Unfortunately Devon couldn’t field a full team for the latest Inter Counties match due to various reasons, none of which were due to the fact that they lost the last one at home! But I was pleased to hear that John Forster was going to run the fixture as an open at Oakside Fishery near Newquay. I was really looking forward to getting amongst the lakes prolific head of silvers again.
Drawmaster
I was hovering near the front of the queue waiting for the draw and I was handed the drawbag to help out. I didn’t want to draw for myself and as Harry was close by I asked him to draw mine. Now if you are going to get someone to draw a peg for you make sure you ask a grandmaster! He pulled out peg 12 for me, which actually didn’t mean a lot as I have no knowledge of the pegs as yet. Harry drew peg 10 in the same section so I did know I would have to be up for the challenge.
I wandered around to the peg and found that the strong wind was directly into my face but at least it wasn’t raining. I had an open water peg and I decided that it was going to be out and out pole day. I put on the rig that I used last time I was here so that I could have a plumb around. I was amazed to find about 9’ of water at five metres, there seemed to be a flat spot there and if I went half a section further it was slowly getting deeper. I didn’t fancy making life difficult and certainly didn’t want to fish in deeper water. So that was it a nice easy day at 5 metres. The rig was my favourite Cralusso Capri a .75 version with an olivette about 18’’ from the hook with a couple of droppers. The hook was a PR21 size 18 on .12 hook length. I also setup a lighter .3 gram version to fish at top kit length to my left in about 3 ½ foot of water. Two up in the water rigs completed my tackle, these were Carpa casters on .12 line direct to a 18 PR21.
The Plan
Bait wise I had three pints of casters and a pint of maggots, corn and some worms and 2 bags of Green Swim Stim groundbait. My plan was to cup in six balls of GB at the start containing some chopped worms and caster and then loose feed casters over the top to hopefully bring the fish up in the water. I was also going to loosefeed my close line just to see if
I could catch there. At the start that is exactly what I did and I went straight over the GB fishing a worms head. I immediately started getting indications and caught the odd small roach that was grateful for my offering. It wasn’t going mad though. Neil Kippax to my right was catching more roach by fishing longer and I knew that he had only fed one ball of GB. I could hear that Harry was struggling. Mark Lazell to my left was catching fishing the pellet on the feeder towards the island.
I just kept plugging away and my swim slowly started to get a little stronger. After 30 minutes I had a try up in the water but didn’t catch. Back on the deck I was getting fish so I just stuck to my plan. A look on the inside didn’t produce anything so I decided to introduce some GB here to see what happened. Back on the five metre line for a few more roach and the very odd skimmer but I knew that I needed to catch faster to do any good. I tried my close line and was pleased to get a run of roach up to 6 oz but I couldn’t keep them coming, just three or four fish before they backed off, I put it down to the water clarity.
On the top
After about two hours I guess I had about 6lb, I was pleased to see a vortex when I fed some more casters over my five metre line. I was out there shallow immediately and was surprised to see the elastic just pull out of my pole tip! A nice 6 oz roach was the culprit. It was solid for about 30 minutes I just couldn’t get out quick enough but I could feel it fading away, they were obviously hungry but didn’t want to be so close to the bank. I put on another two sections, fed some casters longer and within five minutes it was roachtastic again a few small skimmers and hybrids were also feeding amongst them. That was the way it stayed until the end of the match with roach of all sizes taking the caster hook bait.
The scales arrived with the news that Tony Williams was top weight with 21lb from the opposite bank, I was sure I had more than that and was pleased to record 27lb 10oz. I knew from bank walkers that Andy Dare was going to have a big weight from peg 19 as he had been catching Bream from the off, he didn’t disappoint recording 40lb 12oz for victory.
Other weights were Martyn Newstead and Billy Arch both 19lb 09oz, Mark Lazell 17lb 11oz and Rob Fuller 16lb 11oz. This is only the second time that I have fished this venue but I can see it becoming a favourite.
Sunday saw us all assemble at Mawgan Porth for the Mike Yates run Real Cornwall summer series, there were 33 fishing including some visiting anglers who were after a match, with these numbers I knew it was going to fish hard, and man was I right! It was imperative to draw one of the pegs that gave a little more room as the carp were going to back away from the crowded areas. I had my dip and out came 44 I didn’t fancy it at all, I mentioned the peg to Harry and he just grimaced confirming my suspicions.
The Pier
I have had this peg before and struggled when there was a good turnout. One of the things that annoys me about it is that it is so high off the water, I felt like I was fishing of a pier! Never mind that’s the nature of the beast you just have to get on with it.
I set up my normal rigs for the edge .2 Capri’s but I scaled down to a size 18 hook and .16 line as the winning weight was going to be lower today in the region of 100lb. I also setup a similar rig to fish at 3 metres straight out in front of me. I also plumbed up to 6 metres out. It’s funny I could sense anglers watching me plumb up long and could ‘hear’ them thinking he doesn’t know the water as they were setting up down the edge rigs only.
Bait was to be casters and maggots with a few fishery pellets and some expanders for the hook I also had some corn. On the whistle I put two red maggots on the hook and threw a few casters around the float. I saw the water colour up with feeding fish and the float buried. I had three quick carp on the spin followed by nothing! I kept on with it and before long the float started going under again but they were small skimmers. Now these are a real pain for two reasons. The first is they do not count! And secondly fishery rules state ALL fish have to be netted even ½ oz fish! Rules are rules and they have to be obeyed, but this one winds me up big time!
It was time to have a look at 3 metres a couple of carp followed by skimmers! Change line longer couple of carp followed by skimmers. Longer still same result. In the end I fished longer than I fed, this kept the skimmers away and got me a few carp but not enough. I could see anglers changing tact and getting pole sections out, but it was fishing really hard all over. Harry was on peg 46 and getting a few, I could also see Andy Partridge catching on 29 but the rest of us were struggling with a capital S. A change of hook bait to corn got me the odd fish but I never was at the races, in fact I finished in 17th place with 25lb probably my lowest weight ever at Mawgan Porth. Still the game is called fishing and not catching, if we sacked up on every occasion I’m sure we would tire of it!
I was pleased to see that Skip McCabe won the match with 121lb 13oz from peg 5 he had a quiet couple of hours before he found the fish. Talking to him afterwards he told me he never had a skimmer and he fed casters all match! Well done Skip. Second was venue grandmaster Andy Partridge (Spro) with 105lb 12oz followed by none other than the Pirate Jim Smith with 71lb 15oz on his first visit, he just edge out the other grandmaster Harry Billing by 12oz!
It was a shame that Mawgan Porth fished poorly for the match as it is a first class fishery, it can be temperamental though when there is a good turnout, but today was hard.
Stewart - I am having problems with finding a decent expander hook pellet which will stay on the hook. Do you mind me asking what type/brand etc you use because I am getting exasperated. I’ve tried the Sonubaits hook pellets which I find much too hard and the fish seem to go off after a few minutes of using them. Regards John L
John I use VDE pellets and find them ok. But I suggest you have a go at making jelly pellets. Look on the forum for a thread called jelly pellets there are some really good ideas on there. Tight Lines.
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Tom
