Weight – 10lb 3oz (3lb 3oz silvers)
Catch – 2 Carp, 2 Skimmers, 1 Perch
Weather – Rain, rain, rain and a cold NE gale!
Water Temp – 13.0c – 13.0c
Match – Pole Only Series – rd4 – 15thout of 25 (8th in section)
If it wasn’t for the fact that this was a league match, I won’t have bothered going and 5 no shows agreed. High winds and heavy rain meant some roads were partially flooded and branches of varying sizes littered the road.
No one wanted Paddock Lake today, because with very little cover it really was exposed to the elements. In fact of those that drew the lake, only 3 stayed to the bitter end.
It was back to random draw today and I certainly found myself in the section of doom. It was like a Thyers convention, with the majority of the league leaders present, so a big opportunity if you did well.
I drew a sheltered peg half way down the right hand side of the island and when I saw my peg I thought great, at least I can fish, with a large group of trees/bushes providing quite a bit of shelter, although the wind was still too strong to put up an umbrella. I did try, but after 5mins took it down again in case I did a Mary Poppins. The conditions were truly appalling. I wasn’t expecting to fish a winter league match at the end of April.
Looking at my peg, I was set back from the peg to my right, with the trees/bushes providing enough shelter for me to fish 10m to my right. I could also fish under the nearside branches, where I hoped to catch a few carp later, although I was concerned whether the fish would really want to come into the shallower water. To my left was a nice long margin, but due to the wind initially I could only fished at 5m.
After 3hrs fishing I was blanking, I had fed a short line with caster, hoping for some roach, but never had a bite and gave up feeding after 2hrs. The only line that was showing any signs of life was my right hand 10m line, where I had lost a little fish as I was shipping back, as well as what felt like a skimmer. Initially started on a 0.4g HB chump, but due to the tow switched it to a 0.75g polar ice. On this line I had started feeding micros and 4s, but when it became obvious there wasn’t any carp about so I switched to cupping in caster looking for anything.
My right margin was fed with caster, whilst the left margin was fed with meat, which I thought would be my banker for late on. However I was trying my margins a lot sooner than anticipated and eventually managed a carp from the right margin on meat, then had another carp on maggot from the 10m line, before the action stopped again.
Going into the final hour, by persisting with cupping in caster I managed 2 skimmers and a perch, but lost a big skimmer at the net. With the wind easing, I was able to go longer down my margin only to pull out of a decent carp. It’s fair to say I was annoyed at myself, because I probably lost 7-9lb, which would have catapulted me up what was a very tight section.
With 2hrs to go I also set up a new swim 8m at an angle to my left feeding caster & meat, but never had a bite.
A very frustrating, wet and miserable day. For whatever reason I couldn’t pull in any volume of fish. On reflection I may have forced the peg a little too much, but with no fish after 3hrs felt I had no choice. Also being set back the fish had plenty of room to back away from me and they weren’t really in a feeding mood.
The only consolidation was my 3-3 of silvers picked up the silvers by default.
Showing posts with label Plantations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plantations. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
15/04/12 - Plantations - Main Lake
Weight – 43lb 9oz (18lb 0oz – silvers)
Catch – 16 Skimmers, 7 Carp, 3 Roach, 1 Crucian
Weather – Frosty start. Mostly sunny, but cold northerly wind.
Water Temp – 14.6c – 15.3c
Match – Pole Only Series – rd 3 – 12th out of 30 overall (7th out of 10 – sections, 2nd in silvers)
The 3rd round of the Paul Frairs series meant it was my turn to be on Plantations pegs 1-19. Due to the northerly wind that had been blowing for most the week, no one really knew whether the fish would have followed the wind into the high numbers. However the one peg everyone wanted was peg 7, so I was disappointed to pull peg 4, whilst Marks Broomsgrove got Kev Perry to pull peg 7 for him.
My peg was on a small point with anglers either side, whilst those that fish the lake regularly said it was a decent peg, but to be honest I thought I would struggle to compete and that’s the way it turned out. I settled on 2 swims at 14m fished at angles. To my right I started with toss potted 3 & 4mm pellet and to my left I potted ½ a cup of pellet, catapulting 4s over the top. I also started feeding 6mm cubes of meat over my short line for later. Due to the anglers either side I didn’t have a margin to fish which was disappointing.
After an hour I had 5 skimmers all on 4mm expander, but it was really slow going. Andy to my right already had a couple of carp on paste, including one about 10lb, plus pegs 12 & 19 had also caught. The 2nd hour was much the same and I was struggling to get a run of fish together.
