Gold Winners Week

I qualified for the Gold Winners week for the first time last year at one of the festivals and it is something that I have wanted to do for years. Whilst I have been fortunate to win the odd festival match at White Acres I have never managed to win one on a Wednesday, which is the only way that I could qualify. The other way is to book a holiday and win one of the weekly gold matches and part of your prize is a free holiday at Gold winner’s week. It really is quite a prize as you actually get like for like in accommodation that you were in when you qualified, plus you get to fish for a grand with no entry fee!

I assembled for the draw at 9am on Monday morning and there were a few of us that were starting our third week, we were easy to spot, unshaven, bags under our eyes and basically dishevelled looking! The rest were keen and well presented! The festival was to be fished over three days on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The Monday draw decided your peg and section you then rotated with the same anglers to the other two sections. Wednesday is a rest day but a ‘Gold’ match is organised and if you win you have qualified for next year! So it was worth fishing.

Day 1

My dip put me on Jennies peg 19 and I was relatively pleased with the draw I would have preferred one or two to my right but I was happy. It was going to be a shallow day for me looking for the Cornish F1’s I had a backup plan of chopped worm and caster for the tench. I would also set up a straight lead to fish for carp but was not going fish it straight away as I have made that mistake before.

My float choice for the day was a J8 from the J Range it is an inline float and very short and strong perfect for fishing shallow. I complemented this with J Range pink elastic which is rated 3 -6 and in my book is spot on for this style of F1 fishing. I had it through my top two with a pull bung. Line was .12 Xedion to a PR21 size 18. My tench rig was a Tamas Walter float .6 grams again on .12 and the same hook. Bait for the day was 6mm pellet and I had two units I also had some micros to fish the pellet feeder if required. I also had a kilo of worms and some casters which made up my limit.

At the all in I was the only one to go straight out on the pole shallow and I would love to say I caught from the off but that part of the plan didn’t work, I had three roach in the first hour and half! Fortunately for me the feeder didn’t work for the rest in my section. James Dent to my left in the layby was catching shallow and setting the early pace with the odd carp and F1’s.

Slowly my swim came to life and I started catching a few F1’s I also had the odd carp but unfortunately lost a couple of biggies that were foul hooked. I really enjoyed the rest of this match and caught steady until the end. I even had 6 tench on the worm at five metres but unfortunately they were around the pound mark, I was hoping for those three pounders!

The scales came and I was pleased to weigh 59lb which was good enough for second on the lake and second in the section behind James. Not a bad start but I have been here before! Jamie paralysed the section with nearly 90lb he fished a very good match.

Preparation for Tuesday was very thorough, it consisted of a gallon of Guinness and several games of pool and bowls with Tom, Paul and Two Pints in the White Acres Bar! It really was a good night and watching Two Pints and Tom on the bowling alley was a sight for sore eyes. Having just finished two weeks of fishing I was flushed with rigs so was happy to spend the night relaxing.

Day 2

Tuesday saw me in the draw queue for Trelawney and I was again desperate for a good draw. I was over the moon with 21 an end peg and on that I could reach the island with and fish a couple of swims to boot. Looking at the previous days result I saw it had 21lb for 5 points, I have had the swim before so I was confident.

I assembled .2 Cralusso Capri to fish tight to the island and a .4 gram float shotted shirt button style to fish in the deep water. I also had two edge rigs on lighter than the other in case I wanted a few silvers. I started the match kinder cupping meat tight to the far bank opposite me with meat on the hook and fully expected a bite first put in. It didn’t come! Thirty minutes later I was scratching my head and trying at 16 metres towards the point of the island, I was pinging pellets on this line and fishing pellet but again had nothing to show for my efforts.

A change to down the middle with pellets saw a few missed bites that I assumed were from roach until I hit one with attitude! I was pleased to land a three pounder and thought I had found the method only again to be disappointed as after another hour fishing I had not had another carp. Further attempts long against the island produced nothing.

In desperation I started throwing casters down the edge and had a look there, it was solid with roach good ones as well some up to 10oz! They kept backing off as the water was clear but a little rest and they were back. I finished the match with over 20lb of mainly roach and kicked myself all the way back to the van as Tim Nash had won the section with 45lb including 30lb of red fins. It was a lovely net of fish and one that I would have loved to have caught. About 32lb was second and I just know that the swim I was in was capable of that if I had fished it right.

Gold Match

Wednesday saw me draw Acorn peg 1, I had heard that all the fish seemed to be down the other end of the lake but it is a swim that I have always wanted to fish so was keen to go there. Another draw with an island in sensible reach of the pole, if only the place was fishing normally!

My tackle was similar to Tuesday and I started against the island again for nothing! After about 90 minutes I caught a carp on the pellet and three hours later I had my second. I even fished for silvers but they were hard to catch. Not my most enjoyable match but I stuck it out as there was a mystery pairs event involved with this. Partners were going to be drawn later in the bar and the top two pairs would have some drinking vouchers! I just hoped my 9lb odd would be matched with a big weight partner. In the end my partner and I finished first out of the money and that just about summed things up.

Day 3

Thursday saw me on Twin Oaks and I drew a peg that I have always wanted to fish, peg 12 over the years that this lake has been in existence has won many a match and framed in a load of others, again I was well pleased with my draw. Today I was in positive mode and I was only concentrating on three lines: The pellet feeder tight to the far bank, pole at 5 metres with meat and corn and the edge. I needed a win to possibly scrape into third place and that was my aim.

The match started and I was straight out on the feeder no immediate bites but I had a 2 ½ pounder after 10 minutes and I was the first to catch in the pegs that I could see. I could not believe it when I had no more bites or indications. After 25 minutes I had a look with meat on the pole but had no bites on that so I was back on the feeder.

I was getting neck ache as Ash Clemence was catching on the pellet feeder to my left on peg 10 and the guy on the peg to my right (14) was catching on the meat feeder. They were not going berserk but they were catching, I just could not buy a bite. I tried everything I knew but they just would not play ball.

There was nothing on either pole lines and I sat there feeling a little bewildered until the end of the match, I had fished a peg that I always wanted to draw and had two bites and weighed 4 ½ pound! Ash won the lake with just under 50lb and peg 14 was fourth with about 30lb what a beating!

Overall James Dent won the gold week and second was his travelling partner Ash Clemence!. I had the privilege of them both in my section and was beaten by both at the next peg! Well done guys you both fished well on a very difficult festival.

Thanks once again to all at White Acres for running the Gold Festival and to Parkdean for their generous sponsorship which not only included the prize money but free accommodation for all that took part.

Well that’s the festivals over for all of six weeks! I will be back at White Acres for the silver fish festival at the beginning of December and I am really looking forward to this one. The field is very strong but it’s a great weeks fishing.