Witherington farm Open- Barnmoor lake- 25/7/09

After not fishing atall for almost three weeks I was raring to go this weekend,especially with the prospect of a match double-header. After umming and arring for a while about where to fish I eventually settled on the open at Witherington Farm on Barnmoor Lake. This is the only lake I have never fished at the venue, and speaking to a few people before hand that wasnt necessarily a bad thing! I called up on the Thursday and booked myself and Nick White in, and with 15 anglers fishing the 20 peg lake it shouldn't be a bad match. I arrived at the venue at around 8 o'clock and as always had a quick wander round to get a mental picture of where I would like to draw. There is a central island which would obviously be worth a chuck on certain pegs, and the only real flier I could see was peg 16 that had the island within pole reach (16m or so). Whilst wandering around with Nick we heard a shout of 'morrrning chaps' from peg 9 on Sellwood where Nick Lund (nicky-the-bricky) was setting up. It turned out he had a day booked with England International Des Shipp. (I later heard someone on Barnmoor remark 'look over there,it's Des Shipp with a sinking ship'). After chatting with Nicky for 10 minute's or so we headed to the cafe in readiness for the draw. Into the bucket I went and out came.....peg 5. It didn't mean alot to me but I soon found out I was in the middle of the island on the near bank.

Arriving at the peg I surveyed my options and decided on a few different approaches. After borrowing Nick's extension I plumbed up at 17.5m (more like 16.5 with the short 4) towards the island,and although I was still some 3m or so off I felt sure I would catch the odd fish here. The peg was also very flat which made things easier. My rig for the long line was a 4x12 KC Chimp on 0.16- Size 2 Tubertini 175 matched to red vespe bi-core. I also set up a line at 13m where I had the same depth but would be predominantly looking for skimmers. For this line I assembled a 4x12 KC Chimp,0.16-0.14 and a 16 B911 matched to yellow Drennan Bungee. I decided to use 0.14 as there was every chance of picking up a carp on this line. My final pole line was the margin to my left. The next angler was pretty close but there was actually a spare peg between us so I set up a 4x10 Scone GAZE on 0.18- Size 3 Tubertini 175 and Wilkie orange. Finally I set up a small inline method feeder with an 0.18 hooklength for fishing to the island. For bait I had a tin of corn,a tin of 6mm meat,some damp micro pellets and skretting pellets in sizes 4, 6 and 8mm. I also had a tub of 8mm Ringers boilies for the method.

The all-in was called at 10.15 and I cupped in some meat and pellet at 13m before casting the method tight to the island. I decided not to feed the 17.5m line until I went on it as I was expecting things to be pretty tough. After 6 casts in 30 minute's without so much as a liner I dropped in at 13m with a 6mm cube of meat and went 15 minute's without a bite. Hmmm....not exactly going to plan!Nobody was really catching bar the odd small skimmer so I put 4 cubes of meat in a cad-pot and shipped out to 17m with a single grain of corn. After 3 or 4 minute's of lifting and dropping the float dipped and yards of elastic streamed from the pole. The fish kited to my right and actually caught the line of the guy to my right who was fishing the method to the island. After a lot of hassle I eventually slipped the net under a plump 7lb mirror (and a method feeder!) I have to say the bloke was very good about it all, I believe his name is Mayo?Anyway,cheers mate! I then repeated the process but couldn't buy another bite and things were pretty grim all around. I felt the method wasn't right so switched to a small cage feeder with a 12 inch hooklength and a single grain of corn. After a few minute's the tip flew round and I soon had a 2lb skimmer in the net. A few casts later and I added a small carp of around 2lb. I then added a couple of small carp and although it wasn't fast and furious I was catching more than anyone else on the lake. After a while the feeder line died and with no signs on any of the pole lines I decided to change tactics.

I switched to a bomb with an 8mm pellet and would constantly ping 2 or 3 6mm pellets over the top. I attached a new hooklength containing a size 16 Guru QM1. I have heard great things about these new hooks so was looking forward to trying them. After 5 minute's the top flew round out of the blue and I lifted into resistance before the fish fell off after a second or two. Nick had told me that he was yet to lose a fish on the QM1's so I was a little surprised. The regular feeding was bringing a few fish into the peg although I had to get my cast within 6 inches of the island in order to get bite's. It took a lot of discipline to retrieve the cast when it fell a foot or so short but it was worth it as I picked up a few smaller carp. I lost another two fish on the QM1's before switching back to Fox Series 2's. I still lost a couple of fish on these and I'm not quite sure what was happening. There was also an underwater obstacle as twice the tip flew round and the hooklength was sheared clean around half way along. I was getting quite frustrated but managed to pick up the odd fish. I went around 40 minute's without a sign at one point so scaled down to an 18 PR36 and a 6mm pellet and within minute's I added a 4lb ghost carp.

Fordy was also at Withy for the day as he was fishing with Des and Nicky and wandered past and kindly bought me a cold can of coke from the cafe- cheers mate! He said that I was winning the lake and there was about an hour or so left. Despite rotating all my line's I didn't manage to add another fish,although I did lose one more which was very frustrating. The all-out was called and I wasn't in the best of moods. I felt sure I had thrown the match away through lost fish and the chap to my left had caught a lot of skimmers and my clicker was on 20lb exactly.

After packing away the scales got to me and the guy to my left weighed 21lb exactly. I was therefore surprised when my carp and two skimmers went 26lb 12oz. The clicker only works if you click the correct amount of times! I followed the scales round and there was a 24lb followed by Nick weighing 20lb exactly. He had struggled all before switching to the bomb and tea-bag late on to catch a couple of carp. He had lost a lump which would prove costly as he was beaten by a pound into 5th and they paid the top 4. This was particularly frustrating for me as we split our winnings when fishing together. As it turned out my 26.12 was enough for the win followed by 24,22,21 something and 21. It had been hard for most but by ringing the changes I had managed to just about do enough.

I headed to the cafe and picked up £90 before giving half to Nick and heading home. I don't think I fished a particularly great match as I lost alot of fish and I'm at a loss as to why. Still,I'd rather fish poorly and win than fish like a pro and come nowhere!

On a roll.....

Whinwhistle Summer League- 5/7/09

Sunday saw the 5th round of the summer series at Whinwhistle. After four matches I was top of the league but only two points ahead of Andy Shanks who was hot on my heels in second place. There is then a big gap to 3rd place so it's looking very much like it will be a two-horse race. Arriving at the venue at around 7.45 I quickly demolished a breakfast before paying my pools and getting ready for the draw. We were to be on Keepers lake this week which is generally quite fair although there are one or two pegs that are far more likely to hold a few carp. I dipped my lucky left hand into the draw-bag and out came peg 24.....a flier!! It is one of the pegs that usually holds carp as it had a large bed of lillies straight out at 14m with a fair bit of open water to the right. The only trouble is it can be a bit of a tackle graveyard as most people lose fish in the pads. Andy drew it last time and lost 5 carp shallow in the pads before catching 3 on the deck in the last 30 minute's to win the lake with 14lb odd. He was placed on peg 6 this time which has a very decent margin to fish and I knew he would get points from there.

