it was a start. Stuart on peg 11 had three carp pretty quick at the start but they were not very big, so I thought I had better try something else. I had been feeding both margins and after 30 minutes I saw a couple of fish moving to my left.so the edge rig went into action , and that`s were I stayed for the rest of the day apart from a ten minute try off the end of my nets. There were carp climbing over each other both sides, but I stayed to my left for a while. I was hooking lots but landing few. The first 14 hooked I lost 12. Then I did manage to put a few in the net, but the left side was a bit hit and miss. Loads of fish but struggling to really get the bites I expected form that many fish. So I went to the right side after about an hour and that was it. It was manic. hooking fish every put in but I was loosing loads. After three and a half hours I has 150lb on my clicker but the lost fish were doing my head in. At that time I had lost 50. Like I said it was manic. At one stage I was basically slapping in the edge and I hooked and lost three in less than 20 seconds. But I was hooking and landing enough to put a big weight together. I did sort out the foul hookers with an hour to go. I had been hooking and playing fish and feeding before landing and that was lining the next fish up. But I was also feeding after I dropped my rig in and it was holding too many fish in the peg, hence the massive amount of foul hooker. So I completely stopped feeding after I dropped my rig in. That was allowing the frenzy of feeding to die back after I fed while playing fish and just kept a few lined up to hook. This resulted in a lot less fish lost and more hooked in the right area. In the last hour I must have put close to 100lb in the net. At the end I was guessing in the region of 260 to 280lb. I`d hate to think of how much Id lost as I recon it was around 80 carp lost, a lot more than I landed, and a lot of them were big fish. I recon that has to be a very unwanted world record lol. I weighed in 267-3 which was enough for the win today. Today was a personal best for me as I`d never weighed over 200lb before last week, now thats twice in two matches.Full match results below.

1. Stuart Barnett 267-03 p9
2. Roy Hughes 135-11 p40
3. John Thompson 128-09 p26
4. Lee Waller 123-06 p17
5. Dave Smart 121-01 p3
6. Mark Barden 110-12 p33
Silvers
1. Mike Chapman 21-09 p30
2. Keith Fisher 13-06 p19

