Last Wednesday saw the penultimate evening match at Whinwhistle. The match was to be held on The Square and with 9 fishing there wasn't a great deal of room. We didn't draw until 5.15pm and with a 5.45pm start it was a bit of a rush to say the least!I drew peg 20 on the spit,a peg that used to have a bit of form but since the changes to the lake I wasn't sure what to expect. I quickly assembled two rigs,one for meat at 5m- 4x12 KC Chimp,0.16-0.14 and a 16 B911 matched to yellow drennan bungee. I then set up a rig for fishing at 10m to my left towards the tree on the corner. This was a 4x10 Scone GAZE on 0.18- size 3 Tubertini 175 matched to orange wilkie hollow. For bait I had some damp micro pellet,a tin of corn and a tin of 6mm meat. I was just about ready for the all-in and cupped in 20 odd cubes of meat and a pinch of pellet at 5m before shipping down to my left with a single grain of corn and a pinch of pellet in the cad-pot. All the while I was flicking 2-3 cubes of meat at 5m and after 5 minutes I dropped in at 5m and took a 1lb skimmer straight away. I then picked up a few smaller skimmers but it was pretty quiet. I then hooked a better fish that tore off and I soon netted a carp of around 2.5lb.
It then went quiet again and I couldn't buy a bite off either line. I notcied the reeds twitching slightly to my left at 4m so dropped in with a grain of corn and a pinch of pellet and caught a similar sized carp straight away. I dropped back in without feed and caught another similar sized fish before things went quiet. I took my final fish off the 10m left line but frustratingly lost two more that I pulled out of trying to get them out of a snag.
The all-out was called and I knew I wouldn't beat Colin opposite as although we had a similar amount of fish he had caught a vital lump of 7-8lb. My fish pulled the scales around to 14lb 8oz which was enough for 2nd place to Colins 22lb. The rest of the lake had fished hard with 7lb enough for third.
Wednesday 19th August saw the final evening match of the year and this time it was on Keepers lake. Again there were 9 fishing but this time we got the draw done just before 5 meaning it wasn't such a rush. There were two 'open water pegs' with all the others having a feature of some sort. I was first into the bag and pulled out peg 6...one of the two without a feature,great!
Peg 6 used to have a good edge to fish but on arrival I found that the post at 10m to the right had been moved to around 4m....double great!! I plumbed along at 11m to my right but it was very snaggy and hard to find a clear spot. I set up a 4x10 Scone Gaze on 0.22 to red J-Range as I wanted to ensure I landed anything I hooked. This was tied to a size 3 Tubertini 175 and shotted with a bulk of 10's. I also plumbed to the post at 4m and found a flat spot with the same depth. My other swim was meat at 5m (usual rig,4x12 chimp,yellow bungee).
The all-in was called and I cupped in a small amount of meat at 5m before shipping out at 11m with a grain of corn and some pellet and meat in the pot. A bite after 5 minute's saw a carp on before it swirled on the surface and the hook pulled. It was very snaggy which didn't help matters. After a while the sun made fishing down the edge impossible so it was to 5m on the meat where I caught a few small skimmers but it was very slow. Andy on peg 10 had caught a few tench and skimmers and was doing OK. With 90 minute's to go I put a full pot of bait at 4m and decided I would give it 20 mins before dropping over it and if I had no signs I would pack up.
With nothing at 11m or 5m I drooped in to my right with an over-soaked 6mm expander and missed a bite instantly....small fish. I dropped straight back in and the same thing happened but this time the strike saw the elastic pouring from the pole...maybe not small fish then! A few minute's later I netted a fat common of around 9lb...nice! While I was playing the fish I was flicking meat in to my right and went back out with a full kinder pot of pellet. After around 3 minutes I had another bite and soon netted an 8lb common. It then went quiet so I fed a full pot of pellet and meat and went back long. With no bites I dropped in at 4m and again a quick bite saw a 5lber in the net. It then went quiet so another pot of bait went in and a few minute's later the float buried and a beautiful 7lb linear mirror was soon in the net with his three mates.