As soon as I drew the peg I made the decision to fish 'proper gear', as I wanted to give myself the best chance of landing everything I hooked- far too often people fish too light to features only to get smashed to pieces and then wonder why. Commercials hold a good colour through the summer months and I personally don't feel line diameter make's that much difference-always better to err slightly on the heavy side when fishing to features. Therefore the first two rigs I set up were for fishing against the pads at 14m. The first rig was a 4x12 scone Jubleez on 0.22 to a size 3 Tubertini 175. This was shotted with a small bulk of 10's and one dropper, set to fish 3 inches over-depth in four feet of water. The second rig was for fishing shallow- a 4x10 Scone AM wellardz on 0.22 to a size 16 Fox Series 2 with a band on a hair. Both rigs were set to red J-Range elastic (beastie stuff!). As it was a league match I couldn't rely entirely on the carp so also planned to fish for the silvers at 3m. I set 3 rigs for here- a 4x12 KC Porth on 0.12- 18 Gama pellet matched to double 5 and two shallow rigs- 4x10 Chiantis on 0.12- 18 Drennan eyed barbless matched to double 4 slip. As I had a bit of room to my right I also set up an edge rig at 8m. There were a lot of cabbages under the water in close and the only clear spot I could find was around 5m out- not ideal but atleast it was clear and flat. The rig for this line was a 4x10 Scone GAZE on 0.18- size 3 Tubertini 175 and Wilkie Orange elastic. Finally I set up a pellet waggler rod as there were one or two carp cruising about down to my right. Standard set-up: 11ft carbonactive,Daiwa 2503CU with 3lb Maxima,0.18 trace to a size 20 Fox Series 2 with a band on a hair. For bait I had two tins of 6mm meat,a tin of corn,some 6mm pellets,a pint of caster and some worm.

The all in was called at 10am and everyone began potting bait into their swims. I've been doing well lately by loose-feeding as oppsed to potting in so catapulted 3 bits of meat to the pads and went out with a single piece of corn. After feeding another 3 pieces of meat and lifting the rig the float buried and a lift was met with solid resistance. By shipping back quickly the fish was in open water before it knew what was going on and a minute later I had a 5lb common in the net while everyone else was still potting in- nice! I then fired another 3 pieces of meat out and repeated the process. After 2 minute's or so the float buried and again I lifted into resistance. This clearly wasn't a carp but the 2lb skimmer that was soon in the net was very welcome! I quickly fed some caster at 5m and around 10 cubes of meat to my right before catapulting another 3 pieces to the pads. I shipped back out and after around 5 minute's the float dipped before disapearing and again a lift was met with firm resistance. The fish sat there for a second or so in which time I had a few metres of pole behind me and had the fish in open water. Three or four minute's later a scrappy 6lb common was in the net. 10lb is always my target weight at Whinwhistle for good points,with 15lb usually needed to win. I was now 15 minute's into the match with around 13lb in the net- not a bad start!

The next 30 minute's saw a few missed bite's and a few small skimmers. Although I was using pretty crude gear the big hook meant I wasn't bumping the skimmers and had a couple of 1lb+ fish and a few smaller 6-8oz fish. I was happy to be adding weight to the net although I was suprised I hadn't had any more carp after 2 hours. I noticed a few carp swirling down to my right and had been pinging the odd pellet down there. A quick look on the caster-line yielded a few small perch but they weren't really worth fishing for. I decided to continuously feed 3 or 4 casters on this line hoping to get some of the better roach shallow. I had a quick try with shallow meat to the pads but only managed a few suicidal rudd. I was reluctant to spend too long shallow as that is how most people lose fish in the peg whereas I had hooked two on the deck and got them both out without any fuss. As I had been regularly pinging meat to the pads I decided to give the 14m line a rest and have a look on the pellet wag to my right. It was hard work as there wasn't a breath of wind but after continous casting and feeding I eventually hooked one as the waggler splashed down but frustratingly the hook pulled after around 20 seconds. Something didn't feel right and I suspect the line had caught over the carps back. With 2 hours remaining I decided to try the method feeder as there were clearly a few fish down there. It was already set-up in my ready-rod bag so I quickly dampened some micro's and attached a new hooklength (0.18-Fox series 2:20 with a spike on a hair).

The first cast down to my right was biteless as I was on the phone to Andy Shanks finding out how the top end was fishing- not well by all accounts! After re-casting I didn't even have time to put the rod in the rest as a carp took the 8mm white boilie within seconds. A few minute's later and a nice 7lb common was in the net. No more fish showed on the line so it was time to try the caster line where I had been religiously feeding 2 or 3 casters every few seconds. First drop in and the double 4 slip was streaming out of the pole as a 12oz roach hooked itself. Second drop in and I had a rudd of some 10oz followed by a few dumpy roach. Although it wasn't fast and furious I was happy to be adding more weight to the net.

I had completely rested the 14m line as I felt the constant feeding of meat had brought too many small skimmers into the peg. I shipped out with a single grain of corn and was pleased to see the float sit there for a few minute's without being knocked around. After 5 minute's I catapulted 3 or 4 cubes of meat out and lifted the rig a foot or so out of the water. Within a few seconds of settling the float buried and another carp was on. With little fuss it was soon in the net at around 4lb and the rest had clearly worked. No more bite's were forthcoming so I fed another small amount of meat before dropping in down the edge where I had been feeding small amounts every 20 minute's or so throughout. After 5 biteless minute's I decided to sack this line and spend the remaining 40 minute's fishing to the pads. I added a few more skimmers for around 2-3lb but unfortunately no more carp when the all-out was called at 3pm.

From what I could see it had fished hard for most and I was pretty sure I had done OK. My silvers net went 9lb 8oz before my four carp went 21lb odd giving me a 32lb 4oz total. I followed the scales round and it had fished harder than I thought with most people weighing around 7 or 8lb. Phil Timms on peg 14 put 15lb something on the scales which was enough for 2nd place until we got to Andy. His 2 carp and a few silvers went 16lb something which was eventually enough for second. It transpired that he had a carp jump out of his keepnet so it would have been a bit harsh if he had been ounced into 3rd!

