News has reached Marginpig Mansions of certain unruly elements clamouring to hear of my latest ventures. Such are the demands a pioneer of Fishy-blogging must face, so without further delay...


Sunday 25th June -Stubpond

After my attempts to master Stubpond ended in a poor match at the Fishomania qualifier a couple of weeks back, I'd had time to think about how I'd been approaching the place. A few things came to mind, namely that most of the local cracks focussed on picking the odd fish off the deck instead of losing loads of fish & wagglers by fishing to the boards. I decided this would form my attack if the conditions were right, otherwise I'd fish a feeder to the far bank and pick off the fish that wanted to feed as opposed to trying to snare the cruisers. A quick walk round the lake seemd to vindicate my plans - lots of fish blowing on the deck both short and down the middle, not many showing on the surface. The far end looked nice, and I'd not drawn up there before, so was quite chuffed to draw 26 last but one peg, and look at that, my blogging apprentice and paste-ace Dave Pearson has got his honourary end peg draw next to me. A pleasant day of fish and banter beckoned.

A 4x16 KC Paste float on 0.21 to a size 10 Drennan Method hook, set in about 5' of water was the rig. This was the depth at 11mtr and at the bottom of the shelf, about 5mtr out, so I set up a duplicate cos something was bound to get trashed in 7hrs, plus a margin rig to fish meat to me left & right. First cast and a fish about 6lb graced the net, then it was 3-1 to the carp, foul hookers. Undettered, I plugged away and come the half way stage I've put 56lb on the scales, all long bar a double just before the break caught short. Endpeg has nearly a ton and will be very hard to catch, but I'm focussing on a ton weight and a frame place - I'm second in our half of the length, so looking good.

Now, I'm very wary of rolling weigh ins -obviously they make perfect sense for fish care, but it can knacker the fishing for a few hours when you tip em back. We should all really have got 2 nets from the hut and avoided the scenario, one learnt for next time I think... With this in mind, my secret plan was to go straight onto the feeder against the far bank rushes, an area I'd left all match but was showing signs of life. I'd have a couple of quick looks on the pole, not expecting to see a sausage, and then go straight over. However within minutes I'd hooked a big fish short, so I decided to persevere, especially as the short lines should start producing later in the match. The next fish off this line was 16lb, so I decided to just fish this line now, the fish were much bigger under my feet. Bad move. I spent an hour watching my paste getting chiselled to death by skimmers and roach, at one point actually hooking a kamikaze 2oz roach on a size 12 hook and a lump of paste ! They just would not be fed off at all, so more out of frustration I've gone long again and immediately started to catch with an hour to go. I've had 4 or 5 fish long when a telltale cloud of bubbles appears at 5mtrs, 10 mins left. Straight in and a fish about 8lb. As I rebait with my last piece of paste another cloud appears, 5 mins left. The float goes almost immediately, I'm expecting a nice fat double however something's all wrong and possibly the smallest carp in the lake flies through the air towards me. The whistle goes before I can make find something to put on the hook, and I'm sure that carp-sprat is a bad omen.

I'm chuffed with the final weight, 121.4lb - I've learnt from previous trips, kept it simple and focussed on one rig, it feels like I've finally got something back for all the legwork I've put in. Pikey has had a dreadful afternoon, mainly spent singing "Here FishyFishy" and has just scraped me by about 5lb. Oops sorry miss-type, I meant 50lb. Ross Nursey has had a crap afternoon too, there's no way he could have beat me, he's positive of it, he's not even got 40lb in his net. I'm deeply suspicious of all this hoohah, especially as his first fish weighs 16.12. His final weight = 121.14 - he's done me by 10oz, and we're both beaten by Jim Heasman, he's drawn peg 11 and put 123.4 on the scales, all on paste short and including a 16lb sturgeon that took 30 mins to land.

Beaten into 4th by 2lb, I knew the tiddler was gonna cost me. There again, 2nd ton in a week 'snot so bad. This time last year I caught 2 fish at Willinghurst, 2 fish at Stubpond and the idea of framing seemed years away, so something's starting to go right, lets see if it carries on when I get back from my hols....

Til then
Tight Lines !

Saturday 17th June -Maver Pairs, Willow Park

Since getting back into fishing a coupla years back, 2 of my favourite venues have been Willow Park and Willinghurst. I've never nailed either them by any stretch but I always enjoy going there confident that I will do soon, so I've put all my charms into wangling a weekend of it, as it's Willow Sat & Willinghurst Sun. Well, sometimes you have to, dont ya ?

