After a few beers on the Saturday and not getting to bed until 2 I was feeling a little worse for wear when I woke up at 7am. I decided it was probably best to go the back way along the country roads and avoid the motorway just in case I got stopped. I arrived at the fishery and had my breakfast which didn’t go down too well and then paid on. There were 52 fishing today and it was decided that 5 man sections would be fished with £50 per section and two sections of six that would be fishing for £60. The top prizes were more than worth winning today, 1st place - £500, 2nd place - £300 and 3rd place - £200, put that with the £50 section and it was well worth pulling your finger out.
Come the draw I picked out peg 47, I’ve fished 47 and 48 before; I had 20lb odd from 48 for no where and 36lb odd for 4th a few weeks ago from 47 so wasn’t too down heartened although other areas were fishing better than this over the last couple of weeks. I was just glad I wasn’t in the 30’s along the back straight, I can’t stand it there!
I drove round to my peg and started to set up, with the draw being a little late we had until 10:15 before time was called. I set up my normal rigs, a 4x10 Malman Cedar and a 4x12. These were both on 0.12 Ultima, 0.10 hooklength to a Middy 63-13 size 22. Elastics were 8 latex. I also had a rig for down the track, I used a 0.7g float, a bit heavy but with the wind thrashing through I put an 18 inch lash on.
For bait I had a pint of reds and some corn. At the all in I shipped out with the 4x12 to the sedge straight in front, let the float settle and then held the back shot. I had to wait maybe 20 minutes before I got my first indication, the ripples on the surface were proving a little too much in order to read the float correctly. I finally manage to hook a fish, it ran me ragged for a couple of minutes but I took my time and was soon rewarded with a Barbel of 2lb. I went back out an instantly hooked another fish, this fought the same as the first fish but after a brief tussle we departed company and it was still one Barbel on its lonesome. I went back out and managed 3 F1’s, another Barbel and a lovely chub of about a pound. All in all at the end of the first hour I had about 9-10lb. I was pretty pleased as I’d only seen people nicking the odd fish so felt I was ahead. I then couldn’t get a bite anywhere, four hours I sat there struggling against the wind but no reward. I did however manage another small Barbel and an F1 right at the death and felt I had about 12lb. Martin up on 45 had been catching on the bomb, something I should have done rather than being so lazy! I could see Chappy round the corner and I’d seen him catch a few although they were all small fish. I knew I’d been beaten for the section but was still fairly pleased come the weigh in.
I managed 14lb; Martin sacked up on the bomb and had 33lb odd for 4th in the match. Chappy and Pimmy both had 26lb odd so I was well beaten but did manage to beat Tupper Ware and the bloke on 48 who only had 7lb odd.
There was a presentation do on at the local pub so after a quick pack up I was glad to be in the warmth and out of the wind. Everyone who weighed in received a prize; I managed a bottle of red and 6 cans of lager for coming 25th out of 52. I cannot remember the top 3 but I’m sure they’ll be in the paper next week. Afterwards there was a raffle with hundreds of pounds worth of prizes. With £20’s worth of tickets in front of me I didn’t have a single number, although once all the prizes had gone they raffled off all the money that was raised from ticket sales and I managed to come away with £50 so not a bad day at the office after all!
This will more than likely be my last fishing trip of 2008, it’s been an up and down season, I’ve achieved a few goals but there’s still plenty more up for grabs next season. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank those that have helped me this year, my results have improved greatly as a result of this and I’ve made some good friends too, as well as strengthening some friendships I already had.
So happy Christmas everyone and may next year be full of fish!
Monday 22 December 2008
Monday 8 December 2008
Sunday 7th December – Alders, Oaks – Sessay
The plan was set for Gordon to pick me up at 7:30 on the morning of the match, as I was getting my final few bits together Gord rang to let me know that Alders was frozen all the way around and that the aerators weren’t shifting it! We decided it was still worth going otherwise it’d have been a day in front of the tele, of which neither of us wanted.
We arrived at the complex at 8:15 and decided to go see what was happening. The lake was definitely frozen all the way around and didn’t look like it was going to break itself! I ended up chucking the plastic life ring in on every peg, that was until 5 pegs in Pete ‘The Key Juggling’ Whale let go of the rope and we were then left looking at a ring that we couldn’t retrieve! Wayley managed to retrieve the ring by hooking the rope with his bomb rod!
After that little mishap Tom went around in the boat which broke the ice but in fairness it all just settled like shattered glass on the surface.
Something to do with organising getting drunk in a brewery distinctly came to mind when trying to sort the draw and people paying on, thoughts of a rover match on the whole complex were also suggested but instead we were to fish Alders and make do after all the effort that went into breaking the ice, that and the fact that all the other lakes were frozen too.
