Saturday 17 September 2016

Marsh AC Alders Farm Ash Lake 17 09 2016

Regular readers will know that Mick Wright and I have a running nugget stake at each match we fish together, This has been going on for a few years and this year is no different with Mick leading 5-4 going into today's encounter. Alders Farm and Ash lake is a local venue to the pair of us and as such we made our own way to the complex. After a chat with Debbie and Trevor in the shop, it was agreed we would fish the cafe bank pegs 1-11. We only had seven Marsh members and a couple of guests to help make up the numbers, but this allowed everyone to catch a few hopefully.
I intended to fish the pellet if I drew pegs 1-6 and corn if I was further down the lake, as it is a little deeper there and with a good wind blowing into the end pegs, I thought that a static bait would work better than pellets. However the decision was decided at the draw bag where I took the last peg and peg 3. Mick had end peg 11 and I fancied it for a few today. It would also suit Mick as you are not fishing too far out.
For company I had Tony Roberts on peg 2 and John Button on peg 4.
I set up a couple of DS .2 greens to fish at 2+2 with a foot of line above the float and a couple of margin rigs to fish both the edge of the reeds and by the tree between pegs 3 and 4. The open water rigs were on black hydro as I believe I land more fish than on the standard red. However down the edge it was red hydro and orange vespe due to the expected larger fish.
At the all in, I threw around two dozen pellets onto each line and started off on the 2+2 line. The wind though was only allowing me to throw to 2+1 1/2, so I replumbed up and started again. My first fish came after about 3 minutes on this new line and I was off and running, by making slight alterations to the rig I was able to keep picking off fish in the first hour and had 14 in the net for about 40lb. Tony was catching on the maggot but was losing a few fish, I could see Gino further down the bank and Jim catching on 6. The second hour flew by but I was still doing well against those around me and with around 90lb in the net I was in auto pilot mode. Feed, lay rig in, feed, lift rig, feed and so on. The amount of feed varied during the spells, If I was catching then around a dozen seemed right but if it went quiet I upped it to 2 dozen and started again.
Halfway through the match I knew I had done the ton and asked Tony how he was doing and he said he had 44 fish, so I worked that out to be 130lb and felt I was a little behind but still within reach. I was once told by Gary Thorpe, that if you think it, do it, this was so true today. I thought the fish were off bottom, and tried a shallow margin rig to start with and I nicked a couple of 5lb fish doing this but still it was not right. I then took my spare 2+2 rig and took the line off above the float and set it to 12inches deep and a short line above the float. The wind had died down a little and I pushed the rig a little further out and bingo, I had a run of fish that took the weight to around 160lb with an hour and a bit to go. I placed a fourth net in. I wanted to see how much I could catch in the last hour. Tony's peg was slowing and mine was picking up, I was still on the black hydro and although I must have lost a netfull of fish today, others suffered the same fate. I was catching steadily to the end and never tried the margins, catching all my fish at either top 4 or 3 1/2. All on pellet and not a grain of corn was used.
At the all out, I knew I had beaten those around me, but Mick was still a worry as I could not see how he was doing and as I said earlier I did fancy his peg. Jim was first to weigh and opened up with 118-08, Tony placed 179lb dead onto the scales before it was my turn. After 8 weighs I recorded 299lb onto the board. John Button on his first outing this year beat his personal best with 106lb and his first match ton. Chris pipped him with 120lb even before Jim Etherington jumped into 3rd place with 170lb. Gino and Terry had a good peg to peg battle with Terry edging it 124lb to 122lb. Then onto my nemesis, Mick, end peg and a good draw, 240-08 to take second spot.
Overall
1st Keith Ashby                      299-00
2nd Mick Wright                     240-08
3rd Tony Roberts                   179-00
4th Jim Etherington                 170-00
5th Terry Goff                        124-00
6th Gino Exell                        122-00
7th Chris Withall                     120-08
8th Jim Boase                         118-08
9th John Button                      106-00
Overall, despite the change in weather conditions, from hot and sunny yesterday to rain and wind today and a big change in temperature, the lake fished well again. Lowest weight was 106lb and a couple of double hundreds. But more important than all of that is the score 5-5 and level pegging. Onto the next one in a couple of weeks.