Its the Maver Pairs at Willow, 2 main sections, one across the Small & Middle lakes plus 10 pegs on the Big Lake, t'other all on Big. My partner for the day is Barry Curd, and as he's stood in at the last minute he's agreed to go on the Big Lake which is gonna be a patchy affair apart from the few lucky souls sat on some bream. Having said that its nearly 30 degrees, cloudless and nary a puff of wind to be had - hardly ideal breaming conditions. I've pulled out 22 on Small, not a great peg but I'm happy enough; its 8 months since I've fished on here, and I have a little plan in my head which I'm keen to try out....

22 is along the bank towards a corner, and the pegs to the right of it are all a little bit further out into the lake, so I'm gonna start long but save a section in case I need to follow the fish out. I feed a full pot of fishery pellets and a few small bits of cubed meat at 13mt to fish a 4x14 KC Porth on 0.14 g-line to a size 18 808, dead depth in 5' of water. I've spent awhile plumbing up closer in, and found a nice flat spot over the first shelf, 5 mtrs out from the bank and 7 mtrs off to the left - this is my paste line, a 4x14 KC Paste float on 0.16 gline to a 16 Mustad Method hook, which should be perfect for the F1s. I've also put up a little margin rig and a shallow rig since there are already fish cruising round everywhere. To my right is Gary Miller from Van Den Eynde Essex who knows the venue well, so I could learn a few things too.

The first skimmer arrives after 10 mins, a few more follow over the next 90 mins, but its all about continually tweaking the rig, the bait and the feeding pattern to achieve any kind of consistency. I've been feeding small balls of groundbait on the paste line, but a quick look there shows nowt, so it's back long where I'd refed half a pot of pellets to try and get their heads down. Its worked and now a few small F1's are showing long amongst the skimmers, and by 3 hours I've got about 10lb or so. Its not going to win me anything though, but it's about same as most around me.

I've still been feeding the paste line with groundbait, so it's time for another look, an immediate bite and a decent F1 hits the net. Next cast same, and again, then a tench, great. Quick look in the edge, a bream of 1.8lb. Just as quick as they came, they've gone and I go 20 mins without a fish, so its back long, but the lack of drip feeding means its gone quiet out there. Theres about 40 mins left and my neighbour has decided to go long, seemingly ot of desperation as he hasnt had a fish for nearly an hour. He starts catching fairly quickly, and since I've been pinging a few pellets over the long line in an attempt to draw a few fish in, I give it a whirl and step up the feed. Pretty quickly a 1lb F1 is on its way to the net, followed by another, but I trash the rig into an almighty tangle, so go back to the paste for 10 biteless final minutes and its all over. I'm pleased with 24lb 13oz, my plan has worked out farily well, I've managed to work out how to keep fish coming to some extent and caught soem good bonus fish. Gary has won the section with 29lb, I'm only 3 or 4 fish off, which would've easily been doable if I'd've gone shallow earlier. Ah well, coulda woulda shoulda, still very enjoyable and a great days fishing. Unfortunatley this didnt apply to Barry who drew a stinker on the Big Lake and sat for 5 hours without a bite. Sorry mate, but well done to his son Tony Curd and his partner Myles who recorded the only perfect section score to win on the day, great performances, very well done !


Sunday 18th - Willinghurst
Part of the deal to go fishing both days was the wife got to have her fun too, which meant going to a big party Sat night, and so it was after about 2 hours sleep and a hangover the size of Denmark that I shambled up to Willinghurst. BreamBrain kindly drew for me as I knew I'd be late, and he picked me out 28 - the last peg in the 'backspit' and where the PasteMaster aka Pikey won the last club match. The main feature here is the end of an island, with some reeds 3 mtrs to yr left. Its very shallow in here- 2' max, nearer 8" towards the far bank and about 15" in the middle in the relative open water. Now, I think I've finally learnt a key lesson here which is keep it simple; pick your lines and stick to them and the last thing my poor heed needed was tactic confusion, so I set up a pellet / corn rig - KC Carpa 2 4x12 to 0.18 G-Line and a 911 size 16, and a KC Paste 4 x 12, no shot just the paste to cock it. 0.19 and a size 14 Mustad Method. 2 rigs, that would do it, I was ready 40 mins early and sat slack jawed & staring into space, interupted only by the constant crashing of carp shagging in the reeds.

I was a bit worried about the spawning situation in such shallow water, and after 5 foul hooked fish in the first 20 mins, I started having reservations about fishing 14.5 mtrs to the island, it was waaay too much like a complete non starter, so I decided to feed a new spot at 10 mtrs straight out in front of me with a potful of hemp pellets & corn. Immediately the water clouded up and started to 'boil' as fish came in, but the liners and foul hookers were still a big problem and it got worse when the wind picked up and pushed the scum into the far corner taking the fish with it. They were having a chew alright cos their tails were waggling , but in 8" of water it was foulhookers galore. 2 hours gone and I had about 10lb, this was no good at all.

