Hi all.
Once again it has been a while uploading any blog messages so here we go again and hopefully I will keep more up to date.
Partridge Lakes Team of 4 Winter League 2014-15.
This year POHAS put a team together to fish the winter league at Partridge Lakes. A venue on our doorstep, great facilities and full of fish. We knew from the outset that we would be up against some brilliant anglers who fish the venue very often and as a club team my thinking was this can only help us improve. The league started back in Nov 2014 and to be honest we have had some mixed results. In a lot of matches the fishing has been close enough to make just a few extra fish mean getting good section points. So far it has been a bit disappointing as none of us have picked up any money. My best matches have been a third on the lake fishing Covey 3 peg 52 catching 42lb of F1's in the first match of the league. Also catching 18lb after breaking the ice in December in a really close section. As it turns out if I had not lost a couple of the fish I would have won the section. Such is life.
In the main the tactics have mostly been maggot fishing at 3 feet deep up the far shelf and down the middle in the deepest water. Along with some bread "dobbing" in different areas of the peg.
The first league match (round 6) in the New Year was greeted with storm force winds and made for a very difficult match. Mine was quite disastrous. Before the all in my No 8 section had been blown in and shortly after the match started my No 7 section was broken in two after being blown into the aerator power supply. I was feeling very down and ready to go home with thoughts of having to buy a new pole going through my head. Anyway I started on top 2 + 1 section going down the near shelf with maggot, but had no bites. I tried the bomb with either bread or maggot, again no bites. After my pole getting wrecked I started to get a bit down. Later into the match the wind did reduce a little, and I mean a little so I was still able to reach the aerator to my right with the 6 sections of pole I was able to use. Fishing as best as I could with this in the wind I managed 5 fish for just over 8lb, caught on maggot and pinkie. It was no great surprise to know I only beat 1 other in the section. Despite the conditions some good weights were caught. However for some the match and like many more around the country over that weekend were carnage, stories of multiple section breaks, seat boxes getting blown in etc. It was no doubt the windiest I had fished in.
After all this I arranged to have No 8 section retrieved by a diver and my No 7 section repaired in less than a week and at a cost of less than replacing a No 4. So in hindsight it could have been a lot worse.
Round 7 brought calmer but cold conditions. In the days before the match the lakes had been frozen, but thawed the day before. Therefore the water temperature had dropped and effect the fish behavior, proving to be a hard match. This time I drew peg 50 on Covey 3 with the bridge to the spit to my right. In the first league match the angler on this peg caught a lot of fish under the bridge so I was optimistic. On plumbing up the deep water was mainly in front of me and to the left, the closer to the bridge the shallower it became. As usual rigs were set up for the deep water, 3ft up the far shelf and under the bridge and a bread rig for fishing off bottom. I started on bread under the bridge about 6 ins off bottom, no bites. Moved on to maggot on the bottom again no bites. I started fishing on the 3ft rig in front of me and caught 2 F1's one after each other. It was then a case of moving round to try a catch other fish. Unfortunately I only managed 6 fish for 7lb 7oz, 4 F1's and 2 Ide caught at 3ft up the far shelf from different swims in front of me. I never had a bite under the bridge and nothing on the deep track rig. The angler to my right on peg 52 after a slow start weighed 29lb by fishing towards the corner near bank at 16 metres. Team wise was again not great, Jon Green managed 4th on Covey 1 with over 8lb, James Bryan and Neil Pritchard only managed a couple of fish each for weights of around 2lb, It was that bad, pegs that had won recent matches surrendered very little.
The next round is the last, so hopefully the conditions will be better and we can catch a few more.
Round 8 and again cold day with a breeze blowing down the lakes. I was lucky to have peg 23 on Covey 2 again next to a bridge and the wind blowing from behind me most of the time. Again usual rigs set up. I was noticeable that the bridge peg was deeper than in the previous match so I was hoping for a better return. As normal I started on the 3ft rig fishing close to the bridge with maggot. I missed a couple of bites and came inside to fish at 4 metres in the deep water down the near shelf. 1 bite on this resulted in a 5lb carp that led me a merry dance all round the peg on 6's elastic. Glad to get that one in. In the end I managed about 8 fish for 15lb and 5th in section, so a slightly better result. most of the fish came at 3ft in various parts of the peg. Again any line fished in the deep water struggled to produce much sport.
Team wise we suffered a blank and a next to last in section so again our points were high and we remained bottom of the league. There were other blanks as well, so it was another difficult day.
Hopefully do better next time.
Onward now to the Heronbrook Spring League, hopefully the weather will become a bit more milder and the overall fishing will improve.
Tight lines.
Friday, 6 February 2015
Friday, 10 January 2014
I'm back (well nearly)
Hello everyone.
It's been a long time since I updated my blog. So thanks to anyone who has took the time to read any of my posts.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas and NewYear.
Before Christmas 2013 I decided to enforce a little break on my fishing and I need to sort out some house stuff. So hopefully I will get all the decorating and improvements done in the next couple of months and get back to fishing again.
Since I stopped writing regular blogs I have enjoyed some good matches with a degree of success both for myself and money wise.
I have probably fished more matches on canals and rivers than commercials, but I have enjoyed it and the people I have fished alongside have been great and most of the time the fishing has been good.
My main highlights have been good section points in the last 2 Division 1 Nationals on the Bristol Avon and Trent and Mersey Canal. I have managed good catches on the local River Mersey, both on feeder and pole. Very proud of my 16lb+ of mainly roach and some dace on the pole in Oct 2011. See pic.
Also I managed to catch 33lb of bream from the River Mersey, which would have been the match record if Bob Clough had not caught 49lb of bream from the next peg. Need to track down some pictures of that. Still a great catch and shows that on it's day the river can produce some great fishing. Last year especially the fishing on the river has been good from summer through the winter. I think mainly due to the more settled weather than the previous couple of years.