The last half an hour was pretty uneventful and despite re-feeding I didn't manage another bite. Andy netted a fish after the whistle to go with the lump he had caught with half hour to go...all 14lb of it! This would be close.....
I tipped 30lb 8oz on the scales to take the lead. Vic on peg 8 then put 17lb odd on before Andy's two carp and silvers went.....30lb dead! 8oz....hard luck mate!
So that concludes the evening matches for another year. It has been an enjoyable series and quite profitable for me personally. I was pleased to finish with the win and will be back at Whinwhistle on Sunday for the final round of the summer league. It is a no-pressure match as I have already won the league but I will still be going all-out to win on the day.
Thursday 20 August 2009
Monday 10 August 2009
Whinwhistle Summer League Round 7: 9/8/09
Sunday saw the penultimate round of the Summer League at Whinwhistle. I have been either first or joint first since the first round and going into the penultimate round I was 5 points clear of Andy Shanks in 2nd place. I wasn’t resting on my laurels as I knew that a blow-out for me and a good result for Andy would throw everything wide open. I arrived at the venue at 7.15am…a bit early for the 8.30 draw! I had a good walk around The Islands where today’s match was due to take place. After sitting down to a breakfast it was time for the draw. The two worst pegs have been 9 and 10 due to the fact they are so cramped with little water to fish. As there were a few no shows these were left out. The only two pegs I really wanted to avoid were Peg 1 and Peg 6. I was second into the bag and my lucky left hand pulled out …..peg 6! Not so lucky then! I was very disappointed with the draw, especially as Andy had pulled one of the flyers, peg 11. I felt sure it would be a case of damage limitation today and I just had to finish as close to Andy as possible and hope I could keep the lead going into the last round.
The only weight peg 6 has ever thrown up was in the last round when Nigel had two lumps caught down the edge to his left for 18lb. The worrying thing was there wasn’t anything else to go with them, not ideal in a league match. I just hoped I could snare one or two at some stage. This plan went out of the window when I arrived at the peg as Roger on peg 8 decided he would fish 15m to the far bank which was about 7m to my left, exactly where Nigel had caught in the last round. His argument was that it was opposite his peg (8-THE flyer on the lake) even though he had it in the last round and blew out. I couldn’t be bothered with an argument so decided I would just fill it in at 5m every half hour….if I couldn’t fish my edge then I wanted to make sure he didn’t catch there!! I still set a rig up for there just in case but with Roger fishing so close I knew I wouldn’t catch there (I didn’t even try it through the match).
As you can see in the picture there was an island at 14m straight in front of me. I often find on these small islands you can catch a couple of early fish in the first hour or so and then really struggle. I set up two rigs for fishing to the island, one on the corner and one slightly to the right in front of it. There was a depth variation of around 8 inches so two separate rigs were assembled. Both were 4x12 KC Chimps on 0.16 to a size 2 Tubertini 175. Both were shotted with a bulk of 10’s and one dropper and matched to red vespe bi-core. I also set up a shallow rig although again I didn’t actually use this during the match. I also needed a back up as I knew the island wouldn’t produce throughout the day. I planned on fishing pellet relatively light for the skimmers. I set up a 4x12 Chianti on 0.14-0.12 and an 18 Gama Pellet matched to double 5 slip. I plumbed up two swims where I found the same depth- around 4ft. The first was at 10m straight out and the second was at an angle to my right. I spent a good while plumbing up to ensure the rig was set at dead depth. This rig would also double-up for fishing caster 2 inches over depth at 3m to my left. This was a bit of a throwaway line but would be useful if I was really struggling. Finally I set up a shallow caster rig- 4x10 Chianti,0.12 to a drennan eyed barbless and double 4 slip. This was set at 12 inches. Every rig was slightly over-shotted and brought to a pimple above the service with some Vaseline as it was very bright without a breath of wind. For bait I had a pint of caster, a tin of corn, a tin of 6mm meat some damp micro pellets and some 4mm hookers.