Last week there were 29 people booked on for this match. A fair few turned up, 14 paid on and by the time we were sorted only 6 people actually fished! The open on Cedar was also cancelled due to the lake being frozen.
Gord and I decided to go near the bottom aerator, Gord settled on 38 and I was on 36. Gord had a completely clear peg in front of him and the ice started out of pole reach so hopefully he’d do ok. I on the other hand could fish 13m but if I caught any fish I would have to bring them back through a slalom path of ice!
I only set up the one rig, for fishing full depth and it was the same rig that I used last week.
Within 10 minutes of starting I had a bite, which was a surprise in itself, let alone that there was elastic coming out! The excitement was short lived and the fish and I departed company. This would seemingly be my only bite of the day.
Fifteen minutes later Gord repeated my earlier misfortune and hooked and lost his only bite of the day.
Then the excitement really started, Gord got the bomb rod out! After tweaking his set up for a few minutes he decided his plan was to cast onto the ice then slowly drag it back so that it plopped in just in front of it. Easy enough by the sounds of it! Anyway up the rod went followed by a light chuck onto the ice. This is where the bomb and the rest of his rig stayed for the rest of the match, on the ice! His bomb froze solid to the ice and wasn’t going anywhere; it was still there at the end of the ‘match’.
After losing his bomb he went to the shop to buy some more links, swivels or whatever and I decided to have a walk around the lake to warm up and see how everyone else was doing. First stop on my walk was superstar Stu Stott – blanking. Next up Nige – blanking although he did catch the bottom when I was watching him. Next up Bob ‘the builder’ Sinclair – wait for it……………a chub AND a roach! We can’t all be angling superstars I suppose. Last but not least was Acko - ……….blanking.
By the time I got back around to my peg the sun was disappearing and it was getting colder. We decided to pack in at 2pm and make our way home to the warmth! Easier said than done. The van was stuck! The more the wheels span with no conviction the nearer it got to the waters edge. Plan A – I would put the barrow ramp under one of the rear tyres and Gord would try slowly drive up it, this wasn’t working, even setting off in second didn’t even see the van make it onto the board let alone drive on it. Plan B – I remembered seeing a shovel outside the café, this would be used to clear a path in the snow for the van to drive up, genius, if I do say so myself. After clearing a path Gord started up the van and…………. Plan C – it was noticeable that the van was just spinning on the ice under the rear wheels, so with this Gord would spray de-icer on the ice around the wheels whilst I tried to get us out. After covering Gord in diesel fumes and snow we were still no further. Plan D…..never happened even after doing my best impression of Ray Mears by chopping up a branch with the shovel. Plan E and frankly the plan we should have gone with from the start, ring Robbie, to ring Tom to get David to come pull us out in the tractor. Sorted!
On our way out in the car park we met Bob the builder who was receiving his prize money from Stu, Acko also claimed £20 for being the only other person to catch, a tiny, tiny roach! Probably the most valuable roach ever caught!
I’m not fishing next week as I’m off to the Peak District for a beer fuelled weekend. The weekend after however sees the Xmas Cheer match on the Sunday! I might even try get down on the river on the Saturday for a few hours depending on a few things…….oh ok, depending on the weather!
We arrived at the complex at 8:15 and decided to go see what was happening. The lake was definitely frozen all the way around and didn’t look like it was going to break itself! I ended up chucking the plastic life ring in on every peg, that was until 5 pegs in Pete ‘The Key Juggling’ Whale let go of the rope and we were then left looking at a ring that we couldn’t retrieve! Wayley managed to retrieve the ring by hooking the rope with his bomb rod!
After that little mishap Tom went around in the boat which broke the ice but in fairness it all just settled like shattered glass on the surface.
Something to do with organising getting drunk in a brewery distinctly came to mind when trying to sort the draw and people paying on, thoughts of a rover match on the whole complex were also suggested but instead we were to fish Alders and make do after all the effort that went into breaking the ice, that and the fact that all the other lakes were frozen too.
Last week there were 29 people booked on for this match. A fair few turned up, 14 paid on and by the time we were sorted only 6 people actually fished! The open on Cedar was also cancelled due to the lake being frozen.
Gord and I decided to go near the bottom aerator, Gord settled on 38 and I was on 36. Gord had a completely clear peg in front of him and the ice started out of pole reach so hopefully he’d do ok. I on the other hand could fish 13m but if I caught any fish I would have to bring them back through a slalom path of ice!
I only set up the one rig, for fishing full depth and it was the same rig that I used last week.
Within 10 minutes of starting I had a bite, which was a surprise in itself, let alone that there was elastic coming out! The excitement was short lived and the fish and I departed company. This would seemingly be my only bite of the day.
Fifteen minutes later Gord repeated my earlier misfortune and hooked and lost his only bite of the day.