An early look over the short meat line, resulted in a bumped carp and a big skimmer. I tried here a couple of times throughout the match, but other than a couple of quick bites I didn’t have anything. Those carp didn’t want to come in close.
Having feed pellet by catapult over my left hand swim, I was hopeful of catching a few, but again I couldn’t get a run together. I caught all my carp from here, plus some better skimmers on hard 6s, but it was a case of continual rotation. Since my right hand swim had failed to produce for a while, decided to pot some meat and pellet, which produced a nice crucian on meat, but other than a couple of quick bites no more fish followed.
With 45mins left 2 handfuls of caster went in at the bottom of the near shelf on my top 3. 15mins later I had 2 skimmers for 5lb which turned out to be crucial as I demoted Andy Hockin on my left into 3rd in silvers.
A difficult day. The fish had obviously followed the wind, since the better weights came from that end with Simon on p12 winning with 113lb mostly on corn. Mark Broomsgrove came 2nd from p7 with 70lb. In hindsight, I perhaps should have feed more, since a couple of anglers including Andy to my right who caught mostly on paste had feed 2-3pts of pellet. I could have also tried shallow and a couple of anglers opposite did catch shallow, however they weren’t catching any quicker than me, plus I didn’t want to miss out on any silvers. Finally my 7 carp were a smaller stamp than normal and I probably missed out on 10-15lb as a result.
Not a complete disaster thanks to my silvers and I am now currently lying 6th in the overalls and 6th in the silvers. Fingers crossed for a couple of decent draws in the remaining matches.
1st 113- 4 – Simon Carvello – plantations 12
2nd 81- 2 – Rod Wootton - plantations 30
3rd 70-11 – Mark Broomsgrove – plantations 7
4th 66-14 – Brian Slipper – plantations 27
5th 66- 2 – Andy Hayson – plantations 18
6th 65- 6 – Dave Wride – acorns match lake 1
Catch – 16 Skimmers, 7 Carp, 3 Roach, 1 Crucian
Weather – Frosty start. Mostly sunny, but cold northerly wind.
Water Temp – 14.6c – 15.3c
Match – Pole Only Series – rd 3 – 12th out of 30 overall (7th out of 10 – sections, 2nd in silvers)
The 3rd round of the Paul Frairs series meant it was my turn to be on Plantations pegs 1-19. Due to the northerly wind that had been blowing for most the week, no one really knew whether the fish would have followed the wind into the high numbers. However the one peg everyone wanted was peg 7, so I was disappointed to pull peg 4, whilst Marks Broomsgrove got Kev Perry to pull peg 7 for him.
My peg was on a small point with anglers either side, whilst those that fish the lake regularly said it was a decent peg, but to be honest I thought I would struggle to compete and that’s the way it turned out. I settled on 2 swims at 14m fished at angles. To my right I started with toss potted 3 & 4mm pellet and to my left I potted ½ a cup of pellet, catapulting 4s over the top. I also started feeding 6mm cubes of meat over my short line for later. Due to the anglers either side I didn’t have a margin to fish which was disappointing.
After an hour I had 5 skimmers all on 4mm expander, but it was really slow going. Andy to my right already had a couple of carp on paste, including one about 10lb, plus pegs 12 & 19 had also caught. The 2nd hour was much the same and I was struggling to get a run of fish together.
An early look over the short meat line, resulted in a bumped carp and a big skimmer. I tried here a couple of times throughout the match, but other than a couple of quick bites I didn’t have anything. Those carp didn’t want to come in close.
Having feed pellet by catapult over my left hand swim, I was hopeful of catching a few, but again I couldn’t get a run together. I caught all my carp from here, plus some better skimmers on hard 6s, but it was a case of continual rotation. Since my right hand swim had failed to produce for a while, decided to pot some meat and pellet, which produced a nice crucian on meat, but other than a couple of quick bites no more fish followed.
With 45mins left 2 handfuls of caster went in at the bottom of the near shelf on my top 3. 15mins later I had 2 skimmers for 5lb which turned out to be crucial as I demoted Andy Hockin on my left into 3rd in silvers.
A difficult day. The fish had obviously followed the wind, since the better weights came from that end with Simon on p12 winning with 113lb mostly on corn. Mark Broomsgrove came 2nd from p7 with 70lb. In hindsight, I perhaps should have feed more, since a couple of anglers including Andy to my right who caught mostly on paste had feed 2-3pts of pellet. I could have also tried shallow and a couple of anglers opposite did catch shallow, however they weren’t catching any quicker than me, plus I didn’t want to miss out on any silvers. Finally my 7 carp were a smaller stamp than normal and I probably missed out on 10-15lb as a result.