So all in all an enjoyable day and I doubled the weight of 2nd place which can't be bad can it! I felt I fished a tidy match as I didn't lose any fish to the pads and caught off a couple of line's. I could have done with Andy dropping a few points but that's something I can't influence- I can't do anymore than winning on the day. Another advantage was topping up the weight difference between us which now stands at around 40lb- quite significant at Whinwhistle as there's every chance it will come down to weight between us.

I seem to be on a bit of a roll lately where everything goes to plan and I'm winning matches quite comfortably. I think alot of this is down to feeding. I have been feeding small amounts of bait regularly as opposed to dumping it in and it certainly hasn't done any harm. I've had 117lb of fish in the last 3 matches at Whinwhistle which is almost unprecedented and I feel sure alot of that is down to the feeding. I'm hoping to get back there for the Wednesday evening match- let's hope the run continues!

A New Venue Record.....

Whinwhistle Evening Match- 1/07/09

With the glorious weather we've been having these past few days I had no hesitation in booking in for the mid-week evening match at Whinwhistle. I managed to get away from work at 4 and after heading home to pick up my gear (and the mrs!) I pulled into the fishery gate's at around 4.50pm. The weather was boiling with temperatures of 32 degrees and bright sunshine. The match was to be held on 'The Square'- the first lake you pass on driving into the fishery. The lake used to be connected to 'The Islands' until it was separated last Autumn with the use of boulders in wire cages. The lake was then netted and all carp removed with the idea being that it would be a good silver fish water. Come 5pm and we were ready for the draw. I wasn't really that fussed where I drew as it's a pretty fair lake and I would fish pretty much the same way on every peg. My hand went into the bag and out came peg 20. It always used to be the best peg on the lake as it had a good edge to the left that always held carp. I had heard rumours that a few carp where still in the lake so I fancied it for a few. The last evening match on there was won with 14lb which is a pretty good weight....until I found out it also included a 10lb carp!!

I was just leaving the lodge when the call of 'RE-DRAW' rang out. There had been a mix up with the pegs so it was time to do it again. This time I came out with peg 23- opposite 20. I've never known it be pegged in a match so wasn't sure what to make of it. Upon arriving at the lake it was clear that somebody had left the back door open...there were carp cruising everywhere!! I had always done well on The Square fishing pellet very light for the 4-6oz skimmers. After seeing the amount of fish near the surface I decided to change my approach and target the better fish (that weren't supposed to be in there!) After setting down my box and making sure my girlfriend was comfy it was decision time. I wasn't sure that the fish basking would be interested in feeding so decided to cover my options. Firstly I would fish meat at 5m at an angle of 10 o'clock. My 2nd line would be straight out at 13m where I hoped I might get a few shallow. My final line would be down the edge to my right at 7m where there was a bit of grass hanging into the water. My 5m deck rig was a 4x12 KC Chimp on 0.16-0.14 and a 16 B911. It was shotted with a bulk of no:10's and a single dropper and matched to yellow Drennan Bungee. The Square is a very flat lake with depths of around four feet. At 13m it was only around 3 inches deepr than at 5m. This was perfect as I could use the same rig on both line's- just touching bottom at 13m and 3 inches overdepth for the meat line. I always prefer to fish pellet just touching and meat just over so the rig was absolutely perfect for both line's. I also set up two shallow rigs- Malman MTD1 dibbers on 0.14-16 Drennan eyed barbless with a band on a hair. One was set at 12 inches and one at 2ft- both were matched to yellow Drennan Bungee. Finally I set up my edge rig. I had around 3ft of water a metre or so from the bank- just on the edge of the grass that was hanging down. For this line I set up a 4x10 Scone GAZE on 0.16 to size 2 Tubertini 175. This was shotted with a bulk of 10's and matched to red vespe bi-core. For bait I had a tin of 6mm meat,a tin of corn,some damp 4mm pellets and some hookers.

On Sunday I found that the fish didn't want bait dumped in, and pinging small amounts regularly was far more effective. With this in mind I decided that I wouldn't feed any bait with the pole pot,preferring to either feed by hand or catapult. The all-in was called and I flicked 6 pieces of meat in at 5m, the same down the edge with a pinch of corn and started to fire pellet out at 13m. I dropped in at 5m with a single cube of meat and followed the rig down. No bite's were forthcoming so I flicked another 3 pieces in and dragged the rig slightly to the right. This did the trick as the float buried and an 8oz skimmer was soon in the net. I flicked another 3 pieces of meat out and again waited for a bite. I repeated the process of slowly dragging the rig and as soon as the float settled it dipped and a gentle lift was met with solid resistance. The fish slowly moved out of the peg as I flicked in another 3 cubes of meat.




A few minute's later I slipped the net under a pristine 6lb ghost carp- Nice! I then threw another pinch of meat and corn down the edge,followed by 3 more bits of meat at 5m. All the while I had also been constantly pinging 4mm pellet out to 13m. I stayed on the 5m line for the another 30 minute's taking a few small skimmers but as nobody else was catching I was happy to be topping up the net.

With 45 minute's of the match gone I felt it was time to rest the 5m line and try out long where I had been feeding every two minute or so. First drop on a 4mm expander saw a 2oz bottle-top skimmer. With better fish about I decided to slip on a grain of corn. As soon as the float settled it kept on going and a flying 2lb skimmer was soon in the net.



A few smaller skimmers long were followed by a couple of missed bite's prompting me to pick up the shallow rig. This just saw the bait being ragged by the bit's so I came off the long line but kept feeding it. Back at 5m and two missed bite saw me spread the bulk out as I felt there were one or two fish off the bottom. As I followed the bait down I had a bite and a gentle lift saw a proper bream come flying out of the water! It was soon safely in the net and at a good 4lb it was a nice bonus. No more bite's on the near line saw me back out long where I had a quck run of four 12oz-1lb skimmers.

With an hour to go I guess I must have had around 18lb in the net and nobody else had really caught except Andy Franks on Peg 17 who had caught a few skimmers. I had been regualrly feeding the edge with small amounts of bait every 5-10 minute's and it was now time to give it a go.


I layed the rig in with a single grain of corn and after around 30 seconds the float buried and a carp was on. As the fish swam out of the peg I threw in around 10 cubes of meat and 3 grains of corn.




After 5 minute's or so I netted a carp of around 6lb and flicked a few more pieces of meat down the edge. I repeated the process and again after around 30 seconds the float vanished and another 6lb carp was soon in the net. Whilst playing the fish I flicked a bit more meat down the edge as they seemed to be responding to the regular feed.




At this stage I decided to feed a new line at 13m down the edge to my left. I wanted to see if the fish would respond to potting the bait in so fed a full pot of corn,meat and pellet. All the while I was still feeding my 5m line as I wasn't sure if the edge would dry up. After 5 biteless minute's down to the right I fed a small handfull of meat and then swang around to the long edge line to my left. No bite's had me back on the right hand line and after a few seconds the float vanished and another carp was on.