Warrington Anglers continued to enter teams in the Angling Times Supercup and last year we got to the semi final stage held at Lindholme Lakes in Lincolnshire. A great venue with loads of fish. I was lucky enough to win my section with 74lb of F1's, carp and skimmers caught on method, pellet, meat and dead maggots in the margins. Unfortunately the team did not make it to the final.
So that's a brief summary so far.
I am looking to fish more commercial matches this year and I am thinking of going to Blundells Fishery. This will offer the option of not only pole fishing but some method feeder and waggler fishing for carp and F1's. I am looking forward to more commercial fishing, canals are wearing a bit thin, especially when catching tiny fish. I prefer catching weight builders and have a chance of bonus fish.
Anyway that's about all for now.
Tight lines.
It's been a long time since I updated my blog. So thanks to anyone who has took the time to read any of my posts.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas and NewYear.
Before Christmas 2013 I decided to enforce a little break on my fishing and I need to sort out some house stuff. So hopefully I will get all the decorating and improvements done in the next couple of months and get back to fishing again.
Since I stopped writing regular blogs I have enjoyed some good matches with a degree of success both for myself and money wise.
I have probably fished more matches on canals and rivers than commercials, but I have enjoyed it and the people I have fished alongside have been great and most of the time the fishing has been good.
My main highlights have been good section points in the last 2 Division 1 Nationals on the Bristol Avon and Trent and Mersey Canal. I have managed good catches on the local River Mersey, both on feeder and pole. Very proud of my 16lb+ of mainly roach and some dace on the pole in Oct 2011. See pic.
Also I managed to catch 33lb of bream from the River Mersey, which would have been the match record if Bob Clough had not caught 49lb of bream from the next peg. Need to track down some pictures of that. Still a great catch and shows that on it's day the river can produce some great fishing. Last year especially the fishing on the river has been good from summer through the winter. I think mainly due to the more settled weather than the previous couple of years.
Warrington Anglers continued to enter teams in the Angling Times Supercup and last year we got to the semi final stage held at Lindholme Lakes in Lincolnshire. A great venue with loads of fish. I was lucky enough to win my section with 74lb of F1's, carp and skimmers caught on method, pellet, meat and dead maggots in the margins. Unfortunately the team did not make it to the final.
So that's a brief summary so far.
I am looking to fish more commercial matches this year and I am thinking of going to Blundells Fishery. This will offer the option of not only pole fishing but some method feeder and waggler fishing for carp and F1's. I am looking forward to more commercial fishing, canals are wearing a bit thin, especially when catching tiny fish. I prefer catching weight builders and have a chance of bonus fish.
Anyway that's about all for now.
Tight lines.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Warrington Teams of 4 League.
Hello Once again.
After settling down after loosing focus again after the Division 1 national, I decided I needed to get back on track and try to concentrate on my fishing a bit more.
I was lucky enough to be invited to fish in the teams of 4 league by Bob Campbell that runs through winter on the canals in the area. The team is imaginatively called Bob's Lot.
Round 1
The first match was fished on the Bridgewater Canal near Statham. I was pegged in A section peg 3 near Ditchfields Bridge. This was an area I was not keen on, as the better pegs are higher in the section back towards Statham. The usual methods were used, breadpunch caster and some worms for perch. At the start I tried a large punch to try and nick a skimmer, but none showed, so I had to revert to catching very small roach. After a couple of hours it was a real struggle, bites had dissappeared on bread and I only managed a couple of small perch on worm. I did get a couple of caster roach near the end, but nothing decent. I weighed in 1lb 12oz or so. It was only enough to beat one in my section. Sure enough the weights increased in the higher peg numbers. The match was won with over 10lb of skimmers and roach on caster. So not the best of starts.
Round 2
The second match saw us desend on Middlewich Town centre to fish the Trent and Mersey Canal. In the past this section of canal has fished well with double figure weights. I was drawn on B section peg 1. This placed me in a narrow section of canal close to the main road bridge. However in the middle of my section was a basin, so I was up against it, especially I was told that the pegs in the narrows were rubbish. The usual rigs were set up, bread and caster as well as a light squatt rig for fishing across and a caster rig for down the track. The squatt line was to be fed with 2 balls of groundbait with a few squatts in and left for at least 2 hours to hopefully allow the fish to settle over it.
I started on the punch and caught small roach and gudgeon. I tried the caster line down the middle and caught the odd perch, roach and gudgeon, but nothing to get carried away with. After a couple of hours I tried the squatt line and caught some roach straight away. I had a bit of a nightmare with this line as I totally trashed several rigs when they got caught in the overhanging vegetation. This line did produce though, so food for thought for the future. I did manage some more roach on caster, both down the middle and across. I had caught steady, but the weights from the basin were far too good. I weighed in 3lb 12oz to finish as predicted last in the section. I was feeling a bit down with my results as I was not helping the team much. However I could not compete with the basin which had weights from 6-11lb come from it. There was a silver lining in that team mate Bob Clough won the match with over 12lb of Roach and Rudd on caster.
Round 3
This match was fished on the Macclesfield Canal around Congleton. I was drawn on peg 5 in A section near Henshall Hall drive. The peg looked promising as there was an overhanging bush and reeds along the far bank. Whilst setting up a couple of large fish rolled close by, these might have been big perch. As it turns out the bush was a noted peg for perch as several big weights had been recorded in the past. As usual breadpunch, caster and a heavy worm rig were set up. I planned to fish the bread about a section short of the far bank and at at angle to the right in fronts of the reeds. I also had a heavy chopped worm rig for fishing under the bush as well as the normal caster rig for across as well.
