Having ventured onto the bank again last week for the first time in ages, I was excited at the prospect of another day out, my mojo is finally returning. I had booked into the Tuesday Affordable Open at Alders Farm, the same as last week but this time on the match lake.
I knew from last week that I was not prepared for the specimen lake, so this time I spent a few days checking elastics, tying a few rigs etc. I already had a lot of hook-lengths prepared for Stafford Moor and these would be alright for winter fishing at Alders.
I awoke nice and early to be greeted by fog, iced over car and a temperature of -2. As long as the lakes are free from ice we were on. I left early to avoid the traffic jams at the end of the A5D and was the first to arrive at the fishery. Grabbing a bag of 4mm fishery pellets on my way down to the café for the draw.
There would be 8 of us fishing today, so pegs were chosen where it would give the anglers options, feeder, pole or waggler. I managed to draw peg 5 whilst Vic Nugent was on 4. Both good pegs. Charlie Lancaster on 7, probably the most consistent peg during the winter. Trevor Price was on his favourite peg 16. A hard peg in winter (famine or feast). Nick was on 21, whilst Mick Wright was on 23, again another good peg in the winter with good cover and depth. The MK Nugget resumes. Keith R was on 27 which had fished well on the preceding Sunday match with Terry Lancaster on end peg 28.
I decided to just fish 3 lines today. 2 at 12.5m at 10 and 2 o'clock. One line would be fed heavily whilst the other lightly fed. another line was set up at 6m in case the fish decided to come closer.
Soft black Hydro with .16 Colmic Stream to .12 hooklengths with a size 18 PR36 with MW .3g Diamonds set to fish dead depth on all three lines. Bait was stinky corn and expanders. Using 4mm fishery pellets as feed with a couple of grains of standard corn in each kinder pot.
At the all in I potted a large pot of fishery pellets with around 30 grains of corn onto the 2 o'clock swim and went out again with a half pot onto the 6m line. I put nothing onto the 10 o'clock line. Starting off at 2 o'clock I was soon getting indications but missing bites on stinky corn so added another 2 inches to the rig and started connecting. After an hour I had 10 fish for around 20lb. I was having to wait for bites but by lifting and dropping the float I was at least catching. Both Vic and Charlie were catching well and I felt I was behind them both. Mick had caught 5 fish and Terry Lancaster on 28 was catching very well. I had a look on the slightly deeper 10 o'clock line with no joy and another 10 minutes was spent on the 6m line again with no joy. So I decided to concentrate on the 2 o'clock swim. I was getting a few fish and after 3 hours I reckoned on around 50lb in the net. Vic had 45 fish and reckoned on 60lb (yea right). I thought I was on a par with Charlie as his fish seemed smaller. I re-fed this line again with another large pot of corn and pellets and went to 10 o'clock feeding only via a kinder pot. I was picking off odd fish to 3lb and was getting a good run together however but all to often after 1/2 hour the bites dried completely.
The winter sun had risen and was causing problems for the 3 of us on the café bank, spotting the float, let alone a bite. I was fishing the sun reflection on the water, which was around a metre from the fed areas and although it was hard to spot bites I was getting fish. Vic and Charlie seemed to be fishing the same areas that they fed and not off it like me. They were still getting bites and fish but I was putting fish in the net more frequently. I knew I could not catch Vic in the remaining time but thought I could pull away from Charlie. According to Vic, Terry was emptying the lake, Mick was still catching and Trevor in the corner was getting a few fish late on.
At the all out I reckoned I had around a ton and was pleased with my days fishing, the stinky corn had produced again, standard on the hook caught but was slower getting bites. Every now and again I would put an expander on and caught on them as well, so in future I might need to think of a pellet line as well.
Vic was first to weigh in and after 3 weighs he tipped 146-6 on the scales. I was next and my 105-8 was slightly better than I thought. Charlie weighed in 92-12 to prove again what a consistent peg 7 has been. Trevor placed 67-11 on the board, whilst Nick was close behind with 60-4. Mick was next up and his 80-11 would see him hand over a nugget to yours truly. Keith R placed 29-8 and finally Terry put 103-14 all caught on the feeder.
So overall the lake fish well again. I managed a pick up for second place and my preparation is improving. But more importantly I have taken a 1-0 lead over Mick in the 2014 MK Nugget Stakes.
No comments:
Post a Comment