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
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
posted by The Northerner at
Sunday, June 11, 2006
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