Sedges Costcutter

 You may be surprised to see a weekday blog, as it’s not often I take a day off work for a match. However, last week I resigned from my company after 38 years loyal service, and have taken a job with a small family run business which is a small competitor. As a result of this I have been put on garden leave for 3 months and so a bit of fishing will be needed as well as jobs round the house and garden. Onwards and upwards. First job was making some rigs, tying hooks and putting some new elastic in my top sets.

I picked up Glenn Bailey just before 7am and we set off for Sedges near Bridgewater, arriving in good time for a breakfast and chinwag. The match was a costcutter on Tile lake, we were fishing as Glenn wanted to practice ahead of his float only match here on Sunday. Peg 40 had won the last match and the wind was blowing down to that end of the lake. Drawing peg 30 I was in a corner as far away from 40 as possible, Glenn had 37.

I had a long left hand margin (end bank) and put up a pole rig for fishing at 13m and pellet, and a hybrid feeder for casting further along. A 4x16 rig for 13 straight out in front with 0.15 to 18KKMB for banded pellet and a 4x16 with 0.17 to 14 XSH for margin to my right.

Starting at 10:15 I fed some pellets at 13m but started on the feeder. Second cast and rod was off the rest and a heavy fish was on. Nice first fish about 8lb, a few casts later another carp of 9lb and a skimmer ended the first hour. I got snapped up, and so upped the hook length to 0.19. Casting was tricky, a cross wind that kept changing was making it hard to get the feeder as close to the bank as I wanted. In the second hour another carp, then a run of skimmers before a 10lb common. 

The third hour it went very quiet but I did get one carp of 12lb on the feeder. On my right a lad called Dean Bradford was struggling with just 1 skimmer, it seemed a lot of people were struggling but Glenn and the guys around him were getting some carp. Dean put a pellet waggler out and managed 3 carp, I’d really wanted to set one up at the start, but I had a problem with reel and ran out of time, think this was to cost me. By now trying the long pole had got me 1 skimmer and it appeared devoid of fish in my peg except for the very end of the bank by a tree on the rope. I took the line clip off and cast nearer to the tree. This brought me another big carp, a straightened hook, and then I chucked it in a bush and lost the lot.

I came in on the margins, nothing left, but top set to my right and it flew under, 12lb common eventually landed. Couldn’t get another touch. Out at 13m and finally got a little fizz, after a few liners I had a nice 4lb ghostie. All went dead, but with a few minutes left I landed another decent common from the margin on corn.

I was pretty sure I was off the pace, but sat in the sun in a T-shirt for most of the day made it a very pleasant day. Jamie the fishery owner was soon arriving with scales, from peg 21 on my bank the best weight was 59lb by Dean on the next peg. My skimmers went 13lb+ and my carp 83lb, so 94lb. The opposite bank at the other end was the place to be it seemed..

1st Glenn Bailey 118lb mainly paste peg 37

 2nd Colin Butler 106lb peg 40

3rd Dave Chedda 103lb peg 36

I was 4th

Silvers 1st Robert 24lb peg 22,   2nd Mike 21lb peg 26.

I think the peg I had was a potential winner, needed to chuck the feeder longer earlier and tried the pellet wag. Need to practice more lol!

Windmill Fishery Open

 Last weekend I had a fabulous time with my wife in the New Forest. We walked 15 miles over 2 days and I got to see some great birds that I haven’t seen for years, best of the lot a lesser spotted woodpecker. Will definitely be going back.

I was keen on fishing again but I had two things to contend with 1) the weather forecast for Sunday strong winds and storms. 2) Saturday at the gas with some friends from Huddersfield who drink cider like it’s water!

Sunday morning I felt fine when the alarm went off, I’d survived the Northern drinking session 🙈. A breakfast at Wetherspoons set me up for the day and I was soon at the fishery having survived the drive down the track. 17 fishing today and with the wind blowing down to pegs 11 and 12 I guessed the fish would be down that end. I managed to draw peg 25 which is the opposite end of where I thought the fish would be. However, 24 and 25 would be the most sheltered pegs, and last week Gerry Welsh came 3rd from peg 25 with 97lb.

There’s an island chuck on 25, but it can be cramped with 24 and peg 1 able to cast here, I set up a hybrid feeder for here.

Down to my left margin is a reed bed, this is where Gerry caught last week, simply slapping a hard pellet. I set up a 4x10 carp shallow with 0.15 to 16 KKM B.

Also set up a rig for fishing about 7m tight to the margin to my left, with 0.17 to 12 XSH B.

I began the match by slapping a pellet by the reeds at 13m, no signs, went to 14m still no signs by slapping by the reeds. By going to 14.5m and slapping into a gap in the reeds I managed to hook my first carp. Landed a common carp about 4lb. 15 mins later had a 5lb common, and by the end of the first hour I had 4 carp. 

Into the second hour and I had a visit from Leighton Palmer who sat with me for a long part of the match. I wasn’t getting many indications, just an odd bite out of the blue, Leighton suggested I went to 16m, I tried it but never had a bite. It was fish in the gap and pull like mad if you hooked one. Slapping with an 8mm was best and three hours in I had 43lb on the clicker and had lost 2 carp in the reeds. All was good it seemed, as all the anglers I could see were struggling with the wind and not catching much. However, the carp deserted the reeds and I only hooked one more here but it did me.

I tried the feeder to the island on and off but never had a fish on this, I don’t think I put a fish in the net for at least 90 minutes and I could see the anglers on 14 and 16 now catching. I’d fed maggots and micros in my margin line and had to wait a while but finally caught a carp on a bunch of maggots. It was a long wait for a bite but at least I was putting something in the net. Think I had 5 carp here in the last hour and 15 mins for 30lb, my clicker read 73lb for my total catch. I was happy I had survived the day without and tackle damage or loss, though one gust of wind blew two top kits into the lake I managed to get them.

After packing up I had the scales so went down to peg 10 to start weighing in. Bobby Moore on peg 9 had 70lb 7oz and was the best weight until I weighed in, and I just pipped him with 73lb 10oz. But it turned out that the other side of the lake fished better.

1st Ian Barker 114lb 15oz peg 16, caught on method feeder and some on short pole late on.

2nd Steve Venn 100lb 13oz peg 14, caught in his RH margin.

3rd Tim Ford 73lb 10oz 

I was last in the frame so a handy pickup.

Silvers was won by Bill Knight with 9-9lb and Jason Pitman second with 7lb 7oz. Andy Gard did have more than this but as he carried on fishing after the match (for fun) he was disqualified. I don’t believe for 1 minute Andy cheated, but the only time I’d fish on after a match is when I’m not weighing in. Bad luck Andy.

Weigh sheets below, still hoping for an improvement in the weather!