I tend to fish a few of the Tuesday ''opens'' at Acorn during the winter as it is usually quite hard. I had tied a tray full of Commercial rigs a few weeks ago and changed my carp elastics as they had not been used for about 12 months. They were too heavy anyway and were replaced with some of the hybrid elastic in sizes 9 and 11.
A phone call to mike Chapman on the Monday afternoon and I was booked in. The Sunday match weights were pretty poor and the winner didn't make double figures. The weather forecast for Tuesday was try with sunny spells but a cold 18 mph wind from the north would make it uncomfortable.
I got there just after 08:00 as advised and there were only a few anglers there. By the time Mike was ready to do the draw there was a total of 7 and it was cold.
He put 4 pegs down the straight 12 to 20 something to give plenty of room and then 7, 9 and 11 in along the road. Its a cheap day out at £13 and Bev the owner waved the peg fee meaning there was £91 in the pot. Top 2 and silvers to be paid out £40, £30 and £21.
I was about halfway to be draw and Mike gave me peg 9, the right end I thought but the wind was cutting from my left to right. Ray Cooper was on 11 a really good peg and Mike to my right on 7.
Plenty of time to set up with fishing 10 - 3.
Ray's peg and the others down the straight looked a lot calmer to mine and Mike's and I thought this would make a lot of difference in terms of being able to concentrate and present the bait. I had some micro's, maggot, pinkie and worm plus some bread.
3 rigs today all 4x14 because of the wind with 18's. Top 2 plus 2 left and right at angles, top 2 plus 3 for out in front (see I have the lingo for commercials) and a dobbing rig for across if the wind allowed.
Chatting to Mike after setting up he said he didn't have any bread so I gave him 2 slices, he said he probably wouldn't use it.
On the all in I just went out of my short lines giving them 10 minutes in turn without feeding anything and swapping between maggot and pinkie. An hour in and nothing but looking around no one else had caught except Mike who had 2 small roach.
The wind dropped a little and I went out up the far shelf with double fluro pinkie and in 10 minutes I had a small pasty carp. As I netted it one of the other anglers from the straight came past saying ''thats what a fish looks like then'' no one else had caught to my left.
I persevered for a while but the wind was too strong and came back short. to say it was slow is a gross understatement. I kept looking around and saw Ray on 11 bump a couple of fish ...foul hookers as I could see a scale shining in the sunshine on his hook.
About 3 hours in Mike was playing a carp and he managed to land it, a good fish around 5lbs, that would definitely put him in contention for a win based on what I had seen.
The top 2 plus 3 was also devoid of fish and I was freezing so thought stay short, rotate left and right and put the odd pinkie in.
I thought i was hallucinating when the float disappeared and I missed the bite, it went another 3 times before I connected with a small roach but if i could catch a few I might be in with a shout on this hard day.
With around 45 minutes to go Ray had a fish and he played it very carefully, I thought it was a carp when he netted it, not big but better than mine.
30 to 25 minutes to go my float went again, a nice slow decent into the depths and I met some resistance when I hit it. A sleepy carp I thought .... no a big perch just under 2lbs. Another small roach came before time was called.
When we packed up Ray said Mike would be first, I would be second and he would prob get the silvers, his fish was a small skimmer not a carp.
I helped mike weigh in, his carp went 5 -15 and his 6 roach gave him a total of 7lb 3oz. My perch, carp and roach went 2lb 11oz and Ray's skimmer went 1lb 9oz. As for the others there was one blank and then the others had one fish each either a small roach or a small skimmer.
Mike actually caught his fish on the bread I gave him !!!!
So a tough day on a small match but a pick up.
I'm glad I went as fishing has been stopped for a while, l hope I can get back on a river before 14th March if not its the Glossy or Bristol Feeder Canal in the Spring please.
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