Wednesday 8 February 2017

Drennan Alders Farm Ash Lake 07 02 17

It seems an absolute age since I wrote anything about fishing. I have not ventured out apart from a couple of pleasure days in good company. I suppose the lead up to Christmas was always going to be frantic at work, coupled with the frozen lakes afterwards just put paid to any thoughts of wetting a line. However the shakes had set in, and I was looking forward to getting out, even if I had done no preparation.
I had booked into the Tuesday Open at Alders Farm and could not wait. Mick had agreed to resume battle again for the thrashing he was given last season and the MK Nugget was back on for another year.
Having only seen the results on various forums, I was a little unsure on how it was really fishing. I fancied a peg with some depth, so anywhere from peg 6 to 21 would be good. A chat with Trevor Price saw me stocking up with some fishery micros, maggots and 4mm fishery pellets. I had come prepared to fish the pole, leaving behind the rods, mistake number 1. If nothing else, I should have taken them. Once on the bank I think everyone else had either a waggler or feeder rod set up.
After a cup of tea it was time to draw, Peg 3 stuck to Micks mitt, still manages to draw a flyer, even after such a long lay off. Whereas I was left pondering whether I should have left it another week when peg 16 was pulled out of the box.
Peg 16 can be a good peg on its day, but will not compete with the other pegs on the dam wall and with a 79lb weight coming from peg 11 on the Sunday Open, I was not too hopeful walking to the peg.
Having plenty of time to tackle up, I set up a rig for 2+2. A .3g DT Diamond with a size 16 B911 F1 hook to .16 line. I never thought I would catch on this but it was a back up line.
I also set up a .4 DT Diamond for fishing at 11m where it was a bit deeper than at 12.5m. Again a B911 F1 to .16 line. Mistake number 2. My third rig was a standard margin rig for fishing corn or maggot down the edge.
At the all in I cupped in a small pot of micros with a few 4mms mixed in on all the lines and fed a pot of maggot down the edge. I started at out at 11m and after ten minutes the float dipped and white hydro was controlling a nice plump 3 1/2lb carp to the waiting net. Despite changing baits and trying further out I could not buy a bite and after 45 minutes biteless I switched to the 2+2 line, more in desperation than anything else. Thirty minutes on this saw no bites. A look down the edge and again nothing.
Back out to 11m and a switch to double maggot saw another carp end up in the bag. 2 hours in and two bites, things were not going well. But a 100% completion rate. A positive.
The light was now playing havoc, I was struggling to see my float in the ripple and I seemed to be fishing further away from the feed area. Bite number three came in the fourth hour, this time on a 6mm pellet.
I realised that the float was moving slightly from left to right, only a little but enough, I added another few inches to the rig and held it still, bang a bite and a lost fish, next put in a liner. Was that where it was all going wrong? Mistake number 2 was not fishing a heavy enough float on the day. I think with a heavier float I would not have needed to go over depth and perhaps would have caught more. Lesson learnt.
Fish number 4 came right on the whistle and another pristine winter carp.
My weight of 14lb 4oz was never going to trouble the leaderboard, but I was happy to have just got out and done a bit of fishing. Learnt a bit more.Mick had also struggled and managed just 6 fish for 19lb to take an early lead in the MK Nugget Challenge.
Overall
1st Trevor Price 83lb Peg 2
2nd Graham West 71lb Peg 20
3rd Lee Newsom 69lb Peg 4
So mistake number one, not taking a rod with me. Nearly everyone had a couple of fish on the feeder or waggler. I may or may not have done but was definitely not when they are in the house.


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