Change of plan; I figured that in such an enclosed piece of water that any feeding fish would come to the food, and if i fished a big bait ie paste, any time the float went under properly there'd be a fish on it. So back to 10 mtrs, just feeding hemp and paste on the hook, within 30 mins i had another 30lb in the net and it was steady away. Some times they'd go off for a while, then I'd get 3 or 4 fairly quickly. The paste fish were much bigger stamp too, a couple of doubles thrown in for good measure. At 4pm with an hour to go, I threw a 3rd net out confident I was nearing a ton, which is always a good target weight to aim for at this venue I reckon.

The backspit throws up some good weights from the margins, and looking along the bank, most people had been catching down the edge in the last hour or so. I was a bit peeved cos this peg doesnt really lend itself to margin fishing as there is a bush immediately to your right that you cant fish round. At least that was my initial opinion, cos with a bit more thought, I realised that I could actually lay the pole behind the bush and along the bank to fish about 10 mtrs away, so I quickly potted in some hemp and catmeat, gave it 5 minutes and then went over it with the paste rig set at 12" deep and a piece of catfood on the hook. 4 fish in 4 puts and I was kicking myself for leaving it so late, there again I then went 20 mins without one before finally adding one last fish before the whistle.

As I have the scales and hardly any gear to pack up, I weigh in first, my 120lb prediction is slightly ambitious, it's 115.8, but I'm still chuffed, especially as its the first time I've done a proper weight on the paste. I know theres a couple of big weights elsewhere, and sure enough Kev Gaywood puts 160 on the scales, corn down the edge from peg 4, and Ross Nursey is miles ahead with 292 corn in the edge again from peg 23, a great weight, well done Ross, so close to 300lb for the second week running ! I'm edged out of the frame by Alan Woods who has 120lb on the feeder for 3rd and 116lb is 4th, but I'm not complaining - I've had a great weekend again, learnt loads more, caught a pile of fish in the process, got a nice suntan and by 9pm I'm happily in the land of Nod......

Stubpond Open 7th June

The last chance to practise before the Fishomania qualifier, so theres a good midweek turnout, fishing is 2-7. The weather is scorchio; hot, cloudless and very bright, so it not ideal and neither is the sight of all the fish in every lake spawning.... This could be tough.

I've drawn peg 40, up towards the end of the far bank. I've never really fancied it that much up here, much prefering the nearer half of either bank, but needs must and all that. After the last outing, I had resolved to just get my head down on the pole lines and see if I could make that work instead of chasing fish around with a waggler, however the conditions just seemed to scream for fishing shallow, and the peg is half decent for it - a bay of reeds to the right of a tree in the water - so that will be my main initial attack. I also have a line down the middle for paste on the deck, and its 3' in the edge to my left so I feed there too with meat.

Not a great deal to say, other than 4 fish in the net and 1 lost by 5pm, which isnt too bad, but unless I catch a few later on I'm not even competing, cross venue banter suggest that people have 60lb+ in their net. The people around me on the pole have caught nothing, so thats not looking promising, however at 5pm I decide to give it a whirl on the deck. By 6.45 I havent even had a bite down the edge or down the middle, so I decide to try and nick a couple of late fish on the waggler, promptly hook one that snags me and its all over.

It has fished hard for most, bites at a real premium, 50lb is a good weight, I tip back about 26lb. Perry stone wins it with just short of a ton, he's been able to reach the far side with a flick rig and caught most of his fish like that, gadget is 2nd 2lbs short, mainly on the deck with paste.



Stubpond, Fishomania qualifier, Saturday 10th June

So to Saturday, its even hotter, and 130 happy hopefuls have gathered for the draw, most saying unless they draw on Plantation they're going home. I'm keen to draw something in the last 20 pegs on either bank of that lake, and duly pull out 120, which reveals itself to be permanent peg 11 where I've had 98lb from a few weeks back. Its a cracking waggler peg - boards about 22yds across and no bushes to cast into ! I know that lumps live down the edge, and Les Parker has had nearly a ton out of it last weekend fish at depth close and down the middle. In the scheme of things I couldn't have wished for a better draw, excellent !

I've set up a waggler, a bomb, dead depth rigs for paste & pellet and a margin rig, and I'm gonna focus on the far side and at 6mts later on, plus a look down the edge of course. The conditions are tough - 30 degress, cloudless, nasty sidewind. No fish at all are showing, very unusual for this place, its going to be very hard today.

