Hillview Lakes – Open Match - 11 Pegs
10/10/2009

Back to my regular haunt Hillview and I had definitely missed the big fat breakfasts! It was definitely becoming a little bit peggy and I knew where the winner would come from looking at the recent results. Peg 29 is always a good peg but always becomes a flier in winter, Steve my mate, was on Moorhen 5. I did say to him at the start peg 9 would win his lake. Sure enough Terry king was on 29 and I don’t like to be negative but I knew we were fishing for 2nd. The other peg that was regularly framing was 39, all of these are end pegs. I was placed on 37 so I was going to have some neck ache!

My plan was simple, pellet on long pole and pellet and corn 6 metres and down the edge. My rigs had now been tamed down from beast tamers and down to 0.14 to 0.12 hook lengths apart from my margin rig which was 0.16 to 0.14. Float wise I had a 0.4 MW Diamond for long and the same short. My edge rig was a 0.1 Hillbilly Grizzly. Hook wise I was using 808’s on my long rigs in size 16 and in the edge I used a number 2 175 hook. Bait wise I had 1 pint of 4mm pellet, 1 tin of corn and a handful of hookers (3mm and 4mm).

At the all in I fed about 50 4mm pellets long via my big pot and 100 4mm pellets short with a few pieces of corn. I didn’t want to feed the edge until about 12 as I didn’t want to over feed it and waste bait.

I was into fish straight away at 13m on a 4mm hooker, having a plump 3lb carp 1st cast. My first hour was very good catching small carp and skimmers, after an hour though of feeding 10 pellets after each fish the line faded so I re-fed with 100 4mm pellets and dropped on my 6 metre line, it was solid and I had a good 30 minutes of having a fish every drop, mainly car but with the odd skimmer. Every time I had a very small fish like a roach I would come off the line and feed it. I continued switching lines for most of the match snatching odd fish but I wasn’t getting any big fish. Terry was sure enough bagging on 29 and 39 was catching well down the corner again big fish. As the match looked like it was running away from me I finally fed my margin line with half a pot of corn and some pellet.

After another hour, mainly fishing 6 metres I had changed to fishing corn on the hook which had worked initially but then I couldn’t hit a bite. I pushed all the centre out of a piece of corn and laid it in, first drop I hooked my best fish of the day so far about 5lb. I caught a few more doing this but then it died so I fed both lines and dropped down the edge. After a 10 minute wait my float finally dipped and bobbed and finally slid under on a 4mm pellet. I nice 6 pounder in the net I went back in thinking I would catch well now but it wasn’t to be as I didn’t have another bite. I fed it again with 50 pieces of corn and about 100 pellets.

Back on the skimmers and small carp and I couldn’t help but think I had messed it up as I wasn’t catching as fast as before and my fish were all too small. But I plodded away altering depths and baits to keep fish coming until I saw a swirl down the edge 10 minutes before time. I rushed down with a piece of corn and it just wouldn’t go under. G u t t e d !!!

At the weigh in Peg 9 had won moorhen with 58lb Terry had obviously won with 125lb , 39 had a weight of 105lb which I was really shocked at as I knew he had caught but didn’t think he had a ton. But looking at his fish, they were beasts! Alan did well with 77lb even though some swans had flew through half his top kits!! I weighed in 77lb 8 for 3rd and my dad weighed in 58lb also after a good last hour fishing paste! Oh well, 3rd again which is very annoying, but not as annoying as winning no money! Tunnel next week for a practice before the winter league.

Cob House Farm – Laurel Pool – 20 Metre King Practice
15 Pegs – 4/10/2009

All I had heard about cob house was good reports and I thought it would suit my fishing as it is all pellet short at speed. Arriving at the place after then longest journey fishing imaginable the pool looked very small for 15 of us. Don’t get me wrong it’s a really nice fishery and well managed but why make the pegs so high up from the water??? Literally all the pegs were 2 foot or more from the water! I hate being so high up and didn’t have a platform with me so I was hoping for any draw were I could comfortably get my box in the water, I drew 16 which was an end peg but I didn’t see it being that good as I was more cramped up a corner!

I got comfy in the water (even though I was sinking! Left arse cheek obviously heavier than my right!!!). I decided to fish just close in and to my right down the edge. I plumbed my first line up at 3m with a 0.3 Ackoo Pellet Stick which was bang on for 4 foot of water I used 0.14 to 0.12 hooklength of Silstar and a size 16 Tubertini 808. This was matched to 10 elastic. My margin rig was a 0.1 Grizzly in 2 foot of water with 0.16 to 0.14 and a number 1 Tubertini 175 hook. This was on number 12 laccy. Bait wise I had 2 pints of pellet 4mm’s some hookers and some corn.

