I have got the fishing bug bad at the moment and the only cure is to keep going! I had the opportunity to get out on Wednesday. The only match that I could find was at Gunnabarn, in Summercourt a new venue to me and one that has had a recent stocking of small carp. The venue is set in beautiful Cornish valley. The lake only has 16 pegs, shame it’s not a bit bigger, but it was a pleasure to go. I even had an insomniac owl for company – I suppose that’s what you call them when they are awake and hooting during the day!
I wasn’t sure what to set up but talk was of the waggler and pole so that’s what I did. The lake is a sort of bell shape and I was pegged in the widest part and the end peg. It was easy to loosefeed about ¾ over using the philosophy that it is better to fish the wrong place well, rather than the right place poor so that is what I decided to do. I started on the pole in about 4’ of water at 9 mtrs. The rig was a .3 float with all the shot bulked about 14’ from the 18 PR36 hook. Feed was via a tosspot and the catapult to feed the waggler line. I fished the pole at the start and had a few small carp in fits and start. I could catch 3 or 4 and they would back off before returning for a little chomp.
I had that feeling that there just wasn’t enough fish in my peg and that the majority seemed to be to my right. After a couple of hours I reached for the waggler rod which was armed with 1.5 gram Cralusso rocket, the hook was a size 18 911 set to just touch bottom in about 3’ foot of water. Bait was three red maggots. Bites kept coming for awhile, but after about 10 fish stopped completely! A few more back on the pole but the waggler line was dead. A change of waggler to a 2.5 gram version saw me take a few more fish up to the end of the match all caught close to the far bank, I had to wait for bites though. I was first to weighed and was surprised to put 60lb 12oz on the scales. Barry Little about 4 to my right in a narrower part of the lake weighed 68lbof waggler caught carp to win the match and Neil Hall from the other end peg had 65lb for second. Well done guys. I really enjoyed fishing a new venue and felt at the end that I had learnt a lot from my first visit. A word of warning should you visit ‘The barn’ make your plummet your best friend as when the digger operator dug the lake he must have been on wacky backy, the lake bed is all over the place!
A Day at the Races!
Saturday saw travelling partners Harry, Dudley and I attend the Cornwall Match Group open at Mawgan Porth. Another idyllic venue set in the North Cornwall countryside. The lake is absolutely crammed full off carp up to about 2lbish. The lake record is over 300lb set last summer by Roy Booth there have been numerous double ton weights. My best here is 222lb, it’s not a venue that I attend on a regular basis as I normally prefer venues with bigger fish. At Mawgan Porth It’s like roach fishing except you catch carp!
Janet the owner runs a great fishery though. She provides each angler with two keepnets and a landing net plus a hand towel! That’s lady fishery owners for you! Every fish no matter what size has to be netted. I have to say though the fish are in great condition to say the weights are so big.
I drew peg 46 on the island and next to Harry who was on the point. You do not want to be fishing long on this venue as it is a race and time is precious. In the summer it’s a ‘top kit challenge’ but it was just a little too shallow on the inside for my liking so a top kit plus one section was set up along with a duplicate rig. Actually on one rig I had a PR28 16 in case the fish were really having it. On the other I had a 911 size 18 to 0.12 line. A .4 gram rig with a bulk and one number 8 dropper seemed best. It is only about 3’ deep but I wanted the bait down on the deck in the catching zone quickly. Bait was corn and 6mm pellets. I had 6 tins with me just in case. I opened 2 at the start and this along with a pint of pellets was enough bait for the day.
Watch out Zorro about! Opposite on peg 27 was fellow SPRO angler and venue expert Andy Partridge he regularly supplements his pension on this venue! He is a very positive angler and if the fish are in range of his top kit he is virtually unbeatable whether it’s carp or silvers.
There may be trouble ahead
The whistle went and I was about a minute behind as I wasn’t quite ready. Andy and Harry were into carp from their first drop. Harry fishing the same line as me only around the corner and Andy his preferred top kit, he had a much deeper edge line. After 15 minutes I was still biteless and those two were on a fish a chuck! The writing was on the wall, if you get too far behind it is very difficult catching up at this game. I never felt like I got going and could only get fish in short spells, I tried experimenting with the feed all to no avail. I finished the match with 89lb not a bad weight when you think you have struggled! But, it was way off the pace as Andy had 159lb 7oz and Harry had 133lb 4oz this was backed up by Trev Conroy with 130lb and John Lambert was 4th with 107lb I think the lowest weight was in the mid 50lb’s. I have to pinch myself practically every time I go fishing down this neck of the woods, it is unbelievable fishing.
Sunday- Round 15 White Acres Individual League
I was really looking forward to this match, the frosts had gone and hopefully the carp were going to feed. I was ready for anything! Well anything except the draw that is, peg 35 on Twin Oaks stuck to my sticky mitt. In previous carp rounds you have needed to be in the middle of the lake. I was the end peg and nowhere near the middle. To make matters worse, I had ace Preston innovations baggers Timmy Rowe and Gary Webber in my section and they were on the better pegs. Gary had drawn where Tim had won from last week.
There was only one way to fish this as someone in this section was going to get a ton, silvers were out of the equation. It had to be positive. I set up two wagglers one of which was my favourite Cralusso Rocket Light and the other was a 3 swan pellet waggler for going shallow up against the bankside vegetation. I also set up a pellet feeder and two edge rigs for the last hour. Bait was two pints of 8mm pellets and two pints of micros for the pellet feeder. There is a maximum of 4 pints of of one type of bait in your gallon allowance. I also had some corn and a few maggots.
Just after the all in I could hear Tim and Gary talking about the amount of liners they were getting on the feeder. Next peg neighbour Billy Arch and I were staring at motionless tips! After forty minutes we were still fishless. Billy asked Tim how he was doing and I really didn’t want to hear that he had 12 carp and Gary was beating him. It was all over for this round there was to be no heroic catch-up. I finished with 35lb which comprised of 12 carp. 6 on the feeder or straight lead, 3 on the waggler and 3 down the edge. Gary paralysed the section with 103lb and Tim was 2nd with 65lb. Overall Andy Dare won the match from peg 13 on Twin Oaks low numbers he had 118lb of waggler caught carp. I think Gary was second and Clint Elliot third with 90lb from Canal.
Andy and Clint now have 7 section wins and are leading the field I am still in the chasing pack along with Harry Billing and Skip McCabe with 6 wins. Next week we fish the penultimate round and its silvers only. Role on Tuesday let’s see if I can continue with some improvement at Gwinear.
SPOT ON CANT WAIT FOR THE SUN TO SHINE AGAIN REGARDS TO HARRY
Cheers Brian, will pass on your regards.
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Tom
