Landsend Fishery Open

Fancied a change this weekend, nothing against Hill View but just wanted to spice things up, and so Landsend was the option I chose for Sunday. Bela Bakos was also looking for a match and someone to give a lift to (as Mike Nicholls was on family duty) and so we shared the van. The weekend had started well as I spent a few hours down at the memorial ground on Friday watching Rovers put 5 past Chester, UTG. It was good to watch it with long time mates, Glenn, Mark Jefferies and Paul Benson. Saturday I planned to make some rigs up, this was postponed when the neice and nephew turned up, as 6 year old and hooks don't go together! Managed to get some rigs and banded hook lengths done later in the day, more than enough to cover a number being trashed lol! I set up a mixture of 4x10, 4x12 and 4x14 Preston PB Carp 3 floats as in the picture.

After a nice breakfast in Shipham Cafe we soon arrived at a full looking car park, and the usual slayers were in evidence. The lakes being used were match lake and lake 3. I've never done that well on lake 3 but it had fished well last week and so I didn't mind where I drew. Pulling out peg 50 sounded half way along lake 3 and not that good, but I was told it done well in recent weeks on the w/l although this was when it was the only peg in for a few pegs, and today I had Nick Duckett on peg 51 next to me. Venue expert Tony Rixon told me it was a great margin peg with a bush about 8 or 9 metres to my right  (actually 12 metres to my right) and I was happy enough with what I'd heard.

My far bank looked inviting, even though there was no shelf to speak of. My 4x12 with 0.14 to 18 PR36 for banded pellet was used here.

The margin bush looked like this, and the depth out by the bush was almost identical to across,  but right against the bank it was shallower. A 4x12 was again called upon, but this time with 0.16 to help pull them out from the bush.

You'll notice on both these pictures that there is a ripple on the water, this was before the match started, the majority of the match the lake was flat calm. I set up a rig to fish meat but I never had a bite on this, also a rig to fish tight into the nearside margin  and I never had a bite on this!

To start the match I fed some 4mm pellet across the far side against that bear bank, some meat at 5m, and pellet down to the bush which I continued to feed with a catty all day. I started on the meat at 5m (well it worked for Tony last week) and after 15 mins of boredom, and watching Paul Faires on peg 41 and Gordon Cannings on 42 catch straight away I was already behind. Nick took a carp on the far bank and so I shipped out long with a 6mm pellet in the band and fed a few 4mm with the catty. After an hour I had 1 roach and 1 small skimmer, and had spooked 4 carp and lost 1 fouler. I decided to feed another far bank line to my right and this time I just toss potted a few 6mm pellets in and fished the same on the hook, after 15 mins I finally landed a carp of about 5lb. Not long after I had a 1 1/2lb carp before this went quiet, going back to the bare bank I lost a fouler and then had a 1lb carp, Other than a skimmer that was my lot from the bare bank.

At this stage the weather was lovely, sun had been out and I'd been fishing in a T shirt, this was the best part, as Nick was about 6 carp to my 3 and only Phil, Fabio, Harding below me on 46 was doing worse than me. I managed to foul a couple more fish but as the sun went behind the clouds the fishing got worse across. Trying down by the bush produced a bite first time and a 5lb fish, but despite carp showing themselves on the surface around the bush no indications came my way.

The middle of the match was dire, and Fabio went for a walk and came back and said they were emptying it on Match lake. I couldn't get a liner let a lone a bite, but Nick next door had also struggled after his early fish. I did sneak a couple more carp and a couple of silvers from the 6mm swim, and I hooked a decent carp by the bush on 8mm pellet which was 6lb. Another carp took the 8m pellet and this was near 9lb, but I shall never know as it spat the hook out at the net!

I took 2 carp from the margin in the last hour, I was fishing right next to the bush and gave it the old heave ho on the strike. Sadly there were no other bites in between. It was a poor day and typical of a Landsend struggle when you land half of what you hook, Nick next to me had experienced the same. I weighed in for the hell of it, and 34lb was my lot, Nick had 39lb and Fabio had packed up. 48lb was top on my bank, but opposite there were two 60's and a 70lb for Kev Moulton from end peg 70.

The match was won by Bela on peg 19 with a lowly 216lb!!!!!  Bela caught by slapping a rig with either 6 or 8mm pellet, although after an hour he was a long way behind Tony Rixon on peg 18. In the end though Bela gave Tony a spanking as Tony finished 2nd with 149lb, despite having too many in one net. Meat head Craig Edmunds came 3rd from peg 7 with 143lb which included a lot of late carp to meat, and 30lb of skimmers on pellet. I believe Rod Wooten won the silvers with a huge 50lb from peg 22.

Another poor day for me, but I'm just waiting to turn the corner and get a few again. Well done to Bela on catching his first double ton, I had a Guinness or two to celebrate on the way home!