Words of Wisdom

I cannot believe 12 months have passed since I first decided to start writing a Monthly blog!

2013 has literally flown by. I would say this year is my third season of being bang into my fishing after an 8 year hiatus. I feel I am now starting to get to grips with commercial venues and have realised I have probably been over thinking them somewhat! Back to basics using watercraft and having confidence has been key.

After last months blog and the first ice covering of winter, the weather had settled down a wee bit in terms of temperatures. I enjoyed a good run of results in November and wanted them to continue into December.

When the fishing gets tough I do tend to enjoy the light approach and thought process it needs to winkle those extra bites.

This month I look at how I approach a typical snake/canal type venue and also go back to basics in terms of tackle set up and ensuring we get some bites in the cold.

Action Update :
The month kicked off with me back at Tunnel Barn Farm in Warwickshire for the 3rd round of the mini winter league series I have been invited on. I currently sit second in the league of 15 anglers with a third and a first overall on the previous two rounds.

Peg 3 on the Club Pool was my home for 5 hours and with overcast conditions and a mild 10 degrees I liked the look of the peg. However I was a little nervous at the lack of room with only 11 metres of water across to the island, but I did have a spare peg either side which gave me some comfort.

One of the other chaps told me that the pegs in the teens had been producing the best weights and when I saw each peg had 15-17 metres of water across I could see why. However not to be put off; here is how I approached it:

When arriving at my peg I always have a sit down for a minute or so to have a look at the water and just take stock of what I plan to do. Another thing I like to do in Winter is be very quiet whilst tackling up.
It always makes me smile when people are crashing their kit down and shouting across the lake. When the fish are hungry and the water is like chocolate then its no big deal, but in Winter I like a bit of stealth...If you was relaxing until March time, would you want somebody crashing about your house and garden?

First job before anything is to get the plummet out. Looking at the peg above you can see a line of reeds across to the right. Straight away I am thinking if  were a fish (and there is a comfortable depth) I will be in them reeds/rushes.

 I also want to know how deep the central track is, because this is where I expect the fish  to be with the water temperature a mere 4 degrees.

Check out my 10 considerations when attacking a snake style swim for winter:

1. I found around 3 feet of water next to the rushes, which I was hoping would be deep enough to attract anything hiding underneath. This will be fed with maggots to catch anything.
2. 5 feet of water on the 2+2 line. (As per last months blog ...note the tree as a marker) Maggots along with  Marukyu EFG130 to target any species in the deep water.
3. The bare mud bank I didn't expect to yield much, however it is likely the bank is undercut and some fish maybe hidden away there. This will be fed with fishery micros only...but I will choose when to attack this part of the swim.
4. To my left out of shot at 9 metres I will have a completely separate swim to be fed with little balls of over wet micros. I can afford to be quite positive here.
5. Keepnet is spread along the nearside margin nice and quietly. Many anglers just chuck their nets into the deep water in front of them and wonder why they cannot get a bite down the track. 
6. I always use a bump bar. This is not to keep my rig still or to give me a rest. I use it when I land a fish to almost ship my landing net back rather than strain with my weaker left arm.
7. Such a basic thing to have, but the pole sock gives me piece of mind that my sections wont be blowing anywhere and my precious carbon will not get chipped.
8. A smaller bait tray for winter with a zip in case of showers. By fining down the size of my bait tray I am not tempted to take alsorts of options and confuse myself.
9. Box nice and stable. I use a little spirit level on a key ring to ensure I am nice and comfortable.
10. Flask... again basic, but imperative as the temperatures can drop dramatically early afternoon time. A little known fact is that if you lose 2% of your hydration, you can lose up to 20% of your concentration.

Bait Tray:

2 pints of red and white maggots with a tablespoon of turmeric
A handful of Marukyu EFG130 groundbait.
Fishery 2mm Pellets
Marukyu JPZ
A handful of worms from the compost and a few grains of corn.

