Landsend Saturday Open 24/4/21

 Finally got back to landsend for the first time since the satrt of December. Ive been struggling in the couple of matches Ive fished for lack of practice, so I was glad to be back here as its the venue I know best and a boost in confidence was needed. we were gonna be on lake three but a good turn out had a few on Speci lake along the car park bank. Mr Duckett did the draw and handed me peg 58. Happy with that as there are a few options. Started off at 16m down to the end bank weed bed trying to mug a few but only had one in the first half hour, there were loads cruising but they had other things on thier minds, chasing each other around, other than feeding. It was like the closing sketch from the Benny Hill show. it was fishing hard. after about three hours and after two hours I had two good carp and an F1. I got a bit board trying to catch uninterested carp so I got my silvers rig and fished the top kit and was getting up to 4 perch and roach a minute, but they were tiny so after half hour I couldnt see me getting enough to get a silvers weight. So it was back to the carp. I got another mugging at 16m towards the spit that would have gone close to 12lb. The last hour produced a few down the right edge but they were juvinials and 4 of them went about 10lb. 20 minutes to go I went back across to the island and hooked 4 landing two before the wistle. the scale came round and top weigh on the other bank was russ pecks 29lb. I knew i had that well beat and i put 51-15 of carp and 4-13 of silver for a total of 56-12. That ended up as top on the lake to my surprise. Ray White had top silvers on our lake with 23-03. Steve seager won overall for peg 37 on Speci lake with 64-12. Dave Ings had a fab net of silvers, which I think was mainly quality roach, or 31-13. It was nice to be bak there and to pick up a bit of coin was an unexpected bonus. B

ack in two weeks for another go. 

The Sedges Wednesday Open

After 135 days I finally get to fish a match again. A trip down to Bridgewater to fish The Sedges was todays choice. Got there with loads of time to spare and it was nice to bump into Dave Ings. Not seen any of the west country boys in ages. Peg 47 was drawn out for me and I got a little bit of info on it as I have only fished this venue a couple of times. Started across against the weed bed and it was half an hour before the first bite and the one and only carp from across was netted. Never had another fish there all day. It was fishing hard and it was another hour before I got a small skimmer down the track on soft pellet. Keeping it short, I struggled for bites all day. Two more small carp from the right margin where fish had been knocking the weeds all day, three more skimmer down the middle and around 15 small barble and chub from under the tree to my left was all I had. chucked about 11lb back as i couldnt be arsed to wait for the scales. dave did well with around 40lb, but he wasnt sure exactly what he had as they weighed him in while he was taking his kit back to the carpark. We think he got second but im sure he will post it up. The match was won with 57lb in one of the pegs infront of the car park. I didnt get a photo of the weigh sheet. Too long away from matches and ive forgotten the routine. Forgotton how to catch fish too. Must do better next time. 

Mathern Mill, Craig Challingsworth`s baggers open. 12/12/2020

 Nice short drive today to Mathern Mill for an open match on the motorway lake. Realy fancied the bottm end of the lake and just fish for the skimmers. First into the draw bag and peg 20 sticks to my fingers. Well, to say I was dissapointed was an understatement. As far away from where I wanted to be as I could be. Plus ive drawn this peg a few times and its Rudd soup. Almost impossible to get a bait through the tiny rudd that live in this peg usually. Set up 4 rigs. 2 .5 slims with different colour tips, as during the day the sun would be straight in front so a change of colour might be needed. Both set the same to fish maggot or soft pellet for anything silver. An edge rig that never got touched, and a .5 slim for carp. That also never came out the rig roost. All day was spent switching between two lines, where Id fed chopped worm in groundbait in one and maggot and micros in the other. Both at 13 mwtres. After 30 minutes I started to get small hybrids over the micro line. Had a few so switched to the groundbait line where there were skimmers. All day I`d get acouple then had to move. It was a steady flow all day and whene the match ended I thought I had around 18lb. Surprisingly the scales went round to 26-04 which won the silvers and a nice pick up of some coin. It was a nice busy day with plenty of bites. Finally got a few fish out of this peg. Winner on the day was Rob Skellet on peg 3 with three carp for 37-14. Big fish!!. It didnt fish well today and I recon I was lucky to sit on a few feeding fish. And not a rudd in sight. But ya need a bit of luck some days. Full weigh sheet below.

Landsend saturday open.

 Finally got the chance to go to Landsend again. Not been for 5 or 6 weeks cos of the covid lockdown crap. Was a bit worried about the weather as when I was loading the car it was snowing. Not a great start. Got to the fishery and found we had 16 booked in so we decided to put us all on Match lake. Mike drew peg 6 for me. I cant remember ever fishing this peg as its not in very often. Decided to fish for silvers and take carp if they came along. Well!!! its a short story. Started on 2+2 with maggot over maggot and micros and after 15 minutes hooked and landed a carp of 7-8. I was winning lol. Then ten minutes later a roach. That was the last bite on that line until ten minutes from the end. Most of the match I was switching trying to find some bonus fish but only caught at 14m off the end of the island. All small roach, rudd and perch taken on single or double maggot. I had about 30 of them. Believe it or not that got me 4th on the day with a total of 9-12. Winner on the day was Russ Peck who started 15 minutes late in peg 22 and was straight into fish. But it was fish soup in front of him. He caught steady all day for 60-8. Second was Steve Leaf Blower Seager with 27-14 from peg 15. Top silver ws the Silverback silvers king, Rod Wootton with 7-4 of mainly newly introduced micro tench from his favourite peg 19. For everybody else it was rock hard with 7 not weighing in. Back in two weeks for first round of the winter league. Hope it settles down by then. Weight sheet below.