This fish was again a good 6lb and I was starting to put a decent weight together. I was now into a rhythm of feed,lay rig in,hook fish,feed,net fish,feed.....

What was particularly pleasing was that I hadn't missed a bite or foul-hooked a fish- every fish was square in the top lip. I dropped back in and again took a similar sized fish straight away and repeated the routine-netting the fish a few minute's later. Next drop in saw no signs so I fed another small amount of meat and a few bits of corn before swinging around to my left at 13m. One missed bite was all I had to show so it was back down to my right with 15 minute's to go. As soon as the bait hit the deck the float buried and another carp was on.


After netting the fish (again around 6lb) I dropped back in and immediately hooked another. After safely adding another 6lb to the keepnet I checked my watchand saw there was just 5 minute's left. Time for one more? YOU BET!! After a bit more feed the float dipped followed by the familiar sight of elastic pouring from the pole. After 5 seconds or so the rig pinged back! Even though I knew I had comfortably won the match I was still annoyed (that's the competitive streak in me!) I dropped back in with just two minute's remaining and as the clock ticked down the float vanished with just 30 seconds remaining. Another carp was on and my final 6lb was added to the net some 5 minute's after the whistle- a beautiful fighting fit common.











The all-out was called and I reflected on the match. It was one of those days where everything went to plan. I lost just one fish and caught from all 3 of my line's. I began packing away and when the scales got to me Andy Franks was winning with 22lb from peg 17. It was clear I had more than that and with my silvers going 11lb odd and my seven carp going 42lb odd (I told you they were all around 6lb!) I had a total of 53lb 8oz. I was even more pleased to find that this was a new venue record beating the previous best of 49lb that had stood for 4 or 5 years- and that was from a 5 hour match! I was even more pleased when I was reminded that the previous record holder was my old mate Andy Shanks....a quick phone call was soon in order!!









After packing away I headed to the lodge to collect my winnings and savour a well earned cup of tea. I was pleased with my decision to loosefeed as opposed to cupping in as it was clearly the right approach on the day. Other anglers that cupped in either caught very little or foul-hooked a single fish. By spreading the feed out a bit and regularly having bait hitting the water meant that by the time I went down the edge the fish were lined up. I think too often anglers simply pot bait in without giving it much thought as it's what they always do. Some days it is the right thing to do but on many occasions spreading things out a bit is far more effective.


The one small thought niggling away was should I have gone down earlier? It's hard to say as I could have gone down half an hour earlier and taken a quick fish but then spooked them out of the peg. By the time I went down at 8pm they had thrown caution to the wind and were feeding confidently,meaning I took 6 fish in the last hour.


On the drive home my girlfirend asked is it always that easy?! She has now sat behind me three times and I've had two firsts and a second....she's adamant that she's my lucky charm!!

Whinwhistle Summer Series- Round 4- 28/6/09

Saturday night saw me out in Southampton for a few drinks....which turned into a few more and a few more after that! Although I stopped drinking at midnight I finally got home at about 4am so wasn't in the best shape when the alarm went off at 7am on Sunday morning! Nonetheless with round four of the summer league at Whinwhistle I made the effort and dragged myself out of bed before loading the car and heading off to the fishery. I was feeling decidedly rough and fishing was the last thing I felt like doing if I'm honest. I sat down for a breakfast and for the first time ever I couldn't finish it as I had a bad case of the shakes! A quick look at the league table confirmed that I was in joint 1st place with Andy Shanks as we were both on 9 points after 3 rounds.

Come 8.30 and we were ready for the draw with today's match on The Islands. Once again peg 8 was the peg everyone was hoping for, with 3 and 15 the other two traditionally good pegs. Into the bag my lucky left hand went and out came....peg 12. Not a peg I would have immediately chosen but one that I fancied when I got there. There is an island running across the entire length of the peg at around 13-14m straight out and this was to be my main point of attack. Next door on peg 11 I had Richard Allin who is a very tidy angler and he had fished peg 11 three times in the last few matches. Andy had drawn peg 15 which used to be a great peg but hadn't been so good lately. After setting down my box and almost falling in (twice!!) I began to assemble a few rigs.

For fishing across to the far bank I set up a 4x10 Scone Gaze (a bespoke pink Jubleez made just for me!) on 0.16 to a size 2 Tubertini 175. This was shotted with a bulk of four no:10's and a no:12 matched to red vespe bi-core elastic. I plumbed all over the peg and it was like a snooker table which made things easier. I plumbed all along the far bank and had 2 & 1/2 feet of water everywhere so earmarked a few swims although I would only feed one at the start. Although I hoped to fish the far bank for most of the match it was a league where points win prizes so set up a few more rigs to cover my options if the carp weren't playing ball. Firstly a pellet line at 8m- 4x10 KC Chimp,0.12-18 Gama Pellet and yellow drennan bungee. I also set up a caster line at 5m slightly to my left- 4x12 KC Chimp 0.12-0.12 and a 20 Gama maggot to double 5 slip. Finally I set up a 4x10 Chianti on 0.10 at 12 inches in case there were a few silvers shallow. For bait I had a tin of 6mm meat,a tin of corn,a pint of caster a bit of worm and some damp micro pellet.


The all-in was called and I cupped in a pinch of micro pellet,around 10 cubes of meat and 3 grains of corn straight across at 14m. I kicked off on a single piece of meat and after a couple of quick bites I soon had an 8oz skimmer in the net. I went back out with a grain of corn which stopped the lightning quick bite's from the silvers. Richard to my right then hooked a carp followed a few seconds later by my float (or one of them anyway,as I could see atleast 3 and they were all blurry!) disapearing and carp number 1 was on. After a few minute's I slipped the net under a scrappy 3lb mirror. I went straight back out with a pinch of micro and two grains of corn in the pot and after 10 minute's or so had carp number two-this time around 2lb. I hooked my 3rd carp about 10 minute's later after repeating the process and I got it right to the rim of the net before the line broke. The fish was a good 4lb which was gutting as every ounce is usually vital at Whinwhistle and I can only put it down to there being a nick in the line-either that or bad angling!! I cupped a pinch of bait on the line and after setting up a new rig went back out with a single piece of corn. After 10 minute's or so I had a bite and another carp was hooked. Again I got it right to the net before the hook pulled out! I was now getting really frustrated especially as Richard had caught two quick carp in this time. I reasoned that the fish wasn't hooked properly so cut out the micro pellet and fed just 10 grains of corn on this line. I also fed half a pot of meat and corn at 14.5m slightly to my right as not only would it give me somewhere else to try but I hoped it would pull a few fish away from Richard who was now catching well. After 15 minute's over my first line without a sign I switched to the right hand line and a quick bite saw another carp hooked. A few minute's later and a 4lb fish was in the net which settled me down a bit after losing the previous two. No more bite's off either line was suprising so I cupped a pinch of bait on both and dropped in at 5m where I had been constantly feeding 10 casters every few minute's since the start. First drop saw a dumpy 3oz roach followed by a couple more. A piece of worm saw a skimmer followed by a 6oz perch before I picked the shallow rig up and took a rudd of some 8oz first drop. A few 1/2oz fish followed which were definitely not what I was after so I decided to go back to the island. I quickly cupped a small ball of micro's at 8m before searching both of the long lines with little joy.

