Freezing at Lindholme!

This week saw me travel back to Lindholme lakes for the winter league, where the ‘winter’ side of things certainly showed through, it was bloody freezing! On the way there with Sir Tom, we had two phone calls to warn us of the ice on the road down to the fishery, where there was already a car in the ditch! It was absolutely bitter, and we even purchased some hand warmers at the draw! I was also experimenting with the flask a little, as I was trying hot chocolate instead of the usual coffee. I drank every last drop and basically didn’t catch much so I’ve blabbered on about the rigs I used and how I fished!

I ended up drawing on the Bonsai Lake, peg 9, which is in the ‘unfavourable’ half that is fairly shallow and only a short pole reach to the islands. A few people said that it would be mega hard and just try to catch a fish! Brilliant! Never the less, the peg actually looked gorgeous, with two points of an island to fish to and a reed bed at 13m in front of me. Tom drew an absolute flyer, the best peg in the universe that wins every single match.

I set up four different rigs and plumbed up 8 areas to fish all over the peg. The first rig was a 4×12 Carpa chimp on 0.10 lines to a 20 B911 hook. I plumbed up three lines down the central track in the deepest areas I could find, at around 4 foot. One was straight in front at 8 sections, with the other two lines at 10 and 2 o’clock angles either side of me. I then, very optimistically set up a ‘bagging’ rig, with a Crallusso Capri float on 0.12 lines to an 18 hook.

My next plan of attack was the island, where again I plumbed up three areas. Two were at 16m to either point where I had around 3½ feet of water, just going up the shelf. I planned on these being my best lines, near cover in a good depth, and far away from me. I also set up a line to the bank in front of me where the reeds came out, and I had about 3 feet of water. I even got out a picker rod with a bomb encase the wind got bad or I needed to cast into anyone else’s peg to get a bite.

I fed most of m lines at the off with 20 micro pellets and a couple of maggots. I also fed a tin nugget of fishmeal on one of my track lines with a few maggots to try for a skimmer or ide. I spent the first 40 minutes on the track lines, and despite trying every colour and size of pellet, I didn’t have an indication, however, the guys around me were all fishing long and I hadn’t seen a fish caught.

After an hour I had to try my far lines. I dropped in tight to the reeds at 13m in front of me with a pellet. I had the tinniest dip on my 4×10 float which I couldn’t resist picking up on. I hit the fish about a foot of the deck, and as it slowly glided to the right it came off, and I ended up with a scale on the hook. At least there was a fish there. After no more bits I had to try the 16m lines. first drop to the right with pellet and I had a dip from an F1 about 1lb which was soon in the net. Phew, at least I hadn’t blanked. I was really reluctant to feed anything drastic, so I just tapped in the odd pellet here and there between switching lines.

In the third hour I caught three more carp, two mirrors 2lb apiece, and a decent F1, all from the three long lines on pellet. I also lost another two fish. AGGHHHHRRR!!!!

In the last hour I just spent 5 minutes lifting and dropping on each line, in a bid to get a bite. I managed two more dumpy F1s, again on pellet, one of which came over my ball of fishmeal down the track!

I had seen the guys at the bottom end of the lake in my section catching, although the two guys to my left hadn’t bothered weighing in. my 6 fish went 12lb 5oz. I was beat to the right by a 15lb, and there was also a couple of 20lb+ from the opposite me in my section, so it was a bit of a bad one results wise. Anyhow, it is really satisfying and keeps you ticking over when you have to really flit about to get a bite. I’m still frustrated with the 4 fish I lost, as they could have pushed me to third in section, but never mind!