Not a complete disaster thanks to my silvers and I am now currently lying 6th in the overalls and 6th in the silvers. Fingers crossed for a couple of decent draws in the remaining matches.
1st 113- 4 – Simon Carvello – plantations 12
2nd 81- 2 – Rod Wootton - plantations 30
3rd 70-11 – Mark Broomsgrove – plantations 7
4th 66-14 – Brian Slipper – plantations 27
5th 66- 2 – Andy Hayson – plantations 18
6th 65- 6 – Dave Wride – acorns match lake 1
Monday, February 27, 2012
26/02/12 - Plantations - Main Lake
Weight – 30lb 3oz (13lb 12oz – silvers)
Catch – 27 Roach, 21 Skimmers, 5 Carp, 1 Perch
Weather – Frosty start. Mostly sunny and flat calm.
Water Temp – 10.8c – 11.3c
Match – Plantations/Acorn Pole Only Series – 9th out of 30 overall, 3rd out of 10 section
I decided to book myself into Plantations/Acorns Pole only series run by Paul Faires and Chris Fox. Although Plantations Main Lake is a venue I have never match fished and today was the first time I have actually seen Acorns, I really wanted to get back to more competitive angling and I do like to fish in a league. The other attraction was it being pole only, so no chucking the plastic pig.
With 2 sections of 10 on Plantations and 1 section of 10 on Acorns, I was really hoping for a draw at Plantations, which I did pulling p38. This also gave me some time to have a practice at Acorns prior to the next round. I have to say I was quite impressed with Acorns. Paddock Lake is proper snake lake with decent width and depth, unlike the narrow shallow hole in the ground at Bullocks.
Back to my peg and I was initially happy, being on the point of the spit, but the advantage I thought I had was reduced when an angler turned up on p32 on the other spit, which according to the locals isn’t normally put in, this meant I couldn’t realistically fish to my right.
My section ran from p39 behind me to p24, so basically the whole of the right hand bank, which was just as well, because there were loads caught down the left hand side.
A frosty start to the day, combined with flat, bright conditions was hardly classic skimmer weather, but still they were my main target with hopefully some carp. A small amount of 3mms was deposited at 14.5m in front, then 14.5m to my left at 45 degrees. Whilst I let that settle I started at 6m, fishing maggot over a ball of groundbait, but I had a real struggle, losing 3 of my first 6 fish, which included a skimmer and a decent roach.
I really wanted to give the long lines time to settle and after 40mins my short line was a struggle, so time to try my long lines. I had a skimmer straight away on 4mm expander and I kept them coming for a couple hours by toss potting a pinch of micros & 4mms every put in. Whenever the roach turned up a small cup of food brought the skimmers back.
Over my left hand swim I had started to catapult 4mm regularly, expecting to pull in a few carp, but this swim never really took off, I had a couple skimmers and a carp, but it was mainly roach nipping at the bait. As the match progressed the roach were becoming a real nuisance and the last 2hrs was very frustrating with very few skimmers or carp. I even tried 6mm hard pellet and was still catching roach in both swims, which really tells its own story – there wasn’t many decent fish in the area. The guy on the other spit had very few skimmers and I just had a gut feeling they moved away into more open water.
Despite the last 2 hours I enjoyed my match, picking up 1st in silvers in section by default. In hindsight I should have re-started my 6m line, but I was convinced the better fish would come back, particularly over the left hand swim where I feed 4mm’s all day. I did try going to 16m, but still more roach, as was my margins.
The weigh in was interesting, with it being in kilos on what was a shoddy set of scales. After every weigh, the question was “what was that in old money?” (2.2lb per kilo).
Overall quite pleased with the result, particularily since I was against a number of regulars. The next 2 rounds are rotated, which means Acorns at the next round, then back to Plantations (p1-p22).
Weights are in kilos
C section
1) Mark Bromsgrove 18.880 peg 25
2) Rich Lovering 18.350 peg 31
Silvers
1) Mark Bromsgrove 8.250 peg 25
2) Ken Rayner 6.230 peg 38
Overall
1) Lewis Walker 31.910 peg 7P
2) Dave Wride 27.840 peg 12P
3) Nick Harvey 19.460 peg 8P
4) Paul Faiers 19.170 peg 5A
5) Mark Bromsgrove 18.800 peg 25P
6) Mike Owens 18.340 3P
Catch – 27 Roach, 21 Skimmers, 5 Carp, 1 Perch
Weather – Frosty start. Mostly sunny and flat calm.
