Steve Gardener's Silver Fish League - Round 1
For the first time in weeks, it looked like being an ice free match for us, as on Tuesday afternoon all the lakes at Sumners Pond were ice free........YIPEEEEE ! However, temperatures were again minus 3 overnight and the lakes were all frozen again on wednesday morning........BOOOOOOO !
Walking into the cabin for breakfast I was reminded why I wasn't too sure about entering the league with the likes of Steve Gardener, Steve Sanders, Terry Harrison, Geoff Vallance and Chris Love fishing, to name just a few. However, I also spotted Ian Covey and Brian Wharton so I knew I wouldn't be last !
Having handed over my pools and £20 League entrance fee or donation to the Dorking Benevolent Fund as I call it, I then drew peg 14 - half way down the third island on the right hand side. Whilst I didn't really fancy the peg, (it isn't often pegged on our matches) the good thing was that it had a lot of room and I was well away from everyone else.
The ice was only a quarter of an inch thick and I cut out my swim with a weed cutter on the end of a piece of old pole I had modified. Although the island was only about 15 metres away, I couldn't cut out that far with my gear so settled on a long line at 10 metres and also cut out another shorter line to my right just down the shelf. My rigs were my usual Sumners Silvers rigs, 0.12/0.10 with a 4x16 Drennan Lake float and a size 20 T213 hook. I also set up a HITL rig to fish a pelltet for crucians and skimmers but I wasn't too confident of catching any with the water still so cold and not many have been showing lately.
I started by feeding a few pellets and GB in the "Crucian Peg" and flicked out a few casters on the other lines - switching between the caster lines, I had one roach in the first 40 minutes and missed a couple of bites. Fishing on the longer line wasn't easy as the broken shadow of the vegetation on the island made seeing the dotted down float very difficult, so I decided to try fishing a section shorter in the "White water" where I could see every little movement of the float. Shallowing up a foot and fishing closer in seemed to make a difference as I started to catch a few more roach, but my catch rate really started to increase when I switched bait to maggot.
Although I couldn't see what was happening around the lake, I could hear from peoples comments that there were a few carp (which only counted as 8 ounces) being caught along with some chub for those around the islands and the usual roach.
Having fished the lake quite a bit lately, I thought that 10lb would be a decent weight on the day and if I could carry on catching a few roach I might just get that. Although the roach tend to come and go, by switching between the shallow and deep rigs and trying different areas of the peg, I managed to keep the roach coming and also had three bonus chub of about half a pound each, one of which that had been playing the "How many maggotts can I get in my mouth in one go" game !
On the whistle I quickly packed up and went round to Peg 1 to help SG with the scales. After a few weighs it became clear that 10lb wasn't going to be enough to frame as God took the first section, just ahead of Terry Harrison with 11-8-8 to 11-1-0 and Adam Lee and Mark Sandford both had over 12lb. I wasn't really sure what I'd had but was well pleased to see that as I placed my fish on the scales, the needle swung round past ten pound, past eleven, twelve and thirteen pounds before finally settling on.............14-8-0 !
Steve Sanders on the next peg weighed 13-9-0 but with Dave Bacon catching 6 carp, 9 chub and a load of roach from the "Long Pole Peg" I knew I wasn't going to win. Sure enough Dave's fish went 15-12-8 but with the last section being won by Chris Love with 8-12-8, I had finished the match in second place.
So, not a bad start to the league for me, Silvers fishing certainly isn't my forte (although I am learning fast) and I'm really only fishing the league as Don wanted to and if I don't go with him on a wednesday then I don't go at all.
Result
Dave Bacon 15-12-8
Dave Pearson 14-8-0
Steve Sanders 13-9-0
Adam Lee 12-9-8
Mark Sandford 12-3-0
Steve Gardener 11-8-8
Terry Harrison 11-1-0
Geoff Vallance 10-7-0
Dave Sandford 9-6-8
Chris Love 8-12-8
Brian Wharton 8-10-0
Ian Covey 8-4-8
John Holt 8-2-0
Rob Draisey 6-1-8
Don Garnish 6-1-0
Mick Keeper 3-10-0
Jonathon Watt 2-0-0
J Dowell 0-2-8
Dave Lewis DNW
Round 2 is in a couple of weeks, possibly at Woodpeckers Lake (which I know nothing about) but before then we have Round 2 of the Willinghurst Masters this weekend, where I possibly wont get quite as many bites as I had today !
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.