After 3 hours I guessed I had around 10lb in the net with Richard surely having 25lb+, although he had lost a couple of fish. I couldn't actually see him because of the trees but could see his pole with elastic out with alarming regularity! I knew I had to make something happen as the fish were not responding to the softly softly feeding approach. At the start I had plumbed right across my peg at 16m to my left where there was a bit of grass hanging in the water. With nothing to lose I started to ping three cubes of meat across every 15 seconds or so. After 10 minute's I went on this new line with corn on the deck while continuing to ping meat over the top. After 5 minut'es I had a liner followed by the float burying a few minute's later. A lift was met with a dead weight before it slowly moved out of the peg. I immediately thought it was foul-hooked but 15 minutes later I slipped the net under a big lean common that I guessed was 10lb. A quick look at the watch showed there was 80 minutes to go and suddenly I was interested again-my hangover soon evaporated,especially as Richard had stopped catching! All the time I was playing the lump I had been pinging meat across and after rebaiting I immediately took a carp on the drop,this time a smaller fish of around 2lb. I repeated the process and after 2 missed bites I quickly got a shalllow rig out of my box and went over the line. No bite's saw me get another shallow rig out with a longer line and I went out with a corn skin on the hook. After the 3rd lift and drop the float dipped and a lift was followed by elastic exiting the pole. Again this fish was small for the lake at around 3lb but it was most welcome. Richard added another fish and after no bite's shallow I was back on the deck. With an hour to go I started to ping meat over my right hand line if only to draw some of his fish away.


Back on the deck at 16m to my left and after a bit more pinging I had a bite and another carp was on it's way. Frustratingly the hook pulled at the net and it wasn't foul-hooked. I decided to cut right back on the feed and went back out with a single corn skin. After plenty of lifting and dropping the float buried and another carp was on. This one was slightly better at around 4lb which I guessed gave me in the region of 30lb with 30 minute's to go. Richard then added another fish making my task even harder and I had to try and force the peg a little. I started to feed caster heavily to my right towards Richard and it seemed to work as he didn't catch another fish where I added one more from the left hand line at around 2lb. With 5 minute's to go I lifted into my final fish but after a few feet of elastic came out the rig pinged back as the fish was almost certainly foul-hooked-not that I would have complained if I'd got it in....

The all-out was called and I reflected on the match. I was pleased with the fact that I would have good points but was very frustrated at losing fish as I felt sure they would cost me. Richard wandered over for a chat and the usual 'you've got more than me' started between us. He admitted to 20lb (yeah,right!) and I admitted to 31lb (thanks to my clicker). I felt sure he would have closer to 40lb although he did tell me that he lost 5 fish inclusing a lump under his feet. The scales made their way around and peg 8 put 25lb on the scales so that was the real danger peg out of the way. Richard then tipped 37lb 6oz on the scales which I knew would beat me. My fish went 32lb 6oz, some 5lb short and the lost fish had cost me big-time. The only consolation was the fact that Richard had lost fish (as had everybody around the lake for some reason). This was enough for 2nd on the day with 25lb 3rd and Andy Shanks weighing 14lb odd for 4th. he beat the anglers either side by ounces as well as a few others. I could have dome with him dropping more points but it wasn't to be. After heading to the lodge to pick up £40 and a cup of tea it was time to head home for a lie-down! A quick look at the lead table shows that I am now out-in front by 2 clear points on 11 with Andy on 13. The nearest to us after this is on some 23 odd points so it's a two-horse race at the half way stage. There's still a long way to go however and a coupleof bad draws could make everything wide open.

Whinwhistle Evening match- 24/6/09

Due to personal commitments I find myself fishing Whinwhistle almost exclusively these days and while I do well there and pick up quite frequently I feel as though my fishing has become a bit stagnant and it is time to go back more to what I used to do. From August onwards I will be able to start travelling further afield and will be fishing bigger opens on a wide range of venues and I must admit I'm looking forward to it. I will continue to fish the remainder of the Summer League but have made the decision not to fish the 2009-10 winter league.

Nonetheless the evening matches are still appealing as it is the only venue I can realisitcally fish of an evening without taking half a day off work. After getting away from work at 4 I made the 15 minute journey home,picked up my gear and the mrs and made it to the fishery at around 4.50 in time for a 5pm draw. This week we were on Keepers Lake, and I really fancied either peg 8,10 or 28. Into the bag I went and out came.....23. Not a peg I would have chosen but I still fancied it for a few fish. After trudging my barrow around and making sure the mrs was comfy I began setting up. (I forgot the camera this week so no pics-bad angling!!)

Peg 23 has an island at 14m but I decided to ignore this as I've never had much success fishing the area in the past. I decided to cover my options and set up 5 top kits. My first plan was to fish for the silvers in close at 3m where I had a good 5ft of water. For this I set up 3 rigs- a deck rig: 4x12 KC Carpa on 0.12- 18 Gama pellet matched to double 5 slip. I also set up two shallow rigs- 4x10 Chiantis on 0.12-18 Drennan eyed barbless and a knotless knot matched to double 4 slip.

I hoped to fish for the silvers for most of the match but knew I had to target a couple of carp swims in case others were catching a few. With the wind pretty strong my first carp line was at just 7m where I had 7ft of water where the slope flattened out. I planned on fishing paste here so set up a Big H 4x12 paste float on 0.18-Tubertini 175 size 5 matched to red vespe bi-core. My 2nd paste rig was for either edge and was on the same line and hook but a 4x10 pattern matched to wilkie orange. For bait I had a pint of caster,some worm,2 pints of hemp and some paste. The all-in was called and I flicked in 30 or so casters at 3m before putting a full pot of hemp and 3 bits pf paste in at 7m. I decided not to feed the margins for the time being. I kicked off on the deck rig at 3m with a small segment of worm and as I followed the rig down the bulk was held up and a small perch was the culprit. A few roach on the way down led me to try the 2ft shallow rig. I was feeding 3 casters every 5-10 seconds and after a couple more fish was soon on the 12 inch-deep rig taking a few roach shallow. I hooked a decent fish that plodded off taking a good 10ft of elastic before the hook pinged back-probably a dog roach. I didn't want to take any chances with the hook so put a new rig on (the trouble with fishing straight through!) and next drop had a decent 10oz roach. There was a decent ripple on the water which I always find beneficial when fishing shallow and I started to get a few. I quickly set up a new top kit with a shallower rig- 6 inches of 0.12 line to an 18 Drennan eyed barbless to double 4 slip. The tiny drennan carp 4 dibber was massively over shotted with a BB shot. First drop the elastic was pulled from the pole and a pristine 12oz roach was soon in the net. They never really got going though and after an hour I decided to rest the line and try the paste. I couldn't see everyone from my peg but from what I could see no-one was catching and I guessed I had 5lb or so in the net.

