Alders Farm Ash Lake 06 06 2017

My season so far has been quite poor on the results front although I feel that I am fishing well at the moment. I am getting pipped by Mick quite regularly now and with him holding an 8-3 lead I really need to start turning the corner. Today was another chance to close the gap, however, the weather gods were trying their best to completely mess up the day.
I arrived at the fishery with rain coming down and a strengthening wind blowing down to the dam wall. While waiting for the draw all the discussion was about peg 30 and how it has changed from a good peg into a solid peg recently. It held a lot of fish and they were comfortable there. At the weekend Charlie Lancaster having 265lb from it.
As has been the usual custom Mick went into the pot first. Peg 30. Boy can he draw well. Myself had to settle for peg 2, another good peg but had struggled at the weekend and the fish could only be caught long. That was out of the window due to the wind but I still set up a rig to fish at 11m in case it became possible. How often do we fish and the conditions change during the match? My other rigs were for fishing 2+2 both sides by the reeds and a 2+2 line straight out. Hopefully I could catch on all three close lines and have a good day.
I had Trevor Price on peg 4, so knew I had my work cut out, others of note were Paste master Charlie Lancaster on 21, Shallow Pete Archer on peg 12 and Steve Wroe on the newly rebuilt peg 8. I started off fishing long for one fish on 6mm banded pellet but the wind made presentation impossible so it was soon binned. Never to be seen again. A look at 2+2 straight out saw a couple of foul hookers on corn so I switched to a 6mm pellet and this seemed to sort this out. I was getting liners on this line so tried a shallower rig and again a couple of fish came to the net. By rotating lines right edge and straight out I could get bites but was missing more than I connected with. Everywhere I looked people were catching under there umbrellas.
I could see Mick catching but it was Charlie again taking the place apart.
Nothing really changed much for me though and it was a case of trying to hit the bites I had. Slight adjustments to shotting patterns and depth kept a steady flow of fish coming to the net but I was not going to trouble the leader board. Yet in a perverse sort of way, I was still relatively happy. I was soaked, as I do not use an umbrella. I was battered by the wind and even 4 hours later my face is still tingling. I had caught a few fish from a peg that at the weekend had struggled and I learnt a few things along the way.
Pellet fishing for me is an alien method, so I am learning as I go. A little here and a little there but slowly I am making progress.
Overall
1st Charlie Lancaster 315-05
2nd Pete Archer 234-09
3rd Trevor Price 209-15
4th Steve Wroe 182-06
5th Mick Wright 160-00
6th Keith Ashby 141-12
So the corner has still not been turned, 9-3, why do I do this to myself. Well done Mick. No match for me next week as I have to work but Hartleylands Farm on the 17th is as good a place to start the comeback.