Around the first weekend in November a strange phenomenon happens in the Duchy, local match anglers that have seemingly hibernated
Love – Hate – Love!
Many years ago I had a love hate relationship with the Gloucester canal. The fishing on most occasions was really hard but I kept making the long journey from my then home just outside London to the canal hoping to find it in a good mood, or hopefully and more to the point draw one of those flyers on the famous bend. Fast forward twenty years and I find myself in another love hate relationship, this time the venue is much closer to home but I am finding ‘The Farm’ is not a very considerate lover at the moment!
Following the pairs festival I was not really looking forward to making the short journey to Trewaters for the Saturday open as I just could not seem to catch there at present. But as I was running the match and knew I needed to ask some favours in future Saturdays and I had no choice! There was not a big turnout but at least that allowed us to every other peg on the bottom lake. I handed the bag of dreams to one of the anglers to draw my destiny for the day and ended up with 45 I wasn’t worried which peg I had as frankly my confidence on the water had gone. Harry Billing drew next to me on 48 so I knew I had my work cut out if I was to make any impression on the leader board.
Tackle wise it was a simple choice for me, the method using dampened micros mixed with some new natural pellet ground bait from Yorkshire Baits. The mix was around 80% pellets and I had around 4 pints to use. Hook bait was a mixture of 6mm pellets and corn. I also plumbed and edge swim to fish on the 4m pole around ½ a metre from the bank where surprisingly I found a flattish spot. I also set up a J13 on .12 line to have a look shallow if I saw any fish activity.
The match started and I cast tight to the far bank, within minutes the water was colouring up with fish activity and I was catching regularly! Not big fish but a mixture of small carp and F1’s the tip was going around and I even felt I was starting to enjoy fishing the thod which I have to say is not my favourite discipline. But I was putting a weight together and I felt I was keeping pace with Harry, so as long as that was the case, I had a chance! I kept loose feeding some 4mm pellets and a few grains of corn down the edge and it was a good job I did as I started to run out of method mix with two hours to go!
Fishing a grain of corn on the pole I found some tench and F1’s and nice skimmers down the edge and was now really enjoying myself. I was missing a few bites but these were small Rudd so it was no great loss. Towards the last forty minutes my bites slowed down but I was at least feeling confident on the water again! At the scale I weighed 51lb to finish second to Harry who had 57lb so I was not that far behind him, mind I was cursing for not having enough bait! Andy Partridge had around 45lb for third place mostly taken close in on the pole. The venue had fished really well and was back in my good books!
Early start
On Sunday our beloved England were on box in the World Cup so I was in two minds as to go fishing or stay indoors. Janet at Mawgan Porth solved the conundrum for me by holding a football special! The match had an early draw that allowed us to get 5 hours in and finishing at 1.30pm just in time to get home for the game! It was a real shame that not many were up for the early start and we ended up with a very small sweep which I have to say was a real cracker. I took the last peg in the bag and was pleased when I saw it was peg 8 as it is a very good peg.
As we walked down to the lake there were carp everywhere seemingly enjoying the early morning sun, it was clear that some of them had other things on their minds as they frolicked in the weed, I just hoped they had finished before we started, and that their efforts had made them hungry. We were not disappointed that’s for sure,
I only set up one rig for fishing on the deck and three up in the water rigs as I was sure it was going to be a shallow day. Starting directly in front of me at 3m I fed some garlic pellets and baited with a 6mm pellet and within 60 seconds was playing the first fish. They were definitely on the bait and hungry after about 30 minutes I was getting liners which prompted me to feed another line at 5m. Opposite me on peg 38 Londoner Gary Burton was sacking on the corn from the margins but his mate Jimmy Hornsby was struggling on peg 40, when I say struggling he never had a carp for an hour but he was ace at catching the skimmers, must be a London thing!