Then the excitement really started, Gord got the bomb rod out! After tweaking his set up for a few minutes he decided his plan was to cast onto the ice then slowly drag it back so that it plopped in just in front of it. Easy enough by the sounds of it! Anyway up the rod went followed by a light chuck onto the ice. This is where the bomb and the rest of his rig stayed for the rest of the match, on the ice! His bomb froze solid to the ice and wasn’t going anywhere; it was still there at the end of the ‘match’.
After losing his bomb he went to the shop to buy some more links, swivels or whatever and I decided to have a walk around the lake to warm up and see how everyone else was doing. First stop on my walk was superstar Stu Stott – blanking. Next up Nige – blanking although he did catch the bottom when I was watching him. Next up Bob ‘the builder’ Sinclair – wait for it……………a chub AND a roach! We can’t all be angling superstars I suppose. Last but not least was Acko - ……….blanking.
By the time I got back around to my peg the sun was disappearing and it was getting colder. We decided to pack in at 2pm and make our way home to the warmth! Easier said than done. The van was stuck! The more the wheels span with no conviction the nearer it got to the waters edge. Plan A – I would put the barrow ramp under one of the rear tyres and Gord would try slowly drive up it, this wasn’t working, even setting off in second didn’t even see the van make it onto the board let alone drive on it. Plan B – I remembered seeing a shovel outside the café, this would be used to clear a path in the snow for the van to drive up, genius, if I do say so myself. After clearing a path Gord started up the van and…………. Plan C – it was noticeable that the van was just spinning on the ice under the rear wheels, so with this Gord would spray de-icer on the ice around the wheels whilst I tried to get us out. After covering Gord in diesel fumes and snow we were still no further. Plan D…..never happened even after doing my best impression of Ray Mears by chopping up a branch with the shovel. Plan E and frankly the plan we should have gone with from the start, ring Robbie, to ring Tom to get David to come pull us out in the tractor. Sorted!
On our way out in the car park we met Bob the builder who was receiving his prize money from Stu, Acko also claimed £20 for being the only other person to catch, a tiny, tiny roach! Probably the most valuable roach ever caught!
I’m not fishing next week as I’m off to the Peak District for a beer fuelled weekend. The weekend after however sees the Xmas Cheer match on the Sunday! I might even try get down on the river on the Saturday for a few hours depending on a few things…….oh ok, depending on the weather!
Monday 1 December 2008
Alders Practice Match November 30th
We’ve got a couple of extra matches booked in on Alders up at the Oaks over the winter period, with the first one coming up on the 7th of December it seemed ideal to have a practice this weekend and get a feel for how its fishing.
Gordon arrived at my house at around 7:45 with Rab and we made our way up to the fishery. With a bridge out it meant we had to take an alternative route through the villages to get there. We arrived up there at 8:15 and were greeted by Honest John, Paul Cooksy and Pete ‘the garlic kid’ Whale. With a few already setting up on the lake we decided to dump our tackle on our pegs before we headed for breakfast. I drew peg 34 and to my right I had Paul on 36 and Pete on 38, to my left there was Rab on 32, Gordy on 30 and Honest John on 28. I was fairly pleased with my peg, its very wide; probably over 20m and this meant I had plenty of scope for various methods.
Anyhow we went for breakfast and I had time to plan my attack for the day. I was planning on a 14.5m line on the pole with bomb tight up to the island. Hopefully this simple approach would pay off.
We started to set up at 9am and fish 10-3; I was official timekeeper for the day so would let everyone know ‘TIME!’
I already had the bomb set up, a half oz lead with a 6inch hook link of 0.13 to a PR36 18 which also incorporated a hair so I could present up to 2 bits of corn. Pole rigs were the same I normally use on Cedar. I had a 0.5g Preston float on 0.12 with a bulk 18inches from the hook and a few droppers. My hook length was 0.10 Powerline to a size 22 Middy 63-13. I also had a typical Cedar ‘Sedge’ rig set at 2ft to use over the top if the fish came shallow.
I shouted time at precisely 10 o’clock, and proceeded to ship out around 70ml of maggot and 5 bits of corn to my 14.5m line. I tipped it in from a height and tried to spread the bait around a bit. Then it was a nice chuck to the island with the bomb. I planned on fishing the bomb 30 minutes and if I’d had no real indications then to drop onto the pole line. I managed a few liners but nothing more. All the while I had been flicking maggots (in an area the size of a football field) to 14.5m. After a non existent first half hour I went out on the pole with single maggot. I was about 3 inches over depth and after a couple of indications I was into my first fish of the day, an F1 of about a pound. It lead me a merry dance on my 8 elastic but was soon in the net. I managed a couple more of a similar size and was soon creating a lead over the rest of Team In-Betweeny! John, Gordy and Pete had all had one carp each, Paul hadn’t had one and Rab had had 2 F1’s.
