23/01/10 - Lands End - Match Lake

Weight – 26lb 10oz (11lb 2oz - silvers)
Catch – 7 Skimmers, 7 Roach, 4 Carp, 1 Tench, 1 F1, 1 Perch
Weather – Frosty start. Mostly cloudy & still
Water Temp – 5.5c > 5.5c
Match – Open - 2nd overall (1st silvers)

It made a pleasant change to go fishing and not de-frost the car. However, when I left Bristol the car temperature read 4c, but my the time I got to Lands End it was 0c and there was cat ice across the whole of peg 1 – typical a week of reasonably mild weather and come the weekend more ice. At least the water temperature had increased.

I found myself on 15, where Tony won the Wednesday open with 31lb, so at least there were a few fish around and hopefully I would get a few bites. I intended to make use of the spare pegs either side, feeding caster at the top & bottom of the shelf straight in front and micro pellet @ 14m at 2o'clock.

Started on corn, searching the swim for signs of life and got a couple of slight liners to my left at the bottom of the shelf. 10 mins later a 4-5lb carp was safely netted, but except for a couple more liners, no more fish. So decided to feed a few casters, just enough to keep any carp interested.

The top of the shelf only produced a few small roach and was soon given up as a bad job. So after nearly an hour it was time to try the pellet swim and soon caught a couple of skimmers on 4mm pellet as well as pulling out of a decent one. As the match progressed the pellet line became the best area of the swim and a couple of carp also put in an appearance, but that just upset the skimmers and I couldn't catch another.

The caster swim only produced a few small roach and a big perch, whilst another carp and a golden tench came from the LH swim on corn.

The last hour was very quiet, despite trying other areas of the peg. Talking to Tony on Friday, he said he couldn't get a bite on pellet, yet I caught most of mine on pellet or corn. Perhaps the heavy rain on Thursday had an effect.

Mike won the match from 19, with 27-12 (6 carp & 3lb of silvers), although I could have won hadnt I pulled out of a decent skimmer or landed a carp that I lost at the net after my elastic snagged on the branches above me. 3rd was Dale with 10-14 of skimmers from peg 23 and he collected the silverfish prize by default.

It was nice to catch a few, but I cant wait for the weather to start improving because for most it was a struggle today.