Up in the water
Before long I saw a vortex on my 5m line and that was the signal, I was shallow fishing and stayed there until the end of the match, it was solid! I finished up with over 200 fish for 247lb. I didn’t have it all my own way as Gary recorded 202lb for second. Jimmy managed to fish through the skimmers and finished with over a ton which was a great result after such a slow start.
Why bother?
It was a quick dash home to watch the England vs. Germany game. The match left me wondering why I had bothered to get up so early as it was one of the worst games of football I have ever seen in my life. Oh Man, how I despise those overpaid prima-donnas who think they just have to turn up win the world cup.
Back at MP
Tuesday came around and I was really looking forward to another go at Mawgan Porth. I had a couple of things to do before I left and consequently arrived just before the draw. There was a better turnout with around 16 fishing so the lake was probably going to fish a little harder, unless a peg with some room could be found! I had my dip and looked several times at the number 12 which was in the palm of my hand. I have to say that I wasn’t that impressed with the thought of fishing that peg, especially when I found there were around four anglers along that narrow straight. I had a word with Janet and she assured me that there were plenty of fish there to be caught; I went to my peg feeling far from confident of framing.
The water looked clear, there was a large bank of pondweed in front of me at around 5m which looked like it would hold a lot of fish but I didn’t really want to fish up to it. I decided on a line straight out in front of me at 3m in around a metre of water. I also had a rig to fish down the edge; both of these lines were to be fished with a J3 float. Ever the hopeful a J13 was setup in case the fish came shallow.
Starting on the 3m line the fish turned up, they were not going mad but I was putting a few in the net. I could hear the anglers to my left catching but it was difficult to really know as I could hear splashing from both of them but I couldn’t work out if it was one of them or both catching! Every time I asked I was told they were catching skimmers. It was going to be one of those days! After an hour Harry moved off his peg on the island opposite me to retrieve his dog Dudley who was getting very excited looking for local wild life! Harry asked what was happening I told him I had around 20 fish but it was slowing, his answer surprised me when he said that was good, he could see all the other pegs and didn’t think much more had been caught, that, I must admit got my attention!
My peg was really slowing down, I couldn’t get a bite down the edge, skimmers were causing me a problem on the 3m line. Moving out against the weed was also causing problems as in that depth of water every time I hooked a fish they were in the weed. There was nothing I could do about that, unless I could get then shallow, then I would have less line to contend with and it would enable me to move them away from the weed quickly. I also remembered something that fellow SPRO backed Andy Partridge once told me when skimmers were a nuisance and that was to feed and fish corn. So the plan was changed and I started feeding pellets against the weed in an effort to get them up. Whilst I waited I fed a corn line at 3m and had a go there with the ‘yellow pellet’. To a degree it worked as I caught some fish on the corn but the skimmers were not playing ball as they loved corn as well. Trouble is the skimmers have grown since Andy was winning match after match at Mawgan Porth!
The fish came up to intercept the pellets and I had a good fourth hour getting quite a few fish, I lost some when my reactions were not quite up to speed and the carp made the weed but overall it was in my favour. I fished out the match shallow finishing with around 80 fish which left me ounces short of a ton. I was pleased to find out that I was second behind Gary Burton who got his own back from Sunday weighing 110lb from peg 8 to win the match.
Love all
Saturday and I was hoping that the love was back at the farm! I drew peg 48 a peg with some form on the thod. The problem for me was that I was not enjoying throwing a method feeder to the island and catching small F1’s and small carp. I went to my peg thinking that I had to do it and consequently set up a couple of feeder rods. I also had a pole rig for fishing the margins in around 2’ of water and out of habit set up two J13 floats for fishing shallow.
The match started and I cast tight to the island with a 6mm on the hook, immediately the water coloured up and the tip went round, the culprit was a 10 oz F1, out again and the same thing happened and number ones brother was in the net. A couple more followed and then I had a spell of losing the odd fish as I was just about to net them.
Holy Moaning
It suddenly dawned on me that I was really not enjoying this, it was just something that I did not want to be doing and I found myself cursing the style of fishing, which is not really like me. I actually contemplated leaving my gear on the bank and going home and returning after the match to weigh everybody in!