Landsend Saturday open 28/07/2018

Left home a bit earlier as I knew the motorway would be a bit busy because of the school holidays, but I wasn`t expecting that many Brummies to be heading south. Bloody caravans everywhere. Plus a couple of accidents added about 20 minutes to the journey. But there was still time for a very nice breakfast 😊. 11 fishing today and we were on Match lake again. I was first into the draw and pulled out peg 21. Pretty happy with that as its been a good area for a while now, holding a decent number of good carp. But when I got to the bank I was surprised to see how low the lake was. Its the lowest i`ve seen it in my 6 years of fishing this place. In many pegs the far top shelf was out of the water so the only place for the fish to feed was in the deeper water. Four rigs today A .15 Shalla Slim to fish the 6 inches of water I was lucky enough to have. A .3 Slim to fish  at an angle at the bottom of the far shelf. Another .3 for meat at 7m in the deepest part of my peg. And  a .3 SS Margin to fish to my left margin at 8m close to an inviting lily bed. I tried to plum up at top kit length to my left but was struggling to get a plummet through the snags. The match started and I fed my lines and started at the bottom of the far shelf. I was probably last to get anything at only 5 minutes but I managed to loose the first 2 then got one out about 5lb. Over the next hour I managed to put 4 in the net but had lost 12.  A few foul hookers, but some were in the mouth and just pulling out. Tourettes time. Dave Ings was catching a few next to me on 22, as was Martin Pettifer on 24. I could see Russ peck on 7 through the island gap, and it wasn`t long before he shouted that we should have a quid on it. I didn`t realise he had close to 50lb in the net by then, and agreed. Sneaky bugger, but that was his last laugh as his fish slowed up and I was later to overtake him by a bit. After about  90 minutes I saw the first swirl so I ditched the long line and dropped in by the lilies with 8mm pellet. It wasn`t long before a good fish was netted followed by another good un. I also noticed a swirl where the snag was to my left so I chucked a few 6mm`s just off the end of the overhanging branches . Straight away fish were on it. So i adjusted my rig to fish just over the ledge on the slope and got into a steady run of good fish. Just after half time I lost a couple of  fish right in the feed area and it went quite for ten minutes, so I thought I`d give the far shelf a go as when I fired pellet over it was like fish soup with up to ten fins as fish struggled to get to the pellets in the shallow water. So I switched to a long line rig so as not to spook them as some of the carp had their  eyes out the water looking at my pole tip, lol. This, In hindsight, was a bad move, as I spent 45 minute and only had 5 fish that were not that big. But there were so many there I couldn`t resist spending time there. So I decided to come back to my short margin line and it was non stop with carp lined up until the end and they were bigger fish. During this time I dropped my number three section off the right side of my platform so had to go in for it. But after I got my boots off and slipped in off the platform I found it was only about 10 inches deep that side and picked it up straight away. There was an advantage of the low water level after all. I was guessing at around 180-190lb at the end, but wasn`t sure as I think I missed a few on the clicker. First to weigh was Mark Walsh on peg 2 who put 190-08, all caught on paste, on the scales, including 12-14 of skimmers. Russ was a bit disappointed as he had slowed up, but still made it to 127-00. But I knew the gold was coming my way. Rod Wooton on 13 just topped the ton with 100-08, but was fishless for the first 2 hours. Then Derick Beard was next to weigh, and I heard he possibly had over the 200lb mark. He did and put 217-06 on the scales, again all caught on paste. My turn and I didn`t think i`d beat him, but was surprised to see my nets go  212-08 for second on the day. That messing about long lining  probably cost me as I recon the same amount of time down the edge would have got me a lot more if i`d been patient. Ah well we live and learn. But to say it fished well is an understatement with the lowest weight at 70lb. And Russ Peck, don`t leave the country, I didn`t get my quid. Full results below.

Acorn Tuesday cost cutter

 First day on the bank for a couple of weeks thanks to my new shite job. Don`t like this stupid shift pattern but I gotta earn a crust. Got to the Bridge Hotel in time for a half decent breakfast. Off to the lake and was surprised to see how many were there. 26 fishing today. And with the likes of Callum Dicks, Tony Rixon and Steve Shaw there, I was in very good company. |Into the draw bag early and out comes peg 34. A decent peg next to the bridge on the right side looking up the lake.

A good weight came off of it Sunday from the right margin on the corner so a rig was set to fish tight in and another to fish the bottom of the shelf , both on top kit range. Also a separate edge rig was set up for the right side by the bridge as its six inches deeper. Both side would be attacked with pellet. A rig to fish half way along the bridge, again on pellet. And a shallow rig to fish the far side in 15 inches of water on, you guessed it, pellet. In fact my bait tray was pretty sparse of choice, though I did open a tin of corn just for something to do.