I started on bread and caught some small roach and gudgeon, it was not fishing that well and the roach were a lot smaller than expected. A did manage to get a good roach on caster over the bread swim, but no more showed after that. I tried the chopped worm swim at regular intervals through the match and caught a few perch up to 8ozs. I topped up after died off and rested the swim for 20 minutes each time. I still managed to catch on bread in between trying the worm swim, but again the fish got no bigger. Caster caught a few roach at the end as well. I could not tell how well I had done in the section, due to the overgrown banksides. I weighed 3lb 12oz again which was good enough for 4th in the section. So my results were starting to improve. Again the better weights came from the early pegs in the section. Team wise Phil Cross won his section with over 6lb.
Round 4.
The Trent and Mersey canal was scene for round 4 at Broken Cross near Rudheath. I drew the end peg of the match in D section peg 7, which was just by the entrance to a small basin near the School Road access point. The swim looked good to say the least with a small tree on the far bank and rushes all along the far side and into the basin. The main problem was the wind which was gusting quite strong and could make presentation a little tricky. Rigs were the usual, bread, caster and worm. I planned to fish the bread at 10 metres towards the basin, hoping to attract some skimmers, as well as caster down the middle and across and a chopped worm and caster line under the small tree on the far bank.
I started on a big punch, but could only catch roach and gugdeon as usual. I tried caster over the bread line, but caught the same size fish, after a missed bite I lowered the rig in again and struck into something much bigger. I was convinced it was a skimmer, as it did not fight much. I had one hairy moment when I had to keep the rig low as a boat went past, but once the fish came close in it started to fight a bit more. The fish surfaced near the middle and to my surprise it was a very big perch. In the end I got it in the net without to much fuss and I guessed it to be about 2lb.
After this I carried on switching between bread and the chopped worm line. I caught a few more nice perch and odd roach on the worm, as well as more roach and gugdeon on bread. I left the caster line until the last hour and caught some nice roach regularly. At the weigh I got 6lb 5oz, which was more than I thought due to the small roach. The perch was weighed separately and went 2lb 7oz. Easily my biggest perch to date, but not for the first time I forgot to take a picture. The match was won with over 7lb by Helen Dagnall who was also in my section. So I finished second in the match and the section. This was certainly helping my confidence as my results were getting better. But it would have been a bit embrassing not to do well off such a good peg. The perch was a complete fluke, caught on single caster 18's hook over the bread line and landed on No. 2 elastic. That probably explains why it did not fight as much as if would if hooked on heavy gear.
After settling down after loosing focus again after the Division 1 national, I decided I needed to get back on track and try to concentrate on my fishing a bit more.
I was lucky enough to be invited to fish in the teams of 4 league by Bob Campbell that runs through winter on the canals in the area. The team is imaginatively called Bob's Lot.
Round 1
The first match was fished on the Bridgewater Canal near Statham. I was pegged in A section peg 3 near Ditchfields Bridge. This was an area I was not keen on, as the better pegs are higher in the section back towards Statham. The usual methods were used, breadpunch caster and some worms for perch. At the start I tried a large punch to try and nick a skimmer, but none showed, so I had to revert to catching very small roach. After a couple of hours it was a real struggle, bites had dissappeared on bread and I only managed a couple of small perch on worm. I did get a couple of caster roach near the end, but nothing decent. I weighed in 1lb 12oz or so. It was only enough to beat one in my section. Sure enough the weights increased in the higher peg numbers. The match was won with over 10lb of skimmers and roach on caster. So not the best of starts.
Round 2
The second match saw us desend on Middlewich Town centre to fish the Trent and Mersey Canal. In the past this section of canal has fished well with double figure weights. I was drawn on B section peg 1. This placed me in a narrow section of canal close to the main road bridge. However in the middle of my section was a basin, so I was up against it, especially I was told that the pegs in the narrows were rubbish. The usual rigs were set up, bread and caster as well as a light squatt rig for fishing across and a caster rig for down the track. The squatt line was to be fed with 2 balls of groundbait with a few squatts in and left for at least 2 hours to hopefully allow the fish to settle over it.
I started on the punch and caught small roach and gudgeon. I tried the caster line down the middle and caught the odd perch, roach and gudgeon, but nothing to get carried away with. After a couple of hours I tried the squatt line and caught some roach straight away. I had a bit of a nightmare with this line as I totally trashed several rigs when they got caught in the overhanging vegetation. This line did produce though, so food for thought for the future. I did manage some more roach on caster, both down the middle and across. I had caught steady, but the weights from the basin were far too good. I weighed in 3lb 12oz to finish as predicted last in the section. I was feeling a bit down with my results as I was not helping the team much. However I could not compete with the basin which had weights from 6-11lb come from it. There was a silver lining in that team mate Bob Clough won the match with over 12lb of Roach and Rudd on caster.
Round 3
This match was fished on the Macclesfield Canal around Congleton. I was drawn on peg 5 in A section near Henshall Hall drive. The peg looked promising as there was an overhanging bush and reeds along the far bank. Whilst setting up a couple of large fish rolled close by, these might have been big perch. As it turns out the bush was a noted peg for perch as several big weights had been recorded in the past. As usual breadpunch, caster and a heavy worm rig were set up. I planned to fish the bread about a section short of the far bank and at at angle to the right in fronts of the reeds. I also had a heavy chopped worm rig for fishing under the bush as well as the normal caster rig for across as well.
I started on bread and caught some small roach and gudgeon, it was not fishing that well and the roach were a lot smaller than expected. A did manage to get a good roach on caster over the bread swim, but no more showed after that. I tried the chopped worm swim at regular intervals through the match and caught a few perch up to 8ozs. I topped up after died off and rested the swim for 20 minutes each time. I still managed to catch on bread in between trying the worm swim, but again the fish got no bigger. Caster caught a few roach at the end as well. I could not tell how well I had done in the section, due to the overgrown banksides. I weighed 3lb 12oz again which was good enough for 4th in the section. So my results were starting to improve. Again the better weights came from the early pegs in the section. Team wise Phil Cross won his section with over 6lb.
