Well that didn't go quite to plan did it, you were all supposed to be doing a Uri Geller mind thingy for me at 8.30am to try and get me Peg 16 for Round 5 of SG's League on Sumners Silvers Lake. The draw was all going to plan with only 5 anglers to draw, Peg 16 hadn't yet emerged when Geoff Vallance spoilt the game and drew it ! There are actually about 5 or 6 bush / tree pegs on the lake and I was still pleased to draw peg 8 which is also a noted inside peg with a spindly bush / tree in the water to my left.
For the benefit of any new readers, these pegs are vital to my chance of success or at least having a decent days fishing as I am rubbish at fishing for skimmers and can't compete with the likes of Steve Gardener, Steve Sanders, Terry Harrison, Chris Love etc etc fishing for skimmers so I need to draw a peg where I can fish for perch and roach !
Although I intended to fish in the deep water just next to the bush with caster to a size 18 hook on an 0.12/0.10 rig, I also set up a pellet rig to fish at 12 metres incase I couldn't catch close in.
I began by cupping in half a small pot of 4mm pellets on the long line and loose feeding 10 or 12 casters by the tree. Starting by the bush I had a couple of early roach then what I really wanted, a perch of over 2lb, a decent hybrid of about 2lb followed about 5 minutes later and I was on my way. In the next couple of hours, whilst I had to wait a while between bites, when I did get one is was a decent fish and with only Adam on Peg 11 and Geoff Vallance on Peg 16 catching well, I was in touch with the leaders.
I'd continued to drip feed the long pole line and when the bush peg slowed I switched to the skimmer rig and started to catch the odd fish but they were mainly the smaller fish of 4-6 ounces. I continued to feed by the bush and after 7 or 8 skimmers was itching to get back down there again. I then made my one big error of judgement on the day as whilst fishing inside, I stopped feeding the long pole line and when the bush peg slowed again and I went back out long, the skimmers had all buggered off and I now couldn't get a bite out there. However, I have learned a lot about fishing the edge pegs in the last three matches at Sumners and the one tip I would give is to keep switching things about. If fishing the deep water then occasionally come in a bit and try up the shelf , switch between single and double caster, anything in fact that is a bit different. Just when I thought that the peg was on the way out, I shallowed one rig up 6 inches, came up the shelf a bit and had 7lb in three put ins with two perch and a big hybrid (I also had a 3lb tench up the shelf earlier in the match), so it definitely helps to switch about.
On the whistle, the rumour was that Geoff Vallance had caught 40lb to win and it was betweeen Adam, Steve G (who drew the peg that had won the last two matches) and Jonny Watt on Peg 1 for the minor placings but I wasn't so sure that I wasn't going to be challenging them as I thought I probably had about 30lb. When I fish Sumners next time I really must take my camera as my net of fish contained 5 perch over 2lb, hybrids to 3lb, roach over 1lb and a 3lb+ tench, all in all, a superb net of fish.
Result - Top 10
Geoff Vallance Peg 16 38-12-0
Dave Pearson Peg 8 34-6-0
Steve Gardener Peg 18 33-3-0
Jonathan Watt Peg 1 29-13-0
Steve Sanders Peg 13 29-1-0
Terry Harrison Peg 15 29-0-0
Adam Lee Peg 11 28-15-0
Donald Garnish Peg 9 26-15-0
John Holt Peg 2 23-13-0
Dave Bacon Peg 3 23-0-8
League (with 1 round remaining)
Steve Gardener 72 pts
Steve Sanders 69 pts
Adam Lee 67 pts
Terry Harrison 66 pts
Dave Bacon 65 pts
Dave Pearson 59 pts
Dave Sandford 59 pts
Chris Love 55 pts
John Holt 54 pts
Donald Garnish 54 pts
Geoff Vallance 44 pts
Mark Sandford 42 pts
Brian Wharton 40 pts
Dave Lewis 38 pts
Mick Keeper 37 pts
Ian Covey 30 pts
Rob Draisey 23 pts
Jim McDowell 22 pts
So with one round to go, like the Mighty Hammers I am not going to challenge for the top positions but might just sneak a European place ! Although I didn't expect to be able to compete with "The Dorking Mafia" on silvers matches, I have had two second place finishes by fishing to my strengths and the £160 I have picked up has already paid for my league entry and all my pools and day ticket money for the league and we still have one match remaining.
