Wednesday on holiday always means the short pole match, top set and 3 sections of pole is the maximum you can use, no shipping on sections, and no line longer than the top set. Some people question why limit yourself, but I guess it is a tradition and if you don't like it don't fish it lol. Anyway we had 18 anglers on the bank today including some heavy hitters, it would be interesting.
I always prefer a peg on the near bank, so 110 to 119, so was really happy when I pulled out 115. We were all amazed though when Woody did not get peg 110 lol!
115 platform is out a little further than the other pegs so an advantage on the distance front. Normally I would fish for carp, but the day before 60lb of skimmers came off the peg and so I quite fancied going for the silvers again even though I had an ace silvers angler Mat Rowe next to me on 114 and Ryan Jordan on 111 who was going for the skimmers and Paul Faires on 126. I had Glenn Bailey on next peg 115 today, so fishing the paste against him would be a challenge hence going for silvers. I only set up silvers rigs to start a couple of 4x12 one strung shotted and one bulked for soft pellet, and another for fishing corn in the margin. The silvers anglers have been catching big weights in close, so I started at top set plus one, but after only 2 small skimmers it all seemed wrong. I went out to full length and fed a line to the left with pellet and a line to the right with meat. Today I fed some micros with my baits as I had picked up this was working for the skimmers.
After an hour I had about 10lb of skimmers, but Ryan and Ben Haag on 112 were catching skimmers faster than me, Ryan on worm, Ben on meat. Mat Rowe was catching steady. On the carp front Dan White on 121 was mugging carp from the off and it was already game over on that we all thought.
I guess after 3 hours I had about 20lb of skimmers, but I was sure I was well behind the three to my left, and Glenn who had not had one carp but some good skimmers on paste. It seemed Dan was the runaway winner, and the only other person in my section with some carp was Woody on peg 127. I made a tactical decision, even though it appeared there were virtually no carp in front of 114 to 116 (I had lost one, Mat had lost one) I wanted to go for carp and try and win the section money, hoping that Woody being on fire might frame. I got off my box and got new rigs out, paste and a margin rig (mugging was not an option as the light was awful).
As seems to happen here, a few carp started to appear coming in range, and with about 2 hours to go I got my first carp on paste. I had an odd skimmer on the paste but after a wait would get a carp. Meanwhile Glenn could only catch skimmers on paste where ever he fished! I kept my eye on Woody and was willing him to keep catching carp shallow and frame, but Vic Bush on 129, Gary B on 130 and Ben Haag all had some fish. I managed one carp from the margin on double corn to go with my paste fish. I only lost one carp on the paste a fouler just before the all out, so not to bad on that front. When the match ended I thought I had a 100lb in total, Glenn never had a carp and only hooked 2 which both came off.
As normal the scales started the weigh on on 110, Mat Long flexing his muscles on the weigh sling today. Ben Haag was admitting to 140lb, Woody a bit less and When Vic had 142lb I was thinking my plan had failed. However, Ben took a look at his silvers net and was concerned he had more than 50lb, which would mean that his net would be disqualified, but the scales would decide that! Woody did well to catch 157lb 8oz (he's good at underestimating) but was well beaten by Dan White who had 279lb 5oz. My skimmers went 26lb and with my carp I had in total 102lb 11oz.
As it turned out Ben did have to many silvers in one net, so he lost that, and he chucked his carp back too, oops. With no other weights to beat Woody I knew I had got the section money, so the change was worth it and worked.
1st Dan White 279lb
2nd Woody 157lb
3rd Vic Bush 142lb
4th Gary Bowden 133lb
Mat Rowe won the silvers next to me with a lovely 62lb 4oz of simmers on corn, with Ryan Jordan 2nd with 55lb 3oz. Glenn eneded 3rd but no money with nearly 39lb of accidental skimmers on paste lol!
For some reason I had no pictures today, I think the sun got me or something, though to be fair I was in the shade most of the day. It was nice getting back to the Lodge though and having a cool can of Thatchers.
We went to the curry house which has never let us down, the portion size is large (too big for me) and food tasty, but you need to take your own drinks, so bottle of Malbec for me.
We retired back to the Lodge (most of us) and chatted for ages, though the endurance test was all too much for some, sorry Gary lol.
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