August Bank Holiday Weekend

The Bank Holiday weekend saw me book in for three open matches at Gwinear, it was going to be run as a mini late summer festival so all three results would count. Most people arrived early and congregated around Charlie’s new asset ‘The posh shed’ which is situated on a hillock overlooking the lakes, at the fishery. The venue has come a long way

The Posh Shed

since the old days and the pavilion on wheels where we used to draw.  Saturday’s draw would see your rotation around the three lakes and when it was my turn I was delighted when I managed to pluck corner peg 6 from the bag of dreams. A bit of pressure to start the weekend, but after practicing on the peg in the last match I was full of confidence.

After drawing the same swim last week I quickly made up my mind on how I was going to fish this time. The only difference was the wind was blowing away from my bank but I figured the fish live there and it would still be a flyer. I was going to concentrate down the edge at 13m along the bare patch of bank with pellet. I had a 4 x 10 J1 float for the job attached to some strong .16 Cralusso line as the fish can run big in this lake. A PR36 hook complete with an F1 micro band on a hair completed the set up, as this was going to be a main line of attack I duplicated this rig. I had a Skimmer rig that I was going to fish at 6m over Yellow Toffee Ground

Looking-at-peg-6

bait and some chopped worm. I also had a feeder to fish towards the far bank. The last thing I set up was a flick rig to fish on the long pole. For this I used a stumpy 3ssg waggler which is the same length as my top kit, it is very easy to swing out and I hoped it would work for those crafty carp that I was convinced after my last visit shied away from the pole tip.

No mistakes!

I was making no mistakes today and at the start after feeding my pole lines I was straight on the feeder hoping for an early carp. I opened my account around 10 minutes into the match and it was a five pound fish which really cheered me up. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a loner and was the only fish I had on the feeder. The Barns Supremo Kevin ‘The Hat’ Harmer was next to me on peg 5 and he was also struggling on the feeder with only a couple of smallish carp to show for 30 minutes of effort. I could see some signs of activity along my bank but I didn’t want to go on the margin too soon as I didn’t want to take an early fish and spook the rest, my plan was to get them nice and confident over some free grub.

Anyone for Mackerel?

I had a quick go on the flick rig at 14.5m but sadly had no bites came to this method, it did take Kevin by surprise though and he asked if I was Mackerel fishing! I could see his point though as it did look like a Mackerel float that I was putting somewhere near the middle of the lake. I think if I had drawn any of the other pegs on this lake I would have persevered with it. I put the rig away to save for another day. At least I have a new name for the rig now thanks to Kevin; it’s now called the ‘Mackerel Rig’

I managed a few skimmers and tench on the 6m line but it was on the slow side with generally not much coming out in the whole lake. After 90 minutes I decided that it was along the bank for me for the rest of the match and it proved to be the right decision. The swim was getting better as the match progressed and I finished up with 22 carp and a few silvers for 95lb which was good enough to win the section and the match. All the carp were taken on 8 mm pellet over micro feed. I found the best way of fishing this swim was to perfectly shot the float so that the weight of the pellet would practically sink the bristle, then after shipping out pull the float up the slope until the float cocked perfectly with around 5mm of bristle showing in around 30 – 40cm of water.

Harry Billing won the other section with 91lb from peg 18 on phase 3, he had the majority of his fish from the margins on paste and pellet. The venue fished really well with a few other 50 -60 pound bags recorded, everybody was looking

Harry Billing

forward to Sunday.

The Cornish Wurzels

Day two and I put my hand into the bag of dreams and was again not unhappy with peg 27 Mark Lazell had been on the peg the day before and finished 4^th but it was slightly less windy today.  The peg is notorious for an up in the water approach so I set up three J13 floats at different depths. I also had a rig to fish in around 4’ of water at 4m and a couple of edge rigs. I thought three lines of attack was about right as I didn’t want to over complicate things.

The match got underway and I fed a few pellets on the 4m line and started shallow much longer but with no fish for the first 30 minutes it wasn’t the start I envisaged! The wind was increasing but I stuck at it as I could see very little been caught. Everybody else that I could see was fishing the paste and I don’t think anybody had more than three small carp so I knew I was not that far behind. Feeding my edge swims I then went onto the 4m line and before long I had a couple in the net. I was having a few problems with some silt weed which was masking the hook so had to change things around and fish a little further out where there was no weed.

Before long I noticed some activity down on my left margin and decided to have a go there, I had a really good hour

Peg 27 Without the Combine Harvester

taking several fish on 8mm pellet and a few on a whole Dendrabena over micro pellets, but sadly it was not to last! The farmer in the field behind me chose this Bank Holiday Sunday to harvest the hay and he was back and forth for practically the duration of the remainder of the match! He was driving an absolutely huge combine harvester, you could actually feel the vibration coming through the bank and the carp didn’t like it one bit! They just vanished leaving my inside line devoid of fish.  It was not just me that struggled down the edge Wrong Lake on peg 25 could also not buy a bite. From what I was told it also affected those on phase two in the 40’s.