Water Temp – 10.8c – 11.3c
Match – Plantations/Acorn Pole Only Series – 9th out of 30 overall, 3rd out of 10 section
I decided to book myself into Plantations/Acorns Pole only series run by Paul Faires and Chris Fox. Although Plantations Main Lake is a venue I have never match fished and today was the first time I have actually seen Acorns, I really wanted to get back to more competitive angling and I do like to fish in a league. The other attraction was it being pole only, so no chucking the plastic pig.
With 2 sections of 10 on Plantations and 1 section of 10 on Acorns, I was really hoping for a draw at Plantations, which I did pulling p38. This also gave me some time to have a practice at Acorns prior to the next round. I have to say I was quite impressed with Acorns. Paddock Lake is proper snake lake with decent width and depth, unlike the narrow shallow hole in the ground at Bullocks.
Back to my peg and I was initially happy, being on the point of the spit, but the advantage I thought I had was reduced when an angler turned up on p32 on the other spit, which according to the locals isn’t normally put in, this meant I couldn’t realistically fish to my right.
My section ran from p39 behind me to p24, so basically the whole of the right hand bank, which was just as well, because there were loads caught down the left hand side.
A frosty start to the day, combined with flat, bright conditions was hardly classic skimmer weather, but still they were my main target with hopefully some carp. A small amount of 3mms was deposited at 14.5m in front, then 14.5m to my left at 45 degrees. Whilst I let that settle I started at 6m, fishing maggot over a ball of groundbait, but I had a real struggle, losing 3 of my first 6 fish, which included a skimmer and a decent roach.
I really wanted to give the long lines time to settle and after 40mins my short line was a struggle, so time to try my long lines. I had a skimmer straight away on 4mm expander and I kept them coming for a couple hours by toss potting a pinch of micros & 4mms every put in. Whenever the roach turned up a small cup of food brought the skimmers back.
Over my left hand swim I had started to catapult 4mm regularly, expecting to pull in a few carp, but this swim never really took off, I had a couple skimmers and a carp, but it was mainly roach nipping at the bait. As the match progressed the roach were becoming a real nuisance and the last 2hrs was very frustrating with very few skimmers or carp. I even tried 6mm hard pellet and was still catching roach in both swims, which really tells its own story – there wasn’t many decent fish in the area. The guy on the other spit had very few skimmers and I just had a gut feeling they moved away into more open water.
Despite the last 2 hours I enjoyed my match, picking up 1st in silvers in section by default. In hindsight I should have re-started my 6m line, but I was convinced the better fish would come back, particularly over the left hand swim where I feed 4mm’s all day. I did try going to 16m, but still more roach, as was my margins.
The weigh in was interesting, with it being in kilos on what was a shoddy set of scales. After every weigh, the question was “what was that in old money?” (2.2lb per kilo).
Overall quite pleased with the result, particularily since I was against a number of regulars. The next 2 rounds are rotated, which means Acorns at the next round, then back to Plantations (p1-p22).
Weights are in kilos
C section
1) Mark Bromsgrove 18.880 peg 25
2) Rich Lovering 18.350 peg 31
Silvers
1) Mark Bromsgrove 8.250 peg 25
2) Ken Rayner 6.230 peg 38
Overall
1) Lewis Walker 31.910 peg 7P
2) Dave Wride 27.840 peg 12P
3) Nick Harvey 19.460 peg 8P
4) Paul Faiers 19.170 peg 5A
5) Mark Bromsgrove 18.800 peg 25P
6) Mike Owens 18.340 3P
Saturday, February 25, 2012
24/02/12 - Plantations - Main Lake
Weight – 59lb 6oz (20lb 14oz – silvers)
Catch – 24 Skimmers, 20 Roach, 10 Carp, 2 Crucians, 1 Tench
Weather – Mild, but grey & cloudy. Westerly wind.
Water Temp – 10.1c – 10.3c
Sapphire had her stiches removed today and she looks a lot brighter and is moving around more freely. So following the visit to the vets, I decided to have the rest of the day off and practice at Plantations for the forthcoming series.
I haven’t fished here for 18 months, so felt I needed to do some sort of reccy. When I arrived there was already an angler on peg 39, who was also fishing in the series. Due to the wind I decided to fish the far bank, which was more sheltered, however there were 2 carp anglers in peg 27 and thought it best to stay clear of them, so I settled on peg 32, which offered me plenty of open water and a chance to try a few things and sort some rigs.
I eventually got started at 11.15, fishing at 6m for roach on caster, but after an initial burst of fish struggled to keep them coming quickly, fishing on the deck seemed best, whilst fishing half depth only produced small roach. Since this was only going to be a backup line, I didn’t concentrate on it, deciding to focus my attention on the skimmers.