The all-in was called at 10am and I cupped in 3 grains of corn,6 cubes of meat and around 50 micro pellets to the point of the island. I then cupped 1/3 of a cup of micro pellet at 10m. I would only feed the one line initially to gauge the response with the line to the right as a back-up line. I kicked off on a single grain of corn to the island and after 5 minutes of lifting and dropping the float dinked and a 6oz skimmer was soon in the net. I went back out and repeated the process and after one lift and drop the float dinked and a lift saw a few feet of elastic came out. A couple of minutes later I netted a small carp of around 2.5lb- BONUS! After 5 biteless minutes I cupped in a similar amount of bait and went straight back out. After a few minutes of lifting the pimple disappeared and not long after a 2lb common was in the net-DOUBLE BONUS! I then took a 3oz skimmer before it went quiet. After 30 minutes I cupped a pinch of pellet at 10m and a similar amount to the island. After 45 minutes I took a small carp of about 1lb from the island and after an hour I probably had 6lb in the net-not a bad start as everyone else was struggling. As expected the island line died and after feeding it again but remaining biteless I decided to rest the line without feed.
All the while I had been flicking casters at 3m and dropped over on the deck rig. I took a small perch followed by a couple of dumpy roach before this too went quiet. I went out to 10m with a soft pellet and started to pick up a few small skimmers. I changed hooklength to a 16 Gama Pellet as I lost a couple of 3oz skimmers on the way in. This did the trick and I started to put a few fish together- by no means bagging but as everyone seemed to be struggling a bit I was hoping I could sneak a top 5 finish. I attached a small cadpot to the pole and fed a pinch of micros after every fish. This worked for a while but I felt I was overfeeding the peg as I started to get a few iffy bites. I felt it was best to rest the line so it was back on the caster at 3m where I had been regularly flicking in two or three casters every minute or so. After taking a roach on the drop I picked up the shallow rig. First drop saw an 8oz roach followed by 7 roach and rudd between 6-12oz. Nice weight builders! Then like flicking a switch the line died. I got off my box and set up a slightly deeper shallow rig on a longer line but this proved fruitless. I even added a few sections but the fish had disappeared. The 10m line was proving very iffy and I hadn’t managed a bite off either island line….hmm, decision time. I felt sure the fish wanted pellet but even though I had fed pretty small amounts I was pretty sure with the blazing conditions I had overfed the 10m line. This was where the line to my right came in. I cupped in just SIX micro pellets and went over the top with a 4mm expander. After a couple of minute’s of lifting and dropping the float dipped slightly (not fully) and I lifted an inch or so and was pleased to see a bit of elastic come out. A 5oz skimmer was soon in the net. I went back out without feed and after a minute or so the float again dipped and this was a better fish. I gingerly played it to the net where a decent skimmer of some 2lb+ came to the surface before the hook agonisingly pulled….ARGH! I put another 6 micros into the cadpot and went back out. I got into a good rhythm of catching small skimmers feeding (and yes I counted them) 6 micro pellets every other fish- depending on bites. As there was no wind atall I was able to have the float touching the Dacron connector allowing me to lift at the tiniest movement. I then went 5 minutes without a bite and I was considering a re-feed when the float dipped and a lift saw a few feet of elastic came out. I carefully played what I thought was a decent skimmer to the net and was a little surprised when a fat little 2lb common carp popped up. I netted it before it new what was going on- BONUS! I could see Andy on peg 11 and he was struggling big time. I decided to spend the remainder of the match on the negative pellet line picking up the odd small skimmer until the all-out was called at 3pm.
I had 46 fish in the net for an estimated 14-15lb. When the scales got to me Richard Allin on peg 3 was winning with 15lb 10oz. This was going to be close! My silvers net went 9lb 8oz before my four little carp went 8lb 2oz for a 17lb 10oz total giving me the lead. I then followed the scales round all the way and was still winning when we got to Phil Timms on end peg 16. His all silvers net went 10lb odd meaning I had won. I was very surprised with this as I felt sure the pegs I couldn’t see would have had a few but it had fished hard for most. Andy weighed in 8lb odd for 7th on the day which meant I had won the league with a round to spare! After 7 matches I had a total of 16 points with no drops. As you are allowed to drop your worst result and Andy had 20 points including a dropped 7 I now couldn’t be caught- HAPPY DAYS!
