Westerleigh Float only summer League

 A few weeks ago Tony Rixon asked me if I could stand in for him on this league, and as it happened I could. I was away from Monday on holiday in Nice and got back late Friday. Never been before but had a great time there and went to Monaco where the preparations for the Grand Prix were underway.

Back to the fishing, I knew I was going to be on Shipps lake with a lot of good anglers but was hoping I could get a good result for Tony. Into the drawbag and I pulled out peg 13, it’s the near end corner of the lake and not really what I fancied. However, Ricky Mills was kind enough to give me a run down on how he recently caught 76lb from here, the main thing was be patient waiting for the fish!

The view from my peg, an island which I could reach with 16m and a swinging pellet rig.

Left hand margin, where I would end up fishing towards peg 12.

Right hand margin, very over grown and not allowed to do any gardening so couldn’t get in tight.

I started fishing meat at 13m in the deep water, not had a bite here. Had fed meat top set plus one and tried here for nothing. Tried mugging the very odd fish I saw but they were not interested. Tried slapping a pellet about not a sign, tried swinging a pellet to the island and not a bite..

Four hours in and I had a roach on my short meat line to save the blank. I had been feeding pellets up towards a bush by peg 12 and finally I saw a couple of carp here. I had 2 carp by using my swinging pellet rig (keeping the pole away) but the fish drifted away. I had been feeding dead maggots in my RH margin which was my banker and had a carp here with 90 minutes to go. I can’t say I had a great finish, it was tricky, but a lot better than the first 4 hours. I took another carp from by peg 12 and 4 more from the RH margin. I did lose 3 foulers which was annoying. 

Well match over and I knew I wasn’t going to be getting any money as Towner on peg 1 had told me during the match that Nick Sanders on peg 6, Ron Hardiman on 5 and Paul Elmer on 3 had all caught well mainly mugging. There were clearly a lot of fish up there.

I ended up weighing 47lb 7oz which put me 5th in the 10 peg section, beaten by the aforementioned three anglers and Towner who had 68lb on peg 1. Well done to Nick winning our lake with a great 145lb.

It was a stifling hot day and for most of it I was in the sun, so I was glad of a bit of shade at the pub and a couple cold beers. 

SWO55 and Disabled club Acorn Fishery

 I have had had a busy few weeks with family activities and was happy to see the South West Disabled and over 55 club were taking guests on their match, a message to Eddie Wynne and I was in. It was too late to order bait locally but I managed to get some at the fishery. I was hoping to fish for silvers but would fish for carp if I drew in the fancied area.

I grabbed a breakfast roll at H&H cafe before heading to the fishery. Even though I arrived in good time I was still last to pay the pools which meant I would be last to draw. I grabbed some maggots and casters and dipped my nets, then I took the last ball in the hat, peg 21. This is a bridge peg and I had plenty of room to my left, on 19 was good friend and venue expert Gary Bowden. Gary was not happy with his draw and reckoned there were not enough carp in the area, there were a few showing as they were having a go at spawning.

I thought the peg plumbed up nice, nice flat area by the boards opposite, where I set up 4x8.  A 4x10 for fishing the second shelf across to the bridge and top set plus short 4. 4x14 for fishing 11m in the deep water. All rigs had a 16 SFLB to 0.11. I did have a rig for the LH margin same as across.

We started at 10 and I started across by the boards on maggots as Paul Faires had told me yesterday he only caught the ide like this. Well I had just 1 ide here and lost a couple of carp. I wondered if the spawning had pushed the ide away. I moved to the 11m deep lines and started by the bridge where I had been feeding a bit of maggot and caster. I was soon netting an ide, back out and another. I settled into a routine of toss potting in bait by the bridge and straight out in front, the plan was change between the two if I needed to rest a line. For the best part of 2 hours it worked well catching on double maggot, mainly ide but also 1 perch and 3 little tench. But then both of these lines slowed up and it was time to go elsewhere.

Gary had taken a few early carp but had switched to silvers fishing worms, he started to catch well as I had slowed up. My left hand margin yielded a carp on my first and later next two drops on caster. The top set plus one was a slow burner but then I took 3 skimmers and a 1lb 1/2 tench but then had to move again. I went to the bridge on the second shelf feeding just maggots in a toss pot and straight away I was into ide. I had a good run of them, plus 3 perch all around a 1lb and a small tench. When I hooked and landed a carp it was pretty much fatal for that line.

Dropping back short I took another run of ide before it shut up. LH margin and pulled out of skimmer, but then had a lovely tench that was 31/2lb to 4lb. Next drop a carp.

The last 25 minutes was spent playing carp on whatever line I tried lol.

Match over I had 41lb of silvers on my clicker but usually I over estimate so said to Gary I had 35lb and he said he had the same. The scales were to prove me wrong! Gary had a good 41lb of silvers, but then mine went 53lb 13oz, my first net was 35lb (limit 40lb) and I had clicked 25lb, oh well I got away with it, and clearly the ide are weighers!

Result of the Southwest over 50's and Disabled match fished on the Paddock at Acorn Fishery today 21 fished.

1. David Stephenson                123-01 p13

2. Brad Sowden                         119-08 p9

3. Steve Howell                           93-15 p1

4. Gary Bowden                           88-14 p19

5. Fred Welsh                               86-00 p5

6. Graham Smith                         72-07 p36

Silver's 

1. Tim Ford                          53-13 p21

2. Sue Faiers                               45-01 p4

3. Gary Bowden                           40-00 p19

4. Joanna Wingate                      34-05 

Well that was a great days fishing and the rain stayed away, in fact I got a bit sunburnt late on! Next week I’m fishing Westerleigh league standing in for the maestro Tony Rixon.