First drop on the paste and the float had barely settled before burying. The strike was met with thin air but a 1lb+ skimmer came flying from the water. I repeated the process and after 5 minutes or so a 6oz skimmer was soon in the net. I started to feed a pinch of hemp through the pot every put in and soon added another skimmer of some 8oz. It was pretty clear the carp weren't in the peg so I re-fed with a decent pot of hemp and went back in at 3m where I had been constantly feeding 2 or 3 casters every few seconds. First drop on the 12 inch rig saw a 6oz roach followed by a couple of 3oz fish in the next few casts. The lad opposite on peg 18 caught a carp fishing to the pads but it looked quite small at around 3lb or so. Next cast he hooked a fish that tore into the pads and after a lot of pulling for 10 minute's or so everything went solid. A young kid happened to be walking past so he gave the pole to the kid and ran to the lodge to get some gloves to pull for a break. When he came back the kid was playing the fish as it had somehow come out of the snag and after a few minute's another 3lber was in his net. I'm not sure what the rule is on such a thing as I personally thought that you are not allowed to leave the boundaries of your peg or have assistance in playing a fish?

I tried to put such thoughts to the back of my mind and after putting the 35th silver fish in my net it was time to try the paste at 7m. It was now 7.45 so each margin got a full pot of hemp with a few bit's of paste. After 5 minute's at 7m the float vanished and I hit a fish some foot off the bottom. It tore off before the rig pinged back with a big scale on the hook! I didn't swear much....
I dropped straight back in without re-feeding and after less than a minute the float buried and a fish tore off. I knew it was hooked in the mouth and after a few minute's I had a scrappy common in the net that I guessed was around 4lb. Straight back over the same line and after 5 minute's the float yet again buried......I'd be lying to you if I said I was pleased with the 6oz eel hooked in the tail!! With 45 minute's to go I put 1/4 cup of hemp in at 7m and dropped in down the edge to my right. A few silly bite's from bits was not what I was after and the same thing happened down to my left. I decided to feed a full pot of hemp to my right and nothing else to my left as I wanted to see if feeding would put the silvers off or draw more in.

I went back to 7m and a quick bite saw a flying 1.5lb skimmer soon hit the net that was a useful fish. My match fizzled out in the last 30 minute's as both edges were solid with silvers and the 7m line just produced the odd tentative bite. The lad opposite on peg 28 hooked his 3rd carp with 10 minute's to go and netted it a few minute's after the whistle. It looked a good 7lb and deep down I knew it would be enough to beat me.

The scales made their way around the lake and when they got to me 9lb odd was winning from peg 8. My silvers went 9lb exactly and the 4lb 4oz carp gave me a 13lb 4oz total. I guessed I had around 12lb so was pleased with the final total but I knew it would be close as I guessed peg 28 to have 13-14lb. His weight was finally called out at 14lb dead- that dubious fish had cost me the win knocking me into 2nd place. I decided not to say anything as I wasn't sure on the rules and as the lad has only just started out he was made up with the win.

I'm back at Whinwhistle on Sunday for the 4th round of the summer league and as I'm lying in joint first place I'm hoping for a decent draw that will give me a good chance of a high section place.

Double Header

Whinwhistle Summer League- 14/06/09


Sunday saw the 3rd round of the summer league at Whinwhistle on Keepers Lake. After 2 rounds I was in joint first after a section 1st and 3rd so was hoping for a decent draw to move clear. After the usual breakfast it was time for the draw and I came out with Peg 12-not great. I won my section and had a lake 2nd the week before from peg 14 with 11.6 of silvers so thought there might be a few about but if the carp fed I could be in trouble. I was hoping to finish in the top four of the 15 peg section as I knew it would be tough to win from such a non-descript peg.

I decided to approach it in my usual sort of way with a caster line at 3m. I had however decided to try something a bit different with a worm and caster line down the edge at 13m and a worm,caster and groundbait line for 13m straight out. Last week the near line died after a couple of hours,so I hoped the 13m line would give me somewhere to go during the middle of the match.

My first rig was for 3m- a 4x12 KC Porth on 0.12and a 20 Gama maggot matched to double 5 slip. I plumbed up to fish on the bottom of the near slope in 5ft of water but had the option of dragging the rig towards me slightly if I needed to lay some line on the deck. I also set up two shallow rigs for this line set at 12 and 18 inches deep. Both rigs were 4x10 Chiantis,0.12 18 Drennan Eyed barbless and double 4 slip. For the 13m worm line I had around 6.5 feet of water so set up a 4x14 KC Chimp on 0.16-0.14 and a 16 Gama Pellet matched to yellow drennan bungee. I set the rig 4 inches over depth as I was hoping for some bonus fish from this line. Finally I set up the edge rig for the inside at 13m,just this side of the next platform. A 4x10 Scone Jubleez on 0.16-size 3 Tubertini 175 and Red Vespe bi-core completed the set-up.

For bait I had 1/2 kilo of worm,2 pints of caster,a tin of corn and a kilo of groundbait (50% crazy bait gold,40% Sensas Lake 3000 and 10% Swimstim Green). As always at Whinwhistle my target was 10lb to hopefully get good points- although I thought 20lb might be needed to win as one or two carp were bound to feed at some stage.