Round 4.
The Trent and Mersey canal was scene for round 4 at Broken Cross near Rudheath. I drew the end peg of the match in D section peg 7, which was just by the entrance to a small basin near the School Road access point. The swim looked good to say the least with a small tree on the far bank and rushes all along the far side and into the basin. The main problem was the wind which was gusting quite strong and could make presentation a little tricky. Rigs were the usual, bread, caster and worm. I planned to fish the bread at 10 metres towards the basin, hoping to attract some skimmers, as well as caster down the middle and across and a chopped worm and caster line under the small tree on the far bank.
I started on a big punch, but could only catch roach and gugdeon as usual. I tried caster over the bread line, but caught the same size fish, after a missed bite I lowered the rig in again and struck into something much bigger. I was convinced it was a skimmer, as it did not fight much. I had one hairy moment when I had to keep the rig low as a boat went past, but once the fish came close in it started to fight a bit more. The fish surfaced near the middle and to my surprise it was a very big perch. In the end I got it in the net without to much fuss and I guessed it to be about 2lb.
After this I carried on switching between bread and the chopped worm line. I caught a few more nice perch and odd roach on the worm, as well as more roach and gugdeon on bread. I left the caster line until the last hour and caught some nice roach regularly. At the weigh I got 6lb 5oz, which was more than I thought due to the small roach. The perch was weighed separately and went 2lb 7oz. Easily my biggest perch to date, but not for the first time I forgot to take a picture. The match was won with over 7lb by Helen Dagnall who was also in my section. So I finished second in the match and the section. This was certainly helping my confidence as my results were getting better. But it would have been a bit embrassing not to do well off such a good peg. The perch was a complete fluke, caught on single caster 18's hook over the bread line and landed on No. 2 elastic. That probably explains why it did not fight as much as if would if hooked on heavy gear.
Friday, 25 November 2011
No more matches please.
After the division 1 national I fished 2 open matches at Brookside. Needless to say I did not do very well and showed that you cannot stay out of touch from this type of venue for very long as the regulars have it nailed spot on.
After this I was feeling a little deflated with fishing once again. I don't seem to enjoy travelling to fishing after spending a lot of time in the car with work. The early starts do not help either. I needed a bit of a break and a change.
So I managed to have my first proper go at Barbel fishing on the River Severn at Emstrey near Shrewsbury. I would finally get to use my new Barbel rod for what it was intended for.
I had also managed to persuade my Dad to come along as well. We went to Total Angling in Shrewsbury for some bait and advice on where to fish. We got to the River and had a look at some pegs. We were told to fish around peg 44, which was near the car park, so that was were we fished. I set up a stick float rig and a pellet feeder on the barbel rod.
The fishing was not brilliant, I could catch a few small dace on the stick float, but nothing any bigger. I spent most of my time trying to catch barbel. I was casting a feeder loaded with 4mm halibut pellets and marine halibut groundbait, and fishing a 10mm banded pellet on the hook. I caught 2 barbel, the first was just under 5lb and the second about an hour later was 7lb 14oz. (see picture)
My dad brought a set of scales with him, thought that might be the kiss of death, but was good to weigh them and get a picture. I once had a good session on the Ribble a few years ago catching 8 barbel. I am not sure if any of those were bigger, but seen as this one was weighed this is the one to beat. I am sorry to say that my dad did not manage to catch any barbel, but caught a few other fish on the maggot feeder. My dad enjoyed the day, but we both agreed that the fishing was not great. It was good to be out with my dad again and we fished on until it was starting to get dark, none of this 10 till 3 rushing about. Hopefully we will get back on the Rivers again next year. I think we are both yearning to fish the Hampshire Avon and Dorset Stour again.
After this I was feeling a little deflated with fishing once again. I don't seem to enjoy travelling to fishing after spending a lot of time in the car with work. The early starts do not help either. I needed a bit of a break and a change.
So I managed to have my first proper go at Barbel fishing on the River Severn at Emstrey near Shrewsbury. I would finally get to use my new Barbel rod for what it was intended for.
The fishing was not brilliant, I could catch a few small dace on the stick float, but nothing any bigger. I spent most of my time trying to catch barbel. I was casting a feeder loaded with 4mm halibut pellets and marine halibut groundbait, and fishing a 10mm banded pellet on the hook. I caught 2 barbel, the first was just under 5lb and the second about an hour later was 7lb 14oz. (see picture)
My dad brought a set of scales with him, thought that might be the kiss of death, but was good to weigh them and get a picture. I once had a good session on the Ribble a few years ago catching 8 barbel. I am not sure if any of those were bigger, but seen as this one was weighed this is the one to beat. I am sorry to say that my dad did not manage to catch any barbel, but caught a few other fish on the maggot feeder. My dad enjoyed the day, but we both agreed that the fishing was not great. It was good to be out with my dad again and we fished on until it was starting to get dark, none of this 10 till 3 rushing about. Hopefully we will get back on the Rivers again next year. I think we are both yearning to fish the Hampshire Avon and Dorset Stour again.
Division 1 National.
Once again I sit down to write this more than 2 months after the event.
This years match was fished on the New Junction Canal near Doncaster. After the Supercup exploits we were once again left with little time to practice.
I only managed 2 practice matches which were mixed to say the least.
On the first match I drew the end peg in the match, should be good. I also had Alan Scotthorne next door but one and Sean Ashby in my section. This was going to be tough. The main catching methods were squatt over groundbait at 10-11 metres, a close in chopped worm line and fishing 16 metres with chopped worm and caster for bonus eels and perch. Some pegs might produce chub, but not that many.
I had a poor match I only caught 5 perch 2 on squatt and 3 on the 16 metre line. I got neck ache from watching Alan Scotthorne catch more or less all day, he finished 2nd in the match with 6lb odd.
