By Matt | No Comments
Last updated: Tuesday, April 29, 2008

You’ll probably know that the teachers were on strike last Thursday which meant one thing…FISHING!!! I decided to go down to my local BW Kiveton Waters. I don’t get chance to fish it much, although I did go down to watch them re-stock it in the winter, they put plenty in!

There weren’t many there on a Thursday, but we got together and decided to have a knock up, winner takes all. It’s a good set of chaps down there too, so there’s always some good banter. I drew peg 5 which is half way down one of the arms, an ok draw. The weather had been mint all week while I was at school, and then it decided to empty the rain right over Kiveton on the Thursday when I was fishing…typical!

Anyway, I had the far bank to cast to and a flat bottom all the way out, so I decided to keep it simple and fish two lines. The first was a 13m pole swim straight in front. I had a top three depth, and set up two rigs. The first was a 4×14 Carpa Chimp, on 0.13 lines to an 0.10 bottom, with a size 18 B911 hook set at dead depth. The wind was blowing a bit so I also set up a 0.5g Tomas Walter Series 2, which is quite a long float and sits nice and stable in the wind.

This was again on 0.13 lines to 0.10 bottom and an 18, but set 4 inch overdepth. I settled on a number 9 Preston hollo to start with on both rigs. The far bank couldn’t be ignored, and I felt I could start on the tip, and keep having a go to give the pole line a rest. For this I set up a SPRO 10ft Picker rod, with a Red Arc reel, loaded with 4lb line. I set up a running rig with a small grip mesh feeder and a 12 inch 0.13 hooklength to a 16 B911.

My bait tray was simple. A tub of soaked micros for feeding, some hookers (pellets of course), a bag of fishmeal groundbait and half a pint of dead maggots for the tip. I started on the tip tight to the far bank after feeding a few micros on the pole line. I had 5 small carp, 10oz in as many chucks, all on three dead reds. It slowed a little, so I cast to a different spot on the far bank and had another 6. After 45 minutes I had 11 small carp for 12lb or so. I decided to go on the pole, as those around me were getting one or two, and straight away was into fish.

I had a good run of small carp, feeding micros every chuck and using a 4mm expander on the hook. After three hours I had around 30lb, but the pole line died, so I took off the kinder pot a and found that if I sat off the bait with a 6mm pellet, I would have to wait, but would get a Tench, which were around the 2lb mark, bigger than the carp. The small carp then arrived, and I was catching in short bursts, 4 or 5, then nothing, so I fed half a cup of micros, and chucked out the feeder going into the last hour.

I had another decent run of these small carp o the tip. With 30 minutes left I came back on the pole, and I was solid!!! I had a reyt good last half hour, probably putting 20lb of small stockies with the odd tench and skimmer in the net.

The guy on the end did well, weighing in 85lb, which I thought had beat me, but my first net went 40lb, and my second over 50lb!!! I didn’t think I had that much, and ended up weighing 93lb. I was still sure Paul Massey had done me on the point peg 9, which he did, weighing a brilliant 119lb in. I don’t think I was ever going to beat him, but still, it was a fab days fishing, and I’m all for he teachers going on strike, they should do it for a week at a time!!!

Back on the canal….PROPER FISHING!!!

I didn’t have anything on at the weekend, so went along with for Kiveton and Wales’ annual match on the Stainy at Crowl. I haven’t been on the canal since February, and I had certainly missed it!!! The stretch we fished is really nice, I hadn’t been before, it had reeds both sides, which you can almost reach with 16m. I was pretty spawney, I must admit, and drew one of the end pegs, but it was gin clear all the way up!

I decided to fish three lines. One was at the first shelf at 6m, one at 13m going up the far shelf, and a big fish line (that never seems to go under for me) at 16m. I found the same depth at 6m and 13m, around 6 foot, and set up three rigs. The first was a 4×14 Colmic jolly, strung out with number 12 and 13 shots, which I expected to catch on best in the clear water. The next was a 0.4g Jean François, with a small bulk and 3 number 11 droppers, and the third was a 0.6 g Jean Franny in case it started pulling. All were on 0.10 mainline to a 0.06 bottom and a 22 B511 hook and number 3 elastic. My big fish line rig was pretty hefty. A 0.5g Walter series 2, on 0.15 lines to a size 13 B711 hook and number 14 solid elastic……set tight. I was right up to the stick ups, and if it goes under, its NORMALLY a proper ‘un!

To start with I fed 3 balls of a roachy mix at 6m, and 8 at 13m, with a few pinkies and some hemp. I fed my big fish line with a full pot of chopped worm and casters…YEAH!!! I started loose feeding over both lines straight away, a few pinkies and some hemp every time. It was slow to start with, but a pike struck, so at least there were a few fish about. After half an hour on the short line I caught my first fish a dumpy roach on pinkie on the bulked rig. a steady run followed, but some were tiny bottle top skimmers. I stopped feeding the pinkies, and fed more hemp with the catty, 10 grains or so, every run through. At the half way stage I had around 40 fish for probably 3lb. The guy to my left hadn’t had a bite, and I hadn’t seen anyone catch a fish!!! I had to hold he rig from half depth an lower it proper slow to get a bite.

I decided to try the lump line, so I broke a worm in half and put both big half’s on the gaff. I lowered it in…..it bobbed few times, and slowly slid way……..clunk….an absolutely huge, hard fighting, massive, pristine perch, that must have been at least half an ounce, pulled a good 0.00002mm of elastic out and came slowly to the waiting landing net after a long fight which brought me through sweat and blood.

Unfortunately it was the usual bite less waiting game of nothing on that line so it was back on the pinkie plugging away at the small fish. The strung out rig came into its own in the last two hours, at which point I probably had 5lb and this was the only rig I could get a bite on. I had been trying hemp to no avail, but with an hour left, it went on the short line with a lovely 6oz dumpy roach. There’s nothing better and more satisfying than when it goes under with hemp on. I upped the hemp a little, and in the last half hour had 12 better roach on it to finish off a really nice day.

The guys two to my left had both done poor, but fished for big fish all day. I was first to weigh, and put a pleasing 9lb 12oz on the scales. Walking along with the scales revealed the next best weight was 4lb 15oz, a guy in the middle who had also caught on hemp. It was nice to be back on the canal, and even better to win one for a change!!! It’s about blooming time!!!