Saturday saw me book on the open match at Barlborough Fisheries, as I heard it had been fishing well, with 104lb winning the match the previous week. I had agreed to pick Keith Higginbottom up as he is without car at the moment, and after a delicious breakfast prepared by his wife Jane we were in the car park in good time for the draw.
There was a cracking turnout as well, and with 30 anglers lining up to fish the 36 peg match lake pegging was always going to be tight. In went my hand and out came peg 34, In the middle of the bank on the island, Not the best draw, ideally you wanted to be at either end, they don’t normally put the peg in so as to give the other anglers on the island a bit more room.
I put my box on the platform and nearly fell in as it tilted precariously forward, not a good start! There were reeds growing through the gaps in the aluminium mesh, which confirmed to me how little it was fished.
I was pleased when I looked to my right and saw the peg occupied by none other than Pete Stanley, known around Sheffield as ‘daft Stan’. Stan is an old mate of mine, and comes on here regularly to read the blogs, so some good banter was assured, and I was confident of battering him, even though he was on the best peg on the lake! ‘At least I won’t be last now Stans here’ I thought to myself.
A pound side bet was duly arranged, and Stan set about reminding me of all the matches he has won and all the people he has battered over the last few years. It didn’t take long, and I was soon down to the serious business of setting up.
With the turnout so high I expected the fishing to be quite hard, and with my peg being in the middle of the bank with an angler either side and only an unappetizing mud bank to fish to across I didn’t really fancy my chances for a net of carp, so decided to target the venues silver fish.
I set up a worm line across in two foot of water, I used a 4X10 Preston Chianti to 0.12 mainline and an 0.10 bottom matched to a six latex elasic. I plumbed up a line down the side to fish with corn for the carp and also a silver fish line down the track in deeper water, where I planned on feeding micro pellets and fishing maggots for the skimmers.
I kicked off across as did Stan, and a 2lb ide was a welcome addition first put in, and Stan was sweating! It was a false dawn unfortunately however as the line seemed to die after this and I only mustered a few small rudd off it in the first hour.
I came down the track over my micro pellets and took a decent skimmer first put in, before a dumpy F1 of around a pound put in an appearance, Stan had taken a better fish across, and so we were now about level.
Action was far from hectic, but I was getting plenty of indications down the track, and the odd skimmer around 10oz, and was doing quite well compared to everyone I could see, except the chap on the end of the island who was catching well by this point, he had about five fish but he wasn’t exactly bagging. I felt confident sitting it out down the track was the right thing to do, as nobody was catching a deal across, I thought the cold rain of the previous night might have something to do with it
Stan hooked into another fish across, and at the same time I hit another F1 over my pellet line, it was neck and neck. I had long since stopped feeding worms across, as it was like flogging a dead horse, and I decided to start trickling a few pellets in in case some moved in., but I didn’t intend coming off my down the track line unless someone else started bagging across, however.
A Match Of Two Halves!
As we entered the last two hours of the match, the fish seemed to switch on, and Stan hooked and lost three in successive puts, it was like someone had flicked a switch. I went across but never had a bite, and following his spell of lost fish Stan started catching regularly.
I felt I had to sit on this longer line now and just keep trickling bait in and hope that some fish moved down to me, eventually they did, and it was like another world, every time I lowered my rig in I got a bite. I ended up with 14 carp in the last hour and a half, and lost three or four., I weighed 27-4-0 for a section win and fourth on the match.
I lost a fish that would have given me the 29-0-0 I needed for third place which I was particularly gutted about. The pegging is that tight that when one of the anglers either side of me hooked a fish it was often coming through my swim. This is no criticism of them, as when I hooked one it was often bolting off through there swim, I just don’t know why venue owners don’t think of such things when pegging there lakes!
Anyhow, I hooked this fish across, and bought it back, but the kid to my left had a fish on the short pole that was kiting through my swim, so I didn’t want to bring it in to netting range until he had landed his. By the time he had landed his and I could bring mine closer the hook pulled. Gutted!