This was another match were it would be back to the drawing board regarding rigs and feeding. After Martin Griffiths had picked the brains of Stuart Conroy new floats and hooks were ordered. Namely Sensas Jean Francois and Auchy as well as Gamma green barbless hooks. The Jean Francois was for fishing a bulk with some droppers and the Auchy as a light rig, both for the squatt. The barbless hooks were used to prevent damage to the bait. These are very good hooks, very sharp and popular for bloodworm fishing and winter F1 maggot fishing.
The second practice match was a little better I managed to catch some roach for a change. The fishing was not brilliant, the peg would die off after a quick burst of catching fish at the start, but by feeding small amounts of hemp regularly you could also catch bigger roach again towards the end of the match. However I missed a lot of bites on hemp, but it did prove how effective the bait would be. I weighed in just under 2lb, not great but a big improvement on the previous match and I did manage to catch some roach. My confidence was getting better after sorting the rigs out. I needed to make sure I hit as many bites as possible on hemp, as these fish were generally bigger.
We held a meeting on the Wednesday before the match to get a plan together and sort out a few ideas. The meeting went well and information flowed. However it did show how under prepared we were with lack of practice and also due to the fickle nature of the canal most had struggled in practice.
Come the big day I was drawn on H section peg 42 on permanent peg 384 I think. In the previous weeks match some fish had showed there and on getting to the peg roach were topping all over the canal. It was a big relief to see fish moving about. If you fished an area were the fish were not topping it meant that you were in for a bad day.
The plan was to fish as described earlier. It was important to fish the squatt line as quick as possible to catch the early fish. I feel that my match went fairly well. I caught from the start on squatt, but it eventually went quiet, but the odd fish would still have a go. The short and long lines were very poor and I only caught 1 perch close in. The angler on the next peg lost an eel fishing long, but I could not get any decent bites. So I mainly concentrated on the squatt line. The hemp fishing was my life saver, in which I had a good last hour by alternating between the heavier Jean Francois rig and the light Auchy rig. I did loose a big roach on hemp, which was a bit gutting because it must of been near a pound. The only trouble with catching late on is that you wish you could fish another hour or so. At the end I weighed in just over a kilo for 39 section points out of 59. So I just made the top 20 in my section.
After how the practice matches had gone I felt a lot better about my result, but just wished I could have fished the canal a couple of more times to get a bit more used to it.
On the team front too many of the team struggled in poor areas, as you can only catch what is in front of you and some areas were really poor. I was just lucky to be drawn in a good area. The team finished in 44th place, which sounds bad, but is just a reflection of what poor areas and a lack of practice. At least we were not relegated, so we live to fight another day in Division 1.
Next years match is on the Bristol Avon. I am already not looking forward to that drive.
Tight lines.
This years match was fished on the New Junction Canal near Doncaster. After the Supercup exploits we were once again left with little time to practice.
I only managed 2 practice matches which were mixed to say the least.
On the first match I drew the end peg in the match, should be good. I also had Alan Scotthorne next door but one and Sean Ashby in my section. This was going to be tough. The main catching methods were squatt over groundbait at 10-11 metres, a close in chopped worm line and fishing 16 metres with chopped worm and caster for bonus eels and perch. Some pegs might produce chub, but not that many.
I had a poor match I only caught 5 perch 2 on squatt and 3 on the 16 metre line. I got neck ache from watching Alan Scotthorne catch more or less all day, he finished 2nd in the match with 6lb odd.
This was another match were it would be back to the drawing board regarding rigs and feeding. After Martin Griffiths had picked the brains of Stuart Conroy new floats and hooks were ordered. Namely Sensas Jean Francois and Auchy as well as Gamma green barbless hooks. The Jean Francois was for fishing a bulk with some droppers and the Auchy as a light rig, both for the squatt. The barbless hooks were used to prevent damage to the bait. These are very good hooks, very sharp and popular for bloodworm fishing and winter F1 maggot fishing.
The second practice match was a little better I managed to catch some roach for a change. The fishing was not brilliant, the peg would die off after a quick burst of catching fish at the start, but by feeding small amounts of hemp regularly you could also catch bigger roach again towards the end of the match. However I missed a lot of bites on hemp, but it did prove how effective the bait would be. I weighed in just under 2lb, not great but a big improvement on the previous match and I did manage to catch some roach. My confidence was getting better after sorting the rigs out. I needed to make sure I hit as many bites as possible on hemp, as these fish were generally bigger.
We held a meeting on the Wednesday before the match to get a plan together and sort out a few ideas. The meeting went well and information flowed. However it did show how under prepared we were with lack of practice and also due to the fickle nature of the canal most had struggled in practice.
Come the big day I was drawn on H section peg 42 on permanent peg 384 I think. In the previous weeks match some fish had showed there and on getting to the peg roach were topping all over the canal. It was a big relief to see fish moving about. If you fished an area were the fish were not topping it meant that you were in for a bad day.
The plan was to fish as described earlier. It was important to fish the squatt line as quick as possible to catch the early fish. I feel that my match went fairly well. I caught from the start on squatt, but it eventually went quiet, but the odd fish would still have a go. The short and long lines were very poor and I only caught 1 perch close in. The angler on the next peg lost an eel fishing long, but I could not get any decent bites. So I mainly concentrated on the squatt line. The hemp fishing was my life saver, in which I had a good last hour by alternating between the heavier Jean Francois rig and the light Auchy rig. I did loose a big roach on hemp, which was a bit gutting because it must of been near a pound. The only trouble with catching late on is that you wish you could fish another hour or so. At the end I weighed in just over a kilo for 39 section points out of 59. So I just made the top 20 in my section.
After how the practice matches had gone I felt a lot better about my result, but just wished I could have fished the canal a couple of more times to get a bit more used to it.