Rigs :
Line 1: 4x10 Preston Soma float. 0.12 -0.10 Silstar Match team. 18 Drennan Carp Maggot hook.
White Hydro (Same rig for line 3)

Line 2: 4x12 Jim Standish float 0.10 Silstar - 0.09 Drennan Supplex 18 Drennan Carp Maggot.
 6-8 Drennan Bungee

Line 4: 4x12 Jim Standish Wire Slimzee 0.10 Silstar straight through to 18 Drennan Carp Maggot.
6-8 Drennan Bungee

My main line of attack would be across to the rushes and down the track with Maggot being my main bait. Using an old skool flavouring with a dash of turmeric on the maggots. The spiciness just gives the bait an extra kick in the cold water and has never done me any harm in terms of catching. In my mind pellet was to be a slow burner and I expected to fish this later on in the session.

I kicked off across on line 1. Instantly I had 3 F1 on a double red maggot hookbait. I had fed lines 2 and 4 with a view that the early fish by the rushes would back off . They did but only when I foul hooked a carp around 7lb which I lost at the net.

Line 2 yielded surprisingly 5 mirror carp through the session on a maggot hookbait over little balls of crumb between 3-5lb. Welcome Bonus fish which gave the slightest of indications. This made me think that the better carp were sat in the deep water but moving very little.

Line 4 I chose to look on sporadically. I did nick a couple of F1, but found myself constantly re-plumbing and moving around to keep bites coming. A single jpz hookbait over the wetted Micros did the trick.

But it was line 3 that was the real catalyst for the day. The sun came from behind the clouds around 1pm and I fancied the water across to warm up quite quickly. I fished the line 1 rig at the same depth just to the right of the tree stump. Micro pellets and jpz combo got me into a run of F1. I could catch 2 or 3 then have to rest it and look over the other lines before going back again.

By kicking off with Maggot and putting a few fish in the net across, then again down the track I could allow my pellet lines to develop. And then the 2nd half of the match rotate between all 4 lines to keep one or two fish going in the net regularly.

49lb 14oz gave me a comfortable win with 15lb in second place. I felt with the water I had in front of me I utilised the space very well and reacted to things as they happened. This is another water I had not fished before and I felt with a little bit of stealth, finesse and thought I did well.

Roy Marlow has a great line that... "Do what you know... not what you think you know" and that always puts Match fishing into perspective for me. Why try something you are unsure of ?.

A good days sport for December 49lb 14oz

A week later and I was booked in for the weekend at Docklow Pools in Herefordshire. I had not been down since the October Festival but after spending last Winter there, I did not think it would take me long to tune back into the venue.

The Farmer Jack lake was the water for the Saturday open. Peg 6 (the peg I drew in the October festival) was my home for the day. I decided on a maggot approach to attract anything that swims. I knew it would be hard, but 12.5 metres in around 4foot of water would hopefully attract a few.

Just up the bank was a young fella from nearby Leominster called Michael Thomas. 15 years of age his dad dropped him off to fish the match and would pick him up later. Exactly what my old man used to do when I was his age. I would see how he got on and offer a few words of advice later.

As well as my maggot line I put in an obligatory 2mm pellet line to my left in case the lakes F1s made an appearance. I kicked off catching roach on the deck, but very slowly. A change was needed, so a 4x8 very light float with a carbon stem and strung out styls....yep styls!

Not many people use them now, but it is a preference of mine in winter to let the maggot drop very slowly through the water and styls offer the best presentation. I found the fish around 6 inches off the bottom. A string of Roach, Skimmers, Hybrids and a bonus 7lb carp over my pellet line gave me 17lb 9oz and second place. A good return to Docklow, but frustrating as I was sat on the bonus peg and was only beat by 13oz, still mustn't grumble.

I had a chat with young Michael as he was packing up. He managed to weigh 2lb of little silvers, but I noticed he was guilty like many of using summer tactics in winter...Tapping his pole tip on the water, dumping pellets from a height, rattling bait in down the edge. All great fish attracting tips for mid July ... not for December. The water is 3 degrees, the fish do not need to feed, the last thing they want is a big pot on their heads.

Words of wisdom
The next day I decided to have a pleasure fish to demonstrate how keeping things simple will produce bites in the cold. As I arrived on the members only Stock Pond, young Michael from the previous day arrived with his dad to have a pleasure fish too.

In my profession I work in training, so I think it is in my nature to try and develop myself and others. Once I had set up some kit I decided to ensure that Michael would catch some F1s on the lake.

The last time I fished in October I struggled for 38lb, but with no pressure on the lake I decided to fish the nearest peg 2 (An average draw in a match) at the car park and fish two simple lines.