All in all, I don’t think I fished a bad match however, and I would say I made the right decisions and went on the right lines at the right times. Stan fished a good match from his flier, and managed to win with just over 50-0-0, including some proper lumps. Its scary to think what a good angler would have had off that peg! Unfortunately I still had to give him a quid (I can’t believe he took it to be honest), I don’t mind though he might put it towards some new clothes, I swear he’s been wearing the same trackie bottoms the last three times I have seen him!
A Day To Forget
Sunday saw me, Paul Gorman, Chris Greensides, Matt Godfrey and his dad Kev descend on the open match at Kiveton Waters. We had agreed to fish the match and then go for a bite to eat in a local pub, so at least we had something to look forward to on what turned out to be a real grueller of a day.
I drew peg 18 down one of the arms, where Matt’s dad drew last week and everyone who I asked about the peg grimaced. I opted to fish pellets at around eight metres and a feeder line up to the island. I also decided to put a chopped worm in down to one side, in the hope of snaring a few tench late on.
To cut a story short it was dire, I had a small tench on the feeder and a stockie and some rudd on the pole to finish the match with 2-10-0, after confidently admitting to 3lb! Everyone in my part of the lake struggled however, the chap to my right only had two bites all day!
9lb won my section, which I could feasibly have caught if I had targeted the silver fish all day, but I never expected such a small weight to win money, so fished for the carp. I lost another quid as three anglers from Woodseats drew next to each other so we had a little side bet, which Phil Broomhead won with 7lb.
Both the Godfreys managed to win there sections, with Matt finishing fourth in the match with a cracking 17lb net of carp, tench and a few silvers.
So it was off to the pub for a couple of pints, a bite to eat and a laugh with the lads which was lovely, one of the best pub meals I have had in a long time.
So Close!
After such a grueller I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the Tuesday night open match, but as the saying goes a bad days fishing is better than good days work, and I would even extend this to sitting in front of the telly in the evening!
The traffic was horrendous, but a mad dash after work saw me pick Matt up and get to the venue just in the nick of time, we were the last two to draw. I pulled out peg 30, one peg round from where I had drawn the previous week, and Matt drew peg 12, up one of the dreaded arms. The only thing he had in his favour was that he was on the section winners peg from the Sunday, and there was no one around him, he had seven spare pegs to his left.
I fancied my draw as the wind was pushing up that way, but I was hemmed in, with Keith Higginbottom to my left and a spare peg then another angler to my right. Everyone else seemed to have loads of room.
I felt I should have just sat on one line all match last week, so this is what I decided to do, as you have to catch pretty much continuously through the three hour period to compete. I fished just one line at nine metres, feeding micro pellets and fishing a 4mm pellet on the hook.
My rig was 4X14 Tubertini Delta to 0.14 mainline and an 0.12 bottom with a size 18 B911 hook. Shotting was simply a bulk of number nines with two number 11 droppers.
A biteless 15 minutes at the start of the match saw me worried, but then I caught fairly steadily, with a nice mix of stockie carp, tench and skimmers coming to the net. Other people were catching well as well, but I felt I was keeping up with them, things seemed to slow down for everyone in the last hour, except Mr Godfrey who later told me he bagged up late on!
I knew Darren Moyle had bagged up on the point of the island, and he was one of the first to weigh putting 28lb on the scales, and I thought it would be close between us. When it came to Matt he weighed 34lb, I didn’t think I had as much as that and so it proved, my net went 30-6-0, good enough for second but still 4lb behind Lord Godfrey, who put on an awesome performance from where he had drawn.
It was an enjoyable nights fishing, and we decided to round it off with a pint so we headed off up to the pub to share the money out.
I love bank holidays! I have three matches and a night out planned for this weekend so lets hope the weather holds out and the drawbag is kind. Tightlines!
Hi Tom
That was a grueller at kivo last sunday’ i was the guy next to you who had two bites two fish for 1lb 9oz. i’m not that crap honest’ lol.
Duz.
Hi Mate,
It was shocking wasn’t it! It didn’t matter what I did I couldn’t get a bite! I reckon we ought to go golfing this weekend instead, lol!
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