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Alders Farm Ash Lake 06 09 16

With the MK Nugget challenge sitting at 5-3 to Mick, but with the initiative sitting with me I was glad we could both fish the Tuesday Open at Alders Farm, a win and I am on his coattails, a loss and back to square one.
Having obtained a couple of bags of 4mm fishery pellet from the shop, I was going to continue my learning curve on the banded pellet. I did have 4 tins of corn with me but hoped to not have to use them. With all the monies paid including the new Matchman League, we had 10 anglers fishing with the cafe bank and the dam wall included in the draw. I went into the bag first and out came peg 9, Mick follows and peg 3 is to be his home.
I decided to try to keep things simple today, 2 rigs for 2+2 and 2 rigs for the margins in 15 inches of water. All tied to .18 stroft and size 16 B911F1 hooks. Elastic was red hydro and black hydro. I have found that recently I cannot get the red to work properly, It is either too tight or too loose and I pull out of fish when the elastic is coming back. So I tend to prefer to fish with the black and a puller kit, this seems to work better and the ratio of fish hooked and landed is greater.
At the all in a handful of pellets went out to 2+2 and down the right hand margin by a clump of grass sticking out into the water.Starting off at 2+2 I had a small 2lb carp after around 5 minutes followed by a couple of similar size fish. I was feeding around a dozen pellets every put in and started getting a few liners so came 6 inches off bottom and still it persisted, I was still getting a few fish but was missing more bites, I switched over to a shallow rig and this saw a few more fish in the net. After an hour I had around a dozen fish for about 30lb.
At this point I saw a swirl over my margin line, out with a rig and buried, a nice 4lb fish. Another followed and another. I was doing well now and getting bites as soon as the bait hit bottom. If not, I would lift it out and start again. I needed to also vary the feed as when I fed heavier to bring fish in, too many came and I would get foul hookers, cut back and back to normal bites before dying again. This was an occurrence I faced throughout the match, I never felt I got it right on the day. Word was that Lee Newsom, Dave Pantin and Mick were catching. I could see Charlie Lancaster catching well on the paste and Dave Howe was getting a few off peg 15 in the corner.
Hours 3 and 4 were very similar, in that I would have a spell of fish before foul hookers then back to fish again, and although I was still putting fish in the net, they were on the smaller side, averaging 2lb apiece. The last hour, saw a couple of bonus fish with one around 8lb and another about 6lb. but it was all much of the same. I thought I had beaten Mick Kelly on peg 6 and Garry Toole on 10, but was unsure about the rest of the field and more importantly Mick.
Lee opened up the weigh in with 251lb before a peg to peg battle on 2 and 3  with Dave edging Mick out 239-233. It would be close as I reckoned on 200lb. Terry Lancaster then chipped in with 294. Not bad seeing he only had 4 fish after an hour. Mick K had 143 before I placed 238 to take the MK Nugget and make it 5-4 overall. Garry had 126 before we turned the corner to peg 15 and Dave Howe, 267lb and second place with 2 to go. Up next was the Pasteman, Charlie Lancaster and 340lb, before Dennis Simpson recorded his own personal best from peg 21 and 106lb.
Overall
1st Charlie Lancaster        340-06
2nd Terry Lancaster          294-15
3rd Dave Howe                267-09
4th Lee Newsom              251-15
5th Dave Pantin                239-12
6th Keith Ashby               238-11
7th Mick Wright               233-15
So one 300+ and 6 200+ weights and the lowest weight was just over the ton mark.I will not be able to make the next couple of Tuesday's as that thing called work gets in the way, but do have a club match at Alders on the 17th.

