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 🍻.