Right, this shouldn't take long ! Sunday saw me taking part in the Match Fishing Scene Clubman of the Year Southern Team qualifier on John's Lake. It was the first of three qualifiers to help Captain Terry Turnip (no that isn't his real name) to select a team for the forthcoming 1st round away to Feltham & Twickenham on Eric's Lake.
Going to bed Saturday night I was a bit concerned about the size of the moon as last time we fished the lake after a full moon the lake fished really hard. Anyway having got ready for bed, we set the alarm for a 6.30am start and entered the land of nod. Six thirty came and went as did 7.30am and then Mrs P looked at the clock and announced that the alarm hadn't gone off and it was now ten to eight.
I went downstairs, grabbed the phone and reported in before murdering a pint of maggotts and loading up the car. Although Willinghurst is regarded as my local venue, it is still half an hour away but we still managed to get there by 9.10am. I got quite excited as we drove up the drive to the lake as there were two big gaps in the pegging between pegs 12-20 (which is usually the best area and I'm sure one of them was mine. Unfortunately, they weren't and Peg 39 (which I really didn't fancy) was to be my home for the foreseeable future. Tactics for the day were to be a lead with bread,corn, and boilies hoping for a few carp with a switch to the GB Feeder or method if that wasn't producing. I also decided on two long pole lines at 10 and 2 o'clock and a short line at 7 metres.
Having left home in a rush, I'd managed to forget my bottle of drink and as I've given myself a migrainne before now by not drinking enough whilst fishing, I made my way to the cabin for a couple of cans - oh yes and a bacon sandwich as I'd had no breakfast ! As I left teh cabin I heard the "All In" and as I made my way past Plummers, he was already playing a carp he'd caught on the feeder. Arriving back at my peg, I fed four big balls of GB with a few loose offerings on one of the long lines and one ball on the other. I also balled in 4 balls at 7 metres. It may sound excessive for a winter match where you are looking to catch silvers but my past experience of fishing the lake and watching others is that they do love a bit of grub.
I then lobbed out a lead with bread on the hair rig and waited. Ten minutes later the tip went round and I soon had my first fish in the net, a carp of about 2lb. Despite switching hookbaits and casting about the peg I had no more fish in the following hour. Having left my pole lines to settle, I was now ready to bag up ! However, the first problem was that I couldn't now remember if I'd cupped my bait in line with Peg 17 or 19 on the far bank ! Don't laugh, you'll all be old one day !!!
Anyway that's it really ! I spent the rest of the match switching between the pole and lead and apart from one brief tussle with a foulhooked carp on the pole line that was the end of my match.
With only the top 10 in the match scoring points (or so I thought), I knew I was outside the top 10 so put my solitary carp back and made my way to the clubhouse for a welcome cuppa.
Result
Kev Bennett...................Peg 45.................13-12-0
Ricky Baxter..................Peg 14..................8-15-0
Martyn Dwayne............Peg 35.................8-8-0
Plummers......................Peg 23..................8-6-0
Terry Turnip.................Peg 26.................6-8-0
John Rhodes..................Peg 37..................6-8-0
With nothing planned for next week, I hastily arranged a match on Pittance lake but before then I have a trip to Ribbon Lake with Rick on wednesday to look forward to - so pop back later in the week to see how we got on.
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.