At the all in I did the usual feeding routine then dropped a pellet in on the far Side. Fish were straight onto the toss potted pellet but they were a bit wary, and it took a while before any indications, but that was a decent fish I managed to slip the net under. Nikki Miller to my right was on the same line but was struggling to get a bait tight over because of the overhanging grasses. Mike Hill on the island peg 1 was into fish early on his top kit fishing the corner of the island. But he did have tails sticking out the water while he was plumbing up. I was struggling to hook anything . The far side was solid with big carp but trying to get one to take a pellet was proving a bit tricky. I could let the float sit there without feeding and not get a touch. As soon as I fed a few pellets it erupted and the float would keep disappearing but I wasn`t hooking anything. And good sized fish were bolting every time. I wasn`t even  even foul hooking anything. Very strange. It was a case of feed, miss ten bites and hook nothing. Then the fish would move off. they just never stayed around without feeding, but as soon as I fed again they were on it. This routine continued for hours. I did get a few out but it took about four hours on and off, of frustration before I finally got a decent run going. The rest of the peg was pretty quiet, and the margin to my left was just a roach fest. It seems I get this problem all the time lately. 8mm pellet getting hammered by tiny roach. I did manage five in total from the margins but it was little reward for constant feeding and the time I spent there. So most of my fish came shallow across, but it was driving me nuts missing so many bites and not contacting with anything.With the amount of bites I missed I should have hit a lot of foul hookers but I only did that twice and I only lost a couple over there. At the end I knew Mike had given me a right spanking as he caught consistently throughout the match. Nikki hadn`t had a great day as he could only catch midway along the bridge but he lost a boat load. Mike weighed in first on the island and put 166-08 of good sized carp on the scales which was enough for second on the day. I was guessing at 85lb at best, but was surprised as it went 97-01, but Ray Bazzly said it should have been a couple of pound less as the scales were zeroed incorrectly. It`s strange to say I had a bad day and weigh 97lb. Nikki didnt bother weighing as he though he only had around 60lb and wanted to dry his nets out. Top dog today was Tony Rixon on peg 7 taking carp from just about anywhere in his peg to finish with 179-12.  Second was Mike. Third was D Turberville from peg 37 with 160-04. Top Silvers went to Mike Chapman on peg 15 with 22-11. Full results below.

Lands End Saturday open 23/6/2018

Late again!! but I`ve started a new job and with other things to do I have been a bit slack ...again. Back to my favourite venue for the usual knock up. Disappointing turn out again today and with the weather looking fab it was strange why more didn`t attend. bad thing was Martin "Show me the money" Rayet turned up and he is on a roll at the mo. Wish somebody would nick his wheels lol. After the top notch breakfast it was into the draw bucket and 62 comes out.

A good peg on lake 3 but with the hazard of a huge reed bed where the fish usually take your tackle and it dont come back.

All out for carp today. A .15 Shalla slim for tight to the island. A slapper rig for the cruisers. And two .3 SS Margins. One for under the tree to my right on meat and the other on heavier gear for the reed bed 14 metres to my left. the weather was gonna be pretty warm today so the early shade was welcomed. Opposite I had Russ peck in view so I could keep an eye on him as we had a pound bet on between us. At the start I fed the reed line first and by the time I had fed the other lines it had changed colour with the water turning black with silt being blown up. So it was straight on that line. First drop in the float buries and I was dragged straight around the reeds several times and tied up around them. All I could do was pull for a break as the elastic was tangled around them and it snapped. Problem was the fish was now tethered to the reeds and proceeded to tear up the peg in that spot for about 30 minutes before it came off taking the tackle with it. During that time I had to fish against the island with 6mm pellet, and was getting some success with decent carp. I went back to the reed bed and got beat up a couple more times before I decided it was a waste of time trying to drag them out. So most of the day was spent at 14 metres against the island. It wasn`t hectic but a steady stream of carp were coming through. It was a nice change to be hooking them in the right end instead of the endless stream of foul hookers. The over hanging grasses were bit of a pain in the butt, and this is the result of a 200 mph float hitting the leg of my platform. Glad it never hit me, but it didn`t snap. Testament to my float making lol. Though I gotta make them less buoyant as they don`t go under for Rod Wooton 😅

I tried under the tree to my right on meat but could only get whitebait.. The last hour was spent close to the reed again and I managed to get a few out but they were smaller samples than earlier. Russ had struggled for the first 4 hours but had a strong finish but I was confident the quid was coming my way. I was guessing close to 85lb and was surprised wen it went 95-12. gary Flinder to my right weighed 84-09, catching on the bomb early before changing to the pole. Beanie had 48-01 in corner peg 55. Russ managed to moan a few on inbetween talking to himself most of the day for 79-13. Then it was up to Martin for his usual weigh in and match win with 127-13 from peg 42, knocking me into second place again, with most of his fish coming from his margin. A fairly even match around the lake and a nice day in the sun. Full results below.

