Landsend League

Before I write about the match today I better put some people out of their misery. The photo I posted last week was not a river, it was actually the peg I had on the canal at Limpley Stoke, in Beeches turning bay. The coloured water was the result of a boat turning around, and not a flooded river, lol!

An early start today to pick up Shaun Townsend as we wanted a breakfast and it was an 8:30 draw, but we didn't get up early enough and only saw Ken Raynor leaving Shipham cafe and were 10 mins late to the draw. Only 4 pegs left in the hat, I pulled 7 on Match (seem to be a magnet to this one) and Shaun 41 on lake 3 which is a corner peg. I must say I was not prepared for this match due to a very hectic week so rigs were made on the bank. This peg is shallow and despite all the water running into the lake it wouldn't be enough I thought to make it any better than on Wednesday when Des Shipp drew the peg and took 20lb+.

I had drawn next to the slayer Tony Rixon on 11, and fellow blogger Ken Rayner was on peg 3. I set up a 4x12 Chianti for down to the pallet on peg 8, with 0.14 to 16 PR456, a 4x14 pencil float which would serve for 5mtr and two 11mtr swims with 0.10 to 18 PR412. (JEEZUS!! sorry a massive clap of thunder just went off above the house as I'm typing this!). I also set up a 4x10 Durafloat for across at 13mtr in about 2.5ft of water with 0.12 to 16 Drennan maggot (red). On the whistle I cupped some caster in at 5mtr, 13mtr, some at 11mtr 10 o'clock, and down by the pallet. Micro was fed at 11mtr 2 o'clock. The first 15 mins were spent at 5mtr and did not produce a bite, onto 11mtr and I had 2 tiny roach until 45 mins in and a 1.5lb F1 got me going. Next drop in and I hooked a carp which I had on for about 5 mins and then it decided to head off to it mates in Tony Rixon's peg and snapped the hooklength. I fed a bit of caster again and dropped in on the micro line with red maggot and was rewarded with a lovely tench of about 2lbs. I thought maybe things were going to improve but it was then just little roach over micros on whatever hookbait.

About two hours in I hooked a carp, again on the caster swim and this time it was playing ball and I landed a  near 4lb common. No more bites other than the odd roach so I went over to 13mtr, this was just a long wait for more small roach, so I fed a good dose of casters to try and feed them off! The middle two hours were a real struggle except for a look down by the pallet which produced a 1lb perch and a couple of smaller ones, and I did open up another line with micros at 14.5mtr towards the gap by peg 6. It was around this time that a sudden storm picked up and in an instant my pole was knocked off the rollers and my rig blew up the tree at the same time. I was lucky the pole didn't break, and I retrieved the rig but decided to walk up to see Tony as his peg was a lot more sheltered. Tony had caught in fits and starts but certainly was doing well, but my Thatchers team mate Mark Brennan on 13 was doing better.

Getting back to my peg I tried the 11mtr caster line again as Mark Poppleton on 19 was playing a double. My float buried and I was attached to another carp, hooked on a single caster, and this took a while to subdue but it did hit the net ans was near 7lb. Next drop in and another carp, again a common, of 4lb. Unfortunately that was the end of that and I never did hook another carp anywhere. I managed 1 skimmer off the micro line at 14mtr, but the last hour despite me upping my feeding on all lines it was all roach, and a couple of small perch.

When the scales arrived from peg 1 Paul Haines had 10lb, Ken had 9lb 6oz of silvers, and the guy on peg 5 3lb. My 3 carp weighed 15lb 9oz and my silvers 9lb 8oz for 25lb 1oz, and that might have beaten two others but basically the rest of the lake was much better. Tony had 64lb (see his blog) and Mark Brennan on 13 won the match. Both caught on the same baits as I used and so it seems Des was right peg 7 is crap! (To be fair I wouldn't mind it when its warmer!). On 15 and 17 Tom Thick and Bob Gullick enjoyed some decent skimmer fishing, with Tom loosing a fair few carp too.

I'm going to be back down here again in two weeks, fishing in place of Mike Nicholls and I will be on Speci Lake which was not good for many on there today. As for next week I'm guesting for the flip flop team at Viaduct, must get prepared for that one!