We finally seem to be experiencing something like spring weather, with a bit of warmth in between the rain. Saw my first swift today and that’s hopefully a sign of improvement in temperatures I hope. This was my fourth recent match at the venue and I was going prepared the same as last week with a full array of rigs and baits to cover silvers and carp. The day didn’t start great as I have been struggling with toilet troubles (side effects of operations some years ago, I’ve been waiting 14?months now for another operation) and I wasn’t going to have time to get to Spoons for breakfast. Luckily my wife told me that McDonalds was back open in Longwell Green and that saved the day.
I got to fishery to find only 11 booked in today, on the plus side that would make some room for the poor areas. I paid my pools and loaded the trolley. Shaun Townsend turned up and then drove off again, I thought he was going back to bed, but turned out he had lost his phone, but it was found later. I was praying for a peg with carp in as I haven’t had any carp action the last three matches. Well my drawing arm returned today as I pulled peg 12 that has won the last couple of matches. No pressure then.
The last two matches this peg produced 150lb+ all caught short in left hand margin.
John Fuidge last week caught about 5 or 6m along. The sedge reeds were 11m away and I looked for signs of carp in the reeds, there was nothing. Slightly concerned as John said the reeds were knocking like mad. I set up a 4x10 edge float with 16 KKMB to 0.15 powerline for the margin. I had a good plumb up in various places and tried to remove floating vegetation. I set up a 4x12 carp shallow for slapping long, and a 4x14 for the deck. All rigs were with same hook and line for banded hard pellet.
When we started at 10:30 I fed 6mm pellets at 6m down the margin, 4mm and 6mm at 11m for the deck and started here. It wasn’t a great start for me with just one carp and a skimmer on this line. Paul Haines on 14 started in his edge but had nothing, Jon Osbourne on 11 had a couple of carp out long and then I spied Bill Knight on 10 take 3 carp quickly in his margin. It was an hour in and i followed Bill looking in my margin, took about 5 minutes to nail my first carp. However, I couldn’t get another bite and so worked my way along the margin and by feeding 6mm pellets loose I managed to get another 3 carp but then all signs and bite’s stopped.
I went back out on the deck where I caught 2 more carp but again this died, back in the margin and nothing. Three hours in and I certainly didn’t feel like I was going to win anything today. But suddenly a few carp started showing themselves a long way out, so I shipped out to 14.5m and started slapping. Took 10 minutes to hook one, wasn’t on long as the line had gone over the pole and it snapped. The wind had picked up blowing right in my face and it meant I needed to slap a bit harder and into the wind. I took 4 carp and lost a fouler before it died. There were two hours left and it was now margin fishing till the end I decided. No signs short, but found if I fished at 11m right next to the reeds I could now catch. Had a couple of 10 to 12lb carp and I was getting a good smattering of mirrors not just common carp.
Leighton Palmer came for a walk around (not fishing as he overslept today lol) and I started to catch really well with him there. He said that it was close between myself, Nick Sanders on 1 and Mat Tainton on 9. I could see Mat bagging short on meat. The margin then died and no reeds were moving, I went to 13m down to the green reeds and found the carp again. I had a couple of carp all day go into the reeds, but got them all out. Match over and I thought I had 120 to 130lb but wasn’t sure if that would beat Mat.
Towner was on the scales and he started with me, the final tally was 132lb 4oz.
Either side of me Jon on 11 had 61lb and snapped his number 7 section! Paul on 11 had 56lb. Last week these pegs all had tons, and I think the carp have moved about a bit since then. I watched Mat weigh in and it was looking close, but I got the verdict as he weighed 122lb 10oz. He fished really well and is a very consistent money winner here. Nice for me to finally get a win 😄.
Nick Sanders took 3rd with 109lb, mostly caught shallow.
The silvers winner was fishery manager Kev Winstone with 30lb 5oz of skimmers mostly on corn. Winners of both prizes pictured below, Kev is just back from his honeymoon in the sun, and was given a new nickname by Leighton of “Peter Andre” lol.
That’s it now for a couple of weeks as I am busy the next two weekends, nice to finally get a decent carp peg and a win. Tight lines.
