Alders Farm Pines Lake 18 07 15 Marsh AC

Since getting back from Viaduct Fisheries at the start of the month, I have really struggled to get motivated to do anything, let alone fishing, but I was committed to fishing the Marsh AC match on my local water. Due to the amount of travelling involved from the members ( Essex, Kent, Berkshire and Surrey) we set the draw for 0830 fishing 10-4pm. We had pegs 1 to 18 and decided to leave a couple out at the top of the lake in the shallow water.
After breakfast and peg fees/pools were taken by Tony, who would sort out the sections. We had 13 fishing meaning two sections of 4 and one of 5. My home for the day would be peg 1. A good peg when the wind is blowing in, but it was flat calm all across the lake, I was thinking that everyone would struggle but at Alders the fish can switch on at anytime and you could do a ton in an hour when they do.
I set 3 rigs to fish the margins, two at top two both sides and one at top 5 to my left, against the brambles. Another rig was set up to fish top 4 and corn.
At the all in I started feeding top 4 line and threw some pellet down the right margin and corn to the left. I started off on top 4 and by feeding regularly I caught 4 fish in the first hour but it did not seem right. I looked down both edges for a carp from both lines before re-feeding the margins and going back out to top 4. I was still getting bites but not hitting them, I tried shallowing up gradually to no avail, still bites but no fish. I decided to try a margin rig over this line to see if the fish were shallow. At around 18 inches I would still get bites but occasionally a fish. I perservereed on this line for a couple of hours before it went quiet again. A look back on the deck saw no fish coming so I was back in the margins.
I could see Simon and Al catching long shallow, but it seemed that apart from Clive and Tony on the opposite bank no one else was emptying it. For me it was a case of keep switching lines in the hope that one would turn on.
Another couple of fish were forthcoming but it was fishing hard. I did lose a few in the brambles and reeds but at Alders everyone loses the odd fish.

1st Tony Roberts             107-08        Peg 18
         2nd Al Loader                  106-08        Peg 4            

3rd Clive Pritchard             78-08       Peg 16
4th Gino Exell                    66-08
5th Simon Watkins             63-12
6th Jim Etherington           60-12
7th Keith Ashby                 60-04
8th Chris Withall                55-04
9th Chris                           54-04
10th Gary Loader               50-12
11th Tony Watkins             49-08
12th John Holdsworth        30-04
13th Jim Boase                 24-12

I must say that the venue fished hard but fair, Those who changed to fishing shallow, gradually built a weight. I should also compliment Gary Loader who fished on his own today for the first time. Dad Al must be really proud. A good weight on a hard day from one of the hardest pegs to fish.