In the end I decided that I was going to feed a shallow line for 15 minutes whilst I stayed on the feeder, and if that didn’t work I was out of here! After about 10 minutes I couldn’t take it any longer and picked up the pole and shipped out to 11m. To be honest I was not expecting anything to happen but I was sure the float dipped. Lifting and dropping it back in the swim it went again but no fish. Bringing the rig back and taking 6’ off before shipping out again and slapping the surface with the float I was pleased to see a few feet of pink J range lastix shoot out of the tip fantastic, I actually felt the cloud of depression lift away from my peg!
Fish started responding to the feed and the swim was getting stronger as the match went on. Mainly Cornish F1’s with the odd small carp thrown in. I was really enjoying myself now and at the same time putting a good weight together on a method that I really enjoy fishing.
The match ended and after packing away I started the weigh in. There were some good weights topped by a 96lb by Harry Billing from peg 37 who caught a few on the method but the vast majority coming from down the edge on paste. Andy Partridge had 79lb from peg 40 again all on the pole, close on corn. My weight went 75lb for third and first out of the coin! But I really didn’t mind as I had a fantastic days sport catching some very nice fish. It was just a shame I couldn’t see Andy and Harry from where I was as I might have gone shallow much earlier!
Gwinear re visited
Sunday saw me head to Gwinear I hadn’t been there for sometime so I was looking forward to fishing the place again. There was a good turnout and the talk was all about yesterdays club match when 120lb had won the match by an angler fishing shallow form peg 40 on phase two. I made a mental note to draw that peg and looked around for all the lucky charms I could find. I had my dip and out came peg 43, close but not quite close enough! The peg is in the corner of the lake and the wind was blowing down that way so maybe the fish would follow. I wasn’t that hopeful but Mike O’Gorman reckoned I would catch on the 5m line and when that was backed up by Chris Hancock I was feeling a little more confident.
Pole rigs were soon assembled to fish the 5m line and I also had an edge rig to fish at 13m towards the corner where the wind was blowing in. The match started and out I went looking for the first fish but nothing happened in my swim. I saw the guy on 40 have a carp first go shallow from peg 40 and could also see Colin Mulholland catching from opposite him. Before long Skip McCabe was joining in the fun from peg 39. Down my end of the lake the guy opposite me was in the same boat as nothing was happening, I guess those Gwinear carp had not read the angling magazine – so didn’t know they were supposed to follow the wind!
Eventually a few carp graced our nets but it really looked like we were a long way behind and were in need of a miracle to catch up with the others. I had a look on my edge line much earlier than I wanted to and was pleased when I had a four pounder first go and was even happier when another followed next put in! But that was that from that line and I never had another bite from that swim. With about 90 minutes to go I fed a new margin swim to my right next to the empty peg and before long saw the tell tale signs of grubbing carp, now why they wanted to be up wind was alien to me but they were there!
Fishing an 8mm pellet found me around a dozen carp in that last period of the match and very enjoyable it was too! I managed around 55lb to come precisely nowhere in the match! But I did enjoy the fishing and that is what it’s all about.
Kevin Baxter won the match with an impressive 96lb from phase three, followed by Colin Mulholland with around 90lb. There were several other weights in the 80’s and it looks like Gwinear is well back on the road to recovery!
Good News
I had a couple of telephone calls from a very happy Glen Nelson who has been asking me loads of questions on fishing at Mawgan Porth in recent weeks, he even took a day off fishing himself recently to sit behind me whilst I competed on the venue. The reasons for his first call was to tell me how he managed to get his personal best match weight of 120lb from the venue and his second call was to tell me that he had finished second in a match there beating Harry Billing in the process! Well done Glen keep up the good work and I hope you frame on many more occasions. I really enjoy seeing anglers improve their techniques but I am particularly pleased for Glen as he has not been match fishing that long and he suffers from a severe physical disability which has left him wheel chair bound. He is keen as mustard and I am sure in my mind that it’s our fantastic sport that keeps him going.