2 swims were set-up at 13/14m left and right, initially potting 3mm and a few 4mms in my left hand swim, followed up by toss potting a pinch of pellet every put in. The right hand swim was feed with 4mms by catapult.
After spending 40mins at 6m, it was time to try the left hand swim, using a 0.4g SZ munkeez and 4mm expander. Almost immediately I started catching skimmers, plus a couple of carp and 2 1lb+ crucians.
The reaction from the right hand swim was a little odd. I expected to catch a few carp, but the roach were proving to be a problem, completely ragging the expander and fishing corn only produced 1 skimmer. I continued catapulting pellet, hoping to draw a few carp from the island. When I went back to the swim, fishing 4mm hard pellet produced a better a response as well as being more resistant to the attentions of the roach, but I did pick some more skimmers, a small carp and a near 2lb tench.
As for my margins, I had being feeding to my right by a partially sunken tree, periodically trying with various baits, but again the roach were in attendance. Towards the end of the session, I dumped ½pt of caster, which produced 2 carp on double caster, including a proper fish of 11-11.
Speaking to the angler who had fished p39, reckoned he had about 50lb, mostly carp from the margin on meat and corn. It appears the lake has been fishing hard, particularly on the pole, with most weights coming to feeder, so a pole only match on Sunday should be interesting.
Anyway an enjoyable day and more confidence gained using soft pellet.
Catch – 24 Skimmers, 20 Roach, 10 Carp, 2 Crucians, 1 Tench
Weather – Mild, but grey & cloudy. Westerly wind.
Water Temp – 10.1c – 10.3c
Sapphire had her stiches removed today and she looks a lot brighter and is moving around more freely. So following the visit to the vets, I decided to have the rest of the day off and practice at Plantations for the forthcoming series.
I haven’t fished here for 18 months, so felt I needed to do some sort of reccy. When I arrived there was already an angler on peg 39, who was also fishing in the series. Due to the wind I decided to fish the far bank, which was more sheltered, however there were 2 carp anglers in peg 27 and thought it best to stay clear of them, so I settled on peg 32, which offered me plenty of open water and a chance to try a few things and sort some rigs.
I eventually got started at 11.15, fishing at 6m for roach on caster, but after an initial burst of fish struggled to keep them coming quickly, fishing on the deck seemed best, whilst fishing half depth only produced small roach. Since this was only going to be a backup line, I didn’t concentrate on it, deciding to focus my attention on the skimmers.
2 swims were set-up at 13/14m left and right, initially potting 3mm and a few 4mms in my left hand swim, followed up by toss potting a pinch of pellet every put in. The right hand swim was feed with 4mms by catapult.
After spending 40mins at 6m, it was time to try the left hand swim, using a 0.4g SZ munkeez and 4mm expander. Almost immediately I started catching skimmers, plus a couple of carp and 2 1lb+ crucians.
The reaction from the right hand swim was a little odd. I expected to catch a few carp, but the roach were proving to be a problem, completely ragging the expander and fishing corn only produced 1 skimmer. I continued catapulting pellet, hoping to draw a few carp from the island. When I went back to the swim, fishing 4mm hard pellet produced a better a response as well as being more resistant to the attentions of the roach, but I did pick some more skimmers, a small carp and a near 2lb tench.
As for my margins, I had being feeding to my right by a partially sunken tree, periodically trying with various baits, but again the roach were in attendance. Towards the end of the session, I dumped ½pt of caster, which produced 2 carp on double caster, including a proper fish of 11-11.
Speaking to the angler who had fished p39, reckoned he had about 50lb, mostly carp from the margin on meat and corn. It appears the lake has been fishing hard, particularly on the pole, with most weights coming to feeder, so a pole only match on Sunday should be interesting.
Anyway an enjoyable day and more confidence gained using soft pellet.
Monday, December 14, 2009
13/12/09 - Plantations - Main Lake
Weight – 25lb 5oz
Catch – 20 Roach, 6 Skimmers, 5 Carp
Weather – Cold, mostly sunny, northerly breeze.
Water Temp – 7c > 7c
After our trip a few weeks ago Rich wanted me to take him fishing again. This time I decided on the main lake at Plantations, but the weather had certainly become a lot colder, which meant a difficult day ahead.
Rich sat on peg 7, whilst I was on 8. I started on the straight lead & double corn, cast towards the island, which resulted in 2 carp in the 1st 45mins. I tried the waggler over the tip line, but except for a couple liners I didn’t catch.