Saturday Lands End open. 16/6/2018

Very late again doing this blog. Really need to kick myself up the arse. After another very nice breakfast it was into the cabin for the draw. Only 8 fishing today, which was a disappointment, but there were a few other matches on  today in the area. I managed to drag peg 24 out. A few months ago I wouldn`t have been very happy but now the fish have spread out around the lake it can be won from anywhere. Got to the peg and there was a gentle breeze blowing straight off my back so fishing was going to be easy at any length today. I set up two rigs for the end bank. One full depth and one to fish up in the water. An .3 SS Margin edge rig for next to platform 23. and two .4 slims to fish open water. One for silvers at 14 metres and one for meat at 5 metres. Opposite me I had Rod Wotton on his usual peg 1 for company. At the start I went straight onto the meat rig and it wasn`t long before I had a couple of decent F1`s and a roach in the net but after 20 minutes the bites dried up. Don`t think there were any carp mooching around yet. So I went along the end bank at half depth and straight away the float was dipping and moving around from whitebait.

There were carp moving so I stuck with it and took a couple of half decent fish in the next 30 minutes but the roach were a pain. Back out on the meat line and again loads of indications but no connections except a skimmer. A look along the margin next on 8mm pellet and the same there. What is it with me and tiny silvers. I seem to be getting this problem everywhere at the mo. A couple of fish started showing shallow so I got the shallow edge rig and started flicking it around, but it was just roach having ago. Back along the end bank shallow but no fish showing so it was the deeper end bank rig next and four carp came my way before they moved off. The middle of the match slowed and only a couple of roach and decent skimmer was added from the margin. Then at 3 o`clock the wind had a severe change. It went from a breeze off my back to blowing down the lake in a few seconds and it was like a mini hurricane. I`ve never seen it change like that in such a short time. That killed off any chance of fishing a 14 metres along the end bank. I couldn`t get the pole out there, as when I tried it was blown up over the tree stumps and I wasn`t risking breaking a section. I tried several times but couldn`t hold it after about 5 section went out. so the rest of the match was spent along my left margin as it was pointing straight into the wind. Even then I had a few moments were it was smacked into the bushes. But it paid off in the end. It took until the half last hour to get them going feeding 6mm pellets and fishing 8`s after and initial heavy ground baiting and I hooked 9 in the last 30 minutes landing 7. And they were better fish on average. At the end a guess of around 90lb was mad. Rod opposite was first to weigh and put 55.12 on the scales.
Russ peck on 11 took top honours on that bank with 64-00 from peg 11. He should have done better from there. He draws it every week 😂.  Beannie was on 13 and had 68-02 from peg 13, which is the best weight I`ve seen from that peg for a while. Dom on 18 had some late carp that took him to 80-09. I was last to weigh and was very close to my guestimate with 85-14 and top weight for the day. It was pretty consistant around the lake today so it made it nice and close. Hopefully I`m back next Saturday as the shifts in my new job might be different than what I thought. Full result below.

Acorn Tuesday open.