I told young Michael to fish peg 21 which is often a decent area. In truth I did not know how it would fish with it being crystal clear and a water temperature of 3 degrees.
(Note on the picture how clear the water is, you can see the keepnet right down to the bottom ring)

Line 1 at around 10 o clock 6 metres / Line 2 at 12 o clock at 9.5 metres

Line 1 is just after the lake levels off to around 3 and a half foot. Here I would feed a little chopped worm, but again maggots to attract anything. Same as Tunnel Barn, I wanted some quick fish to keep things going into the net. The lake is predominantly F1s but lots of silvers that are never targeted.

Line 2 would my usual micro pellet with a Marukyu Ebi Jpz over the top. I wrote last winter that this hookbait has caught me more F1 carp than any other bait and I have 100% confidence in them.

A simple bait tray

Initially I caught a number of  Perch using single maggot over little toss pots of chopped worm, then some Skimmers showed an interest, along with the odd Chub. Here I had a simple 4x10 Jim Standish Wire Slimzee attached to 0.9 line and my favourite Drennan Carp Maggot hook to a solid Preston Slip 4. 

I saw young Michael also catching the odd silver, so I wandered over to check his set up. Although the young fella was getting a couple, I checked his rig which consisted of 0.17 line attached to 0.15 bottom and a size 14 hook. This was unbalanced to a solid number 5 elastic. A quick search through my rigs and I provided him with a 0.4grm Ben Scott open water float with 0.12-0.10 line and a 20 hook. 

I explained the benefits of feeding some micros through a toss pot with a few maggots and using a far bank marker. I also gave Michael some jpz for the hook. I then plumbed up accurately for him and explained how an F1 bite may develop with the importance of the bait being dead depth and lifting and dropping.

After sitting with Michael and getting him right for 40 minutes or so I realised I had only around 90 minutes left to catch a few myself. I went straight onto my longer line at 9.5 metres. A ripple had developed on my peg and I was confident my pellet approach would get some F1s. I set a target of 20lb in 90 minutes and plugged away. Rig was 0.3 Jim Standish Wire Slimzee. 0.12-0.10. 18 hook and 6-8 Drennan Bungee. 

A wire Slimzee the perfect F1 pattern

9.5 metres into the ripple attracted the F1 Carp

Bites were very very shy and I had to constantly work the rig, lifting and dropping, but went onto a nice steady run of good stamp F1s. As I looked up young Michael was into his first F1 of the day and started catching every put in. So much so I was thinking if it was a match the little fella might be beating me! 

Young Michael kept feeding tight and found the F1's

By building up my maggot line I put a number of quick fire Silvers in the net. Along with the confidence I have in my pellet line I plundered the F1 in a quick fire burst and certainly hit close to my 20lb target. Which given the conditions I thought was a wee bit ambitious.

The perfect winter scene

Close too if not 20lb of Silvers and good stamp F1s in no time.

Yearly round up: 

That completes my 12 blogs for the last 12 months and something I have really enjoyed doing. I guess I have realised that if I am not out fishing, then writing about it is the next best thing for me. 

As I have said previously, I may not be the best angler in the world, but I work very hard at trying to improve and my results this year are on the up. I hope I have helped people along the way put a few extra fish in the net. 

A few acknowledgements must be made to the following:

• Docklow Pools for allowing me to use keepnets on their members waters for a couple of shoots. And for looking after me when I visit.
• Roy Marlow at the Glebe Fishery
• "Media man" Clint Walker at Marukyu 
• Ray Best at www.ukmatchangler.com
• Jim Standish for making my pole floats
• Keith Arthur for proofing my initial writings (And my mythering the last 18 years!)
• Rochdale and District Angling Society
• Oldham Advertiser for printing my weekly column
• All the lads in my Eight Bells Angling Club for being so supportive of my writings
• Festival buddies : Jez Bown, Sean Stewart and Ronnie Ord. (That's enough I haven't won an Oscar)

More importantly a massive thank you to everybody who has taken an interest in reading the blogs, without you I simply would not have anything to write about. So far the blog has received 3700 hits and growing.

Have an excellent Christmas and a Happy New Year...see you in 2014.

Tight Lines 

Dave

Silver feels better than Gold?

This month I wrestle with the idea that catching small fish is much more satisfying than catching big fish and also want to give a new groundbait a real work out.

