Bitterwell Lake Over 55’s Match

After my recent matches where I have been targeting the silvers I fancied fishing for carp. Carp weights at Bitterwell are not usually that large so there’s no need for a bagging race. That was the plan, but I take my silvers stuff just in case.

Sadly only 11 anglers were fishing today, think quite a few are on holiday. Paul Isaacs pegged the match with 5 pegs on the road bank and 6 pegs along the car park bank. Two sections and each would have a silvers and overall winner. The car park bank is the fancied area, especially around 23 for silvers. I drew peg 3 on the road bank, and was told not great, so let’s go for carp I thought.

A view of the lake.

In my section today we’re as follows:-

Peg 1 John “Gashead” Smith

Peg 3 Tim Ford

Peg 4 Andy Gard

Peg 6 Martin McMahon 

Peg 8 Haydn Withers

As it’s a small friendly match with a chance of a small bit of dosh I decided to give the method feeder a go. Set that up with 16 KKM B to 0.19. Had a 4x16 for long pole and a 4x14 for fishing meat at top set plus two sections with 14 XSH to 0.17.

I started the match on the method, at my section Haydn and Martin were both going for carp, John and Andy silvers. Martin hooked 3 quick carp on the lead but only landed 1, then went a bit quiet. My method feeder was not gaining any interest but I kept frequently casting hoping to build the swim up… 1 hour and 20 minutes later I caught a skimmer on a yellow wafter. I had tried lots of differing hookbaits but now cut the band off and put red maggots on the hook. That worked, 3 skimmers in as many casts and then a carp hooked, only as I got it in close did I realise it was a tench, nice one about 4lb. Had a carp shortly after but then all went quiet. The wind was blowing all over the place and making life difficult for many of us, my accuracy began to suffer. Martin was now catching carp regularly, and I realised he was fishing the current in method a PVA bag. I knew then that I could not beat him, and as John and Andy didn’t have more than 5lb of silvers I switched over to fish for them.

I changed my pole rig hooks to 16GPM to 0.13, and began to feed a few bits of meat short, and fed some long, as well as some micro and corn long to my left. Not quite sure what I did wrong but I never caught a fish on the long pole 🙈. Andy next door then had 2 tench on paste in 2 drops but that was his lot. I managed to sneak out the odd skimmer on meat short, but I had to keep resting it. In the last hour John had a big tench in his margin, he hooked a few more fish but thankfully for me they were carp. I had a 1lb tench on meat late on and then a carp bust me up. I tried my margin and had a bite on the all out but it was a carp.

Match over and I already knew that Martin had won overall, and I would take the silvers, the scales confirmed this with Martin just doing a ton, well done mate. My silvers went 23lb 6oz for the section win. I enjoyed the match and the banter tremendously, but sadly that’s the last over 55’s match I can fish for a long time now, great bunch of blokes.

On the other bank Tony Ponting had 53lb to win and Shay Gilman took the silvers with 25lb 9oz. Well done both.

No fishing this weekend as off to watch a bit of Tennis  at a place called Wimbledon 🍻.

Acorn Fishery Costcutter

With no fishing last weekend I was glad to be able to get back down to Acorn again. Although I wanted to target the silvers again I was this time taking carp gear and bait depending on the peg I drew. 

After another pit stop at H&H I was at the fishery in good time. I think there was 23 anglers in attendance today, so a decent turnout again. I was really hoping to draw pegs 9 to 12 which is where I thought the tench might be. However, I pulled out peg 33 which is one of the bridge pegs. Good mate and venue expert Gary Bowden was drawn on 36 and his peg looked alive with fish whilst mine looked like there were no fish present. Gary told me that 34 was the better peg but I should be able to catch tench that like to live under the bridge. Another venue expert Paul Faires was on 34 and told me he was going to fish for carp, but that I should catch at least 30lb of silvers.

My mind was made up, silvers it was. I set a 4x12 rig up for fishing top set plus one to the yellow pipe, and a 4x14 for fishing 11m further along the bridge about 2 feet away from the pipe (I did try another line about 6m but binned it). Both rigs had 0.13 to 16 GPM to cope with tench and any accidental carp.

Starting at 10 I fed just casters to begin on both lines, nothing in close so out to the long line. It was slow going and when I finally caught it was a 12oz tench. I had a couple more but felt like I needed to change my feeding, so started to feed gbait with caster and worm in it. This increased the fizzing but it was still very hard, after the first hour I had 4 tench and 2 skimmers that would be about 6lb. It all seemed rather slow for everyone, especially to my right on 31 and 29 Phil Cooper and Merv Sivell were still trying to catch a fish!

Going into the second hour the short line produced a perch and that was it, but I continued to loose feed casters here. My long line was now devoid of tench it seemed as when I did get a fish it was a skimmer. Similar to my last match here changing hookbaits and feeding seemed to be important. I had some skimmers that were probably 3lb, so although I was waiting a long time for bites they were worth catching. In the middle of the match I managed to get a couple of skimmers and another perch from the short line. I had a bit of a problem though when one of the skimmers jumped out of the water and landed between the two pipes! I had to walk along the bank to get the landing net in the gap lol.

During the match I witnessed something like I have never seen before. I heard a loud buzzing getting louder, I thought it was a drone. I then noticed what I think was some hornets buzzing around me, I looked to my right and up and there were literally thousands! My first reaction was concern, if they decided to sting I would be jumping in the lake! Thankfully they slowly drifted off and disappeared, phew.

The last two hours were a grind, hardly any silvers and lots of small carp. Though in the last 15 minutes I had 3 skimmers, the very last one from the far line jumping between the pipes, this time I had to walk along the bridge net it and then feed the top set under the rail just as the all out was signalled. I looked at my clicker, it had 42lb on it for silvers, would that be enough?

My estimated weight was pretty good, with the scales registering 40lb. As you can see it was mostly skimmers today, think I had 6 tiny tench, 4 perch and 2 eels. I also weighed in 38lb of carp. To my right Phil and Merv didn’t weigh, but Paul on 34 had done well on carp.

Overall

1st Gary Bowden 179lb peg 36

2nd  Antony Piekielniak 166lb peg 12

3rd Paul Faires 160lb peg 34

Silvers

1st Tim Ford 40lb

2nd Eddy Wynne 34lb

Full peg sheets below. Well that’s my third silvers win on the trot at Acorn, but I still feel that I have not got sorted. Think I have 2 more chances to fish it before I go back to work. Off to Bitterwell Thursday for the over 55 match.