Racking Up The Miles

ince the early spring festivals at White Acres I have been busy with one thing and another which means I am really behind with my blog. Over the next couple of weeks I will try to get up to speed so that it is all current.

Well, I have clocked up a few miles and seen some mixed results in recent weeks but on the plus side it has been great to take part in some bigger than normal matches. Following on from the Dynamite festival it was an early start for the Maver Match at Stafford Moor. I must admit to feeling a little jaded after two weeks of festival fishing but it I felt I just had to go, as they say you have to be in it to win it! There were around 65 booked on for the match, which I guess was a little disappointing for the organisers but there was also a Fishomania  the same day at Viaduct, which no doubt split the field.

Woodpecker

I was near to the end of the draw queue and saw a few smiling faces go off to their cars after their dip in the bag of dreams. My turn came and out came peg 32 on Woodpecker, which didn’t mean anything to me as I have not fished for carp at Stafford for quite some time.  I was told it was a good peg and waggler all the way, both up and on the deck. Even though I had drawn Woodies on a few occasions I have never been round that side of the lake, so it was new ground for me. I was surprised at the size of the bay opening out to my left; I had the point of an island to my right at around 25m away. There was a strong breeze blowing from right to left which would make the waggler slightly difficult to control in the surface tow. I had Ben Leach for company on peg 30, he had the other side of the island to have a go at. The wind blowing over Ben’s shoulder so no doubt he would have easier control of his waggler. Mind there was a little bush on Ben’s side of the island that looked like an early Christmas tree with half a dozen pellet wagglers dangling in the spring sunshine.

Rod and line time

Tackle choice was simple enough. I had a 4gram Cralusso Rocket light for my on the deck rig. I plumbed this up, straight in front of me at around 30m, just in the lea of the wind the depth was around 7’ I had a 4ssg J Range Styro for fishing shallow over the same line, I could also fish this close to the island. I also had a straight lead made up that I could fish wherever I wanted in my swim. I did set up a pole but just the one rig for the margins. Bait for the day was pellet and I had plenty with me including some 6mm, 8mm and 10mm coarse pellets I also had some corn to fish the margins.

The match started and I went straight out on the waggler on the deck. No immediate bites but hopefully the fish would soon find the bait. Ben was soon into carp on the straight lead near to the point of the island. I had a couple of bites that I missed, strange they looked unmissable! Maybe silvers or line bites. I had a couple of casts on the pellet waggler in case they were carp feeding shallow but I just could not open my account. Ben now was catching on the pellet waggler. After nearly an hour my float went under and I was playing a carp. Hopefully they had arrived! It was not to be though and I just could not get another bite. As much as I tried I could not catch in the open water. I had a couple of goes near the island and that was the same until around three hours into the match when I had four fish on the spin, shallow towards the island. They were over 5lb each and I allowed myself the thought of doing some damage, as soon as that thought came into my head I was again struggling for bites. I did have a couple of bursts with a couple of fish on the trot but I just knew today was not going to be the day.

In the end I managed around ten carp which went something like 55lb but that was dwarfed by Ben Leaches catch of 154lb. The match was won by none other than Des Ship from peg 2 on Tanners with a fantastic weight of 171lb he now qualifies for the £50k winner take all, what’s the odds on him winning later this year at Larford?

The journey home that night felt very long, I must admit to feeling that this was one match too many. It’s starting to take its toll fishing two weeks in festivals and then travelling to another venue, who says this fishing lark is easy? There was definitely no fishing planned for the week ahead.

Local match

The following Sunday as I was down on the Farm at Trewaters. Both lakes were in use and I drew peg 25 on the top lake. It was a lovely sunny day but very windy and it was howling down to me, left to right. There was talk of the method dominating but I honestly thought it was too nice a day to be watching a tip, so I left mine in the van and decided it was pole only for me; I set up a 4 x 16 J8 float for fishing at topkit plus one directly in front of me and a J2 4 x 8 for the margins. Two J13 floats completed my set up, I really hoped that the wind would drop a bit and I could then fish shallow.

This was a really nice match with bites all day long. I fed my close line and landed a 2lb carp first drop in on meat, it’s always nice to get one first put in. The fish continued to come to 6mm cubes on the same line fished at depth. They were a mixture of Skimmers, Tench, F1’s and the odd small carp. I was also feeding the margin swim but just could not get that to work, I would have a couple of fish and they would just back off. Never mind there were plenty to be caught a little further out. Towards the end of the match the wind died a little and I chanced my arm shallow. After a couple of minutes feeding they were there! I had quite a few Cornish F1’s to finish off a really nice match.

