By Joe | No Comments
Last updated: Monday, May 19, 2008

Well what a week! Firstly I had the joy of a funeral which caused me to miss the Match Fishing Cup, I was so gutted about this and simply had to go and get wasted! Anyway after the doom and gloom of the funeral I was delighted when I was recovering the next day I got a phone call from Mick at Dynamite Baits and he confirmed my sponsorship deal with the company. I was over the moon and hope I can deliver the goods under my first sponsorship!!! Time will tell.

As last week I decided to stay local and go to the Oaks at Sessay again for both days, now this weekend was the complete opposite to last with very cold temperatures and a good bit of wind to combat. Although to be honest I fancied it more this weekend. Once more I was travelling to The Oaks with Ian Bowman and once again he drew next to me!

There were about 40 on for the Saturday match which is about normal and gives everyone plenty of space as its an 80 peg lake. I had drawn peg 8 with Ian on peg 10, now this has been a very good area so we were well pleased. I had decided after last Sunday to just fish maggot all weekend and had brought 6 pints with me for sat and expected to have to buy the same amount on Sunday. The shop on site does a gallon for £12 so its not too hard on the wallet and it’s a very consistent method so you usually catch a few.

I decided to set a rig up for in front of the sedges which is about 2 foot(ish) a line for the mud and that was it. I thought it would be a 70lb day at least and I didn’t really fancy shallow again so felt id need to end up catching on one line or the other.

Rigs for the day weere 4×10 carpa bullys on 0.10 and a 16 801 with white hydro.

Ian had decided to fish pellets and it would be a good indication as to which we felt was the better method, I started my match by big potting on the mud swim and putting a good handful on the 2 foot swim, after 30 mins I’d not had a bite! Ian was on 3 fish and the lad to my left was biteless too, oh I thought!!! I finally had 2 ide on the bounce then an 2lb f1 on the 2ft swim but really wasn’t going anywhere.

After two hours Ian had about 15lb and I was still on 2 ide and an f1. I decided a re think was in order so got off my box and set up a track rig, which was a 4×14 carpa chimp on 0.10 with a spread bulk and two 11’s droppers and a 16 801 and white hydro. I decided to fish two lines at the base of the shelf in about 5ft of water left and right. I filled a big pot up and spread it over the two lines and left it for 5 mins.
Soon as I went on it I had a 1lb skimmer, then an f1 then another. By filling the biggest preston cad pot up and feeding the two lines I had the small fish lined up and it was a case of taking a fish from the left swim, re feeding it and fishing the right hand one. I had about 30 fish in the 3rd and 4th hour until it finally dried up. I then had a bad half hour where I couldn’t really catch so decided to finish the match on the mud swim which id kept primed all match, I had 7 fish on it which was a bonus and I felt once again it would be very close between me and ian, as he had, had very few fish but they where big ones!!!! I weighed 42lb and ian had 38lb happy days!!!! I also won the section so my good run continues. Andy Stonner won the match with 57lb off peg 17.

On Sunday the weather was a bit better, but I wasn’t expecting it to fish any better as the fish seemed to be suffering after spawning and with the sudden weather change but I wasn’t going to make the same mistake of not having a track rig set up! Someone asked me before the draw where I fancied and I said same peg as yesterday, I was delighted to draw peg 9!!!! Next to yesterdays peg. With 68 fishing there wasn’t many spare pegs but luckily I had one to my right. I really fancied it and had a gallon of maggots with me!!! They where having it!!!! Rigs where same as yesterday and my approach was going to be the same, although I was more likely to feed and fish the track after about an hour. I kicked off across and 2 ide after 20 minutes were encouraging and I was starting to get some signs on the 2 foot line, and quickly had 2 f1s about 10oz a piece.

It died again though, the fish seemed to be coming straight to the feed but not eating and spooking straight away it was really strange. Anyway after an hour no one was catching an I was hoping my track line would do me proud again, I fed it after an hour and went on it 5 minutes later and started catching the small f1s, ide, skimmers and odd mirror straight away. It wasn’t brilliant but it was much better and I was catching more than anyone I could see. I probably had 26-27 fish after 3 hours and was probably winning the match!

As it was fishing really hard again. Once again though it dried up and to be honest I never really got the impression there was ‘that’ many fish there even when I was catching well. So a switch back to the 2 foot line was in order and after a 5minute wait I had a better fish, an f1 about 2lb I had about 10 in quick succession for another 15lb and thought id catch there till the end but it died too id been priming the mud line again but couldn’t see anything. Now this can be a good thing as when you cant see them you don’t get any liners and every bite is a proper bite. And with half an hour to go had a look I had 5 more and lost 1, one of which was about 4lb which was very welcome. At the all out I knew id won my section, I felt I had around 40lb and if rumour was right id frame with that. I weighed 50lb 14oz and won the match HAPPY DAYS!!!!!!

And after a lovely Thai green curry in the Oaks canteen I picked up nearly 190 quid so I was dead chuffed and also had my first win for my new sponsor-brilliant. So after another hard weekend and about 15 pints of maggots later I kept up my good run at oaks that’s 6 pick ups in 6 matches now, it definitely has to blow next week!!!!