After a few weeks off the bank due to work commitments and family stuff, My day's fishing coincided with a Marsh AC match at Monks Lakes in Kent. I have fished the complex before on Lake 4 but with this one on Lake 2 I did not really know what to expect. I had been told by Al that the lake held a good stock of Barbel, F1s and Carp along with the normal roach and skimmers. With this in mind I decided to fish corn, maggot and pellet, hoping one of them will work.
Troy had agreed to drive and after collecting Pete and Myself it was a steady run down with no issues. Mick was attending a family must attend do so HIS nugget was safe, but Troy and Pete's were up for grabs. We arrived in plenty of time to get a Bacon and Egg French stick from the burger van which was followed nicely with a large cup of tea. We had 16 fishing and had the whole lake to ourselves. Now due to popular consensus it was agreed by Chairman Tony to leave out the far bank in the 80s, "due to them being rubbish". All the talk at the draw was you needed to draw 45, wins everything, 56 or 77 at the start of the spit. The end corner pegs were good and occasionally the middle pegs can produce. I could not comment on this as I had never fished the lake before and felt it better that those who have make the decisions.
At the draw Pete pulls out 62 and Troy 69, but due to there being a collapsed pallet the 5 anglers between 58 and 66 moved a peg closer to 57,putting Pete on 61. Troy was unaffected by this as was I who had sneaked peg 77. Al had told me it was worth 200lb, that may be the case for him but I am not in his class and do not know the water or peg.
Looking at my peg it screamed margins, 3ft deep on the inside on top three right, 2 and a half at 6m to my left and the same depth at 6m to the right and back. The peg is on the end of a spit with a connecting bridge. So I had top three to the right before it went round the corner where there was a cut out in the reeds at around 6m. These would be my main lines with corn to the left, Pellet at top three and maggot to 6m right. I also fed a line at top two straight out really just to start off with and use as a swim to rest a line.
At the all in I fed a half pot of corn left and a full two pots of maggot swamped in Atomic Cloud to 6m right. I fed by hand three handfuls of GOT Sinkers onto the top three right line. A handful of corn to top two and a grain of Stinky Corn followed. I would like to say now that this did not work at all and was promptly put on the back burner, I had wasted 20 minutes with no bites, lifting and dropping. A look down to the left margin saw a couple of small skimmers to a pound and a rogue Tench of a pound and a half. The top three pellet line saw one Barbel around 3lb and another couple of skimmers and after an hour I reckoned on around 10lb in the net but more worrying no carp. A look at 6m right and a couple of Stinky Maggots saw the float bury and Orange Vespe come out and another Barbel was in the net. I had a few more and after a couple of hours I was looking at around 30lb of Barbel, Skimmers and a lone Tench, still no carp. By now I had swapped top-kits over to NG Yellow as I thought that the Vespe was too heavy. This seemed to stop me bumping a few fish and I was connecting with a few more fish. It is small changes like this that can on its day make a difference, instead of persevering with something I was unhappy about, I changed. A few years ago I would not have done so.
After around three hours I tried the top three line again on 8mm hard pellet which I had sprayed with Stinky Stuff Original. Troy had come for a walk and it coincided with my first carp of the day, around 4lb, this was followed by a Tench around 3lb. After admitting to 12lb he went off happy that he in the knowledge that his 4 carp were probably beating me. Tony Roberts on 45 was catching well in spurts, Keith Powell was getting some proper fish, whilst Al was doing what Al does best, catching fish. Pete Morton making a welcome return to the Marsh fold was belying his year layoff and catching well in the corner.
I was hoping that the carp would move in in the later stages, and by rotating my three margin lines I managed to keep a few fish coming throughout, Barbel and small carp on the 6m left on corn, Barbel on Stinky Maggot on the 6m right line and hard pellet on top three. It was the top three line which produced more carp but they drifted in and out, so rotating the lines seems to work best. At the all out I reckoned on around the 120lb mark but to those who asked 70lb seemed to ring well. Well I reckoned on having that in one net, Just over the limit OOOOPPPPPs.
The car park bank were first to weigh in and Chris had an excellent 65lb to lead before being overtaken by Tony Roberts on peg 45 with 70lb, Clive had put 63lb on the scales from the other fancied peg 56, before Keith Powell blew everyone away with 97lb, Pete weighed in 47lb to lead the MK Nugget before Al topped Keith's weight and the first ton with 115lb, it would be close I thought. Pete Morton return to his mugging ways and put a fine 90lb on the board, imagine what he could do if he got out more. Troy sneaked in front of Pete with 51lb before it was my turn. After three carp weighs I had 123lb on the board, I admit I was slightly over in one net but the lads were kind as it would have made no difference to the final outcome as I also put 44lb of silvers on the scales as well to end up with 167lb.
1st Keith Ashby 167-08
2nd Al Loader 115-08
3rd Keith Powell 97-08
4th Pete Morton 90-04
5thTony Roberts 70-04
6th Chris Withall 65-00
Overall I am happy with my weight, a few lessons learned which will stand me in good stead. Getting to grips with pellet and maggot fishing. Still a long way to go, but will get there.
I cannot make the next match at Sumners Ponds in early July as I will be returning from a week away with Vic and the Yam Yams at Stafford Moor. Good Luck to those fishing it.
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