Holiday Day 5 - Acorn Fishery

A venture away from Viaduct today, with a match set up by Gary Bowden. Originally 20 people were fishing but one didn't turn up so 19 it was. I travelled to the venue with Glenn who kindly offered to drive. Due to the Bridge Inn being closed for maintenance we had a bit of grub from a takeaway place called H&H which was very good. I have not been to Acorn since it was landscaped and desilted, I would love to fish here more but matches are not easy for me to get on or fish. A lot of regular anglers (venue experts)  were here and so I thought I was going to get another lesson today, but you never know.

Gary spaced the pegs out and everyone had plenty of room. Although peg 5 is one of the most sought after pegs I was told it was one of those places that any peg could win. I pulled out peg 12 and Glenn drew peg 9, meaning we were next peg but plenty of room in between us. Paul Faires told me my peg was not the best without wind on it but I should still expect to catch 100lb, so the winner would need a lot more then? I also spoke to Martin R who fishes here a lot, and he told me my peg was too wide for long pole but that I might catch down the middle on caster shallow and margins later. I popped into the fishery shop and bought 2 pints of casters.

Peg 12 is indeed wide, and so I decided to set up a method feeder rod for fishing across, I used a mixture of method mix gbait and micros on this, with 0.19 to 14 KKMB. A 4x12 shallow rig for caster, a 4x12 for the margin, a 4x14 for top set, and a 0.5g silvers rig with 16 GPM to 0.13 at 7m.

We started at 10:30 and I began on the method feeder, second cast and I was attached to a carp that took my 6mm bandum. Next cast another, and the next cast. First hour was pretty good and I put 30lb of small carp in the net, all the while I was feeding casters to 7m. Things then went iffy on the method, and from getting bites I was now just getting little knocks or nothing at all. I tried various hookbaits, and things all to no avail and it was no longer happening. Meanwhile there was fizzing all over my caster line and so I went and tried that shallow. Didn't get a single bite on this which did surprise me as I could see odd carp.

It was quite early on into the match when I heard a loud bang, Gary had a 5lb ghost carp jump out of his landing net and land on his pole breaking his top set and number 4 section, oh dear. 

There was probably two hours gone now and after a good start I was only on 35lb, I went on the deep silvers rig on double caster to see if I could catch any of the many tench in the venue. Only had to wait 20 seconds if that to hook and land a 2lb tench, and then one next drop in about 3lb. Maybe these fish were causing all the fizzing? I had to fire the casters in a catapult to feed as the wind was problematic at times, and these didn't seem to be harming the fishing as I was getting tench fairly regularly. However, as the match went on I suddenly slowed down, and despite still getting fizz I was not getting bites, just liners from fish shallow. I tried shallow again but nothing. Feed the margins and then they became redundant as a load of scum covered them.

Gary was only paying one silvers place today, and that meant I had to win the silvers to pick up, but in my head I was thinking one of the regulars will be bagging on them, but it seemed to me I had to stick with the tench.

I put a toss pot on and starting potting in casters, this seemed to help and I began to get the odd tench again including one near 5lb, I also had a couple of skimmers and a little eel. In the last hour or so carp began to get in on the act and this would push the tench out for a bit, but I stuck with it till the end and was enjoying it. Match over and I had clicked 74lb of mainly tench, and 50lb of carp, I then went up to see Gary to see how he had done, and he had 100lb+ he said. I told him about my tench and he said how many nets you got them in, two I said, well remember it is a 40lb net limit on silvers. Oh bugger, in my head I had 50lb like Viaduct, and I had started the second net when I clicked 40lb on the first, surely I had not gone over.... I lifted the net when I got back, I thought I was going to be OK. Lee Waller and Mike Wilson were on the scales, and Mike on our board was best silvers so far with 35lb, my first net went on to the scales, it went to 37lb, phew! Next net 33lb and so I had 70lb of silvers, I added 49lb of carp so a total of 119lb.

Glenn on 9 had a great last 2 hours in the margins and had estimated he had 120lb but weighed in 161lb, Phil Cooper on my left on peg 15 struggled and DNW. By the way Phil's brother Ray is in hospital at the moment and was waiting for a heart operation, I hope all goes well Ray and wish you well mate.

1st Paul Faires 202lb peg 25  method early and margins later.

2nd Glenn 161lb peg 9, paste and then margins over gbait later

3rd Kev Perry 158lb 5oz, peg 23

4th Martin R 158lb 4oz, peg 34 (Yes he was beaten by 1 ounce!)

I did win the silvers and so got myself a pick up today yay! 

Lots of fish caught today, the venue regulars did the damage and I am glad that I ventured onto the silvers, had to get some luck eventually! We took a drive down to Brent Knoll for the Carvery, I thought it was great value and I enjoyed my meal a great deal, my plate of food was probably the smallest on our table.

 It was then back to Viaduct for a shower, more booze and banter, and cheese.. and there was a lot of all of them on this holiday!