Downward Spiral!

Apologies for not updating the blog last week, I had a really busy week with one thing and another, so I decided to save it all for a bumper update this week, not that there is a lot to report in the way of success, I hasten to add!

The Thursday before last was the second to last of the Carterhall evening series, and with it raining all day I wasn’t expecting a good turnout. Sure enough, five people turned up, so we decided just to pay the winner and have a biggest fish prize.

I put five pegs in (including my beloved 14) and proceeded to let everyone else draw first leaving me with…you guest it, 14! I made the bailiff pull the peg out the bag and show them I didn’t have it in my pocket as its getting a bit embarrassing now, three times in three weeks!

I would call it good luck, but given the week I had had up to that point, In which I had smashed the wheel on my car and had my phone nicked I didn’t have the feeling that god was on my side!

Still, when I got fishing it seemed the swim was as solid as always, and I took a small ide every put in on my usual maggot approach, and managed to top up my bag with a 4lb carp to finish with 23lb. The fish didn’t seem as bigger stamp as usual however, which struck me as strange, but nobody seemed to catch any so I reckon it was just an off day for them.

Luckily, I had done enough however, and managed to sneak the win and the biggest fish prize once again, a handy £50 pick up.

I was working on the Saturday, but I finished at three and had agreed to go pleasuring on the canal for a few hours with Matt Godfrey. We had a pleasant walk along and caught a few fish, all of which were in strikingly good condition. We didn’t have anything big, the biggest was perhaps a six ounce rudd but you really had to work for bites, and could often see the fish taking your bait in the crystal clear water of the canal.

We rounded of the day with a couple of pints, then it was back home to do some rigs for Lindholme on the Sunday.

All the opens on here are on Oasis Lake at present, which I am glad about as its my favourite lake on the complex. My approach on here normally revolves around fishing maggots across, so I went duly armed with nine pints, but sadly the wind was howling down the lake, and all hope of fishing across was dashed.

Initially, I wasn’t too despondent, as I have won money in the past fishing in a similar way to how I fish across down the middle, but with a couple of hours of the match gone it just wasn’t happening! I wasn’t the only one to be in the doldrums however, venue regulars John Kelly and Matt Pilley had drawn around me and they were struggling as well, so it struck me there weren’t a lot of fish in our part of the lake!

Looking around, method feeder looked to be the most successful method, and its something I have never even considered, I had left my rods in the cellar!

After a while, John to my left set one up and started picking up the odd fish, but it wasn’t frantic so I stuck to my guns down the middle. To cut a long and boring story short, my down the track approach didn’t work, and I ended up chucking back about 15lb. John caught more than me but not enough to win anything, so I was satisfied that there probably wasn’t a deal I could have done from the area I was in.

I had come with my mate Chris Greensides, and he had had a slightly better day, weighing 30lb, but this wasn’t enough to win anything either, so it was off to the pub for a swift half and then home for tea!

From Hero To Zero!

The last Carterhall match was the worst attended yet, with only three anglers deciding to show up. There was myself, Matt and venue regular Jack Rothwell, so we let everybody pick there pegs. In the interests of sportsmanship (and banter) me and Matt decided to fish next to each other, we tossed a coin to see who would get the pick of the two pegs we agreed on, and I lost, the end of my lucky run at the venue!

I fished my standard maggot approach, though I decided to feed a bit of groundbait to see if this would draw more carp in. It worked better than I could have dreamed, first put in I had a carp that dragged me round the island and snagged me up!

I then got into a rhythm with the ide catching fairly well fishing half depth up to the island. Matt was catching as well, but I felt I was managing to pull in front. All at once, the line died, and all I could pick up was small rudd however, and then the ginger destroyer started sorting out some better quality fish.

This wasn’t before he had tried to jeopardize my efforts by giving me a can of coke to drink that he had shook up though. I couldn’t think of anything as cunning to back, so settled for the old ‘lob a ball of groundbait at him’ approach. It was a good shot as well, the ball exploded on impact with the back of his neck, and went down his back!

Sadly, this did little to slow his catch rate however, and my peg didn’t seem to be getting any better. I started a new line further down my peg, but all this produced was a small carp and a few small ide, and when Matt slid the net under a 5lb er it seemed my days work was done.

At the weigh in, my net went 19-0-0, while Matt weighed 24-0-0 to take the win. Jack beat me as well, weighing 21-0-9 so I was 3rd out of three!

I don’t suppose I can complain however as the venue has been quite kind to me this summer all in all. We have fished 11 matches and I have won seven of them, so the series has been quite profitable on the whole.

Return To Ranskill!

After a good result in the last round, I was really looking forward to this match, but with things tight at the top of the league, the pressure was on to come back with a section win to keep open my dreams of finishing top of the shop.

I stuck my hand in the bag at pulled out peg 36- not what I wanted! It is in a section with two pegs that are a lot better, 33 and 37 and I knew I would have all on to win the section.

I decided to fish my normal approach with worms and casters short, and also fish a bomb and pellet line up to the island. I caught steady on the worm line for the early part of the match, but it fast became irrelevant as the kid in the peg to my right put five carp in the net in the first hour. As it was a section win I was after and second in section was effectively no good, I ditched the worm and went out and out for the carp.

It just didn’t happen for me, I took two carp up to the front of the island while the chap on the peg next door who could throw down the side got one a bung, you could see the carp swirling and sets of bow waves after he chucked his feeder in.

While I have to say it was a crap draw, it’s a good job it wasn’t a good ‘un as I would almost certainly have made a mess of it, it was one of those day when everything you do goes wrong!

I finished up weighing 20lb which put me last in the section. If I had fished worms I reckon I could have caught the 43lb required to come second, but I felt I had to go for the section win, I will drop the result anyway and bring a second in section back into play.

The only saving grace is that I wasn’t the only one in contention for the league title to blow out- in fact, three out of the four of us finished last in our sections so all is not lost.

A Change Of Pace

For the first time in ages I went pleasuring on a Sunday, with the aim being to polish up on big carp fishing in preparation for White Acres next month. Me and Matt went to Duffy’s Fishery near Thorney, and we had a really good day catching loads of carp mainly by fishing down the edge, but we also had a good go with the pellet waggler as it is something that neither of us are very confident in.

We learnt loads and it was nice to have the time to try things without the time constraints of a match.

Next weekend its Kiveton Waters Sunday and the bank holiday match at Ranskill on monday for me, I will let you know how I get on!