Bowled out, a couple short

When the scales came around I was surprised to weigh 98lb the fish are certainly putting on some weight. Mind I felt a bit like a cricketer getting caught out in the nervous nineties, I really must try harder! The weight was the best on the top lake but Clint Elliott just got his nose in front with 104lb to win the match from peg 54.

Drennan, Match Fishing Knockout Cup

I was really very pleased to be invited to fish this match; it is one that I have followed in the magazine with a lot of interest. The first round was at Garbolino Lindholme, I made sure I had my passport and set off on the long drive from Cornwall. I actually planned to fish a match there on Wednesday as I feel I get more out of practicing under match conditions. But when I arrived they had already drawn and only 6 or 7 were fishing so I ended up on Oasis for a practice. At the end of the day I really hoped for a draw on this lake as I felt I had learnt a fair bit.

Wednesday night and a dozen or so ended up at the local pub watching the football. This led onto the local curry house and we had a fantastic meal. I was in the company of Lindholme boss Neil and Jon Arthur plus half of the Daiwa Dorking team; it was a really good night out catching up on the stories from my old circuit. Tommy Hillier keeping us entertained with some stories from years ago.

I was staying on site in one of Neil’s caravan and as always I was up early, really looking forward to the match. As the anglers were arriving I really felt quite in awe. The quality of the field was something to be seen, every angler was well known. There was no doubt about it; today was a day for drawing well and fishing to the best of your ability. There was something like 120 fishing and 64 would be going through to the next round. So, I and everybody else for that matter needed to get into the top half of the competitors on their lake, easy enough? I really wish it was that easy!

It was soon my turn and I plunged my trusty left hand into the BOD’s and came out with Bonsai 82 the peg looked familiar, but my mind would not let me in immediately on the secret. Only Tom Scholey put his thumb up in the air as I recorded my draw. I asked a few anglers, looking for some encouragement on the best way to approach the peg but I could just feel that they really didn’t want to say what they actually thought of the peg. When I walked around to the lake I immediately remembered why the number was familiar. I fished it last May in the festival! Unbelievable, 120 pegs in the bag and I have to draw a peg that I have drawn before. Amazing really as I this would be only the third time of fishing this lake. The problem with the peg was one I knew well, it was just too far to the island, annoyingly just out of reach of the 16m pole limit. And where I could reach it was really just too deep. However, the last time I had it I weighed something like 40lb and the chat was around that weight would get you through, so it was all to fish for.

Super Sponsor

As I was setting up none other than Peter Drennan walked around the lake talking to all the anglers, he gave each and every one of us a goody bag of his marvellous products. Some of them are not yet on the market. The method feeders and moulds look really impressive as do his knew cage and open ended feeders. There really was quite a lot of useful and very usable gear in the bag that he handed out. I thought it was really good to see the sponsor of the match actually taking the time out to walk round and say a few words to everybody. I certainly will be topping up that goody bag with some of the products as soon as they hit the shops.

The match

My match started really well with carp coming to worms at 16m, they were not big but good weight builders. By the end of the first hour I had around a dozen of them. Tom Scholey walked around taking photographs, he asked what I had and I told him I was happy with the start as I hooked another small one. I really could not believe it when he came around again about 2 hours later and all I had was another two! I just could not buy a bite. I had not put all my eggs in one basket, I had fed a silver fish line at 5m but I just could not make it work! Nothing down the edge or over tight into the rushes on the method, going into the third hour I knew that I would not be progressing into the next round. I fished the match out on the long pole just hoping that carp would make an appearance and get me out of jail! If I was to ever draw that swim again I think with the benefit of hindsight I would concentrate on the ‘thod’ probably to the island to the left rather than straight in front.

Good performances

I did witness some great fishing though; Jason LeBosquet to my right fished a blinder. He could reach the island at 16m which put him in the shallower water and what’s more he had a brilliant edge swim long down to his right. Jason exploited both swims brilliantly finishing with 120lbish for second in the match. I could also see Simon Willsmore who was behind me, I had plenty of time to watch! He struggled for the first couple of hours but by chopping and changing and working out what the fish wanted he actually won the match. Simon settled on the chopped worm feeder with worms on the hook.

Me, well I failed miserably at the first hurdle I weighed just over 20lb to get well and truly knocked out of this year’s competition, but I left the series in good company with world champions and previous Kamasan Match man of the year winners not making it through to the second round at Barston. I will leave you to read the full story of the winners and losers in Match Fishing magazine. One thing is for sure, I am very grateful for the invitation to fish; I really enjoyed the experience and will keep my fingers crossed for a letter from Match Fishing inviting me to next year’s event. Best wishes to all of those that remain in the competition