Many years ago I had a love hate relationship with the Gloucester canal. The fishing on most occasions was really hard but I kept making the long journey from my then home just outside London to the canal hoping to find it in a good mood, or hopefully and more to the point draw one of those flyers on the famous bend. Fast forward twenty years and I find myself in another love hate relationship, this time the venue is much closer to home but I am finding ‘The Farm’ is not a very considerate lover at the moment!
Following the pairs festival I was not really looking forward to making the short journey to Trewaters for the Saturday open as I just could not seem to catch there at present. But as I was running the match and knew I needed to ask some favours in future Saturdays and I had no choice! There was not a big turnout but at least that allowed us to every other peg on the bottom lake. I handed the bag of dreams to one of the anglers to draw my destiny for the day and ended up with 45 I wasn’t worried which peg I had as frankly my confidence on the water had gone. Harry Billing drew next to me on 48 so I knew I had my work cut out if I was to make any impression on the leader board.
Tackle wise it was a simple choice for me, the method using dampened micros mixed with some new natural pellet ground bait from Yorkshire Baits. The mix was around 80% pellets and I had around 4 pints to use. Hook bait was a mixture of 6mm pellets and corn. I also plumbed and edge swim to fish on the 4m pole around ½ a metre from the bank where surprisingly I found a flattish spot. I also set up a J13 on .12 line to have a look shallow if I saw any fish activity.
The match started and I cast tight to the far bank, within minutes the water was colouring up with fish activity and I was catching regularly! Not big fish but a mixture of small carp and F1’s the tip was going around and I even felt I was starting to enjoy fishing the thod which I have to say is not my favourite discipline. But I was putting a weight together and I felt I was keeping pace with Harry, so as long as that was the case, I had a chance! I kept loose feeding some 4mm pellets and a few grains of corn down the edge and it was a good job I did as I started to run out of method mix with two hours to go!
Fishing a grain of corn on the pole I found some tench and F1’s and nice skimmers down the edge and was now really enjoying myself. I was missing a few bites but these were small Rudd so it was no great loss. Towards the last forty minutes my bites slowed down but I was at least feeling confident on the water again! At the scale I weighed 51lb to finish second to Harry who had 57lb so I was not that far behind him, mind I was cursing for not having enough bait! Andy Partridge had around 45lb for third place mostly taken close in on the pole. The venue had fished really well and was back in my good books!
Early start
On Sunday our beloved England were on box in the World Cup so I was in two minds as to go fishing or stay indoors. Janet at Mawgan Porth solved the conundrum for me by holding a football special! The match had an early draw that allowed us to get 5 hours in and finishing at 1.30pm just in time to get home for the game! It was a real shame that not many were up for the early start and we ended up with a very small sweep which I have to say was a real cracker. I took the last peg in the bag and was pleased when I saw it was peg 8 as it is a very good peg.
As we walked down to the lake there were carp everywhere seemingly enjoying the early morning sun, it was clear that some of them had other things on their minds as they frolicked in the weed, I just hoped they had finished before we started, and that their efforts had made them hungry. We were not disappointed that’s for sure,
I only set up one rig for fishing on the deck and three up in the water rigs as I was sure it was going to be a shallow day. Starting directly in front of me at 3m I fed some garlic pellets and baited with a 6mm pellet and within 60 seconds was playing the first fish. They were definitely on the bait and hungry after about 30 minutes I was getting liners which prompted me to feed another line at 5m. Opposite me on peg 38 Londoner Gary Burton was sacking on the corn from the margins but his mate Jimmy Hornsby was struggling on peg 40, when I say struggling he never had a carp for an hour but he was ace at catching the skimmers, must be a London thing!
Up in the water
Before long I saw a vortex on my 5m line and that was the signal, I was shallow fishing and stayed there until the end of the match, it was solid! I finished up with over 200 fish for 247lb. I didn’t have it all my own way as Gary recorded 202lb for second. Jimmy managed to fish through the skimmers and finished with over a ton which was a great result after such a slow start.
