Watch out, Red Devils about!

After a mad dash back to Cornwall on Monday I felt like I had jet lag on Tuesday morning. I wouldn’t mind if I had been somewhere exotic but I had just returned from Hayes not that there is anything wrong with Hayes! I picked up Harry and we headed off to Mawgan Porth for the latest midweeker there were 35 booked in as the anglers are back in town.

Not only was it a good turnout it was a quality field as well, there were load of festival regulars it was good to have a chat with some old mates before the draw. Bernie was relegated from the draw bag today and Jeff was in charge so at least that left the guessing out of the equation as he was standing bang in the middle of the shelter. When the draw started it was a free for all! You would think that there were 10 pegs short in the bag, I managed to get my hand in and was really pleased to see peg 5 sticking to my mitts, a good area and an end peg to boot just what the doctor ordered.

The weather was not brilliant as we seem to be getting the backlash of the Caribbean hurricane season, the winds are whipping over the Atlantic and battering Cornwall at the moment they are also cooling down on the way which is a shame. The wind however was blowing down the lake towards my peg so it wasn’t all bad news.

Great draw

I have not been on peg 5 before and I have to say it looked the business with a fantastic edge to my left, I wish I was allowed to do a bit of gardening just to tidy a few bits of grass but I was certainly not complaining. I assembled a couple of Carpa Shelf’s to tackle the inside line and some Cralusso .2 Capri’s to tackle a line that I had chosen at 5 metres. One of the rigs was made up to fish the paste in case I needed it. I had my normal bait with me of fishery pellets and 4mm garlic soft pellets. But on this occasion I supplemented my feed with a bag of micro pellets as it had been fishing harder of late. Talk was of 120lb winning the match and around a ton to frame.

At the start I fed the edge and was pleased to see the water colour up as the resident carp got a taste for the free offerings, before long I had a bite and a 2 pounder was in the net, a good stamp for the first fish. A few more followed, it was not manic but I had about 10 fish before the bites slowed. Looking around and listening to the chat I could tell that it was slowing down for most and some were really struggling. It looked like it was going to be the same as Friday. Not wishing to plunder the edge I decided to move out to the five metre line and have a look there whilst feeding the margin. I was amazed when I didn’t get a bite there, after 10 minutes I was back down the edge.

Fish were coming but not at all fast and I was missing bites which I just could not understand, I changed my rig around and altered the feeding but could not get the fish to settle. They seemed to be dashing in grabbing some food and disappearing somewhere. I had an idea that the paste would sort it out, so I rearranged a rig and fished the paste down the edge. I caught one quickly and then got pestered with foul hookers. I tried the paste long and had two quickly and then the same happened foul hooked fish. It was as if they were interested in the paste but were not sucking it in, more like playing with it. Not that I am expert on the subject but I made it sloppier and had the same result, so that rig went up the bank!

I was getting a little frustrated with the swim, lots of fish there but could not settle them down. I tried a section closer, put on a toss pot and they were there instantly. How mad is that? A section closer and bingo! Well that’s how the match went swopping between the edge and 4 metres and I managed to get some fish. I found swopping hook baits between soft hookers and 4 and 6 mm hard pellets was needed to keep bites coming. I finished the match with 78lb which was good enough for second place, I was annoyed with myself for not sorting it out earlier, damn that jet lag! The match was won by John Leeds who had 82lb 9oz! Harry was third with 76lb 8oz from peg 37 he fished a great match at 4 metres taking his fish on pellet and some on caster. Not taking anything away from the winner, I left the venue feeling I had a winning swim today, the thought of ‘must try harder’ was ringing inside my head as I drove home! In reality I shouldn’t beat myself up so much. I enjoyed the days fishing it was very interesting trying to work the swim out.

Second time lucky?

Later that evening I decided that the beauty of working for yourself meant that if you have to work a little harder later in the week, then so be it, and I was off fishing again at MP in the Wednesday open. I had some things going around in my head and wanted another go. I made the call booked in and the next day Harry and I turned up at the venue to be greeted by another great turn out of quality anglers.

I had my dip and was pleased with peg 38, it is one that I know well as I have drawn it on several occasions previously. Today the wind was stronger and I was feeling the brunt of it, albeit sideways on as it raged from my right to left but the sun was shining for a change. I set up my normal rigs but had sacked the paste after the previous day’s efforts with it. I had also supplemented my bait with the addition of some of the fisheries micro pellets.

At the all in I fed some pellets both sides of my platform and started on the right I had a carp first put in which is always welcome. The lake was towing like mad to the right another fish followed and then there were no more bites. Changing sides found another run of fish, it was difficult as my float was towing under the platform! I had a run of fish before this went quiet and I could not buy a bite either side. I felt that the carp had disappeared under the platform and didn’t want to come out! I did contemplate a bit of Eskimo type ice fishing but didn’t think Janet would approve of me drilling her platform!

I had a go at four metres and had four fish before the bites dried up, adding a section produced another few fish before that line dried up, it was getting hard to control the pole at 5 sections because of the wind and the tow was making things difficult. This was a strange match as I could only catch a few fish from whatever line I fished. Every time I changed lines I caught the problem was that I soon ran out of water! I couldn’t get them back on any of my lines.

Carp watch out, Red Mick’s about!

Diagonally opposite me was the local Snowland club champ Mick Heacock who was on peg 5 and he had been catching from the off, in fact he was emptying the lake! He was fishing down to his left margin and every time I glanced up he was playing another carp. Looks to me like his Mick has sorted his phobia about carp fishing and the only way for him is up.

I could also see Jamie Hughes on bridge peg 9 catching and having a battle with Adam Slade who was on peg 8 in fact it was more interesting watching others fish than watching my float as apart from it towing down the lake nothing else was happening to it!

The weather had taken a turn for the worst and with 30 minutes to go I gave up trying, in fact I was shivering, I was so cold I just couldn’t believe it was early September, I wish I had brought my winter jacket with me!

Stretford End

Overall in the match it was a Manchester first and second with Mick winning the battle by a country mile and recording a match winning 163lb. In second place was that other well known ‘Ex Pat’ Harry Billing who was on peg 46 and managed 109lb the rest of the field was:

3rd place James Hughes on peg 9, with 95lb – 1ozs, Chester Tackle.4th place Mark Pleavin on peg 44, with 84lb – 13ozs, Weston Tackle and 5th Adam Slade on peg 8 with 71lb – 6ozs, Trabbuco VDE

Well this weekend see’s me travel to Devon to Goodiford Mill for the first time in a carp match and Sunday I’m looking forward to visiting Porth reservoir for hopefully a few skimmers , should be an interesting couple of matches.