I also set up 2 pole lines, 13m at 11o’clock feeding caster and 14.m at 1o’clock feeding micros dusted with green swim stim. The LH swim produced small roach, whilst the RH produced 4 skimmers on 4mm pellet, before 2 carp put in an appearance completely buggering up the swim. A couple of small skimmers followed, but it was a struggle. In the end I probably overfed the swim trying to kick start it again.
Had I stayed on the tip I would probably doubled my weight, but it isn’t my favourite method, so I preserved with the waggler and the pellet swim longer than normal.
As for Rich, although I helped him set up he struggled for most of the day, landing a carp and a skimmer late in the day. However it made me appreciate how far I have come as angler and the kit I use. Unfortunately for Rich he lost 2 carp under his rod tip, because his rod £10 rod off e-bay didn’t have a parabolic action, so when the fish made a final lunge the rod blank locked up resulting in a hook pull. To be fair him whilst disappointed to lose the fish, he was happy to learn and he did pick up a few more tips.
One tip I learnt myself, was don’t have a hot curry the night before you go fishing! Having been to the loo when I woke up, I found myself needing to go again when I got to Plantations. I thought I could wait for the café to open at 10am, but no. A quick 5min trip to Bullocks Farm was required, where their toilet is open 24hrs. Is that why they are called conveniences?
Catch – 20 Roach, 6 Skimmers, 5 Carp
Weather – Cold, mostly sunny, northerly breeze.
Water Temp – 7c > 7c
After our trip a few weeks ago Rich wanted me to take him fishing again. This time I decided on the main lake at Plantations, but the weather had certainly become a lot colder, which meant a difficult day ahead.
Rich sat on peg 7, whilst I was on 8. I started on the straight lead & double corn, cast towards the island, which resulted in 2 carp in the 1st 45mins. I tried the waggler over the tip line, but except for a couple liners I didn’t catch.
I also set up 2 pole lines, 13m at 11o’clock feeding caster and 14.m at 1o’clock feeding micros dusted with green swim stim. The LH swim produced small roach, whilst the RH produced 4 skimmers on 4mm pellet, before 2 carp put in an appearance completely buggering up the swim. A couple of small skimmers followed, but it was a struggle. In the end I probably overfed the swim trying to kick start it again.
Had I stayed on the tip I would probably doubled my weight, but it isn’t my favourite method, so I preserved with the waggler and the pellet swim longer than normal.
As for Rich, although I helped him set up he struggled for most of the day, landing a carp and a skimmer late in the day. However it made me appreciate how far I have come as angler and the kit I use. Unfortunately for Rich he lost 2 carp under his rod tip, because his rod £10 rod off e-bay didn’t have a parabolic action, so when the fish made a final lunge the rod blank locked up resulting in a hook pull. To be fair him whilst disappointed to lose the fish, he was happy to learn and he did pick up a few more tips.
One tip I learnt myself, was don’t have a hot curry the night before you go fishing! Having been to the loo when I woke up, I found myself needing to go again when I got to Plantations. I thought I could wait for the café to open at 10am, but no. A quick 5min trip to Bullocks Farm was required, where their toilet is open 24hrs. Is that why they are called conveniences?
Monday, September 7, 2009
06/09/09 - Plantations - Horsehsoe Lake
Weight – 14lb 11oz
Catch – 10 Bream, 7 Roach, 4 Carp
Weather – Sunny, becoming increasingly windy
Water Temp– 16.0c > 17.0c
Match – Club Match – 3rd overall
I really didn’t know where I wanted to draw, but with the wind blowing into the bottom of the lake, that would seem favourite. When I drew 2 pegs to the left of were I fished yesterday in the middle I was a little disappointed. There were 3 of us sharing the same island, Graham to my left and Stuart opposite.
I decided on 4 swims, the island, 11.5m at the bottom of the shelf slightly to my right, 10m to my right at the bottom of the near shelf and the margin at 4m to my right.
Having fed my deep water (4ft) swims, I immediately started tight to the island with paste feeding 4mm with the paste. 10mins later I had 2 carp and thought great, but that was it and the rest of the match proved to be a struggle. I had a few skimmers from the bottom of the shelf swims, but had to set up a heavier rig after 2 hour changing from a jolly 4x14 to a polar ice 0.5g because the wind was becoming increasingly troublesome. I could hardly catch on pellet or corn, with most of my fish coming to double red maggot, including a small carp.
The island swim produced another carp late on, whilst I never had a bite in my margin.
This lake has a reputation as a good pleasure fishing water, but a difficult match water and so it proved. Craig only needed 32lb to win the match, beating Chris by 1lb. This was Craig’s first match win, so he was happy. He caught carp on top of the bar at 12m, using maggot, he even had a chub, which must have lost its way. Well done Craig.
