Sorry about the delay, password problems and too much work have kept me from updating this in a timely manner !
Anyway, Sunday saw me attending the Match Fishing Scene match at Tylers Common near Brentwood in Essex. To be honest it was a match I had no intention in fishing as from fetcham in Surrey where I live to Brentwood in Essex sounded like a long long way away. It wasn't until Ricky Baxter said he was going and woul dgive me a lift as he had to drive past my junction on the M25 to get there that the idea was planted in my mind.
As I like fishing new venues to me and it was also a qualifying match for the MFS Champions League, (a sort of Club league table based on positions in the qualifying matches - with a final at the Glebe for the top 20 anglers) I was actually quite excited at the prospect of fishing the match. We'd all been given a lot of advice by the venue regulars so armed with that knowledge, I left my house on Sunday at 7am with my bait bag containing, a bag of micro pelletts for feed, some dead maggotts, some 4mm pellets for feed, a bag of Marukyu 131 GB and a tub of Marukyu JPZ pellets.
The journey was suprisingly quick and following a breakfast at the bluewater services, (where Rick was convinced that someone was going to nick our tackle out of the car and went to look out the window every 5 minutes) ! We arrived at the draw just in time having taken a slight detour when we were nattering away and missed a turning to the fishery road and had to do a quick lap round again.
At the draw all the talk was that you wanted to be on Willow Lake (which later proved to be incorrect) and when I drew Wilow Peg 6 I was quite happy, even though I had no idea where it was. However, I didn't have to worry about a long walk as when I walked down the path to the lake, I nearly fell straight in Peg 6 (which was permanent peg 25). Although the short walk was good news I wasn't too happy with the peg as match organisor Carlostam was one peg too my right and being in the corner, I had nowhere to chuck a lead and if I fished out at 14 metres our pole floats were only about 5 metres away from each other if that. It was far worse for Carl though as at least I could fish to my left to get away from him as the 2 pegs to my left had been left out. Having decided not to bother with a lead or feeder, I set up to fish two long pole lines at 10 and 1 O'clock, a shorter line at 7 metres at the bottom of the shelf and a very short line at 3 metres next to the tree to my left. The depth on the 13 metre and 7 metre lines were the same and the rig consisted of a 4x14 Carpa Porth on 0.14 line with an 0.12 bottom attached to a size 18 Gamakatsu Pellet hook. I also set up a paste rig with 0.14 line straight through to a size 12 Gamakatsu Pellett hook.
I started on the long lines fishing a 4mm expander over toss potted micros but after a while with a number of roach and rudd in the net I was going nowhere fast. A switch to the short line made no difference as a 4mm pellet proved not to be THE bait after all -I'm sure due to the warmer weather and increased activity from the silvers.
A switch to small pieces of paste improved the situation greatly but after a while even that dried up. I could see Micky Locke was fishing maggot at 3 or 4 metres and catching a rudd or roach every put in, so as I was struggling for bites I thought I'd have a go. So, shallowing up my long pole rig and chopping some line off I started to feed sloppy GB loaded with dead maggots with a dead maggott or two on the hook. I started to catch a few roach and rudd but even that slowed due probably to the fact that I then had a 3lb carp and a couple of smaller ones. As there seemed to be a few carp on the short line I then quickly set up another paste rig and first put in with my green Swim stim / Garam Masala paste, the float shot under and I soon had another 3lber in the net. I continued to catch fish on and off on the short line but was soon being troubled by a lot of Parrot mouth carp in the peg who were bashing the bait to bits (Micky Locke reckons they were licking the paste until it was small enough to suck in) ! I was playing a fish as the whistle went so that was a nice finish to the match.
Having not seen lots caught to my right, I was quite looking forward to the weigh in and having packed up, went to the end of my section to help with the weigh in. I should clearly have paid a visit to Specsavers as Matt (Mr Foxman) on the end peg weighed 109-8-0 for a section win, a lake win and second place overall, next NS69 and Russell weighed 54-12-0 and 51-8-0 respcectively before Micky Locke plonked 70-4-0 on the scales. Luckily, match organisor and floating Expander supremo Carlostam weighed 8-6-0 before I weighed 48-2-0. Kupkit completed our section with 51-2-0 so despite having quite a nice days fishing, I finished up second to last in the section.
Bruce W won Ash lake with 125-10-0, also taking 2nd spot, followed on the lake they said you didn't want by Bomber with 106-0-0 and Young Lockie with 94-4-0. So, all in all a decent day was had by most on a venue which really picked up due to the warmer weather. I learnt a lot on my first visit there and look forward to a return visit some time soon.
The following Sunday saw me fishing the Willinghurst Open on Cherrytree and Pittance. To cut a long story short, there were probably 4 pegs I didn't want on the two lakes and I drew one of them ! Peg 9 on Cherrytree, nowhere near the isalnd or the narrow arm where all the carp live !
It was actually the coldest afternoon I think I have ever fished in and by the end of the match there were only 3 anglers remaining on our lake as the others had all packed up cos they couldn't feel their fingers or put any bait on the hook.
Nobby Drew Peg 1 up the arm on Cherrytree and won the match (and the Golden Peg) with 48lb odd, followed by Swifty on Peg 8 (with 45lb), Plummers was on Peg 7 and weighed 44lb despite packing up 75 minutes from the end cos he was so cold. Bag up Bob Poulton won Pittance with 43lb followed by dodgy John Radford the match organisor who had 41lb despite starting an hour after everyone else cos he got a call out from work !
Sunday sees me on the MFS match at Witherington farm and although it hasn't been fishing too well, I am really looking forward to it as I do like the fishery.
I will try to give you an earlier update next time !
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.