This weekend I am at Sumners on the match lake on saturday, hoping to draw an island peg and having a day off on Sunday, so come back Monday to see how I get on and hear the result of Terry Molloy's match on John's Lake at Willinghurst.
For the benefit of any new readers, these pegs are vital to my chance of success or at least having a decent days fishing as I am rubbish at fishing for skimmers and can't compete with the likes of Steve Gardener, Steve Sanders, Terry Harrison, Chris Love etc etc fishing for skimmers so I need to draw a peg where I can fish for perch and roach !
Although I intended to fish in the deep water just next to the bush with caster to a size 18 hook on an 0.12/0.10 rig, I also set up a pellet rig to fish at 12 metres incase I couldn't catch close in.
I began by cupping in half a small pot of 4mm pellets on the long line and loose feeding 10 or 12 casters by the tree. Starting by the bush I had a couple of early roach then what I really wanted, a perch of over 2lb, a decent hybrid of about 2lb followed about 5 minutes later and I was on my way. In the next couple of hours, whilst I had to wait a while between bites, when I did get one is was a decent fish and with only Adam on Peg 11 and Geoff Vallance on Peg 16 catching well, I was in touch with the leaders.
I'd continued to drip feed the long pole line and when the bush peg slowed I switched to the skimmer rig and started to catch the odd fish but they were mainly the smaller fish of 4-6 ounces. I continued to feed by the bush and after 7 or 8 skimmers was itching to get back down there again. I then made my one big error of judgement on the day as whilst fishing inside, I stopped feeding the long pole line and when the bush peg slowed again and I went back out long, the skimmers had all buggered off and I now couldn't get a bite out there. However, I have learned a lot about fishing the edge pegs in the last three matches at Sumners and the one tip I would give is to keep switching things about. If fishing the deep water then occasionally come in a bit and try up the shelf , switch between single and double caster, anything in fact that is a bit different. Just when I thought that the peg was on the way out, I shallowed one rig up 6 inches, came up the shelf a bit and had 7lb in three put ins with two perch and a big hybrid (I also had a 3lb tench up the shelf earlier in the match), so it definitely helps to switch about.
On the whistle, the rumour was that Geoff Vallance had caught 40lb to win and it was betweeen Adam, Steve G (who drew the peg that had won the last two matches) and Jonny Watt on Peg 1 for the minor placings but I wasn't so sure that I wasn't going to be challenging them as I thought I probably had about 30lb. When I fish Sumners next time I really must take my camera as my net of fish contained 5 perch over 2lb, hybrids to 3lb, roach over 1lb and a 3lb+ tench, all in all, a superb net of fish.
Result - Top 10
Geoff Vallance Peg 16 38-12-0
Dave Pearson Peg 8 34-6-0
Steve Gardener Peg 18 33-3-0
Jonathan Watt Peg 1 29-13-0
Steve Sanders Peg 13 29-1-0
Terry Harrison Peg 15 29-0-0
Adam Lee Peg 11 28-15-0
Donald Garnish Peg 9 26-15-0
John Holt Peg 2 23-13-0
Dave Bacon Peg 3 23-0-8
League (with 1 round remaining)
Steve Gardener 72 pts
Steve Sanders 69 pts
Adam Lee 67 pts
Terry Harrison 66 pts
Dave Bacon 65 pts
Dave Pearson 59 pts
Dave Sandford 59 pts
Chris Love 55 pts
John Holt 54 pts
Donald Garnish 54 pts
Geoff Vallance 44 pts
Mark Sandford 42 pts
Brian Wharton 40 pts
Dave Lewis 38 pts
Mick Keeper 37 pts
Ian Covey 30 pts
Rob Draisey 23 pts
Jim McDowell 22 pts
So with one round to go, like the Mighty Hammers I am not going to challenge for the top positions but might just sneak a European place ! Although I didn't expect to be able to compete with "The Dorking Mafia" on silvers matches, I have had two second place finishes by fishing to my strengths and the £160 I have picked up has already paid for my league entry and all my pools and day ticket money for the league and we still have one match remaining.
This weekend I am at Sumners on the match lake on saturday, hoping to draw an island peg and having a day off on Sunday, so come back Monday to see how I get on and hear the result of Terry Molloy's match on John's Lake at Willinghurst.
