I just knew it, as soon as I started blogging again I’d catch bugger all !
Wednesdays regular match for Surrey’s unemployed, retired and just down right lazy was again back at Sumners Pond. I must first apologise to anyone who drew a crap swim – mainly Brian Green as I know I said I’d limit it to 20 pegs to make sure that everyone had a half decent peg. However, I do find it very difficult to turn people away – especially when I like to encourage people to fish with us.
Anyway, 22 anglers turned up for this one and the usual supects, Steve Gardener, Gadget, Terry Molloy, Dan Cooper etc etc drew all the fliers at the car park end of the lake, which after a few matches, it is looking like being the place to draw now the cold weather has arrived.
I drew peg 18 on the right hand bank, I peg I didn’t mind though with an island to chuck a waggler or lead at and a bit of room both sides. Donald Garnish had drawn to my left and a £1 side bet was swiftly struck. Rig wise, I set up two corn rigs to fish at 6 and 13 metres and a paste rig for 6 metres as well. With the island in reach I also set up a 2 swan pellet waggler and a lead.
At the “All In” I cupped some hemp and corn on the pole lines and fired a few grains of corn to the island. Actually it didn’t quite reach the island as the wind had now got up and was blowing across and into our bank – not only making float presentation difficult but making it bloody cold as well. Unlike those “In the Bahamas” on the other bank with not a ripple on the water !
After a couple of put ins on the short corn line I had a bite which I missed. Unsure whether this was a small crucian (3-4 ounce) of which there are thousands in there, I swapped to the paste rig and had a carp of about 4lb first put in on it, then nothing. I swapped to the long line where it was very difficult to see the float due to the waves and broken light on the water although I did manage to snare one carp when I thought I saw a movement on the float. With everyone to my left in the open water catching carp and Steve Gardener and Gadget on Pegs 2 and 4 catching well on the opposite bank, I needed to do something to improve my catch rate. I picked up the waggler and spent an hour or so chucking to the island which resulted in one carp and two chub. However, the float I had on was too light really (and I’d managed to leave all my other pellet wagglers at home) as I think if I could have got right tight to the island more often then I’d have had a few more. First chuck with the lead also resulted in a fish but by that time I was far too far behind most of the lake to make any difference !
I came back in on the 6 metre line and tried an expander pellet on the hook, first cast I had a crucian and decided that as my match was effectively over, I’d just have an hour and a half getting a few bites from crucians and see if any carp turned up on that line………..well they didn’t. But despite feeding nothing, I still managed to catch a crucian a chuck until the end and decided that in about 6 years time it may well be worth fishing for them.
At the weigh in my 4 carp and loads of crucians went 26-0-0 which was probably in the bottom 4 of the match as the majority of the weights came from the car park end of the lake.
I can’t wait to draw in the right area as it didn’t look too difficult for those who did catch well, fish corn on the hook between 6 and 12 metres and kinder cup in a few grains each cast – Simple.
Top 10 Weights on the day.
Steve Gardener Peg 4 135-4-0
Dan Cooper Peg 22 122-8-0
Gadget Peg 2 91-8-0
Derek White Peg 1 77-8-0
Terry Molloy Peg 20 76-12-0
Ian Covey Peg 21 73-6-0
Mick Keeper Peg 8 70-12-0
Dave Bacon Peg 11 62-5-0
John Clifford Peg 5 61-0-0
Donald Garnish Peg 19 58-12-0
Next Sunday is round 5 of the Southern Angler Club League at Gold Valley.
Watch this space to hear about the result.
JPZ's from Marukyu - "The Dogs Danglies"
Jordan Whitby with a PB Carp of 18lb from Newdigate
Maggotdrowning.com
Exclusive Pictures
Fred Davis with his personal best chub of 7-2-0 from the River Lea
and his 6-8-0 tench !
Neil Humpage with part of his 89-10-0 match winning chub catch from the River Wye
Mike Spragg with his personal best Barbel from the The Wye, a whopping 10-1-0.
Davey P's Locker - Tackle I would recommend
Drennan Lake Floats - I used to use these floats for crucians and have recently started using them again for my silvers fishing, The cane bristle makes them especially sensitive.
I use this hook for nearly all my carp fishing from Size 10's with paste, 14's with the knotless knot on the lead and 18's for Hook in the loop rigs and they have never let me down.
How smart are this lot - Andy May and his wife with some of the motley Total fishing.com crew. There is a small pond just out of the picture and they fished a small sweepstake between the wedding ceremony and the reception ! Andy May won, Haisman was last - no change there then !
Myles Levy and his mate Chris with a 59lb catfish from France.
When I was writing in the Angling Times I promised some friends that I would try and get "Fish Cakes" mentioned in an article. However, as I was sacked before I could do so, I thought I'd put them on here ! So Mick and Karen Jones, here they are as promised !
At least one member of the Baxter clan can catch fish ! Young Dylan with a 4lb bream.
Hathers at Stafford Moor - Let this picture be a lesson to you all, those last couple of drinks the night before are never a good idea !
World Exclusive !!!!!!!
Andy Toplis playing a fish.
Ryan Hughes with part of an 80lb bag from White Springs Fishery in Wales
Mick Bull wont have received many points for this dive - but having just won the Fisho Final and £25k I don't think he really cared !
Another exclusive for Pikey's Progress - Terry Molloy not talking ! Oh yes and with a decent River Thames Pike.
OK Own up - who lent Mick The Bookie some fish to pose with ?
Martin Harper with a superb 8lb tench from Farlows Lake
Young match star Tony Curd with an 11lb barbel from the River Kennet - he didn't say where, these spessy hunters are so secretive !
Total Fishing's Justin Laundon with a fine net of fish from Lindholme Lakes
Fred Davis with 3 chub over 5lb and a small one from the River Lea.
http://www.carpvader.com/index.asp
Jeff Moors took part in the recent Catfish Challenge and caught this one - more of a "kitten" than a cat really !
And here are some proper ones that the winners had.
BNF - with part of a near 100lb haul from the Glebe
Scone - Angling writer, float maker and all round good egg !
"Hathers" with his 3-8-0 roach from Timsbury Manor - some claim it was really a hybrid, I couldn't possibly comment !
"Fordy on the Telly" with 40lb of prime River Kennet chub.
.........and this one weighed 5-2-0
Alan Dove with a small Skimmer Bream of 15-8-0 from Walthamstow Reservoir
Fred Davis plied Alan Dove with coffee all day then when he went to attend to a call of nature caught this one with his gear !
Colin Ormston (Billy no Fish) with the reason that some anglers still fish rivers !
Phil Stone (Pebs) with a fine net of roach and rudd from Witherington Farm
Total Fishing.com ventriloquist Gary Haisman with his two new dummies - Billy No Fish and Pebs.
