Alders Farm Pines 17 02 15

After last week's decent result on Pines Lake I was itching to get back and have another go. Pines has changed a fair bit since last year with a lot of skimmers going in to compliment a good head of carp. For company this week were Trevor, Charlie and my nemesis Mick. So the MK Nugget starts here. These really are friendly matches/knock ups call them what you like but it always amazes me why more anglers do not attend.
Still onto today. I drew the same peg as last week 8 and was confident that I would get a few having learnt from last weeks mistakes. Mick was on 4, Trevor on 6 and Charlie on 10.
At the all in I potted a large pot of micros with around 20 grains of the yellow stuff at 14m and did the same at 11m to my left  at 10 o'clock. After an hour I re-fed the lines as I had not had a bite. This seemed to do the trick as I had my first bite just after, a skimmer about a pound. I had no other bites for the next hour and a half. Charlie was struggling but was getting odd bites on maggot over GB whilst Trevor was on around 6 skimmers but was starting to get bites regularly. Mick was still biteless and was going onto the pellet cone.
I decided to try toss potting everything in over the 14m line and this made a difference. I was getting a few bites on the smallest corn I could find in the tub and although I was missing a few I was starting to get a few skimmers. They would then die off and a few carp put in an appearance, making a significant boost to my weight. It seemed like a switch had been turned on as everyone started catching. Mick on the cone, Trevor on his maggot over GB and Charlie was putting together a nice net of skimmers.
I just kept my head down and stayed focused on the 14m line, getting odd fish on both pellet and corn. After all, the real battle is for the nugget and the bragging rites at work.

Overall

1st Trevor Price          43-12

2nd Charlie Lancaster 36-05

3rd Keith Ashby          34-02

4th Mick Wright          30-09

It had fished hard all round until the afternoon when it seemed to come alive. Perhaps it was the cold night leading up to it, the influx of a lot of cold water during the previous day, I don't know but it was the same for everyone so at least it was fair.
I came away with a grin and a nice nugget from Mick, so all was not lost. Mission Accomplished.
Next week is on Ash Lake and with the changes made to the lake it will be interesting to see how it fishes.

Alders Farm Pines Lake 10 02 15

It has been an absolute age since I decided to go fishing. The freezing conditions did not help and I have spent an awful lot of time reading other people's blog's and not writing any of my own. In fact, my gear has been sat in a corner for two month's and has not been touched. I dreaded to think that the couple of pints of maggot and a bait box full of corn were still in the bag but at least I remembered to clear them before my sabbatical.
I had booked into the open at Alders Farm on Pines Lake, a favourite of mine during the summer, and with the skimmers now showing it should be okay for a few bites in winter.
There were not many of us as there was still a little bit of ice in one corner but it would ease me back in gently. Due to the low numbers it was decided to run it as a rover. Vic drew 1st and opted for 10, I drew 2nd and opted for 8, mainly for a chat with Vic if it was fishing poor. Hugh drew 3rd and placed himself on 6. Terry opted for 16 with brother Charlie deciding on 26. Trevor decided on peg 4 as he wanted to "have a play with a few things".
With the fog slowly lifting from the lake and fine, but cloudy conditions forecast I opted to fish 3 lines, my main line at 14m, another shorter line at 7m and a throwaway line down the edge( I would feed it but did not expect to catch as the water is shallow). Bait was corn, expander and some Almond Gel-it. For feed I opted for micros with a handful of 4mm sinking pellets, both fishery supplied.
At the all in I fed a pot of corn and micro onto 14m and a pot of micros with a few 4mm's to 7m. Another half pot of corn and micro down the edge.
I started off fishing at 14m and after around 15minutes I had my first bite, a skimmer around a pound, I was off and running, a couple more followed before a carp around 5lb put in an appearance. With an hour gone I had around 10lb in the net. Hugh was catching well and Terry was catching opposite on 16, Vic was not doing so well towards the shallower end of the lake, he had caught but was trailing.
It was around this time that the ice had decided to move into my peg and stretched across to the island, I tried tapping it but that did not break it so tried to keep it moving through the swim. After 10 minutes I was ice free but it was closing in on Vic. Despite trying to move it towards the very end of the lake and tapping it with a cup to no avail, it was time for the ice-breaker. Unfortunately this worked for a while but disturbed his peg too much.
Hour two and three saw my catch rate improve with a few more carp than skimmers but I felt it was dying so re-fed another pot of micros and corn and switched to 7m. Despite fishing both 7m( half an hour) and the edge( for 5minutes) for no fish, I was soon back out to 14m. I was now end peg on our bank as Vic had had enough and packed up. Hugh was still catching and Terry was plugging away long. Trevor was quiet so I thought he was catching and well Charlie was having a pleasure session on his own on that dam wall.
Hour four and five seemed to go to quick, I was catching a fish regularly but felt that my weight was not improving, if you know what I mean. But at least I was still catching skimmers and odd carp.
At the all out I reckoned on 15lb of skimmers and 40lb of carp. I was surprised to see the scales go round to 73-2.

Overall

1st Hugh Crawford        127-09

2nd Keith Ashby             73-02

3rd Terry Lancaster         56-09

4th Trevor Price               49-14

5th Charlie Lancaster       36-03

6th Vic Nugent                 DNW

A welcome return to fishing and a small brown envelope to match. The bug is back and where shifts allow I will be back on the bank. Mick could not make this week but is planning to start the MK Nugget challenge next week, so that should spur me on. I had better start stocking up on the corn.