This is confirmed after an hour when only 1 fish to my knowledge has been landed in the first 20 pegs on this bank. About that point I hook but pull out of a fish on the float, gutted. 10 mins later, I have one in the net, but the wind is making it tough with the waggler, so I decide to fish a bomb with paste wrapped round a hard hair rigged pellet - I've heard a few fish are coming out on this method further up the bank. I dont have any sign bar liners in 20 mins, and the bloke next to me hasnt even had a liner on the g'bait feeder none of which gives me any confidence in the method, so I have another spell throwing a waggler which brings me another fish, I have about 15lb with 2 hrs gone.

At this point I'm concentrating on the section really, a couple of blokes to my right have had 3 fish each on the feeder, a bloke 2 to the right on the next section has also had a few again on the feeder, but 4 or 5 fish would put me about there. The rest of the match passes in increasingly agitated boredom, when I just cant get an indictaion anywhere in the peg, which is compounded by losing a smallish fish when I finally get a bite. The horn goes at 4pm, and I'm actually quite relieved; the last hour has been horrible.

3 anglers further up the bank have all recorded over 60lb, Perry Stone just nicking the match by 6oz, mainly caught on bomb & paste after nothing shallow. Rob Hitchens has fished very similiar for 2nd. I've weighed 15lb 8oz, the section is won by 25lb, 23lb second, only 3 of us have actually finished the match in our section, and I suspect less than 40% of the entire field are still at their pegs; its fished like a toilet. I'm annoyed at myself for not focussing more on the tip as the method to catch a few today, patiently sitting with a big bait on the deck to catch fish that actually wanted to feed instead off picking of cruisers. Live & learn I guess, which is what its about.

I do like the venue but its done my nut in a bit. I just havent mastered it at all, I've fluffed a couple of flyers, and I cant deny that I'm happier swinging in a hammock in the back garden today than driving round the M25 to try and sort it out ! I'm there with LDAS in a few weeks, hopefully I can refind my enthusiasm for the gaff and finally win a few bob to make the effort seem worthwhile. As for next weekend, I have negotiated a special all weekend pass again (cost = trip to somewhere exoctic, it looks like I've finally lost it), so I'll be at Willow for the Maver Pairs Saturday, and Willinghurst for LDAS on Sunday.

Tight Lines

Stubpond Open

First outing in a couple of weeks - not for lack of trying though; I turned up at Stubpond last week for a Polemania match, unfortunately so did only 1 other person, so that was a dead loss. Anyway, finally made it back, and up for it after catching a few last time.

Peg 17, chuffed with that, 16 is a flyer and it wasnt in, and neither were 18 or 19, so lots of water to go at. My plan was fish the waggler tight over to the boards, then fish short and in the edge later on. I had a length of board about 3mtrs long on the other side, a branch was hanging over the middle, which left 1.5 mtr of clear board before the next bush, so I concentrated my line against that. There wasnt much showing at all in the first hour or so, but as no-one had more than 2 fish I wasnt fussed. After finally getting it right on the board, i had a decent lump, 30 mins later a smaller fish about 4lb. No-one to my left was catching, so far so good.

I then a spell of about 2 hrs where i lost half a dozen floats in the friggin branch, enough line off the spools to impede the casting so i needed to completely rig re-rig, each time with slightly weaker line, which meant that when i finally started to hook them again i invariably lost a couple. To cut a miserable few hours short: carp 5, me 4.

By this time it was coming upto 3pm and the odd fish that had been showing had cocked off, so it was time to get it sorted on the pole. I'd fed a coupla big pots of pellets, hemp and paste at 7 mtrs, corn down one side, meat down the other. After the last trip when I'd left the edge too long before trying it, I went straight down, having left it alone all day. 10 seconds, float buries and a very angry 'barney' is rampaging down the peg. 5 mins later its in the onion bag, lovely. Lets try the other edge, lump of meat, 5 seconds, bang, this is a proper bigboy, came in like a sack of shit, but with another 15lb in the net I'm really not that fussed about its fighting capabilities. The depressing display of waggler fishing is but a distant memory. Just iffy bites on the paste line, so another look in the edge, a bite comes soon enough. I can honestly say I have never been wrenched round on my box so fast, the eye and top rubber both pinged off the float and I'm snagged with a nanosecond. 6 all. Next cast down the other edge it was 7-6 to the carp, pulled out. 8-6 with one bumped off on the paste, 9-6 in the last 10 minutes, another one pulled in the margins after a bow wave suggesting a large ocean going ship. However this was only after a doddery blind perch of about 2lb took a fancy to my meat.... pretty much sums my performance up I'd say

My 6 fish for 53lb was 2nd in the section to 63lb. 150lb won the match, 125lb second, I've lost 70lb minimum, probably quite a bit more. Bollocks. I'm not happy. I'm gonna have to go back on Wednesday !