Sticky Wicket!

I was looking forward to last weekend’s fishing as we were to be on the White Acres complex for the Cornish Championship. Saturdays match was on Twin Oaks, Acorn and Canal in the team of eight event the following day and we were moving to Trewater’s for the individual match. I actually woke in the early hours of Saturday morning, I just could not get back to sleep and I found myself in the tackle room tying yet more hooks hoping for a draw on Twin Oaks. I still get excited about fishing matches even after countless, hundreds or more likely thousands of events!

The turnout again was disappointing only four teams had made the effort! I just cannot believe it fantastic waters and yet the Cornish anglers cannot be bothered to come out and support an event that is for them alone! No doubt there will be moans next year when it is opened up to anybody! There was to be more disappointment later when the individual event had to be cancelled. For some unknown reason loads cancelled on Saturday evening leaving five to fish for the crown of Individual Champion of Cornwall. I have to admit to pulling out myself when the numbers dropped that low as a match in my eyes has to be worthwhile. I do find myself wishing my life away at the moment, waiting for the colder weather and some decent sized matches. Enough moaning, back to the fishing!

The draw was done and we had some good and some not so good pegs! But that is what you have to put up with in team matches; the draw is the real handicap in our game. Harry Billing had drawn on Canal, and it is where we wanted the captain to be as he has a brilliant track record on that lake, mind you where doesn’t he? Roy Booth was on a flyer peg 16 on Twin Oaks, The Whistling Billy Arch again on Twin Oaks around peg 10. I found myself on Acorn peg 9, a lake that I really enjoy fishing but unfortunately have not drawn it much over the years so I have little experience there. Still, with only eight anglers we all had loads of room.

What no thod!

I got to my peg and immediately had some misgivings about it, not that I am making excuses but I was disappointed to be the only person not to have a chuck with the method, my peg was 16 metres wide and was full of gorse bushes that protruded from the far bank. At least I could reach over, I also had two good margin pegs but they were very close to me, I would only be able to fish these on a top kit, I could not reach anywhere else because of bank side vegetation.

I don’t like Cricket, I love it!

I set up duplicates of a few rigs to cover the edge and tight over plus a 5m deck rig I also had an up in the water rig. I started the match fishing over feeling quite confident of a few fish but all I could find was the odd roach and skimmer. Meanwhile Tyrone Hull to my right was getting regular carp on the pellet feeder in fact all I could see were anglers catching on the running line! Oh man I felt like packing up and going home to watch the cricket! That wasn’t an option so I had to persevere and try to catch a few. I managed a very small carp long, followed by a foul hooked one that I lost but I’m afraid to say that was that on that line. I fed it throughout but no joy, nor was there anything to be caught shallow.

Silver City

A spell on the 5 metre line fishing corn was interesting with loads of bites but they were only roach and skimmers. I would have had a good go for them but with the amount of carp showing I knew it was a waste of time, so with the match half gone and little in the net I was forced to concentrate on the margins. I actually enjoyed fishing down the edge and managed around 10 carp finishing with 40 odd pounds for stone last in section! I could get a couple from each side but the disturbance unsettled them so was unable to keep them coming and consequently had long quiet spells.

5 out of 8 isn’t bad!

The rest of the team did magnificently winning five of the eight sections. Billy Arch had 112lb to win the match and section from peg 10 Twin Oaks, backed up by Roy Booth with 90lb, Harry had over 80lb from canal, Andy Rawlins 84lb from peg 19 Acorn. Rob Fuller was the other section winner from Canal, Paul Carpenter had a creditable second and Andy Partridge third in section so it was a good team performance, I just wish I could have contributed more than one point!

New record

With Sundays match cancelled I spent a very enjoyable day watching England beat the Aussies to regain the Ashes which was fantastic to see. I also decided that it’s time to clock up some miles and find some decent matches in the SW, so I will be visiting places like Stafford Moor and Milemead, learning a bit and catching a few as well with a bit of luck!. Hopefully, September will pull a few more visiting anglers to Cornwall and we will have some good matches at Trewater’s, Mawgan Porth and Gwinear.

Incidentally I just heard that Simon Poynter set a new best of 379lb at Mawgan Porth last Friday and Chris Whitehead had 350lb once again it was a very small match but they are brilliant weights well done guys!