It remained like this for the rest of the match, for them anyway, I was obviously on fish and after tinkering with my depth and shotting pattern I got into a rhythm were I was getting a fish almost every put in. At one point I had all 5 of my competitors watching behind me, the fish were obviously there and fancied a bit of feed so I would constantly keep flicking out half a dozen maggots and re-laying my rig in until I got a bite, even if I struck late into a bite, yards of elastic would still pile out, this was brilliant!
Paul and Pete decided they’d had enough and packed up at 2pm and headed home. John, Rab and Gordon had also started packing, meanwhile I was still catching one or two although it had slowed somewhat. Although I did manage a mirror of 3lb and a common of 5lb with 10 minutes to go. Normally on Alders, especially at this time of year you would expect the Ide to be feeding and not the carp, but hey ho I’d had a really good day.
At 3 o’ clock I shouted time, even though I was the only one still fishing! I had my personal photographer with me so managed a final catch shot to round off the day. In total I’d had 18 F1’s, a Skimmer and two proper carp fro over 30lb. Rab finished with 2 carp and 3 Ide so came 2nd.
In one sense I’m looking forward to next week, although I just hope I’m on fish, if not I also might be heading home early!
Gordon arrived at my house at around 7:45 with Rab and we made our way up to the fishery. With a bridge out it meant we had to take an alternative route through the villages to get there. We arrived up there at 8:15 and were greeted by Honest John, Paul Cooksy and Pete ‘the garlic kid’ Whale. With a few already setting up on the lake we decided to dump our tackle on our pegs before we headed for breakfast. I drew peg 34 and to my right I had Paul on 36 and Pete on 38, to my left there was Rab on 32, Gordy on 30 and Honest John on 28. I was fairly pleased with my peg, its very wide; probably over 20m and this meant I had plenty of scope for various methods.
Anyhow we went for breakfast and I had time to plan my attack for the day. I was planning on a 14.5m line on the pole with bomb tight up to the island. Hopefully this simple approach would pay off.
We started to set up at 9am and fish 10-3; I was official timekeeper for the day so would let everyone know ‘TIME!’
I already had the bomb set up, a half oz lead with a 6inch hook link of 0.13 to a PR36 18 which also incorporated a hair so I could present up to 2 bits of corn. Pole rigs were the same I normally use on Cedar. I had a 0.5g Preston float on 0.12 with a bulk 18inches from the hook and a few droppers. My hook length was 0.10 Powerline to a size 22 Middy 63-13. I also had a typical Cedar ‘Sedge’ rig set at 2ft to use over the top if the fish came shallow.
I shouted time at precisely 10 o’clock, and proceeded to ship out around 70ml of maggot and 5 bits of corn to my 14.5m line. I tipped it in from a height and tried to spread the bait around a bit. Then it was a nice chuck to the island with the bomb. I planned on fishing the bomb 30 minutes and if I’d had no real indications then to drop onto the pole line. I managed a few liners but nothing more. All the while I had been flicking maggots (in an area the size of a football field) to 14.5m. After a non existent first half hour I went out on the pole with single maggot. I was about 3 inches over depth and after a couple of indications I was into my first fish of the day, an F1 of about a pound. It lead me a merry dance on my 8 elastic but was soon in the net. I managed a couple more of a similar size and was soon creating a lead over the rest of Team In-Betweeny! John, Gordy and Pete had all had one carp each, Paul hadn’t had one and Rab had had 2 F1’s.
It remained like this for the rest of the match, for them anyway, I was obviously on fish and after tinkering with my depth and shotting pattern I got into a rhythm were I was getting a fish almost every put in. At one point I had all 5 of my competitors watching behind me, the fish were obviously there and fancied a bit of feed so I would constantly keep flicking out half a dozen maggots and re-laying my rig in until I got a bite, even if I struck late into a bite, yards of elastic would still pile out, this was brilliant!
Paul and Pete decided they’d had enough and packed up at 2pm and headed home. John, Rab and Gordon had also started packing, meanwhile I was still catching one or two although it had slowed somewhat. Although I did manage a mirror of 3lb and a common of 5lb with 10 minutes to go. Normally on Alders, especially at this time of year you would expect the Ide to be feeding and not the carp, but hey ho I’d had a really good day.
At 3 o’ clock I shouted time, even though I was the only one still fishing! I had my personal photographer with me so managed a final catch shot to round off the day. In total I’d had 18 F1’s, a Skimmer and two proper carp fro over 30lb. Rab finished with 2 carp and 3 Ide so came 2nd.
In one sense I’m looking forward to next week, although I just hope I’m on fish, if not I also might be heading home early!
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