I couldn’t believe I had managed to win the league, especially after the draw today. If you had offered me 5th place at the start of the day I honestly would have taken it as it would have meant we were going into the last day on level terms. As it happened it had been a very hard day and by fishing a few areas of my peg in different ways I had managed to winkle out a few fish that proved to be good enough on the day. In the end I was fishing winter tactics with very negative feeding and constantly moving the bait to entice bites.
After heading to the lodge and collecting my winnings (and having a good laugh with Phil James- mostly about sheep and us welsh!) it was time to head home. Everyone was talking about where Roger in peg 8 was fishing and everyone said I should have told him where to go! In trying to cut off my edge he had actually neglected the areas in peg 8 that make it a flyer and caught one small carp for nowhere. As it happened I didn’t need the edge anyway…..
Sunday saw the penultimate round of the Summer League at Whinwhistle. I have been either first or joint first since the first round and going into the penultimate round I was 5 points clear of Andy Shanks in 2nd place. I wasn’t resting on my laurels as I knew that a blow-out for me and a good result for Andy would throw everything wide open. I arrived at the venue at 7.15am…a bit early for the 8.30 draw! I had a good walk around The Islands where today’s match was due to take place. After sitting down to a breakfast it was time for the draw. The two worst pegs have been 9 and 10 due to the fact they are so cramped with little water to fish. As there were a few no shows these were left out. The only two pegs I really wanted to avoid were Peg 1 and Peg 6. I was second into the bag and my lucky left hand pulled out …..peg 6! Not so lucky then! I was very disappointed with the draw, especially as Andy had pulled one of the flyers, peg 11. I felt sure it would be a case of damage limitation today and I just had to finish as close to Andy as possible and hope I could keep the lead going into the last round.
The only weight peg 6 has ever thrown up was in the last round when Nigel had two lumps caught down the edge to his left for 18lb. The worrying thing was there wasn’t anything else to go with them, not ideal in a league match. I just hoped I could snare one or two at some stage. This plan went out of the window when I arrived at the peg as Roger on peg 8 decided he would fish 15m to the far bank which was about 7m to my left, exactly where Nigel had caught in the last round. His argument was that it was opposite his peg (8-THE flyer on the lake) even though he had it in the last round and blew out. I couldn’t be bothered with an argument so decided I would just fill it in at 5m every half hour….if I couldn’t fish my edge then I wanted to make sure he didn’t catch there!! I still set a rig up for there just in case but with Roger fishing so close I knew I wouldn’t catch there (I didn’t even try it through the match).
As you can see in the picture there was an island at 14m straight in front of me. I often find on these small islands you can catch a couple of early fish in the first hour or so and then really struggle. I set up two rigs for fishing to the island, one on the corner and one slightly to the right in front of it. There was a depth variation of around 8 inches so two separate rigs were assembled. Both were 4x12 KC Chimps on 0.16 to a size 2 Tubertini 175. Both were shotted with a bulk of 10’s and one dropper and matched to red vespe bi-core. I also set up a shallow rig although again I didn’t actually use this during the match. I also needed a back up as I knew the island wouldn’t produce throughout the day. I planned on fishing pellet relatively light for the skimmers. I set up a 4x12 Chianti on 0.14-0.12 and an 18 Gama Pellet matched to double 5 slip. I plumbed up two swims where I found the same depth- around 4ft. The first was at 10m straight out and the second was at an angle to my right. I spent a good while plumbing up to ensure the rig was set at dead depth. This rig would also double-up for fishing caster 2 inches over depth at 3m to my left. This was a bit of a throwaway line but would be useful if I was really struggling. Finally I set up a shallow caster rig- 4x10 Chianti,0.12 to a drennan eyed barbless and double 4 slip. This was set at 12 inches. Every rig was slightly over-shotted and brought to a pimple above the service with some Vaseline as it was very bright without a breath of wind. For bait I had a pint of caster, a tin of corn, a tin of 6mm meat some damp micro pellets and some 4mm hookers.