I am sure the cool weather during the week had a bearing on results and I got the feeling fishing chopped worm & caster would have been a better way to go.
As for the league, I managed to increase my lead by 1pt.
1st Ken Rayner 156pts
2nd Ian Pople 150
3rd Andy Lord 141
4th Craig Davidge 137
5th Jim Taylor 126
Catch – 10 Bream, 7 Roach, 4 Carp
Weather – Sunny, becoming increasingly windy
Water Temp– 16.0c > 17.0c
Match – Club Match – 3rd overall
I really didn’t know where I wanted to draw, but with the wind blowing into the bottom of the lake, that would seem favourite. When I drew 2 pegs to the left of were I fished yesterday in the middle I was a little disappointed. There were 3 of us sharing the same island, Graham to my left and Stuart opposite.
I decided on 4 swims, the island, 11.5m at the bottom of the shelf slightly to my right, 10m to my right at the bottom of the near shelf and the margin at 4m to my right.
Having fed my deep water (4ft) swims, I immediately started tight to the island with paste feeding 4mm with the paste. 10mins later I had 2 carp and thought great, but that was it and the rest of the match proved to be a struggle. I had a few skimmers from the bottom of the shelf swims, but had to set up a heavier rig after 2 hour changing from a jolly 4x14 to a polar ice 0.5g because the wind was becoming increasingly troublesome. I could hardly catch on pellet or corn, with most of my fish coming to double red maggot, including a small carp.
The island swim produced another carp late on, whilst I never had a bite in my margin.
This lake has a reputation as a good pleasure fishing water, but a difficult match water and so it proved. Craig only needed 32lb to win the match, beating Chris by 1lb. This was Craig’s first match win, so he was happy. He caught carp on top of the bar at 12m, using maggot, he even had a chub, which must have lost its way. Well done Craig.
I am sure the cool weather during the week had a bearing on results and I got the feeling fishing chopped worm & caster would have been a better way to go.
As for the league, I managed to increase my lead by 1pt.
1st Ken Rayner 156pts
2nd Ian Pople 150
3rd Andy Lord 141
4th Craig Davidge 137
5th Jim Taylor 126
05/09/09 - Plantations - Horseshoe Lake
Weight – 41lb 7oz
Catch – 15 Roach, 13 Bream, 11 Carp, 3 Rudd, 2 Perch
Weather – Cloudy, blustery, showers.
Water Temp– 15.5c > 16.0c
Really going through loads of emotions at the moment. On the positive side I’ve changed jobs internally, which whilst daunting does offer a new set of challenges and in the long term should get me back to earning some decent money again. My fishing has been going well, with the last 4 trips accounting for 714lb. Suzanne on the other hand is really having a mare. A few weeks ago I commented every time we take 2 steps forward, we have to take 1 back, unfortunately it now feels like 3 steps back. Once Sue is up and running, things will improve, but at the moment we have been let down by 2x 3rd parties, which is bloody frustrating.
As for today’s session it really was a practice session for tomorrows match. The last time I fished here was about 18 months ago, so I was really unsure how to approach the match.
A week of heavy rains and cooler weather, I was sure would have an effect. I started on the pole at 3m, fishing maggot, but after 45 mins, I only had 17 small fish and no signs of it improving. I had been catapulting 4mm to the island and fed micro pellet at the bottom of the shelf.
As the session progressed I caught skimmers on the 11m line with soft pellet or corn. The island swim initially produced some carp shallow, but they kept drifting in and out of the swim, I tried paste tight across, which produced a couple more of fish. To finish the session I tried down the edge, where I had been feeding 4 & 6mm, this produced 3 more carp, including my biggest of the session at 7-11.
I am glad I made the effort, because I now had a clearer plan for tomorrow. As for the venue, it has great potential and I know the owners son did a lot of work 2/3 years, but since he has stopped his involvement the lake has been allowed to overgrow. There was a handful of swims that have been allowed to overgrow and the reeds make fishing the margins any longer than 4m impossible.
Catch – 15 Roach, 13 Bream, 11 Carp, 3 Rudd, 2 Perch
Weather – Cloudy, blustery, showers.
Water Temp– 15.5c > 16.0c
Really going through loads of emotions at the moment. On the positive side I’ve changed jobs internally, which whilst daunting does offer a new set of challenges and in the long term should get me back to earning some decent money again. My fishing has been going well, with the last 4 trips accounting for 714lb. Suzanne on the other hand is really having a mare. A few weeks ago I commented every time we take 2 steps forward, we have to take 1 back, unfortunately it now feels like 3 steps back. Once Sue is up and running, things will improve, but at the moment we have been let down by 2x 3rd parties, which is bloody frustrating.