On the team front too many of the team struggled in poor areas, as you can only catch what is in front of you and some areas were really poor. I was just lucky to be drawn in a good area. The team finished in 44th place, which sounds bad, but is just a reflection of what poor areas and a lack of practice. At least we were not relegated, so we live to fight another day in Division 1.
Next years match is on the Bristol Avon. I am already not looking forward to that drive.
Tight lines.
Angling Times Supercup Final.
Supercup Final
Our semi final was fished 2 weeks before the final so we had very little time to practice compared to the other regional teams. I fished one practice open match were I drew peg 5 on Canal pool. I have fished this peg twice before, once in an open before a Maver pairs match and in a club match. The peg has rushes down the sides and a small clump of rushes on the far bank. My plan was to fish meat and pellet both across and down the edge. After a very busy days fishing I managed 89lb of F1's and carp. This is my best weight in a match and I had a feeling I might have caught my first ton, but it was not to be. That result gave me a section win by default.
Again the captains could place anglers on each pool, and again I decided that I did not mind were I fished. I really like Tunnel Barn the fishing is very good and I felt comfortable with what to do. I was placed on Jennys pool, and was a little bit miffed not to be on Canal pool after the last match, but never mind. It was good just to be in the final. After the practice matches and talking to the local anglers it became obvious that the pegs that fished well had plenty of cover for the fish to sit. The less cover you had meant that you caught well at the start but the fish would back off after a while. As it turned out my peg did not have a great deal of cover across, and other pegs looked a lot better. I fished a line across with meat and groundbait as well as at the bottom of the near shelf and against the near side rushes. I also set up a shallow rig for banded pellet down the middle, but this is not a method I am confident with. The match started ok with small carp and F1's being caught fairly regularly. After a while I could not help bu notice that anglers further up the bank were catching a lot quicker than me, but I seemed to be doing ok against the anglers close to me. I needed to change something so I started to feed against the next peg platform to my left at about 11.5 metres. The idea being to plumb in front of the platform and look for the deeper depression caused by the keepnets. Once this was sorted I started to kinder pot in some meat and groundbait and managed to start catching carp and F1's again on 6mm cubes of meat. However once again I knew I was not catching quickly enough. In the end I think I weighed 54lb which only beat 2 others in the section I think. On the lake there were several weights over 100lb and the overall the fishery can only be described as awesome.
It was a bad day all round for the team and we finished dead last. We collected our medals and bait box of goodies from the sponsers, had a beer and a laugh about it. I personally don't think we had a good draw, my peg and several others could have been better. We also suffered from lack of practice and from not being used to that sort of fishing. When its good it really is head down bagging, you have to be quick but not rushed if that makes sense.
Anyway a big thank you to the team of Jeff, Martin, Rick, Arthur and Jake. We had a good laugh and enjoyed everything along the way. Thanks also to Warrington AA for help with peg fees and petrol money, Angling Times and the fisheries involved.
It was great just getting to the semi final so the final was just a big bonus. We put no pressure on ourselves and made sure we would enjoy it, which we did. Will we be as lucky next year, who knows.
Our semi final was fished 2 weeks before the final so we had very little time to practice compared to the other regional teams. I fished one practice open match were I drew peg 5 on Canal pool. I have fished this peg twice before, once in an open before a Maver pairs match and in a club match. The peg has rushes down the sides and a small clump of rushes on the far bank. My plan was to fish meat and pellet both across and down the edge. After a very busy days fishing I managed 89lb of F1's and carp. This is my best weight in a match and I had a feeling I might have caught my first ton, but it was not to be. That result gave me a section win by default.
Again the captains could place anglers on each pool, and again I decided that I did not mind were I fished. I really like Tunnel Barn the fishing is very good and I felt comfortable with what to do. I was placed on Jennys pool, and was a little bit miffed not to be on Canal pool after the last match, but never mind. It was good just to be in the final. After the practice matches and talking to the local anglers it became obvious that the pegs that fished well had plenty of cover for the fish to sit. The less cover you had meant that you caught well at the start but the fish would back off after a while. As it turned out my peg did not have a great deal of cover across, and other pegs looked a lot better. I fished a line across with meat and groundbait as well as at the bottom of the near shelf and against the near side rushes. I also set up a shallow rig for banded pellet down the middle, but this is not a method I am confident with. The match started ok with small carp and F1's being caught fairly regularly. After a while I could not help bu notice that anglers further up the bank were catching a lot quicker than me, but I seemed to be doing ok against the anglers close to me. I needed to change something so I started to feed against the next peg platform to my left at about 11.5 metres. The idea being to plumb in front of the platform and look for the deeper depression caused by the keepnets. Once this was sorted I started to kinder pot in some meat and groundbait and managed to start catching carp and F1's again on 6mm cubes of meat. However once again I knew I was not catching quickly enough. In the end I think I weighed 54lb which only beat 2 others in the section I think. On the lake there were several weights over 100lb and the overall the fishery can only be described as awesome.
It was a bad day all round for the team and we finished dead last. We collected our medals and bait box of goodies from the sponsers, had a beer and a laugh about it. I personally don't think we had a good draw, my peg and several others could have been better. We also suffered from lack of practice and from not being used to that sort of fishing. When its good it really is head down bagging, you have to be quick but not rushed if that makes sense.
Anyway a big thank you to the team of Jeff, Martin, Rick, Arthur and Jake. We had a good laugh and enjoyed everything along the way. Thanks also to Warrington AA for help with peg fees and petrol money, Angling Times and the fisheries involved.
It was great just getting to the semi final so the final was just a big bonus. We put no pressure on ourselves and made sure we would enjoy it, which we did. Will we be as lucky next year, who knows.
Angling Times Supercup.
Hello once again.
As I have lost track with my blog I need to do some catching up, so firstly I will update on the Supercup.
