The first match of the Marsh AC season coincided with the start of what I hope will be a glorious spring and summer. After weeks of rain, sleet, hail and temperatures not reaching double figures, the man upstairs decided we needed a bit of sun on our faces and duly delivered. Temperatures in the region of 17 degrees would see most of the anglers in T shirts.
Hartleylands Farm Nicks Lake in Kent was the venue, a lake I just cannot get on with, I think my best weight is 80lb but average must be closer to 35lb. I keep saying I am not going to take corn with me and just fish pellet or maggot but I always do and I think that's where the problem lies. The lake holds a good head of silvers and carp to double figures.
For company today, MK took five anglers, Mick, Vic, Troy and Pete, along with myself. A rather uneventful trip down saw us pull into the Knoxbridge café around 0730 for a hearty breakfast and teas. However we were not the only ones in there as most of the other Marsh AC lads where already tucking into their scoff.
A short trip to Hartleylands where club fees and pools were taken before the draw. A draw where I was hoping for a number in the 20s. However, my home was going to be peg 14. Damn!!!!. Definitely not where I wanted to be. A rather large area of water where no one seems to catch fish. Mick had drawn his usual flyer in the form of peg 18 where rushes protrude from the bank to around 4m and hold plenty of carp. In fact they were moving before he tackled up. Vic and Pete had drawn 4 and 2 respectively and could have a decent day if the fish were in the margins. Troy was on his own on the far bank but had a decent draw in peg 28. A MK Nugget was agreed by all with the winner taking all.
Arriving at Peg 14 I had John Holdsworth on 12 and Jim Boase on 16. I decided to fish at 13m in the open water with a .4g MW Power Diamond to .16 Stroft and a size 16 PR36 in 6ft of water. I also set another line at 2+2 where I had around 5ft but a shelving bottom. An identical rig was used. I also planned to fish two margins, one at 12m to the platform on 13, the other half way along the same bank. Bait was Stinky Corn, Hard pellets banded in both 6 and 8mm and a couple of bags of meat, lovingly prepared by Mick. For feed I had a couple of tins of corn, 3pts of 6mm hard coarse pellets and 3 pints of 6mm hard elite pellets.
At the all in I cupped two pots of pellets onto 13m and another half pot of corn. A pot of pellet onto the 12m margin line and fed by hand 2+2 with a few grains of corn and pellet. I decided to leave the closer margin area and would throw a pinch of pellet every 15 minutes on this line. Mick was already into his first fish before I had finished cupping in and the thought of last Tuesdays match at Alders flashed across my mind. Shipping out to 13m I was hoping the float would go under straight away, but after an hour all I had to show for my efforts was a solitary carp around 12oz and one other missed bite. A look at 2+2 saw no improvement, nor did the edges. I was going nowhere fast. Jim and John had resulted to catching small silvers which was not in my plan. Mick was still catching odd fish. I could not see Pete, Vic or Troy but it was clear the venue was fishing hard, except in the 20s where I could see Simon and Tony getting a few fish.
It was now a case of rotating my lines in the hope of a few fish, I picked a couple off 13m by fishing off my feed but the wind was picking up and I was struggling to hold the pole. A rather large lump decided to take a piece of meat on 2+2 but was soon off as the black hydro stretched and stretched until it finally bottomed out( probably a foul hooked fish) and a 3lb fish from down the edge close.
I could not get a run of fish together, I would have one then nothing for ages.
To cut a long story short, this was my match, rotate each line and hope.
John and Jim had snared a couple of carp each and had a few silvers to go with them but I was confident of beating them. Mick had fished another good match from a good peg and had beaten me before the scales had even turned up. So 6-2 it is and a bad week for me in the head to head MK Nugget stakes. Pete and Troy had both thrown back, whilst Vic was admitting to 12lb.
Overall
1st Jim Etherington 70-12 Peg 9
2nd Simon Watkins 58-08 Peg 22
3rd Al Loader 54-08 Peg 35 including a 9-08 Barbel
4th Mick Wright 51-08 Peg 18
5th Terry Goff 34 -04 Peg 37
6th Tony Watkins 34-00 Peg 6
My weight went 23-04 for nowhere, but always one to take a positive, I managed to beat both sides. Vic recorded 27-00.
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