Why bother?
It was a quick dash home to watch the England vs. Germany game. The match left me wondering why I had bothered to get up so early as it was one of the worst games of football I have ever seen in my life. Oh Man, how I despise those overpaid prima-donnas who think they just have to turn up win the world cup.
Back at MP
Tuesday came around and I was really looking forward to another go at Mawgan Porth. I had a couple of things to do before I left and consequently arrived just before the draw. There was a better turnout with around 16 fishing so the lake was probably going to fish a little harder, unless a peg with some room could be found! I had my dip and looked several times at the number 12 which was in the palm of my hand. I have to say that I wasn’t that impressed with the thought of fishing that peg, especially when I found there were around four anglers along that narrow straight. I had a word with Janet and she assured me that there were plenty of fish there to be caught; I went to my peg feeling far from confident of framing.
The water looked clear, there was a large bank of pondweed in front of me at around 5m which looked like it would hold a lot of fish but I didn’t really want to fish up to it. I decided on a line straight out in front of me at 3m in around a metre of water. I also had a rig to fish down the edge; both of these lines were to be fished with a J3 float. Ever the hopeful a J13 was setup in case the fish came shallow.
Starting on the 3m line the fish turned up, they were not going mad but I was putting a few in the net. I could hear the anglers to my left catching but it was difficult to really know as I could hear splashing from both of them but I couldn’t work out if it was one of them or both catching! Every time I asked I was told they were catching skimmers. It was going to be one of those days! After an hour Harry moved off his peg on the island opposite me to retrieve his dog Dudley who was getting very excited looking for local wild life! Harry asked what was happening I told him I had around 20 fish but it was slowing, his answer surprised me when he said that was good, he could see all the other pegs and didn’t think much more had been caught, that, I must admit got my attention!
My peg was really slowing down, I couldn’t get a bite down the edge, skimmers were causing me a problem on the 3m line. Moving out against the weed was also causing problems as in that depth of water every time I hooked a fish they were in the weed. There was nothing I could do about that, unless I could get then shallow, then I would have less line to contend with and it would enable me to move them away from the weed quickly. I also remembered something that fellow SPRO backed Andy Partridge once told me when skimmers were a nuisance and that was to feed and fish corn. So the plan was changed and I started feeding pellets against the weed in an effort to get them up. Whilst I waited I fed a corn line at 3m and had a go there with the ‘yellow pellet’. To a degree it worked as I caught some fish on the corn but the skimmers were not playing ball as they loved corn as well. Trouble is the skimmers have grown since Andy was winning match after match at Mawgan Porth!
The fish came up to intercept the pellets and I had a good fourth hour getting quite a few fish, I lost some when my reactions were not quite up to speed and the carp made the weed but overall it was in my favour. I fished out the match shallow finishing with around 80 fish which left me ounces short of a ton. I was pleased to find out that I was second behind Gary Burton who got his own back from Sunday weighing 110lb from peg 8 to win the match.
Love all
Saturday and I was hoping that the love was back at the farm! I drew peg 48 a peg with some form on the thod. The problem for me was that I was not enjoying throwing a method feeder to the island and catching small F1’s and small carp. I went to my peg thinking that I had to do it and consequently set up a couple of feeder rods. I also had a pole rig for fishing the margins in around 2’ of water and out of habit set up two J13 floats for fishing shallow.
The match started and I cast tight to the island with a 6mm on the hook, immediately the water coloured up and the tip went round, the culprit was a 10 oz F1, out again and the same thing happened and number ones brother was in the net. A couple more followed and then I had a spell of losing the odd fish as I was just about to net them.
Holy Moaning
It suddenly dawned on me that I was really not enjoying this, it was just something that I did not want to be doing and I found myself cursing the style of fishing, which is not really like me. I actually contemplated leaving my gear on the bank and going home and returning after the match to weigh everybody in!