Warrington AA Blue had qualified from round 1 and now had the home draw against Richmonds A team. We decided to fish on the Macclesfield Canal at Scholar Green. After several matches in the Spring League there it seemed like a fair venue and hopefully our canal skills would win through.
I had a good pleasure fishing seesion on the stretch before the match, catching some good fish on caster down the track, I personally felt the fishing would be good. However on match day it did not produce.
I was drawn against the Richmonds Captain in the last but one section of the match. My plan would be to start on bread, have a caster swim across and down the track as well as feeding some hemp over the breadline and past it up towards the far side for later on in the match.
I started on bread and caught some nice size roach right away, after I while I started to get the odd gudgeon, so I tried a grain of hemp. I had a bite straght away and I started catching nice roach again, this continued for about the first hour and I thought I might get a good weight. However a couple of boats went over the swim and I could not get the fish settled again. The caster line down the track was rubbish, which I was banking on after the practice session. I did manage the odd roach or two by fishing hemp in the shallow water close to some reeds, but it was nowhere near as good as at the first hour.
The canal did not fish well and some struggled to catch a pound, which was a shame. I weighed 4lb 6oz which easily won my section and it turned out the match, so I was pleased to get some pennies back. If the hemp line had carried on I could have had a really good weight. I think my inexperience showed through a little. Anyway the team won the match, only loosing 1 section. So its on to Woodlands Lakes at Thirsk for the semi final.
Woodlands Lakes.
I managed to fish 3 open matches in the run up to the semi final. The first match was a complete disaster I only caught 2 carp and a few silvers and managed to break the 13 metre and 4th section of my pole. The number 4 was easily fixed, but the 13 metre section was a write off. Luckily after the match I found one being sold on E Bay, so I ordered it.
The secton had not arrived by the time of the second match the following weekend, so I would be a bit limited on what I could fish. At least I could put some time in fishing the method. Before the draw the organisers asked if we wanted to fish on Swallow lake as a practice. This lake is one of the older lakes on the complex and is not usually included in the open matches. So we decided to give that a go. The lake has 2 islands in but not all pegs can reach the island. I could only fish up to 11.5 metres anyway, so it would be method fishing for me. I drew peg 13, in this case the island was about 20 metres away, so I set up a method feeder, a rig for skimmers at 11.5 metres, a 5 metre rig for meat and a margin rig. I started on the method casting as tight to the island as I could with groundbait to start with and a banded pellet on the hook. I caught a carp and a few skimmers, before bites tailed off, so I started fishing at 11.5 metres for skimmers with an expander on the hook. I caught a couple of small skimmers, then a bonus carp and after that it was back to the skimmers. Small fish were a problem so I used a 6 mm expander and the fish got slightly bigger with th odd one over a pound. Bites were pretty instant as soon as the rig settled and I just fed a few damp micros and a couple of pieces of corn each cast. The 5 metre line on meat only produced more skimmers, so I fished the last half an hour on the method again. I caught a couple more carp and weighed around 26lb, which was second on the lake, but sadly no money. The lake was won from peg 11, who fished against the island at 16 metres with meat to catch over 40lb. After the match the angler said that the older lakes suffered deaths to the carp over the cold winter, so the numbers of carp had been reduced compared to the other lakes.
For the 3rd match I was drawn on a corner peg on Wagtail. I planned to fish up against the boards at 13 metres with meat and go further along if needed, another 5 metre line and a margin rig into the corner. In the previous matches I had fished the margin swim feeding pellets and corn by thr pot ful and not getting any bites or indications of feeding fish. For this match my tactics were slightly different. I had read an aricle in Match Fishing magazine about feeding groundbait in the margins and fishing a visible bait over the top. The thinking behind it is that the groundbait lies on the bottom and atracts the fish to the swim and the only food they find is your rig. As the margins had not produced for me previously what did I have to loose. So I started on the method casting towards the boards, I got an early carp and a couple of skimmers, but it was slow going. The pole swim at 13 metres was not much better, again a carp early on and then some skimmers and roach. The 5 metre line was a bit better, but again only skimmers. With 2 hours left I potted in 2 pots of neat groundbait and left it for 20 minutes. I quick look saw no bites so another pot went in. After another 10 minutes I tried again, after a couple of minutes the float slid away and I struck into a good fish. Thankfully it did not tear off all over the place, but it did take a while to get it in, it was easily a double figure fish. Once that was in the net anther pot of groundbait went in and I started again. Another 20 minutes passed and I got another bite, again it was a good fish, after a similar fight to the last another double slightly smaller than the last was in the net. Following this I did manage another smaller fish from the margins. All the margin fish were caught on double corn. I weighed in just under 40lb, I think the lake was won with over 50lb. The groundbait tactic had boosted my confidence and I felt it definately made a difference.
This was the last practice before the semi, so we had to decide who would fish where. The competion rules allowed captains to place anglers on each lake, but there would be a draw for section pegs. After a bit of thought I felt I was based placed on one of the older lakes, as I did not think that I could compete if it was a bagging match. I felt more comfortable trying to get the odd carp on the method as well as going for the skimmers. So that was that and I ended up fishing Dragonfly on peg 20 (I think) The peg was opposite an island, but was quite wide. There was a small bay on the island opposite me which I thought might be a good holding area for the carp. The plan was similar to how I fished Swallow lake in the earlier practice.
Following the festival held in the week leading up to the match the fishing was a bit poor. I caught a carp and some skimmers on the method against the island and some more skimmers on pellet fishing at 13 metres. After having some success feeding groundbait in the margins I also fished this line too and caught a reasonable carp close to the end. This definately helped as I weighed in about 21lb for 5th in the section.
Once the results were in we found out that we got the last qualifying place as we tied on points but got through thanks to a section by Jake. Top stuff. The team were made up, but faced another 200 mile round trip to Tunnel Barn Farm.
As I have lost track with my blog I need to do some catching up, so firstly I will update on the Supercup.