I finally got my arse in gear to do this blog, three days late. A decent turnout with 17 fishing. Into the draw bag early and I got peg 5 stuck to my grubby little paw. I calmly sprinted to the peg lol, its a good one. First peg on the island where the wind was blowing in. And was it ever blowing. It was a minor hurricane . Glad it was mainly in the face, but fishing across at 14 metres turned out to be just about impossible. But I wasn`t too worried as this peg has a couple of very good catch areas. 2+2 to the left at 10 o`clock angle and tight to the left margin at the point of the island, where there is a nice flat spot that goes out a couple of feet that`s about two feet deep. I set up a far side .15 Slim to try if the wind dropped. Two margin rigs, one for a bulk and another for a softer drop. And a silvers rig to fish 2+2 to my right (never got used). I mixed up some GB and paste to fish the margin, but at the start Id put 12 lumps of paste on in 5 minutes, so that just shows I had , yet again,  a silvers problem early on. I put a 6mm pellet on and had a skimmer and decent roach withing a few minutes. So I went out on the 2+2 carp line to my left and stuck on that for 20 minutes with only a couple of  bites and one small carp in that time. The tow was bad so I was glad I`d put a .5 slim on. The wind was dropping occassionally and I did try the far side but I`d only get a minute or two where I could not hold my pole over there. So I didn`t stick it out too long event though I was getting indications and had one about 5lb. I think the other indications were just liners from the float dragging through. Half way through and I had around 30 lb in the net with a couple taken down the edge and another at 2+2. But then  they moved in on the margin line and it was a bit crazy. I only had to put 6 pellets in and it erupted with loads of fish crashing around, and foul hookers was a nightmare. I was putting a few in the net but I lost around 35 during the day from that line. Plus I was still getting the odd good roach from that area. It was almost an indication every ten seconds as I struggled to get a rig in through them. I`m sure a few less fish in the peg would have resulted in a lot more fish hooked properly. Its a bit strange to say there were too many fish but that`s how it was. The lighter, slower falling rig was the best as it didnt seem to spook the fish as much as the bulked rig. At the end I had around 25 in the net plus the silvers and was confident I had well over a ton. The guys on 6, 9, and 11 and 14 were weighed in well ahead of me and 3 of them had over a ton. The scales got to me and my total was 119-03 for second on the day.

Getting closer to a long awaited win. Top dog on the day was Chris Fox on peg 21 with 134-00. second was Gary Flinders on peg 11 with 117-00. Hopefully the fish will settle soon after they finish spawning as there were still a few crashing around and two creamed me when I was unhooking them. But it was a good day overall with 6 ton plus weights. Weigh sheet below.

Mathern Mill Friday Open

Today`s match at Mathern was on the motorway lake where there is a large head of silvers , but even though I went in the silvers pools I just cant sit it out on silvers when I know there are big carp on offer. But I did set up a silvers rig in case the big boys didn`t play. Into the draw bag and out pops 25, but as they have changed the pegging since I last fished this lake so a quick check was needed to find out where I was. And it was happy days 😀.

A good peg to the right of the aerator, usualy good for a few lumps. To my left was George Sumsion  and beyond him venue supremo Norm Sterry. And with him on a very good corner peg it could be tough. Got to the peg and found this peg didn`t look like it had been fished for a while with it being very overgrown. I couldn`t even tell where the concrete bank was, so I set about clearing it out. I basicaly had no margin either side as there were Water iris to my right going out to a point I couldn`t see anything, and the rope for the aerator to my left with the electric cable dropping into the water about a metre out so that side was completely out of bounds. So a big clear out to my right was done so I could at least fish one side. And the view gave me a chance to fish close to the lily bed around the corner were the local munters tend to live.