Saturday 3 September 2016

Marsh AC 03 09 2016 Colemans Cottage Wood Lake

After another midweek battering at the hands of Mick and another lost nugget, it was good to get back in the groove quickly and try to recoup some pride. Today's venue was Coleman's Cottage in Essex on Wood Lake and with 16 anglers booked in, should be a good match. I had fished it a few times over the years and it is lake I like, although the results from it have been a bit hit and miss.Problem is it also suits Mick.
Mick was driving and we made good progress from Milton Keynes to Witham, checked in for breakfast and monies paid to Chairman Dave. Although we had the whole lake, I thought the pegging was a bit strange, it was pegged to leave out the bowl and was just pegged along the straight on both sides. Giving both the end pegs a massive advantage. Still I would be on peg 38, with Mick on 9, a good peg by the aerator. I had two decent looking edges with room under trees either side, so these would be my option for later in the day. I was surprised to find around 6ft on 2+2 line and around 5ft on 12m. It was shallowing up towards the central islands. I also set up a shallow rig to go over these longer lines in case the fish came up. Bait would be 4mm Alders Fishery pellets with a 6 or 8mm hookbait. Nothing else. I have been trying to teach myself pellet fishing and slowly am coming to terms with it.
At the all in I cupped a halfpot onto the longer lines and threw a handful of pellet to me right hand side. I then started at 12m pinging a few pellets every 30 seconds. I had a few liners and finally connected with my first fish, a common around 2lb after about 10 minutes. With no further bites or liners I tried the 2+2 line. Nothing, no dips, liners or anything. Down both edges and a small carp from the left hand edge and a roach. Back out to 2+2 and a small skimmer, but found I had to feed heavier to get a bite. After an hour I had 4 fish for about 4lb. Not the start I wanted or expected.
Chairman Dave had come for a walk and was admitting to a couple of fish on the maggot, and that Simon was catching well on the end peg and both Mick and Tony were also doing well on the opposite bank. I needed to do something to provoke a response from the poor start. I shallowed my margin rig up to about 8inches deep and fished tight to the bank on my right hand side. I could see a couple of fish coming in and having a look and hoped to snagged a couple of them before they spooked completely. After around 5 minutes the float dipped and 5lb of angry mirror carp was in the net. Out again and another, unbelievable in such shallow water, that was it though. I deepened back to depth and by feeding a dozen pellets and dropping the rig through them picked off a few more carp, some ripping the elastic out before it touched bottom. With 3 hours gone, I was back in it, I had started a second carp net due to net limits and although I was missing a few bites I was also picking off odd fish to around 7lb. I could see Jim sneaking a few fish out regularly and John was also getting a few fish. Mick was still catching and I could see Tony netting some nice carp although they were slower than me.Whenever it went a bit quiet I simply re-fed and moved to the tight edge 8in swim as I could see a lovely ghost carp cruising in and out, alasI never did hook it, but it was a lovely fish.
With an hour to go I reckoned on 100lb in the net and opted to get a third net. I then started getting a lot of foul hooked fish, 6 on the trot at one point and made a slight tweak to the shotting pattern and this seemed to work a bit better. I did have a couple of  looks down the left hand edge but was getting odd roach.
At the all out I was hopeful of beating Mick despite the poor start as my catch rate was a little better, I thought.Simon and Clive had both posted a ton on the weigh sheet before the scales arrived at my peg. With 4 weighs of 4lb, 56lb 50lb and 27lb, I was under on all nets (60lb Limit) for a total of 137lb and the lead. John had just under the ton, Jim 121lb, before it got to Tony and Mick, with Mick just edging it 95lb to 91lb. Jim E who I could not see, and the grapevine seemed to miss, was last to weigh with 125lb.
Overall
1st Keith Ashby           137lb
2nd Jim Etherington      125lb
3rd Jim Boase              121lb
4th Simon Watkins       114lb
5th Clive Pritchard       107lb
6th Terry Goff              100lb
Overall, the lake fished well,after a slow start, the only anglers catching from the off were on the end pegs and the aerator. However as the wind increased and blew into the bottom of the lake, things improved. So with a MK Nugget in my pocket and the score looking a bit more acceptable at 5-3. Roll on Tuesday for another battle.