At the all in I fed 20 pellets at 3m and nothing down the edge to start with. I had indications straight away then caught well for the first hour, putting 20 fish in the net. Hour 2 I fed my margin by hand and had 1 fish off it first cast but then nothing so I was back at 3m just catching the odd small carp and skimmers. The fishing wasn’t great and definitely not fast.

The last 2 hours really slowed down and it was only the odd fish being caught. I decided to start a new line at 7 metres and just drip pellets in, this got me a few more fish but still not great.

At the all out I did think that extra line would have gave me time to rest my main 3 metre line and maybe got me a few more fish. Bob Baker won with 57lb 55lb was second, George the Farter had 45lb just pipping my 43lb. Even though all he did was moan that he wasn’t catching! Bloody Billy Bull Shit the 1st!! And did I mention his arse stinks!?

Elmbridge – Heron Pool – 3/10/2009
22 Pegs

At the draw I was hoping for the opposite side to last Sunday. 1-9 would do for me. Terry Butler winner last Sunday had a nice draw on peg 4, pegs 1 and 2 had also gone so I went in and pulled out peg 5 which was a good draw given the pegs left in the bag. Arriving at my peg the 65 mph winds were being blocked by the trees behind me which was a bonus, although it still would be very difficult holding a pole beyond 9m.

Setting up I had to do a balancing act on 2 planks of wood to get low to the water as the slabs were missing and I really didn’t want to fish form the other slabs as it was way too high. After setting all my box up I got my pole out and decided just to fish close in as the wind would hamper presentation long and I felt I could catch enough of 2 lines to compete.

My first rig was a 4x16 bulbous Preston inter series float, I had elected to fish a rig on the heavier side as tow was going to be bad with these winds and even if it dropped I would still have good presentation. Line choice was difficult one today as the temperature was dropping and I felt it was going to be quite tough but I settled on 0.16 to a 0.16 hooklength in Silstar with the option of changing to a 0.14 if it was really hard. Hook was a number 2 Tubertini 175. I was starting with a simple bulk of number 8’s and 2 number 10 droppers the last one right above the hooklength and then the other 4 inches above that. I was fishing about 3 metres (top 2 + short 4) in 4 foot of water which should be ideal. My second rig was to fish the pallet to my left which was spare, I decided to find 2 foot of water instead of fishing right up by the pallet, this was about 1 metre from the bank which was perfect. Float was a 0.2 Hillbilly Grizzly on 0.18 to a 0.16 hooklength and same hook as above. Bait wise I had 2 pints of 4mm pellet which I dampened, 1 tin of corn and some 4mm and 6mm soft hook pellets.

At the all in I cupped in half a pot of 4mm pellet and a bit of corn at 3 metres and half a pot to my pallet. I baited up with a 4mm hooker to see what was in the swim and was having indications straight away, with a small carp about 4 oz first drop. I was feeding a few (6-10) 4mm feed pellet to indications and after half an hour I was struggling for bites I had one more decent carp about 3 lb. I continued to plug away and caught a few more small carp and some skimmers but it just wasn’t happening. I had also tried shallow but not bites so at 12 o’ clock I made a tactical decision to start a new line as far out as I could as I felt the fish were pushing out to the deeper water. Because of the wind I used a 4x18 in 6 foot of water with all the same material as above. I cupped in just 50 pellets and 10 grains of corn and dropped a 4mm hooker pellet and waited for a sign. After seconds my float bobbed about and then buried with a small carp in the pan about 8 oz I clipped on a toss pot and fed a further 10 pellets and 5 grains of corn again I got a lot of indications and hooked a skimmer. Although I was catching it was not what I wanted so I decided to change to a 6mm hooker and after a 5 minute wait I netted a 3lb carp. I carried on steady for an hour and a half before it died so I re-fed and dropped short. It was now solid as I had been feeding regular and in the last part of the match I caught well having a fish on most casts and they were normally a decent stamp. I lost a big fish at the net about 9lb which really annoyed me but put a foul hooked 6lber in the net next cast! It was solid. I was feeding 6 pellets at every indication, lifting and dropping my 6mm pellet. I did put an inch of line on the bottom to anchor it down.

At the all out I felt that I was beaten by peg 1 but couldn’t see further up the lake. As Jim came round 70lb was winning and I knew I didn’t have that, I put 63lb on the scales but that was then beaten by peg 1 weighing in 65lb! I was gutted not to have won again but I really cannot win a match at the moment but I did make a great decision in fishing the long pole as that 20lb that I put in the net was very helpful to my final catch.