Warrington AA Blue had qualified from round 1 and now had the home draw against Richmonds A team. We decided to fish on the Macclesfield Canal at Scholar Green. After several matches in the Spring League there it seemed like a fair venue and hopefully our canal skills would win through.
I had a good pleasure fishing seesion on the stretch before the match, catching some good fish on caster down the track, I personally felt the fishing would be good. However on match day it did not produce.
I was drawn against the Richmonds Captain in the last but one section of the match. My plan would be to start on bread, have a caster swim across and down the track as well as feeding some hemp over the breadline and past it up towards the far side for later on in the match.
I started on bread and caught some nice size roach right away, after I while I started to get the odd gudgeon, so I tried a grain of hemp. I had a bite straght away and I started catching nice roach again, this continued for about the first hour and I thought I might get a good weight. However a couple of boats went over the swim and I could not get the fish settled again. The caster line down the track was rubbish, which I was banking on after the practice session. I did manage the odd roach or two by fishing hemp in the shallow water close to some reeds, but it was nowhere near as good as at the first hour.
The canal did not fish well and some struggled to catch a pound, which was a shame. I weighed 4lb 6oz which easily won my section and it turned out the match, so I was pleased to get some pennies back. If the hemp line had carried on I could have had a really good weight. I think my inexperience showed through a little. Anyway the team won the match, only loosing 1 section. So its on to Woodlands Lakes at Thirsk for the semi final.
Woodlands Lakes.
I managed to fish 3 open matches in the run up to the semi final. The first match was a complete disaster I only caught 2 carp and a few silvers and managed to break the 13 metre and 4th section of my pole. The number 4 was easily fixed, but the 13 metre section was a write off. Luckily after the match I found one being sold on E Bay, so I ordered it.
The secton had not arrived by the time of the second match the following weekend, so I would be a bit limited on what I could fish. At least I could put some time in fishing the method. Before the draw the organisers asked if we wanted to fish on Swallow lake as a practice. This lake is one of the older lakes on the complex and is not usually included in the open matches. So we decided to give that a go. The lake has 2 islands in but not all pegs can reach the island. I could only fish up to 11.5 metres anyway, so it would be method fishing for me. I drew peg 13, in this case the island was about 20 metres away, so I set up a method feeder, a rig for skimmers at 11.5 metres, a 5 metre rig for meat and a margin rig. I started on the method casting as tight to the island as I could with groundbait to start with and a banded pellet on the hook. I caught a carp and a few skimmers, before bites tailed off, so I started fishing at 11.5 metres for skimmers with an expander on the hook. I caught a couple of small skimmers, then a bonus carp and after that it was back to the skimmers. Small fish were a problem so I used a 6 mm expander and the fish got slightly bigger with th odd one over a pound. Bites were pretty instant as soon as the rig settled and I just fed a few damp micros and a couple of pieces of corn each cast. The 5 metre line on meat only produced more skimmers, so I fished the last half an hour on the method again. I caught a couple more carp and weighed around 26lb, which was second on the lake, but sadly no money. The lake was won from peg 11, who fished against the island at 16 metres with meat to catch over 40lb. After the match the angler said that the older lakes suffered deaths to the carp over the cold winter, so the numbers of carp had been reduced compared to the other lakes.
For the 3rd match I was drawn on a corner peg on Wagtail. I planned to fish up against the boards at 13 metres with meat and go further along if needed, another 5 metre line and a margin rig into the corner. In the previous matches I had fished the margin swim feeding pellets and corn by thr pot ful and not getting any bites or indications of feeding fish. For this match my tactics were slightly different. I had read an aricle in Match Fishing magazine about feeding groundbait in the margins and fishing a visible bait over the top. The thinking behind it is that the groundbait lies on the bottom and atracts the fish to the swim and the only food they find is your rig. As the margins had not produced for me previously what did I have to loose. So I started on the method casting towards the boards, I got an early carp and a couple of skimmers, but it was slow going. The pole swim at 13 metres was not much better, again a carp early on and then some skimmers and roach. The 5 metre line was a bit better, but again only skimmers. With 2 hours left I potted in 2 pots of neat groundbait and left it for 20 minutes. I quick look saw no bites so another pot went in. After another 10 minutes I tried again, after a couple of minutes the float slid away and I struck into a good fish. Thankfully it did not tear off all over the place, but it did take a while to get it in, it was easily a double figure fish. Once that was in the net anther pot of groundbait went in and I started again. Another 20 minutes passed and I got another bite, again it was a good fish, after a similar fight to the last another double slightly smaller than the last was in the net. Following this I did manage another smaller fish from the margins. All the margin fish were caught on double corn. I weighed in just under 40lb, I think the lake was won with over 50lb. The groundbait tactic had boosted my confidence and I felt it definately made a difference.
This was the last practice before the semi, so we had to decide who would fish where. The competion rules allowed captains to place anglers on each lake, but there would be a draw for section pegs. After a bit of thought I felt I was based placed on one of the older lakes, as I did not think that I could compete if it was a bagging match. I felt more comfortable trying to get the odd carp on the method as well as going for the skimmers. So that was that and I ended up fishing Dragonfly on peg 20 (I think) The peg was opposite an island, but was quite wide. There was a small bay on the island opposite me which I thought might be a good holding area for the carp. The plan was similar to how I fished Swallow lake in the earlier practice.
Following the festival held in the week leading up to the match the fishing was a bit poor. I caught a carp and some skimmers on the method against the island and some more skimmers on pellet fishing at 13 metres. After having some success feeding groundbait in the margins I also fished this line too and caught a reasonable carp close to the end. This definately helped as I weighed in about 21lb for 5th in the section.
Once the results were in we found out that we got the last qualifying place as we tied on points but got through thanks to a section by Jake. Top stuff. The team were made up, but faced another 200 mile round trip to Tunnel Barn Farm.
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