Tackle For Sale!

This was the first round of the float only series run by Tony Rixon. As I cannot fish the last match of the series I need to do well in every match to stand a chance. That plan has now gone tits up!

I drew peg 134 on the car park bank of Campbell lake, the wind was blowing straight down and into my face. Normally you'd run to a peg with the wind into it, but this wind is, as we know, a very cold North / North Easterly coming from the Arctic! Fishery owner Steve Long was on peg 110 which had been very consistent of late, but he did not rate our chances one bit explaining it had been hard this end of the lake the day before.

I set up two rigs for the long pole, a 4x16 (needed due to the wind) for pellet and a big H paste rig. Both were set up on 0.16 line. I set up a 4x12 rig (0.16 to banded pellet) for down to the next pallet on peg 133 and another 4x12 for caster at 4mtrs to my left. With peg 135 in, I decided to fish my long line at about 11 o'clock and fed a big pot of 6mm and 8mm pellets here, the same down to the pallet and a small pot of caster for my 4mtr line.

First drop in and the float shot away and a foul hooker came off, that was at least a positive indication I thought. 30 mins later I managed to tempt my next bite and first carp, and then had nothing for the next 30 mins. I dropped in on the caster line and took a couple of small roach and then a 2.5lb tench. This then died apart from tiny roach. At this stage I could see that nobody was catching in my section, the last angler was Clayton Hudson who was on peg 128 just past the spit was harder to see though! For the next 4 hours I caught just a few silvers and fouled one more carp on the long pole. The swim down by the next pallet had produced two perch to 8mm pellet! Despite all that I tried I could just not get any bites, I even fed another line with some micro and 3mm pellets and set up a light rig for skimmers, that produced one 6oz fish!

With about an hour to go Bela Bakos on peg 131 said my peg was fizzing (I could not see this due to the wind) and when I asked him where he said right next to your float! The float did go under 30 mins later and I lost another foul hooker which trashed the rig. I had one bite in the last half hour on paste which I managed to miss and that was that. It was obvious I was plumb last in the section and so I chucked back as 1 point won't help me, I now have to fish the next 4 rounds as opens.

Clayton won the section on the long pole, with 86lb+, the lads either side of me had 2 and 3 points both having 20lb weights. Steve Long managed just the 1 carp I think, so it was obvious the fish didn't want to be at this end of the lake. Just to prove this Fred Roberts was "opposite" me on peg 121 with the wind of his back and came 2nd with 107lb.

Mr Rixon won the match from peg 66 with 120lb, read his blog for more info.

At least my taxi driver Glenn managed a few, he was just out of the frame and won his section with 81lb on Carey (peg 97 I think), he had 9 carp for that, 6 on wag and 3 on pole late, including a 15lb fish in the tail!

It seems obvious this rapid chill has hit the fish hard, and certainly the top end of the lakes were best (sheltered from wind). They'll need a bit of time to come back on the feed, and some warm weather, which we are well overdue!