The all-in was called at 10 am and I flicked a few casters in at 3m before cupping in 6 balls of groundbait at 13m spread over a 1m sq area containing 250ml of chopped worm,250ml of caster and 100ml of damp micro pellet. I then put a full pot of worm/caster with some predator plus in at 13m to the next platform. I kicked off on the deck at 3m with single caster and was suprised to wait around 5 minute's for my first bite-a dumpy 2oz roach. All the while I was flicking in 2 or 3 casters every 15 seconds or so with a view to catching shallow. I waited around 15 minute's for my next bite which was very unusual,a slightly better roach at around 4oz. After 45 minute's I was struggling with just 4 fish so decided to put a segment of worm on even though I hadn't fed any on this line. The float barely settled before disapearing and a lift was met with several yards of elastic exiting the pole. A few minute's later I netted a small tench of around 1.5lb- a very useful fish as no-one else was catching bar the odd bit. I decided to stick with the worm on the hook but continue feeding caster as it was definitely more productive than caster as a hookbait. After an hour I fed another half pot of the worm mix down the edge before going back at 3m and picking up the odd small perch and roach. After around 90 minute's I latched into a fish that tore off and had me adding extra sections. After a good 5 minute's I slipped the net under a near 3lb tench-bonus! This gave me a good 5lb- half way to my target weight with over 3 hours to go. Although I couldn't see the bottom end of the lake news filtered through that a couple of carp had been caught-exactly what I didn't want to hear. Nonetheless I was beating everyone I could see so planned to get my head down catching whatever I could and hope I could pick up a bonus fish or two either from the left edge or the 13m line.


After 2 hours the near line had dried up as all I was catching was 3 to the oz perch (I must have had 25 of these,with many falling off as they were simply holding on to the worm) so I put half a pot of worm and caster in and after topping up the edge went long. No bite's were forthcoming so I made the decision to feed 3 more balls of groundbait and leave it for another hour. A look down the edge on worm saw a few small perch before I hooked a fish that tore off. I thought I had hooked a carp for a few seconds but it turned out to be a perch knocking 1lb- a useful bonus but a bit disapointing as I could have done with a carp. After 20 minute's down the inside and only a few smaller perch it was back at 3m on worm where I again added a few smaller perch and a nice 8oz roach. With 90 minute's to go I went out to 13m with a half segment of worm and after 5 minute's the float slowly slid under and a lift was met with a few feet of elastic coming out of the pole-yes! Err,no....it turned out to be an eel of some 8oz. When the same thing happened about 20 minute's later I decided to come off this line,put another full pot of worm mix down the inside and spend 10 minute's at 3m. With only a few small fish added I decided to spend the last 45 minute's down the edge as I heard of a few carp being caught and Roger Clacey opposite me had caught a decent 7lb+ fish down the inside. The match pretty much fizzled out as despite a few bite's from small fish I didn't manage to catch a carp. The all out was called and I heard a shout of 'Fish On' from Phil James at the bottom end of the lake followed by a shout of 'you beauty!'- Great! I guessed I had about 9lb or so in the net and hoped I would do ok with that. The scales made their way around and there were two weights of 14lb odd- Will on peg 27 had 3 carp for 14lb 8oz and Andy Shanks on (flyer) peg 24 caught 3 carp in the final 30 minute's to go with his 10oz of silvers for 14lb 9oz-he's not spawny honest!! My silvers tipped the scales round to 9lb 9oz which was enough for 5th in the section. I was a little disapointed but as the top 3 were all in a line at the bottom end of the lake I felt I did ok from where I was. More importantly I had won £2 off Oscar from 2 pegs away as he still owed me a quid from about 3 months ago!


After packing away it was back to the lodge where it emerged I was still in joint top spot although I was now sharing the lead with Andy Shanks. All in all not a bad day and I wasn't far off my target of 10lb and 4th in section and wouldn't really have done anything different.




Whinwhistle Evening Match- 17/06/09



After missing the last 3 evening matches I was looking forward to this one as it was on 'The Islands' so I hoped to catch a few carp. The weather wasn't great and with only seven anglers fishing I was a little disapointed. I had my girlfriend with me for company and as she had never seen me fish she wasn't sure of what to expect! I really fancied peg 3,8 or 15-with peg 8 being the out and out flyer. I went into the bag and pulled out peg 16.....no great,until I realised it was in instead of 15-result! After getting to the peg and setting up a carp chair for the mrs it was time to decide on what I was going to do. I had an island in front at 17m with a bay (in front of peg 15) to the right. As it was only a 3 hour match I decided on a simple approach. First th ing I set up was the method- 11ft BeastMaster,8lb MatchWinner with a 15g Preston Inline Method and a four inch hooklength of 0.18-20 Fox Series 2 with a spike on a hair. I set up one pole rig for fishing at 16m,just off the island- a 4x12 Scone Jubleez on 0.18-Tubertini 175 size 3 matched to red vespe bi-core. By now the light drizzle was becoming heavier- not ideal when you've got your partner with you! For bait I had a tin of corn,a tin of 6mm meat,some mini white Ringers boilies and 2 pints for the method (50/50 damp micro pellet and crazy bait gold). With 5 minute's to go I plumbed up the same rig down the edge to my right just in case but didn't really plan on fishing here.

The all in was called at 6pm and I put half a pot of corn,meat and pellet in at 16m before casting the method slightly to my right into the bay with a single 8mm boilie buried inside. I decided I would give each cast 10 minute's as my target weight was probably 20lb or so-4 or 5 carp with a bit of luck. After 7 or 8 minute's the tip rattled around and a 6oz skimmer was soon in the net. I repeated the process and this time after 5 minute'san 8oz skimmer was in the net. On the 30 minute mark the rod slammed around and a carp was on. By keeping the rod high the fish kited out from the island and into the open water.


(One bonus of taking my girlfriend is there's someone to take photo's- this is me playing the first carp at around 4lb or so)

The next cast resulted in another small skimmer after 5 minute's or so. I rebaited and cast tight to the back of the bay and before I put the rod on the rest it was wrenched out of my hand- errr that'll be a bite then! I again held the rod high and the fish kited away from trouble and pretty soon I added a smaller carp of around 3lb. After a couple of biteless casts the wind had dropped down so I decided to try the 16m line that I had been pinging the odd cube of meat over for the best part of an hour. A few quick 6oz skimmers were taken on 6mm meat and although not what I was after I was happy to be adding weight to the net. After 20 minute's or so I decided it was time to try the feeder again so fed half a pot of meat and corn with no pellet at 16m as I was hoping to avoid some of the smaller fish.

The next hour was pretty uneventful apart from a few small skimmers. The trouble was I could only see one angler from my peg, and as he was blanking after 2 hours I wasn't sure how the rest of the lake was fishing. Ringwood match sec Pete Hutchinson was to my right on peg 14 and although I couldn't see him I could hear a bit of splashing every now and then. I had also found out that Andy Franks had drawn THE flyer peg 8 for the 3rd time in a row,and as he had won the previous two I had to be sure he would be catching a few. Another look on the long pole saw two more skimmers but I felt sure I would need 2 more carp to be in with a shout. A quick look down the edge saw bite's from the bits so I sacked this and decided to spend the last 20 minutes on the method. With just 10 minute's to go the tip slowly but deliberately pulled round and carp number 3 was on. Again by holding the rod high the fish kited out and another 3lber was soon added. My final cast with 5 minute's to go and the all-out was called at 9pm.

