By Stewart Lister | No Comments
Last updated: Sunday, April 27, 2008

It was easy to spot the anglers who were at White Acres for their second week at the draw queue. They were the ones that looked dog tired as they had just finished a week of intense fishing and drinking! Handshakes all round to mates from all around the country, most had not been seen for 12 months or so, a bit of banter and then the doors opened and we were into the clubhouse for the draw.

Twiterpated!

My section draw put me on E section, and I was to visit the prolific Bolingey Lake for the first day. The best day of the week on the first day! Well, if you read my last effort that is what I wrote. If this is the best day, I hate to think what is store for me the rest of the week! Let me explain. Again all thoughts were on a good peg, somewhere around 20 would do. In I go and out comes peg 1. I could not believe it I had corner peg seven on Friday and opposite corner peg one on Sunday. My initial thoughts were not bad, difficult to win the section, but a top three section place should be achievable and who knows maybe the fish would be in my corner.

On my way to the lake Bolingey owner Mike called me to see where I had drawn. He told me that he thought the carp were starting to spawn as peg 7 was solid with them crashing around. I arrived and walked around to my peg. I could immediately see that he was correct. There was carp everywhere in the reeds to my right, they were definitely looking for love! It has been a very cold winter and now with a few days of sun the water temperature had risen and so had the carp’s ardour.

I set up the same tackle as Friday, the only exception was that I included a rig to fish up in the water. The match started and I cupped some bait at 11 metres in 4’ and dropped a piece of meat impaled on a size 14. A couple of minutes later and I was attached to an angry 8lb mirror. I had four other smaller samples in the next 90 minutes a lot slower than Friday! After that I never landed another fish until just gone 4pm depite trying all my lines! I then had 6 or 7 small fish to finish the match with 35lb only a 110lb less than my last match! Funnily enough I wasn’t that upset about it a little disappointed but that’s life.

I think that Mark Plevin won the match with 169lb from peg 22 following him was a weight of 98lb from peg 38. I didn’t go back to White Acres tonight so I am afraid do not know what has happened elsewhere, no doubt to reporter Tom will find out for you.
Thoughts – It was a great day to fish, the sun shone all day, I had robins feeding on my bait tray, I even had a pair of young rabbits hopping around my peg. Fishing - well at least I was there on the best day of the year so far, I was in a great location and there is always tomorrow!