The all-in was called at 10am and I cupped in 3 grains of corn,6 cubes of meat and around 50 micro pellets to the point of the island. I then cupped 1/3 of a cup of micro pellet at 10m. I would only feed the one line initially to gauge the response with the line to the right as a back-up line. I kicked off on a single grain of corn to the island and after 5 minutes of lifting and dropping the float dinked and a 6oz skimmer was soon in the net. I went back out and repeated the process and after one lift and drop the float dinked and a lift saw a few feet of elastic came out. A couple of minutes later I netted a small carp of around 2.5lb- BONUS! After 5 biteless minutes I cupped in a similar amount of bait and went straight back out. After a few minutes of lifting the pimple disappeared and not long after a 2lb common was in the net-DOUBLE BONUS! I then took a 3oz skimmer before it went quiet. After 30 minutes I cupped a pinch of pellet at 10m and a similar amount to the island. After 45 minutes I took a small carp of about 1lb from the island and after an hour I probably had 6lb in the net-not a bad start as everyone else was struggling. As expected the island line died and after feeding it again but remaining biteless I decided to rest the line without feed.
All the while I had been flicking casters at 3m and dropped over on the deck rig. I took a small perch followed by a couple of dumpy roach before this too went quiet. I went out to 10m with a soft pellet and started to pick up a few small skimmers. I changed hooklength to a 16 Gama Pellet as I lost a couple of 3oz skimmers on the way in. This did the trick and I started to put a few fish together- by no means bagging but as everyone seemed to be struggling a bit I was hoping I could sneak a top 5 finish. I attached a small cadpot to the pole and fed a pinch of micros after every fish. This worked for a while but I felt I was overfeeding the peg as I started to get a few iffy bites. I felt it was best to rest the line so it was back on the caster at 3m where I had been regularly flicking in two or three casters every minute or so. After taking a roach on the drop I picked up the shallow rig. First drop saw an 8oz roach followed by 7 roach and rudd between 6-12oz. Nice weight builders! Then like flicking a switch the line died. I got off my box and set up a slightly deeper shallow rig on a longer line but this proved fruitless. I even added a few sections but the fish had disappeared. The 10m line was proving very iffy and I hadn’t managed a bite off either island line….hmm, decision time. I felt sure the fish wanted pellet but even though I had fed pretty small amounts I was pretty sure with the blazing conditions I had overfed the 10m line. This was where the line to my right came in. I cupped in just SIX micro pellets and went over the top with a 4mm expander. After a couple of minute’s of lifting and dropping the float dipped slightly (not fully) and I lifted an inch or so and was pleased to see a bit of elastic come out. A 5oz skimmer was soon in the net. I went back out without feed and after a minute or so the float again dipped and this was a better fish. I gingerly played it to the net where a decent skimmer of some 2lb+ came to the surface before the hook agonisingly pulled….ARGH! I put another 6 micros into the cadpot and went back out. I got into a good rhythm of catching small skimmers feeding (and yes I counted them) 6 micro pellets every other fish- depending on bites. As there was no wind atall I was able to have the float touching the Dacron connector allowing me to lift at the tiniest movement. I then went 5 minutes without a bite and I was considering a re-feed when the float dipped and a lift saw a few feet of elastic came out. I carefully played what I thought was a decent skimmer to the net and was a little surprised when a fat little 2lb common carp popped up. I netted it before it new what was going on- BONUS! I could see Andy on peg 11 and he was struggling big time. I decided to spend the remainder of the match on the negative pellet line picking up the odd small skimmer until the all-out was called at 3pm.
I had 46 fish in the net for an estimated 14-15lb. When the scales got to me Richard Allin on peg 3 was winning with 15lb 10oz. This was going to be close! My silvers net went 9lb 8oz before my four little carp went 8lb 2oz for a 17lb 10oz total giving me the lead. I then followed the scales round all the way and was still winning when we got to Phil Timms on end peg 16. His all silvers net went 10lb odd meaning I had won. I was very surprised with this as I felt sure the pegs I couldn’t see would have had a few but it had fished hard for most. Andy weighed in 8lb odd for 7th on the day which meant I had won the league with a round to spare! After 7 matches I had a total of 16 points with no drops. As you are allowed to drop your worst result and Andy had 20 points including a dropped 7 I now couldn’t be caught- HAPPY DAYS!