I set up four rigs and a bomb rod to fish against the island. The rigs were, a  . 3 SS Margin to fish through the jungle gap to the lily bed on corn or 8mm pellet. Another to fish the top 2 next to my keepnet against the iris`ss`ss`s. A point 4 slim to fish a silvers line over ground bait at 2+2. And a .5 slim for pellet at 13 metres. At the start I went straight over to the island on the bomb looking for the resident lumps, It took a while for a pull round, but it came off half way back when it surfaced. The bomb came back at speed over my head, but I cleverly caught it in my left hand...Go me lol. Ten minutes later I hooked another but that came off pretty quick. Hmmm, not going to plan. George was still fishless, but Norm was storming away and had already hooked 11 fish in the first 30 minutes but had lost 9. Several taking his rigs. No more bites came on my bomb line so it was time to try the lily bed. I`d been feeding 6mm and corn and first drop in the float burried but before I could lift my pole over the foliage the fish was ten metres through the lily bed. no chance of getting that in. so when I found it had come off i pulled for a break. But i got the lot back. back in again and the same result. this time no rig on the return. This happend 6 more times before I gave up on this line. These bloody fish had been trained by Usain bolt. They were in the lilies before I could react. And when you think many are big doubles in this peg I never had a chance. So it was a try on the close edge line but that never produced a bite. back on the bomb but nothing happened. In fact bites had dried up completely. Half way through Norm was now up in the thirties with carp hooked and mostly lost but I recon he had about ten in the net. I couldn`t see much else being caught around the lake so Norm was well ahead. I was now pulling my hair out as I know there were fish in my peg but I couldn`t get going. So it was back to the lily bed were I continued to loose a couple more. Norm had a big smile on his face as he couldnt believe how many fish he was loosing and it did make me laugh a bit. The carp in this lake are loonatics and it is realy hard work to get the small ones out. It does give you doubts about trying to bully them as they just pull harder than you want to try with the pole. New plan, fish for silvers. So it was on with double maggot and hope I could find some of the big skimmers in this lake. First drop in and the float stayed flat on the surface. a small rudd had grabbed it. Back in. same thing. Another rudd. And im talking 2 inches. so i moved 5 number 8`s down to the hook length. But it made no difference. The float just shot across the surface and another rudd was on. I never got the bait to the bottom in ten minutes. So that line was binned. Not interested in 30 fish to the pound. back through the gap but I had been feeding a line very close to the flattened Iris. first drop in the float burried and I managed to stop the first run and it resulted in a 6 pounder. A few minutes later I hooked another that just plodded around for ten minutes. It was a beast at around 17lb. And as soon as it was away from the feed area, there were more tails showing. Maybe a chance of a late turn around. I basically stayed on this line for the rest of the match and even though I lost a few more to the lilies I managed to take 7 from this line including another good double. George had a couple of carp but had stayed mostly fishing for silvers. he had plenty of them but they were small so he worked hard for what he had. At the weigh in I was in front with my 9 carp going 72-05 for third on the day. Not sure what the top silvers was at the time as I didn`t get the silvers weigh sheet. Norm had stopped counting lost fish when he got to 40 but still managed to get enough in for a winning weight of 109-07. He trashed 20 rigs today which had me giggling. But a bonus for me he bought 20 float from me to replace them. Every cloud and that lol. second on the day went to Billy Barble, (that cant be his real name hahaha) with 76-07 from peg 11. A frustrating day again for me, and I just cant seem to get my act together at the mo. Guess we all go through bad patches. Hope it picks up a buit and mybe I might get a win for a change. Weigh sheet below.

Mathern Mill Friday open

With this fishery on my doorstep its an easy decision to give this a go on Fridays. The weather forecast was for a wild day today but as they got the forecast so wrong yesterday it wasn`t surprising that today finished completely opposite to what they were saying. My bright red face is proof of that lol. Into the draw bag and out pops 16. A nice peg that is primarily a bomb peg with a 30 metre chuck to the end of the island. Though you still have to compete with 11 and 12 opposite that are the venue flyers that dont often fail to take the top spots.

So the bomb rod was the first to be set up. I wanted to experiment today and my plan was to fish a short line(2=2) over a big bed of groundbait and corn, just to see if the carp would settle on it or tempt the big skimmers and bream, that go to 5lb plus, would have a go. So a .4 Slim was set up for there. Only the margin pole set up today so the usual .3 SS margin was set for my right side in 2 feet of water and a .5 slim to fish the full 8.7 metres straight out over pellet. at the start 10 tennis ball size balls were put in on the short line and a few pellets out on the long line, then the bomb with an 8mm pellet was chucked out within a foot of the very inviting island vegetation.

