With nearly three weeks off work due to various reasons I was pleasantly surprised that I had a week before travelling to Stafford Moor(SM) to prepare and a week after to get over it. However by the Thursday, prior to going I had developed a cold which went straight to my chest and was feeling weak and lethargic. Not a good sign.
Fortunately I had done some preparation and made up some deep pole rigs for Joseph's, tied a few rigs to .12 Colmic Stream for Pine's and Emily's, which left Tanners and Woodie's which would be either bomb or pellet waggler work with maybe a little pole work, which I had covered in my normal armoury. I had tied some standard hair rigs to cover single baits and got in touch with a guy to supply me some lassoed hook length's for use with double pellets (despite trying I could never get them right).
Four of us were to fish the festival, Vic, Del Smith, Troy Hillyer and myself. Del and Troy would meet up with us at the venue. Troy arriving after the first festival day due to work commitments. Del would be travelling from Hemel Hempstead. So with two practice days available, Saturday and Sunday both Vic and I travelled the 220 miles, setting off at 0400. A good journey down allowing for a cup of tea en route saw us pulling into the venue around 0820.
As today (Saturday) was going to be a practice we settled onto a couple of pegs on Pine's Lake. So we did not duplicate things, Vic was going to fish expanders over micros whereas I was going to fish corn and expander over groundbait. Setting up a 4ft rig to fish 12m just where it started to shallow up. I cupped in two small balls of GB with a few grains of corn and a few 4mm expanders. I started getting a few bites but could not hit them before it went quiet. Meanwhile, Vic was catching well on expander over micros. A few carp plus some decent sized skimmers came to his net. I was struggling and although I did manage a few skimmers in the end it took a long time for the fish to show over the GB line. Lesson Learnt number 1. Micros for Pine's with either maggot or expander.
Del had arrived at the fishery by now and booked into the open. Woodies Peg 6, so with our gear packed away we took a stroll up to see him. He was getting a few fish down the edge but not setting the world alight and at the end finished third in his section.
We booked into our rented cottage just outside Beaford, around 5 miles from the fishery and settled in before popping out for a meal in the Royal Oak at Dolton. An early night was in order after all the travelling and fishing.
Sunday, saw us get a couple of pegs on Tanners, where again we would try different things. Vic fished the bomb and pole long with pellet over micros, Del, the pellet waggler and bomb and pole with maggot over groundbait, whilst I tried corn at 2+2, catmeat at 11m and down the edge with corn. We had some decent pegs which would definitely be in the festival, 9 for Del, 11 for me and Vic on 13. The weather was atrocious, pouring rain and high winds.
Del, started off on the bomb pinging a few pellets out to the edge of an island, with a view to putting the waggler over the same line, however after a couple of trips to the island with his bomb, he was on the waggler earlier than expected, only for the same thing to happen. It did look nice with all of its new found decorations but still a bit early for Xmas. He did have a few carp down the edge and a lot of skimmers over his GB line.
Vic was fishing the bomb to the left hand island and after a few chucks was soon into a run of decent carp, ending up with 8 on a variety of 8 and 10mm hard pellets feeding 8mm elites. His long pole approach did not seem to work. Unfortunately whilst packing his gear away his rod bag fell onto his pole whilst on the pole roller breaking his 12m section.
I, had set my stall out to fish 3 lines. 2+2 with corn. Catmeat at 11m and corn down the edge. 2+2 did not work at all, not a single bite, 11m line saw me get a few bites which I suspected were from skimmers before I hooked a carp of around 4lb. The best area seemed to be the edge, fishing towards a few tree roots and an overhanging tree. 7 carp, 1 tench and a decent 10oz roach for around 45lb, all taken on Stinky Corn over corn fishing tight to the edge. I did lose a few fish that took me into the tree roots and snapped .20 Stroft.
It was noticeably quiet on the fishery, only a couple of other anglers fishing and a few walking around. Still it was only Sunday and the festival did not start until the Monday.
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