By Matt | No Comments
Last updated: Sunday, March 2, 2008

This Saturday was the last chance that I had to practice at Cudmore for our semi final, and what a gruelling day it was! All night I could hear the wind howling, and I was really dreading drawing on the new pools again, which are really open.

Me and Tom got there in time for a quick walk around. The canal lakes seemed a bit sheltered, although it was still very gusty, and the new pools had it blowing straight down the middle. At the draw I did the usual and pulled out one of the new pools, pool 4 peg 103. I hadn’t fished this lake before, so despite the wind I was looking forward to it.

When I got the peg the waves were lapping over still, so the first and probably only thing to come out after the flask, sandwiches, mars bar, and Jaffa cakes was the tip rod. I set up a running rig as usual, with a 1/2oz bomb, and a 2 foot tail of 0.11 powerline to a size 18 B911 eyed hook with a hair rig. I positioned my box so I was nice and comfy, facing away from the wind. I mixed up some crushed pellet to put in a small feeder, and set my line clip to the far bank just in case I needed to try there. I did plumb a pole rig up on the top 5, but I couldn’t even hold that so I didn’t expect fishing it.

ALL IN!!!

At the off I baited up with a piece of corn and cast two thirds of the way across the lake. Most people on the new pools had started using similar tactics from what I could see, either a feeder or a bomb. The tip was bouncing like mad with the waves! Carl Rowley on the next peg hadn’t even been to bed after a heavy night out, and still managed a decent roach first chuck on the feeder! I got a few liners after half an hour, and then Carl hooked a large carp, which came off at the net. At least there were a few fish moving.

I kept dropping shorter, and after an hour got my first proper pull round, which resulted in a mirror carp of around 2lb. I baited up with corn again and cast to the same spot. There’s only so much you can do when chucking a bomb out in weather like that, so I tried to be a bit methodical and cast to a new place every 15 minutes if I didn’t get a bite. I caught a carp next cast, a similar size, but then had an hour with no signs at all.

A few people were trying to fish the pole short, and the odd one was catching small roach, but I decided to stick it out on the tip. Casting to my right resulted in three more mirrors in the next hour, and also a lost fish, which I think was an F1. The guy 2 pegs down had caught 5 carp at this stage too, and as far as I could see, me and him were doing best in the section.
At the half way stage I decided to try the top 5 pole line, but it was a real struggle. The wind was turning me round on the box, even at that distance! I managed three roach and a skimmer around a pound, but felt I was going nowhere with it.

Back on the bomb and it was still dead, so I clipped on a medium Drennan cage feeder to hit the far bank, and filled it with the fishery’s own crushed pellets, sticking with hair rigged corn. Corn is highly visible in the coloured rough water. It had been in for a good 15 minutes, and just as I picked the rod up to re-cast, it flew round, with what felt like a better fish. It dogged around and made a few runs, but after a five minute scrap I was a 5lb mirror better off!

It was straight out to the same spot, but I only managed one roach in the next half hour, so I switched back to the bomb. No bites came so I tried a smaller hook with maggots, but still had nothing. With an hour to go a change to a hair rigged expander brought another humpty back mirror of 3lb, my 7th carp of the day. The guy two pegs down had got 6 carp and some roach, so I was praying for the tip to go round in the last few minutes.

The old trick worked, pouring a cup of coffee from the flask with ten minutes to go. The rod flew round when the cup was half full, and I was juggling the cup burning myself whilst back winding with a carp on the end….who says men can’t multi task? This turned out to be my last fish. The two either side of me threw there fish back, each had a carp and some bits. The guy with 6 carp weighed in 13lb 11oz I was pleased to see the dial go round to 22lb 06oz when I tipped my fish on and won the section with that.

Tom Scholey also did well, finishing second in his section with 18lb, and the rest of the Triana lads did well too, winning a few sections. As I said before, it’s not the most thrilling kind of fishing, just casting out a lump of lead and not feeding, but you can still try little things that might catch you an extra fish, like pouring a drink from the flask, and even dipping in a biscuit if it’s really hard!!!

I’m off on a school trip until Friday…..joy! I’ve had to have Sunday off to get my gear ready for the big match next week. I’m hoping we haven’t had our success a week early and that we’ve still got some luck left for the match!

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