In the end I decided that I was going to feed a shallow line for 15 minutes whilst I stayed on the feeder, and if that didn’t work I was out of here! After about 10 minutes I couldn’t take it any longer and picked up the pole and shipped out to 11m. To be honest I was not expecting anything to happen but I was sure the float dipped. Lifting and dropping it back in the swim it went again but no fish. Bringing the rig back and taking 6’ off before shipping out again and slapping the surface with the float I was pleased to see a few feet of pink J range lastix shoot out of the tip fantastic, I actually felt the cloud of depression lift away from my peg!
Fish started responding to the feed and the swim was getting stronger as the match went on. Mainly Cornish F1’s with the odd small carp thrown in. I was really enjoying myself now and at the same time putting a good weight together on a method that I really enjoy fishing.
The match ended and after packing away I started the weigh in. There were some good weights topped by a 96lb by Harry Billing from peg 37 who caught a few on the method but the vast majority coming from down the edge on paste. Andy Partridge had 79lb from peg 40 again all on the pole, close on corn. My weight went 75lb for third and first out of the coin! But I really didn’t mind as I had a fantastic days sport catching some very nice fish. It was just a shame I couldn’t see Andy and Harry from where I was as I might have gone shallow much earlier!
Gwinear re visited
Sunday saw me head to Gwinear I hadn’t been there for sometime so I was looking forward to fishing the place again. There was a good turnout and the talk was all about yesterdays club match when 120lb had won the match by an angler fishing shallow form peg 40 on phase two. I made a mental note to draw that peg and looked around for all the lucky charms I could find. I had my dip and out came peg 43, close but not quite close enough! The peg is in the corner of the lake and the wind was blowing down that way so maybe the fish would follow. I wasn’t that hopeful but Mike O’Gorman reckoned I would catch on the 5m line and when that was backed up by Chris Hancock I was feeling a little more confident.
Pole rigs were soon assembled to fish the 5m line and I also had an edge rig to fish at 13m towards the corner where the wind was blowing in. The match started and out I went looking for the first fish but nothing happened in my swim. I saw the guy on 40 have a carp first go shallow from peg 40 and could also see Colin Mulholland catching from opposite him. Before long Skip McCabe was joining in the fun from peg 39. Down my end of the lake the guy opposite me was in the same boat as nothing was happening, I guess those Gwinear carp had not read the angling magazine – so didn’t know they were supposed to follow the wind!
Eventually a few carp graced our nets but it really looked like we were a long way behind and were in need of a miracle to catch up with the others. I had a look on my edge line much earlier than I wanted to and was pleased when I had a four pounder first go and was even happier when another followed next put in! But that was that from that line and I never had another bite from that swim. With about 90 minutes to go I fed a new margin swim to my right next to the empty peg and before long saw the tell tale signs of grubbing carp, now why they wanted to be up wind was alien to me but they were there!
Fishing an 8mm pellet found me around a dozen carp in that last period of the match and very enjoyable it was too! I managed around 55lb to come precisely nowhere in the match! But I did enjoy the fishing and that is what it’s all about.
Kevin Baxter won the match with an impressive 96lb from phase three, followed by Colin Mulholland with around 90lb. There were several other weights in the 80’s and it looks like Gwinear is well back on the road to recovery!
Good News
I had a couple of telephone calls from a very happy Glen Nelson who has been asking me loads of questions on fishing at Mawgan Porth in recent weeks, he even took a day off fishing himself recently to sit behind me whilst I competed on the venue. The reasons for his first call was to tell me how he managed to get his personal best match weight of 120lb from the venue and his second call was to tell me that he had finished second in a match there beating Harry Billing in the process! Well done Glen keep up the good work and I hope you frame on many more occasions. I really enjoy seeing anglers improve their techniques but I am particularly pleased for Glen as he has not been match fishing that long and he suffers from a severe physical disability which has left him wheel chair bound. He is keen as mustard and I am sure in my mind that it’s our fantastic sport that keeps him going.
