What a week that was! It started on Saturday with the draw for round 13 of the White Acres Individual Winter League. This is a 17 match series that covers the whole winter season. Ten matches count and with the quality of the field you need to score well as no doubt someone will achieve a perfect ten, or if not get very close. This round had three sections on Twin Oaks, one on Nelsons and the remainder on the Match Lake and Sycamore. Initially over 50 booked in for the series but it has dwindled to between 25 – 30 anglers. I drew peg 15 on Twin Oaks and was flanked by Mosella backed Paul Carpenter to my right on 16 and travelling partner Garbolino’s Harry Billing on my left on 14. I fancied my peg as a Southerly wind was blowing and the ripple was worse to my left which meant that I could contemplate the waggler on the far bank without the tow causing too many problems.
I set up a straight lead to fish the ‘Tea Bag’ on the far bank. A waggler for the same line and an edge rig for the latter part of the match, I fed the margin all match but never had so much as an indication!
Tackle wise it was all very simple the straight lead consisting of a ¾ oz bomb stopped by a Korum quick change adapter. A .16 Silstar hook length and a size 16 hair rigged Preston PR36 completed the setup.
The waggler is something else! I am fortunate to be sponsored by SPRO and CRALUSSO and it was a 4 gram rocket light that I used for this match. I have been using these floats for the last couple of months and they are fantastic! A totally new concept in as much as they have a length of wire running about 4” from the bottom of the float that a link swivel or waggler attachment can be fixed to. The floats cast up to 30% further than a conventional waggler! When I first received the floats I was sceptical and was not sure if I wanted to use them because they are so different to what I believed was right - the more traditional 3AAA type waggler. Now that I am using them they are fast replacing all my other wags. For carp fishing at this time of year- when the fish are 3′ deep or more they are brilliant. They cast accurately, do not dive and have a thin diameter for sensitivity and if you need a different colour tip, just change the tip. Have a look at the floats below
The match started on the lead with double hair rigged corn and micros in the pva bag. Harry set the pace with the first carp followed by Paul! Not the plan, soon my tip went round and a 3 pounder was in the net. Two more followed in the next twenty minutes and the three of us were even on fish count. Looking down the lake it looked quite with only Gary Webber getting the odd fish. I had been catapulting 8mm hard pellets over towards the far bank and it was time to try the wag. After a couple of minutes without an indication I was about to reel in and go back on the lead when the float went under and another 3lb fish was soon in the net. To cut a long story short I ended up with around 25 carp for 82lb.12oz for a valuable section win. Paul was second with 58lb and Harry was third with 56lb and ruing a lost fish on the pole. Overall the match was won by Skip McCabe from Polly peg 20 with an impressive 125lb and second was Timmy Rowe with 102lb from the lake behind me I sneaked third overall.
In Laws Reak Havoc!
No match for me on Sunday but the start of a 700 mile round trip to deepest Essex to celebrate the in laws golden wedding anniversary. We were supposed to be returning to Cornwall on Tuesday afternoon after seeing a few other friends and relatives. I really wanted to get back to fish the Gwinear open on Tuesday as it had been closed for a couple of months for some bankside work and more importantly it had received some new stock. I managed to talk the long suffering Vivien into returning Monday evening. We got home exhausted at about midnight.
I got to the draw the next day and pulled out peg 27 a good peg but with a load of options. Shame I felt cream crackered from the journey. I set up to fish at 5 meters and 14 where the depth is the same close to the bridge therefore using one rig for two swims. I also set up an edge rig and a straight lead. Starting on the lead for the first twenty minutes I had nothing to show except the odd liner. Next to me on the other side of the spit was Chris Hancock who was getting a ‘newbie’ carp every drop in! I had been feeding my pole lines so decided to have a go. Well the carp were there on both my lines and I finished the match with108lb all taken on the pole and 8mm pellet. Good enough to win? No way man! Mark Lazell took the honours with 152lb followed by Andy Dare with 142lb and Chris Hancock with 123lb what a match! Mid February and we were having weights that would grace any fishery in the summer! Role on next Tuesday I cannot wait, I definitely am not driving to Essex this weekend!