Tumbling down the section

I managed to find a few on the longer line and one shallow but could see me falling behind Max who was further away from the disturbance and sacking down the edge he finished with 86lb. I was hoping to salvage a second place but John Dudley managed 85lb from Harry’s peg of the day before which left me in third place with 54lb not a bad days fishing to say there had been so much disturbance but disappointing none the less.

Close on Phase 2

Phase 2 Gwinear

Phase two fished well with Harry once again winning his section with 91lb from Roy Booth

Roy Booth

90lb! That left Harry in the lead on his own with 12 points followed by myself on 10 points and a chasing pack of venue regulars behind me on 9 points. Day three was going

to be interesting, a section win could throw a spanner in the works for Grand Master Billing as he was on phase one and had to contend with the best drawer in Cornwall Tony Williams who was also chasing the lead with 9 points.

Chateauneuf du pape!

That night it took me ages to sleep and I had to resort to some ‘red pop’ only a couple of bottles for medicinal purposes you understand! I just could not get the words to the Wurzels song out of my head ‘Cause I got a brand new combine harvester and I’ll give you the key’ the song was driving me crazy, I just could not get it out of my mind. Don’t you just hate it when that happens!

Tea at the Chalet?

Day three dawned and we met at the Chalet, as Charlie insists we call it! The bag of dreams beckoned I had my dip and out came peg 51. Colin Mulholland had the peg the previous day and came third with 67lb. A quick word with him and he convinced me that it was a good draw with plenty of fish to be caught. So I went to the peg with some confidence. Elsewhere Harry had drawn peg 4 which was not the best draw but Roger Baker had some big margin fish from there on day 1. Tony Williams kept up his reputation by drawing peg 6. In three days he had drawn the best peg on each of the lakes we fished, he was taking a bit of friendly banter from everybody about his drawing prowess, but I have to say he was giving it back in his own inimitable way! But, the question has to be asked is there anybody better in Cornwall at the drawbag than Tony?

No need to go shallow

Colin told me the day before he had a few fish shallow but it was no better than fishing on the deck so that was one method I could discount. I did set a rig up though, just in case! I was going to concentrate at 11m in the deep water, as I sitting on the narrowest bit of bank on the complex with Phase One immediately behind me. The lads there are allowed to fish over to their far bank a couple of meters behind me and I didn’t want too much pole over their swims. To give you an idea of where I was fishing, if you can picture the old Gwinear I was directly in front of the old peg 30 about 2 metres from the bank towards the old island where there used to be 7’ of water! I was going to have as one of my lines a 13m pole to the bank on my left fishing to where old peg 29 would have been. It would mean breaking down twice but it was an obvious fish holding swim. To my right I found the same depth in the margins which was handy, one less rig to set up.

The nights have started getting a little colder and the worm is now starting to work for the carp. My plan was to feed chopped worm in micro pellets and fish for everything in front of me. At The same time feed the margins and hopefully be on them with 90 minutes of the match starting, it seemed a simple plan, just hoped the fish liked it!

It was a slowish start to the match nobody seemed to be catching much, after the first hour I had around a dozen in the net but they were definitely out of the nursery as they would not have gone 10lb!  I felt I had my neck in front of the section though. There were some signs of activity long against the bank and I felt I had to have a look even though it was a little early.

More gardening than fishing

It seemed like a good move as I had three carp in three puts and they were a slightly bigger stamp too, just when I thought it was going to be my day I hooked a snag under the water and for the life of me I could not pull for the break! I had no choice but to lay the pole along the bank and creep along the bank to free my rig. Naturally that slowed things down for awhile but they came back and I and a few more only to have the same thing happen. In fact it happened to me on four occasions during the match and once I had my arm in the swim nearly up to my armpit eventually pulling out a load of braid that was attached to the bank. Braid of all things! It has been banned at the fishery ever since it opened the first time in 1996! I guess it was just not going to be my day.

To be honest I kept the fish coming and thought that I had sneaked the section although I could see John Dudley catching on peg 40. But when the scales came to him and he recorded 67lb I knew I was in trouble. My turn came and my thoughts were confirmed as I put 58lb on the scales for second in section. Behind me Harry fished a blinder on peg four to weigh around 60lb to take second in section and win the weekend. Tony Williams actually won the match overall with 96lb including carp to 10lb which won him the biggest fish prize of a Milo 11’ feeder rod. It also meant that we tied on the same points for second place but Tony relegated me to third as he had 230lb over three days to my 204lb It was a great weekends fishing thanks to all at Gwinear for providing us with the weekends sport, I really enjoyed it and I know that everybody else did as well. Hopefully the match will be back next year in a larger format. The Bank Holiday weather also supported the event with some glorious sunshine; it was a nice change from last week’s wind and rain.

Overall, I think I was a little unlucky with what happened to me on a couple of the days but as far as excuses go I think I was up there with the best! What’s your best excuse you have used in a match when all has not gone to plan? It would be great to see some comments, who can beat a Combined Harvester in their swim?