A small breakfast in the Fishery Cafe with 2 additional portions of black pudding from Mike Pickering and Matt Roden (don't know what your missing).
Eleven booked in today (couple fishing Viaduct Silvers League and others tied up with domestic commitments). A Bristol Club were also sharing the lake with us but assigned pegs 6 to 20, we had 1 - 5 and 21 - 40 so plenty of room. Draw Master Kev Perry was in charge today and went with the majority going without a silvers pool but pay top 3, £70, £50 and £45. Draw went ahead on time and fishing was to be 10 till 4 so plenty of time. I was about halfway in the draw and was not really bothered where I drew but was hoping for peg 40 again but out came ping pong ball 36 which I never fished before but carp slayers Mark Walsh who just about lives on the venue said it can be a cracking peg. When I got there it did look nice towards the left hand corner and platform where the aerator was anchored to.
area recommended by Mark
As I was setting up Kev was making his way to peg 1 on the island and happened to say he was on my peg yesterday in Paul Nicholls Winter League Match and only had 4 fish all day for 16lb! I thought that may be good for me today.
I set up 4 rigs (just because I had plenty of time, one for the middle at full depth for soft pellet (never used it), 2 identical rigs for the bottom of the far shelf using banded pellet, same depth for nearside margins and a paste rig for nearside margins (never had a bite on paste). At the all in I fed (too many lines) far bottom shelf in two places, left and right margins and middle by aerator with soft 4's and micro. I did see some just go out straight away without feeding a mug an early fish while I was still feeding but six hours is a long time. First put in across the float dipped but did not connect but at least there was fish around. Dropped it back in and away it went while still settling and a 3lb common was landed. Half a pole pot of micro and back out on the same line and soon had another of similar size. Next put in on the same line was a foul hooker and it tore off with the hook coming back and a 10p scale. Fed again with the pole pot but switched to my other far bank line and soon was playing a much bigger fish. It came to the net after what seemed a very long time and stayed deep.I don't like bigger carp and I get impatient, usually ending up loosing them. It was a nice fish of around 7lbs.
The weather was glorious for November but I was sat in the shade with a few layers on while everyone else was in polo shirts.
Guys to my left enjoying the sunshine
Kev across on Peg 1 enjoying the sun but that's about all
Looking around now and then I could not see that many fish being caught although could not see around past Mark Bromsgrove on bridge peg 33.
I did switch back and forth between the two far shelf lines taking fish on a regular basis before things slowed up at around one o,clock. It was a this point a few fish could be see in the left hand margin by the pallet so decided to give it a go. The float did move from side to side but did not go under, just liners so I shallowed up and just dropped and lifted the bait drip feeding via the pole pot. This worked and I took three fish before loosing one and trashing the rig. I continued swapping between the two far lines and the left margin for the rest of the match and by the end felt I had done OK, Kev also believed I may have done enough.
I went and assisted Kev with the weigh in and we started at peg 22 and worked our way around. Lance Tucker who had won the previous days match put just over 90lb of big fish on the scales, I knew I did not have that much. Further on round Mike Owens on 31 had 65lb odd and I was thinking it would be close. My net went 75lb (although Mark Walsh initially said it was 74lb 16ozs!!! think he went to school on Sundays when it was shut) dead so knew I had done enough for second place and £50 so sixth pick up in a row now.
1st Lance Tucker Sensas Thyers 90lb 14oz
2nd Ivan Currie Maver Cadbury Angling 75lb
3rd Mike Owens Sensas Thyers 65lb 10oz
Weigh sheet as follows:
That's it for a few weeks now as I am off to St Lucia for some chilaxing so will miss the next Somerset League Match on the Tone. I have already booked in for the Tiverton Christmas Match 29th November on the Grand Western Canal but hope to get out before that once I come back from the Caribbean.