I was a bit surprised to see Andy Franks drive past after 5 minute's- he had blanked on peg 8 and I suddenly thought I might be in with a shout. I was already regretting telling the mrs I would take her out for a meal the next night if i won,especially as it turned out Pete had lost 8 fish down the edge and landed 2! I followed the scales round and a couple of people had already left,and with 8lb 12oz top weight followed by Pete's 7lb odd and me last to weigh I suddenly realised we were going out for a meal on me!! My 3 carp and a few skimmers went 15lb 2oz for a comfortable win although the brown envelope was out of my hands within a matter of seconds!

Whinwhistle Open Match- 31/05/09

Late on in the week I decided I would fish the Sunday open match on Keepers Lake at Whinwhistle as I had no other plans apart from packing for my holiday on the Tuesday. Saturday was spent holiday shopping with my girlfriend in Southampton which earned me enough brownie points to fish on the Sunday!

Arriving at the venue at around 8am I tucked into the obligatory breakfast and had a chat with a few of the lads. The venue as a whole had been fishing poorly for a while so no-one was sure how it would fish, especially as it was scorching hot and flat calm with bright sunshine- far from ideal. I went into the bag and pulled out peg 14- a fairly average open water peg in an area that had a top weight of around 4lb the week before. The ony 'feature' in my peg were a couple of straggly lilly pads to my left margin. I decided to approach the match quite negatively with a view to catching anything that swims as every ounce is usually crucial at Whinwhistle. My first line was at 3m where I had around 5ft of water at the bottom of the near slope. I planned to fish caster exclusively on this line and set up 3 rigs. Firstly for fishing on the deck I set up a 4x12 KC Porth on 0.12-0.10 and a 20 Gama Maggot. This was shotted with a spread bulk of no 10's and matched to double 5 slip. I also set up two shallow rigs- both 4x10 Chianti's on 0.12-18 Drennan eyed barbless and matched to doubled 4 slip. The first was set at 18 inches and the second at 12 inches. I then set up a pellet line at 13m where I had around 6 and 1/2 feet of water. A 4x14 KC Chimp on 0.14-0.12 and an 18 Gama Pellet shotted with a bulk of 10's and one dropper matched to yellow drennan bungee covered this line. Finally I set up an edge rig to my left at 7m- a 4x10 Scone Jubleez on 0.16-size 2 Tubertini 175 matched to red vespe. For bait I had a couple of pints of caster,some feed pellet,a tin of corn and a few hook pellets.

The all in was called and I flicked a few casters in at 3m before putting a full pot of pellet out at 13m. I didnt really expect to catch on the pellet and wanted to leave the line settle for atleast 2 hours. Straight away I was into a few dumpy roach in close but it was very slow. A 6oz fish shallow got my hopes up but it was a false dawn and I was struggling for bite's. I wasn't too bothered as many anglers were still blanking and I was doing better than anyone I could see. After an hour with 8 fish in the net for probably 2lb I decided to shallow the rig slightly and fish at 3m to my left amongst the few straggly pads. I was hoping to find a few perch here after flicking in a few casters for the last 15 minute's or so. The float barely settled before it shot under and around 2ft of elastic exited the pole before the hook pulled-bugger! I decided not to take any chances so changed to a new hooklength and repeated the process. This time I made no mistake and soon had a 10oz perch in the net. After a couple of smaller 4oz perch it went quiet for 5 minutes. I layed the rig slightly further up the slope and a few seconds later the float vanished and I had yards of elastic streaming from the pole. After a few tense moments on the lightish gear I netted a decent tench that I guessed was around 4lb-a very useful bonus on such a rock hard day. Over the next couple of hours I rotated the two lines and continued to pick off some decent roach and perch but it was far from bagging. However I was beating everyone I could see and a quick check with Andy Shanks at the bottom end (flier!) confirmed that everyone was really struggling and no-one had caught a carp-just what I wanted to hear.

With 2 hours to go the two near lines had completely dried up so it was time to try the long pellet line. No bite's on pellet made me decide to start pinging casters out with a view to picking up a couple of fish shallow. It was hard work at 13m but I found the odd small roach but something didn't feel right. By now the sun was blazing and there wasn't a breath of wind so I quickly got off my box and set up a new shallow rig at 2ft deep with 3 ft of line between the float and pole tip. I flicked the rig past my pole and after a few minute's I had a positive bite out of the blue and had yards of doubled 4 slip out of the pole. At first I thought I'd hooked a carp but soon realised it was a 1lb+ roach that was soon in the net. No more bite's shallow long was disapointing but the rest on the 3m line had helped as I quickly took 3 roach while continuing to flick casters out at 13m.

Going into the last hour I had briefly tried the edge for 5 minute's but with no signs and no-one catching carp I decided to sack that line and catch whatever I could. I'd been constantly flicking casters long and went out with the deck pellet rig and single caster. I spread the bulk right out hoping to find fish through the layers. Following the rig down the float was held up when the bait was around a foot off bottom and a chunky rudd was the culprit. I repeated the process and exactly the same thing happened although this time a better fish was hooked. I gingerly played a 1lb+ skimmer to the net. The last 30 minute's saw a couple of roach in close after a lack of bite's long and the all-out was greeted with sarcastic cheers. My clicker was on 26 fish including the tench- almost exactly half of the 51 I had for 7lb15oz the week before. Crucially I had found a much better stamp of fish this week and felt sure I had 10lb+.

The scales made their way around the lake and when they got to me Oscar Wylde was winning with 10lb 8oz and 3lb odd was second! The scales eventually settled on 11lb 6oz giving me the lead. The only person I felt might beat that was Phill Timms on Peg 8 who had caught two tench and a small carp very late on. His fish pulled the scales around to 12lb dead knocking me into second place. For the second time in a week I had just been beaten by someone called Phil on peg 8 with a decent fish landed right on the whistle-atleast this time it wasn't by a single ounce! As it happened it didn't make much difference as the match was split into two sections on each side of the lake with payouts of £40 & £20 on each side with the overall winner getting an extra £10.

After picking up my section money I headed home to reflect on yet another very difficult day where bite's were hard to come by. I don't think I did a lot wrong and wouldn't really do anything different if I had the chance again. Incidentally last week I had 51 for for 7lb 15oz. This week I had 26 fish for 11lb6oz. The tench (which was very spawned out) was weighed separately at 4lb 4oz, leaving the other 25 fish at 7lb 2oz. Almost the same weight as last week but with half the fish showing how important it is to find those stamp roach.

After a nice holiday I'm back on the same lake this Sunday for the 3rd round of the Summer League- hoping it will fish a little better than it has been!