I awoke before the alarm thanks to the relentless heavy rain, seemed to wake me up on and off all night. At least the poor weather should keep the wasps away from me, I managed to get stung again mid week would you believe! I was travelling with Glenn today, but we were fishing different matches, Glenn was on the CARPS Viaduct league (Campbell and Carey) whilst I was fishing an open run by Tony Rixon on the Match Lake. I have not fished this lake for many years and was looking forward to a days skimmer fishing, I took my pole and a feeder rod assuming it would be too windy for the waggler (wrong!).
The first part of my plan (to fish the feeder to the island) was screwed up when I drew corner peg 46 and no island chuck! I was told it had not been a good peg, in fact Tony said it had been the kiss of death! So I walked to the peg on a bit of downer and no one cheered me up until I saw on peg 47 Chris Fox, next peg again! Chris had fished my peg a few weeks back and caught on the wag, he did give me some stick during the match for me not taking a waggler rod! Anyway back to my peg, I had a nice long margin and although Chris had not caught down there last time it had a few reeds 15 metres away which looked inviting. I set up a straight lead in case the wind got bad (never used) a 0.3 PB Inter float with 0.12 to 16 PR490 for skimmers and plumbed two lines, one at 13 mtr and one at 16mtr. For the margin I rigged up a 4x10 Durafloat with 0.14 to 14 PR456, and that was it for today!
On the whistle I fed a handful of casters and micros at 13mtr, half a big pot of casters and micro and a bit of corn at 16mtr. Down the margin I fed the same half big pot but with a bit more corn in it. As I shipped out Dean Malin was already landing a fish on the feeder from peg 42, it took me 25 minutes to get a bite at 13mtr and a nice skimmer. I then took two more in consecutive casts, all on a red maggot and a caster, and topped up with small amounts of caster and micro with a toss pot. I took another 3 skimmers in the next hour all at 13mtr but then they went and I just had the odd tiny roach bite. A try out 16mtr was a waste of time, and I was surprised by this. At this stage I had a few more skimmers than Chris Fox, and Clayton Hudson on 45 only had a couple of carp on the wag to the island.
I struggled on both skimmer lines and so had to go down the margin but I was not confident. However, first 3 three drops on a piece of corn gave me three F1s. I fed after every fish with half a toss pot of caster, micro and a few bits of corn, this was probably too much for the F1s as I then took a few small carp. Inevitably the margin slowed and so I pushed the rig closer to the reeds but kept snagging on underwater branches, so I fed a decent amount of bait in the original margin spot and rested it. First drop back in at 13mtr gave me a skimmer, but that was it, and again all attempts at 16mtr failed. It looked like I had to keep the fish coming from the margin, but I took only one F1 on my next look down there and so I had a rethink. I found a fairly clear spot next to the reeds and fed micros and corn there, and I fed a new line next to a little patch of Lily pads at 13mtrs with dead maggot, caster, micro, corn everything! I did manage to nick a few more small carp from against the reeds and one from the lilies that was nearly 4lb, and then I lost my first fish of the day which did me in the reeds. Then with 10 mins to go I pulled out of a carp and the rig was trashed. I shipped out to 16mtr as I could see a few bubbles and took one more skimmer and that was it.
I have to say that I thought Dean Malin had easily won the match, but thought I would be OK for 2nd (from what I could see and hear). It turned out Dean had 27lb of mainly small fish and my carp went 23lb and the skimmers 12lb for a total of 35lb 7oz and blimey first overall for the 2nd week running! Chris Fox won the silvers with 25lb nearly all skimmers and he had a good run on the waggler at the end, I like drawing next to Chris at the moment!
Both Chris and Tony will have the full result shown on their blogs, I didn't get time to get it as Glenn wanted to get home with his £50 triple default section win!
There was a match fished on the Avon today, and it fished pretty well, with Swineford the best with a fair few bream weights, 30lb+ was top.
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