In Need Of An Edge!

The Tuesday open at Gwinear was a windy affair for some of us, I drew peg 20 along the back straight, a peg that Mark Lazell has drawn twice and framed from in the last couple of weeks. And I knew that he had caught big carp in the last hour close to the near bank. I went to the peg quite confident. The only difference this day was that flyer pegs 28 and 36 on the island had been put in this week for the first time this year.

To make matters worse last week’s winner and venue expert Andy Dare had drawn on peg 28! It was going to be difficult. Peg 36 is opposite 20 so one of my options was gone, the straight lead over, in truth I was going to fish the waggler as I have always fancied this as a winning method on this peg when 36 is not in. Never mind it was to be a pole match this week for me. I set up two identical half gram Capri floats to fish the six metre line these were shotted with a .4 gram olivette and a couple of number 8 stotz under the olivette to trim the float, I like to dot the float down with no droppers if I can get away with it. I also had an edge rig to fish in close to my bank in about 3’ of water.

Mouths in strange places.

On the whistle some six mill pellets were deposited on the six metre line and I dropped the rig in following the loose feed, the float just kept on going, it took me a bit by surprise. My first thoughts were that float is shotted correctly. I lifted the pole to see a few yards of elastic shoot out of the pole. A foul hooker, a brief struggle and the carp won. Never mind I re baited and dropped in again, same result only this time it was in the mouth! I had ten carp in the first 40 minutes what a start!

The fish were 3 – 4 pounders so I guess I was on about 30 – 40 lb. What’s more I had seen a vortex on my close line were I had been feeding. The six metre line was slowing down so to give it a rest I had ago at the close line, no bites after 20 minutes despite the signs of carp on that line. Chris on my left was catching up after a slow start, he was on another bank and seemed to have less wind in his peg. I was forced back on the six metre line. Fish kept coming for both of us but we could not put on a burst like I had at the start of the match I suppose it was a good job otherwise we would have run out of keepnets! Fish always look bigger on the next peg, but on this occasion they were Chris had a couple of 10 pounders in his 103lb net I was left 9lb short of him with 94lb.

Andy won again, he actually trounced the match with 150 odd pound all caught on the pole and 8 mm pellet, not a bad days fishing for February. Second with 107lb was Alan Hurley from Camborne he was on peg 36. Fourth place for me and feeling a little frustrated as I had spent a fair amount of time down the edge including the last half hour looking for a few bigger samples to no avail. I do need an edge, or at least be able to catch some down the edge!

On this occasion I was left with the feeling that if I had persevered on my longer line I would have been second! The start of March and the visiting angler is starting to arrive on holidays, it will be great to see you at Gwinear but make sure you call Charlie on 01637830165 to book your ticket as the matches sell out on a regular basis.

Well Thursday came and the very long awaited draw was to be announced by the NFA concerning the Fishomania qualifiers. I had put my name down for two of the matches’ one at White Acres and the other at Viaduct. I was 50% successful and will be travelling to Somerset for a dip in the hat in April. I would have preferred to have had a chance at White Acres as it is 150 mile closer, still mustn’t grumble as some people didn’t get any of the tickets that they applied for.

The match I had been really looking forward to had arrived. The silver fish only match in the penultimate individual league at White Acres. I put my hand in the bag and had a tentative look at what was to be home for the day. Peg 18 on Jenny’s stared back at me. One of the few draws that I did not want! I was happy with the lake but I am afraid to say didn’t want that particular peg! The reason is 17 and 18 are set back from a straight bank and you are two metres behind the other anglers.

The Lay by

Don’t really want to moan but feel like it especially as it was blowing a hooley down the lake! Recently the weight building Tench, had been caught on the long pole; this meant that I would have to fish extra long. The forecast was for the 20 mph wind to die down during the day so I gambled on been able to fish the long pole later on in the match. I really needed a section win second or worse would make no difference to my points total. I set up for roach on 5 metres and a big fish line all on the long pole.

The match started and I put in a couple of balls of groundbait in on 5 metres and loosefeed casters over the top. I fed some chop worm and casters at 14 metres I could just about manage with the wind at this length, but it was a wrestle. Starting on the roach line I was biteless after 15 minutes. Billy Arch two to my right and on the end peg was getting Roach and Tench from the off, at what looked about 6 metres. Everyone else was starting slowly. I could just see Mark Lazell on the other end peg, he had decided to fish the feeder for F1’s which ironically are allowed! We call them F1’s but I think they are in reality Carassio still a member of the carp family. My match was a disaster! I had a couple of Tench on the long line before the wind increased! I was unable to fish it after a couple of hours.

The roach didn’t turn up until the last hour and then I caught steady but it was too late. Mark and Paul Carpenter to my left fished the feeder and their pegs just kept getting better as the match went on they finished first and second respectively and I was a resounding last with 24lb 12oz. Still I had made my decision on how to fish for the day and have to live with it. Should have fished the feeder instead of purposefully leaving it in the van.

Individually Clive Carter won the match with 75lb comprising of ‘87 Cornish F1’s’ from in form peg 13 on Python. Clive fished the ground bait feeder with maggot on the hook. Second was Andy Dare who had 50lbish from peg 8 on Sycamore.
This is the first year that this series has been run, I hope it goes ahead next year but if we have silver fish rounds I hope it is just that, silver fish only I have no objection to including tench and perch even though they are green! This year carp that have been caught have counted as a pound even though some are less than a pound, and on silver rounds we have had anglers fishing the pellet waggler and pellet for carp! Get 5 or six of them and it’s worth a lot of roach. I do not blame the anglers at all; they are after all fishing within the rules.

Well that’s it for me this week I will be back next week hopefully with the happy head on and the grumpy one back in the van. Still a bad days fishing is still better than a good day at work.