As for today’s session it really was a practice session for tomorrows match. The last time I fished here was about 18 months ago, so I was really unsure how to approach the match.
A week of heavy rains and cooler weather, I was sure would have an effect. I started on the pole at 3m, fishing maggot, but after 45 mins, I only had 17 small fish and no signs of it improving. I had been catapulting 4mm to the island and fed micro pellet at the bottom of the shelf.
As the session progressed I caught skimmers on the 11m line with soft pellet or corn. The island swim initially produced some carp shallow, but they kept drifting in and out of the swim, I tried paste tight across, which produced a couple more of fish. To finish the session I tried down the edge, where I had been feeding 4 & 6mm, this produced 3 more carp, including my biggest of the session at 7-11.
I am glad I made the effort, because I now had a clearer plan for tomorrow. As for the venue, it has great potential and I know the owners son did a lot of work 2/3 years, but since he has stopped his involvement the lake has been allowed to overgrow. There was a handful of swims that have been allowed to overgrow and the reeds make fishing the margins any longer than 4m impossible.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
06/08/09 - Plantations - Main Lake
Weight – 91lb 0oz
Catch – 23 Carp, 1 Fantail.
Weather – Bright start, becoming showery
Water Temp– 20.5c > 20.5c
Spent a day fishing with James & my godson Ross. It is nearly 10 months since we last got together, so we felt it was about time!
Decided on the main lake at Plantations, simply because Jim doesn’t do much pole fishing and Plantations offered plenty of open water for the waggler or lead. I set Ross up with 1 of my lead rods and told him he would catch soon. He gave me a disbelieving look, which soon changed to a big smile when he landed a 2lb carp after 5 minutes.
As for myself, I decided to keep things simple, purely because I knew I would periodically be required to help Jim & Ross, so I settled on the pellet waggler cast towards the island.
The challenge today was the very flat conditions with no ripple on the surface. Fishing was never hectic. I would catch a couple, then nothing, catch a couple more then nothing.
However I did have to contend with the old boy to my right casting a dirty great big method feeder, getting closer and closer to my swim. When he left, a couple of young lads started casting a 2oz lead towards the island from the corner of the lake! It amazes me the lack of respect some people have. As it happen he caught the island and lost his rig – oh well never mind. And finally there was the ducks! Need I say more?
The real issue today was the flat conditions, I am certain had there been a ripple the fish would have fed more confidently. I initially struggled on a 14 B960 to 0.19, but when I switched to 16 B960 to 0.17 I started to catch more regularly. I also lost a few fish some were foul hookers, but I think the majority were only lightly hooked, because of the carp I actually landed most were only nicked in the lips.
Jim & Ross had an enjoyable day, catching 51lb. Jim spent most of his time on the tip, whilst Ross was well pleased to catch 3½lb of silvers on the whip.
Catch – 23 Carp, 1 Fantail.
Weather – Bright start, becoming showery
Water Temp– 20.5c > 20.5c
Spent a day fishing with James & my godson Ross. It is nearly 10 months since we last got together, so we felt it was about time!
Decided on the main lake at Plantations, simply because Jim doesn’t do much pole fishing and Plantations offered plenty of open water for the waggler or lead. I set Ross up with 1 of my lead rods and told him he would catch soon. He gave me a disbelieving look, which soon changed to a big smile when he landed a 2lb carp after 5 minutes.
As for myself, I decided to keep things simple, purely because I knew I would periodically be required to help Jim & Ross, so I settled on the pellet waggler cast towards the island.
The challenge today was the very flat conditions with no ripple on the surface. Fishing was never hectic. I would catch a couple, then nothing, catch a couple more then nothing.
However I did have to contend with the old boy to my right casting a dirty great big method feeder, getting closer and closer to my swim. When he left, a couple of young lads started casting a 2oz lead towards the island from the corner of the lake! It amazes me the lack of respect some people have. As it happen he caught the island and lost his rig – oh well never mind. And finally there was the ducks! Need I say more?
The real issue today was the flat conditions, I am certain had there been a ripple the fish would have fed more confidently. I initially struggled on a 14 B960 to 0.19, but when I switched to 16 B960 to 0.17 I started to catch more regularly. I also lost a few fish some were foul hookers, but I think the majority were only lightly hooked, because of the carp I actually landed most were only nicked in the lips.
Jim & Ross had an enjoyable day, catching 51lb. Jim spent most of his time on the tip, whilst Ross was well pleased to catch 3½lb of silvers on the whip.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