Didn`t wait long and the tip was wrenched round and a 6 pounder was in the net. Out again and ten seconds later a 7 pounder hooked and landed. Then next chuck a 14 pounder. Pretty nice start with 20 minute gone and around 30lb in the net. But after that the bites dried up, which coincided with the sun coming out, and over the next 3 1/2 hours I only landed 3 more. I tired the other lines many times rotating around but there was nothing coming out anywhere on the pole lines. The only person that caught on the pole that I could see was Andy Fuller on aquarium 12 , where he was catching in his margin. Got to admit this margin fishing is baffling me at the mo. Not caught any margin fish for  ages. I just don`t see anything when I try. Best keep to the longer stuff. And my experimental line was an epic fail with just one tiny skimmer and a lost foul hooker that I connected with lifting the rig out at half depth. The last hour picked up for me on the bomb and I managed to put 5 fish in the net with a couple of doubles among them. Andy caught steadily throughout the second half of the match as did Terry ? ( a few new faces to me today) on peg 11. Winner on the day was Josh Anderson on peg 3 with 100-05 . No idea how he caught as he was out of sight around the island. Second was Terry, less than a pound behind, with 99-11 of bomb caught carp. Third was Andy on 12 with 90-07 of mainly margin munchers. I managed fourth with 12 carp for 79-12 all taken from the island.  Sounds strange to get near 80lb and say it was a poor days fishing but I only missed 2 bites all day and landed all I hooked except the foul hooked fish, but thats how it felt. But at least the weather was good with no torrential rain that was forcast. I`m looking like a strawberry today and my face is glowing, but ya cant complain about sunny weather.

Acorn Tuesday cost cutter

first stop today was the Bridge Inn for a cooked brekkie. Its handy as its only a minute from the fishery, but saying that its usually only a 3.5 out of 5. not always the hotest, but it fills a space. A decent turn out today with 18 fishing. Into the draw bag and I pull 33 out. A decent peg next to a bridge and i was lucky as the wind was howling through the venue and it the bridge broke the wind up making it fairly easy with the pole were as Eddie Wynne next to me on 31 could hardly hold his pole at 7 meters. The other side of the bridge to my left was Mike  Chapman, so a civilised conversation was on the cards today. Unfortunately, England international Callum Dicks had drawn peg 5, a peg I would run too, so it was a case of fishing for second place today. It was an all out carp attack today. So a .4 slim ws set to fish just about anywhere in the peg beyond the bottom of the slope either side as its the same depth all round, but it was mainly for my banker spot halfway along the bridge on banded 6mm pellet.  .2 slim to fish shallow against the far side on top the shelf. a slapper just in case the weather calmed down and  I could see some cruisers. And a .3 SS margin to fish tight to the bridge in my left margin and against pallet 32. At the start I went straight across to the island fishing 12 inches deep and dropping pellet in via a toss pot. I did try feeding with a catapult during the day, but even though the pole was protected the pellets were getting blasted by the wind and going all over the place so I kept mainly to the toss pot. Straight from the off, when pellets went in it was like a trout farm with carp crashing around. I caught 2 fairly quick but they were charging through the peg so fast I was foul hooking loads and landing none. As soon as they`d eaten the pellets they disapeared and no bites ensued. So it was back in and refill the pot for another 30 seconds of foul hooking madness. It went quiet after a while which wasn`t surprising with so many lost fish, so it was down the middle by the bridge on my banker line but no action there. So it was into the margins for an early look. No bites to my left, but by pallet 32 it was a bite every ten seconds and connecting with nothing. The snotty silvers are a plague when your targeting carp down the edges. So it was back across to to far side. But the same problem was happening. Land one loose five. Very difficult to hook anything more than two inches from their arse holes. Very frustrating. So most of the second half was spent searching around. But the silvers were doing my head in. I recon it was 5 bites a minute almost anywhere in the peg and next to no contact with fish. even 8mm pellet got the same treatment. I did manage 3 quick carp from my left margin but then the silvers found the bait and it was impossible to get a bait to the bottom. I did start hooking a few carp in the mouth in the last 15 minutes and put 4 in the net in that time. Too little too late unfortunately. At the weigh in Callum was clearly winning as expected with 131-2, and he even mentioned how crazy the fish were today crashing through his peg. Dave Wride was winning the silvers with an excellent bag of 26-10 in his 63-5 total. Mike managed 17-8 of silvers the other side of the bridge. My 18 carp, several big F1`s, and a  few accidentals went 64-12 for fourth on the day.  A very strange day with the weather doing all sorts and it deffinately made the fish a bit skittish. Hopefully the weather will settle again soon and the fish might settle down with it. Full results below.