Mathern Mill, Craig Challingsworth baggers open

 Finaly got out for a dabble today. First time in 4 weeks cos of all this covid crap. Just a short drive to mathern mill for a knock up organised by Craig challingsworth on the top lake. Only ten fishing so loads of room and with a shitty weather forcast I fancied a peg with the wind off my back. Right!!!! that didnt happen. Sat all day with the rain blowing horizontaly into my face. But at least it wasnt cold so not all bad. I drew peg 9 down in the corner of the bowl. Never drawn this one before, but the plan was just to fish for silvers and go for carp if they turned up. Not going into too much detail as it was a pretty simple day. Apart from about 45 minutes I spent all day on 2+2 over two lines. One groundbait and maggot and one just maggot. It was a perch fest. never seen so many. But I took a note out of Foggy`s book. If your getting plenty of bits keep at it. And thats what I did. For three  and a half hours it was perch perch perch. Then a few skimmers turned up late over the ground bait. I ended up with around 80 perch and 5 skimmers for 13-14. That got me top silvers for the day and a little brown envelope. Top weight on the day came from peg 6. Mike Eyre with 5 carp and a few bits for 63-1. Big lumps taken on bread on the bomb. Second was Stephen Norris with 6 carp and bits for 48-7. Second in silvers was George Sunsionon peg 16 with 9-1. A tough day and I didnt see a carp landed anywhere in the first half of the match. But its was nice to be out again. Working next weekend so another couple of week until I get out again, unless I can get in a sneaky match somewhere in the week.

Landsend Saturday Open 17/10/2020

 Winter is well on the way and it showed today. Peg 13 for me and I was very happy with that draw. But I got to the peg and was greated with a mass of leaves and frothy scum on the top. This wasnt going to be fun. Not much to report. This peg had been fishing well lately but not today/ Never had a touch along the end bank or in the margins. I Only had one bite out by the aerator that produced a carp aroud 7lb. struggled for silvers as the lines I fished were choked with leaves that just went around in circles in the ever changing wind. In fact I had to put a .5g float on to get the line through the scum as lighter floats resulted in the bulk shot just sitting ontop of it. Needed that extra bit of weight to break through it. And I could of walked on the water in the margins at times it was so thick. Did not enjoy it at all. I did manage to get three across to the point of the island, but at 16m in that wind, I recon my back will be feeling it for a week. I ended up with the four carp that would have gone 25lb and about 3lb of silvers, but I was well and trully spanked all around in both departments, so I didn`t bother weighing in. Don`t even know who won as I`d gone by the time the scales went around the lake. Ah well, lets hope for better luck next week.

Mathern Mill saturday open

Short trip to mathern today. Breakfast was brought to the fishery as the previously aranged breakfast at the Millers was cancelled due to all pubs being closed from friday night. 21 fishing today so only one empty peg on the lake. I drew 20 and was pretty happy with that as Norm said anglers had a boat load of carp the day before that end of the lake fishing a pellet feeder and maggot. And i had the empty peg in 21 next to me so a bonus, though pegs 22 and 1 would be the ones to watch. started the match on the pellet feeder but no pull rounds.

 In fact the lake was dead. In the first hour from what I could see only one carp had been caught and no silvers.I tried a maggot line at 10m but the wind was blowing a holligan. It was just about impossible to fish the pole, and even though I did try several times I just could not present a still bait.. It was 2 hours 45 before I got my first bite, a ripper of a pull round on popped up wafter, I was supprised I got it in as it went mental and had me bottomed out on my lineclip for a minute before I made any line on it.i thought cold weather slowed them down. No chance in this place they are the hardest fighting fish I`ve come across. I then tried the laft margin as i`d been feeding it for three hours and took a carp first drop in. Then had to wait another half hour before the next down the margin, but it was a big beast around 14lb. two more late fish on the bomb was my lot for the day. no lost fish and only two missed bites. i did all I could today but it was hard.
paul Nicholls on 22 Has a steady second half of the match catching at 14m by the airator and on a 6m line. Rich Lovering on peg 1 had a few as well. They were able to fish long poles as the wind was more into thier face and was blowing along the pole. The scale came round and Neil Morgan on Peg 11 was top weight with 96lb. My 5 carp went 46-10 which was very close to my guestimate. That ended up third on the day. Paul went a bit better with 55-6 helped by a 15 pounder ten minutes from the end and another right on the all out for second place. A rough day in the wind and very few bites, but thats winter fishing for you. Full results below.