I couldn’t believe I had managed to win the league, especially after the draw today. If you had offered me 5th place at the start of the day I honestly would have taken it as it would have meant we were going into the last day on level terms. As it happened it had been a very hard day and by fishing a few areas of my peg in different ways I had managed to winkle out a few fish that proved to be good enough on the day. In the end I was fishing winter tactics with very negative feeding and constantly moving the bait to entice bites.
After heading to the lodge and collecting my winnings (and having a good laugh with Phil James- mostly about sheep and us welsh!) it was time to head home. Everyone was talking about where Roger in peg 8 was fishing and everyone said I should have told him where to go! In trying to cut off my edge he had actually neglected the areas in peg 8 that make it a flyer and caught one small carp for nowhere. As it happened I didn’t need the edge anyway…..
On the top....
I would have posted my blog about the Wednesday evening match at Whinwhistle but it was a bit pants! I drew plum peg 15 that I have always wanted to draw. I set up one method rod as I was sure it would work....it didn’t! With 20 minutes to go I tipped back around 5lb of small skimmers without having a single sign of a carp! I can’t remember the last time I took an early bath and the match was won from peg 12 with 16lb odd.
Greenridge Farm Open- 8/8/09
With nothing on this Saturday I decided to fish the open at Greenridge Farm near Romsey. It is only 4 miles from my house yet I have only fished there once before- back in early April when I managed second place on Canal 1 with 96lb on shallow pellet. I had heard that surface fishing had been dominating recently with one angler in particular, Pete Newman, having the method sussed. He had won the last 3 matches in a row on floating bread with weights of 210lb, 240lb and finally a new venue record of 280lb! Not bad when the fish average around 3lb....
I’ve never fished a match with surface baits so when I heard that it had been banned at Greenridge I chose to fish there as I would always prefer to fish shallow as opposed to on the top as I feel there is generally more skill involved. A day or two before the match I found out that although it had been banned it would not come into place until the end of September. This didn’t change my plans much as I was sure I could compete shallow- although I did take a loaf of bread and a few floating pellets in-case I was being battered by the bread boys.
I arrived at the fishery at around 8am and as always had a walk around. The match was to be held on canals 1 & 2 and they both looked very similar, around 13-14m wide with 11 pegs on each. After meeting Pat (red-hydro) and his mate I tucked in to a few of the free bacon rolls and cups of tea as everyone arrived and awaited the draw. I went into the bag and pulled out peg 13....unlucky for some? Whilst unloading my gear in the car-park I heard somebody mention that Pete Newman had drawn end peg 12 next to me...great!! Pat had drawn two to my right on 15 so the obligatory quid side-bet was soon struck up.
My match plan was quite simple really with two paste lines at 3m and down the edge and pellet shallow across. I hoped to spend the first 30 minutes or so on the paste whilst priming the shallow line with a few 6mm pellets every 20 seconds or so. I set-up a few rigs to cover my options. My two paste rigs were on 0.18 to a size 5 Tubertini 175 and matched to Orange Wilkie hollow. One was for 2 feet of water tight to the bank on my left and the other was for the base of the near slope at an angle of 11 o’clock. I also set-up 3 rigs for across. The first was a malman MTD1 dibber on 0.18 to a size 20 Fox Series 2 with a ban on a hair. This was set at 18 inches. I also set up a Korum blob on the same terminal gear but set at 6 inches. Finally I had a 2ft length of 0.18 line to a size 16 Fox Series 2 for fishing the bread if I had to. All three rigs were matched to red vespe bi-core elastic. For bait I had some paste, a load of 4mm & 6mm pellets, a loaf of bread and some SonuBaits 8mm Oily floaters.