Saturday 16th February saw us travel to Porth Reservoir for the penultimate round of our winter league. It’s a team of three coompetition down this neck of the woods. I had been looking forward to this match for ages as it is great fishing in such a beautiful setting.
Cheque Book and Pen!
All week I had been making rigs and sorting tackle. It was to be a memorable match and one that I will not forget in a hurry. Two teams failed to show on the day so we were reduced to seven peg sections. My team, SPRO Select were lying second to Harrys Mossella Garbolino, we needed a good result. My draw put me on peg 85. A groundbait feeder, waggler and pole were assembled. There is not much I can write about here as I blanked! My first dry net in Cornwall. I was not alone as only Harry caught in the whole section and he only had one Perch! He was the first peg in the section and nearest to the 70’s where all but one caught. Overall Martin Cox won the match with 10lb of skimmers all caught on the gb feeder. Chris White was second with 7lb and Andy Dare third with 6lb. Team wise Mossella Garbolino were victorious with an impressive 8 points, we finished 5th with 17 points and are now 15 points adrift. Ironically 4 hours and 45 minutes into the match I had a slight indication and briefly had a fish on! Had I landed it we would have been second and still in contention.
Back To Form
Sunday 17th February saw round 14 of the White Acres Individual League,which was also a silver fish only round. I was actually 15 minutes late picking Harry up as the van was frozen solid! Not that unusual in winter you may say. Well in Cornwall ‘We don’t get frosts’ in truth we get very few and a minus 4 is unheard of! We arrived at White Acres and there was a good buzz going around the place. Anglers do like these silver only matches. My draw put me on peg 29 on the match lake. In my section of 5 I had last week’s winner Skip McCabe who incidentally is one of the leaders with 6 section wins. I set up six pole rigs (3 duplicates) to fish three lines. An 11 meter skimmer line was tackled with a .75 gram Cralusso Capri to a .10 bottom and an 808 size18. A six meter roach line to a .50 Cralusso Capri to a .10 bottom and a Middy 6313 size 18 completed the rig. The edge line was a 4 x10 KC Carpa 2 to .12 and an 808. At the all in I fed two balls of green Swimstim containing casters and a few dead red maggots. Three balls at the 11 meters and loose fed casters down the edge, (no bites on this line despite feeding all match) Loosing feeding casters over my six meter line I had a roach of about 4oz after yesterday it was a relief! This line was productive for 30 minutes I had in the region of 20 roach up to 8 oz I started to get some real small fish so decided to give em another ball and go long. Ten minutes and two roach long was not what I wanted, back short and it was solid a roach or perch every drop in. When the small fish returned I re fed gb and went long. This line was not very productive. When I returned to my close line it was solid again with roach and this time I managed two 2lb bream. This made me sack my long line and start another closer line at an angle down my peg. I gave it three balls and alternated the two lines – fish one feed the other. I caught steady all match to finish with 41lb 4oz of roach and skimmers a great days fishing and the much needed section win! I now have 6 sections and 4 seconds a 3rd and a blow out. I have missed two matches due to other commitments. Overall Andy Partridge (SPRO) won the match with a very impressive 55lb Clint Elliott (Preston Innovations) was second with 41lb 6oz and I was third. Three left and anything could happen as there as some great anglers snapping at our heals.
Well that’s it for me I have a busy match diary this year with the three White Acre spring festivals on the horizon. Three Maver Pairs at WA, Stafford Moor and Viaduct that Harry and I will be doing our best to try and qualify for the final and hopefully a couple of fishomania tickets if the NFA draw is kind to me.
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail
Home
Contact
Forums
RSS Feed
bream.1