By 10 o’clock the sun was blazing and there wasn’t a breath of wind- hardly ideal fishing conditions. The all-in was called and I moulded a piece of paste around the hook and dropped in at 3m with no feed. The float sat there for all of 5 seconds before disappearing and carp number 1 was on.....for about 5 seconds! I suspect it was foul-hooked but after firing a few pellets across I dropped in at 3m and the same thing happened. I netted a small carp of around 3lb whilst everyone else was still potting in bait. I dropped straight back in and waited for around 30 seconds before a similar sized carp took the bait and was soon in the net with his mate. This is going to be a bagging match! Errr....wrong! Despite introducing a few 4mm pellets after 10 biteless minute’s I hadn’t added another fish after half an hour. Pete to my left was picking up odd fish on the bread and I was falling behind. All the while I had been pinging 6mm pellets across and with no bite on the paste I fed half a cup of 4mm pellets at 3m before picking up the 6 inch shallow rig and shipping across. After a few slaps the blob dipped and a small carp was soon in the net. Despite fishing my heart out pinging,lifting,slapping I couldn’t buy a bite. Pete was now surging ahead on the surface and although I added another small carp on the 18 inch rig I knew I wouldn’t compete the way things were going. To make matters worse Pat was catching fishing tight to the bare bank in his peg. His rig looked to be about 6 inches deep so I was convinced he was catching shallow but I later found out that’s how deep it was right across. He seemed to be suffering with foul-hookers and lost fish but either way my pound looked like it was heading his way! I couldn’t buy a bite across or on the paste at 3m so I plumbed a new paste line straight out at 6m. First drop with no feed saw a quick carp followed by another next drop. However as with the first swim it then died. Although I hadn’t fed anything except the hook bait there was a lot of blowing in the peg but I couldn’t get any signs. I eventually caught another fish across but after 3 hours I had just 7 fish in the net for around 20lb with Pete surely having close to the ton.
With nothing to lose I accepted that I was never going to frame on the pellet I cupped out a dozen floating pellets and a few bits of bread to the far bank. After 5 minutes or so there were a few ripples and after a while the carp were happily slurping away. The sun was blazing down so I decided to shorten the line right down to 10 inches and poke the small piece of crust under the tree. After a few seconds there was a large boil and the pole was yanked down and carp number 8 was soon in the net. Over the final 3 hours I managed to catch faster than Pete and I also found some bigger fish. Although it was too late to catch him I knew 2nd place was up for grabs as Pat had slowed down a bit. I got into a nice rhythm of hook fish, ship back quickly fire out 3 floating pellets, net fish, fire out 3 more, ship half way across, fire out 3 more. By doing this I always had fish waiting and was able to catch quickly. Whenever it went a bit quiet I would cup out 6 or 7 pieces of bread and a few pellets which always brought the fish back. I often found it best to ship out a metre or two from the far bank and hang the bait out of the water. As soon as I saw some movement I would plonk the crust where the fish were as they kept moving along the far bank. It was imperative that the bait was within an inch or two of the rushes, most of time it would be up against them. Something else that was effective was waiting just off the fish after I had cupped bread out. As soon as the last piece vanished I would drop my hookbait in the same place and it was usually taken instantly. When I was just feeding floating pellets this was less important as the bread stood out more. At one point I had a fish tear under the tree and snap me so I stepped up to 0.22 as it makes no difference to presentation when fishing on the top.
The all-out was called and I had finished on 36 carp with 29 coming in the last 3 hours. I guessed on having around 120lb. Whilst it was clear that Pete had won I hoped to nick second but I thought it might be close with Pat. Pete was first to weigh and totalled 174lb....a bad day apparently! After 3 weighs my total was recorded at 120lb 4oz...a new best match weight. I don’t usually fish bagging matches as most of the waters I fish you are looking for 20-60lb to do well. My previous best was an agonising 99lb 15oz,followed by 99lb 8oz,97lb,96lb and two 95lbs,with loads of 80’s to boot! I followed the scales down and Pat took third place with 87lb odd. I was pleased with the result although a little frustrated as I felt I could have won had I fished on top all match.
After packing away it was back to the BBQ area for a refreshing beer and to collect my winnings. Pat ‘didn’t have any change’ so it’s double or quits next time!! All in all an enjoyable day and there is a lot more to fishing on the top than I had previously thought. I will be heading back to Greenridge in a couple of weeks for another go on it as I’m sure I could do 200lb if I fished it for the duration and like all aspects of fishing those that fish it best will come out on top.
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