Firstly I want to reflect on a good month of results :

November Action : 
After a good section win in October I decided to kick off November's campaign at Brookside Fishery in Cheshire.
I drew an area I had not fished before, but was happy the wind was off my back. Two lines down the track, one with Marukyu Jpelletz and Jpz over the top. And a groundbait line of EFG170 with a bit of chopped worm helped me put a few Ide, Skimmers and F1 in the net. But it was the final 90 minutes at the bottom of the far shelf feeding little nuggets of EFG130 and maggot that brought the match to life. 38lb 2oz and a long overdue win were my rewards.

A hard earnt win at Brookside Fisheries

Last winter I concentrated on Docklow Pools in Herefordshire. This year I have signed up to a small winter league series of 6 matches at Tunnel Barn Farm in Warwickshire. My Mate Jez Bown invited me to fish with his Birmingham based club as I was a little undecided what to do over the Winter.

The first match was on the complexes "Top pool". Having never been before it was a chance to have a wander and suss the place out. I had read a lot about F1 fishing at the complex etc, but with strong winds and quite clear water I fished a cautious match....probably too cautious. The water did not produce brilliantly and it took me a couple of hours to find my feet. 43lb won the match with my 21lb being good enough for third. Not the worst start to a Winter league.

3rd place for my first visit to TBF

Mid November brought a milder weekend and the Saturday saw me having a small knock up with the lads from my Eight Bells A.C. at Bradshaw Fisheries near Bolton. Lake 4 was the venue and I fished a very straight forward match. 1 pole line for silvers if the fishing was hard, a pellet waggler/bomb line around 25 meters to snare the odd carp.
A lost fish on the pellet waggler into under water roots left me sticking to a bomb with a long tail. Usual Winter tactics are single bright hookbaits or a single strong smelling/flavoured hookbaits. I managed 12 carp on either a 10mm JPZ or a Sonubaits flouro band em. Add a sprinkling of nice Roach and 58lb 13oz gave me a comfortable knock up win. The other 7 lost fish in the roots could well have put me into treble figures, but as we know...lost fish do not count!

58lb 13oz at Bradshaws Knock up.

The following day saw me back at Tunnel Barn Farm for the 2nd round of the Winter Series. High Pool being the lake for this round. Barometric Pressure was stable, overcast conditions and a mild 10 degrees had my hopes up. 

When I saw my peg I noticed the water was very coloured and really fancied it. So much so I attacked the margins with maggot and little nuggets of groundbait. I also primed the Track with 4mm Fishery pellets in 8ft of water. By rotating between the Margins and deep water I had a busy day with 70 F1s, Barbel and Skimmers. Black 6mm JPZ was the bait for the track. Double Maggot for Margin. Over 100 fish and 54lb later gave me another win and a solid start to the winter league.

54lb and a win on TBF High Pool

Now this got me thinking... did I enjoy them 12 carp more than I did the 100 smaller fish? The answer in my mind was a resounding NO.

There are few better feelings in Match Fishing than lowering a dirty great big worm or a bunch of maggots over a well primed margin swim, only for a monster edge dweller to snaffle it and rip your pole out into the lake. However sometimes for me catching a hard earnt net of smaller species in difficult conditions is just as satisfying. So ..... can silver be better than gold?

The Session

I needed to get out on the bank to do some testing. I had been using the Marukyu EFG170 with some success on commercials. But as it is aimed for Silver Fish I wanted to try it on a natural venue. 

It is worth me mentioning about Marukyu Products, I am not sponsored as such and do not receive free bait. I am a field tester for the company which gives me a small discount on a limited amount of product. The point being is I would not use anything I am not 100% confident in whilst in a match situation. However the proof of the pudding is in the eating and I always test the bait. If something is not quite right...I tell them. If something is spot on...I tell you.

I arrived at my local water and was shocked to see everywhere covered in Ice. I only had a couple of hours to fish and really did not have time to break any. I took a gamble and chose a pool I had not fished before which had a peg with a few meters clear of Ice. I knew the water had lots of small fish and that it is useful for juniors as they can catch bits in the summer, but apparently some Carp and Tench often saw people off into snags. I also knew that lake had not been stocked for 11 years.

The idea of EFG170 is that whatever the dominant species are around the peg it will attract, so you could essentially get cycles of species as fish move around. So with this I decided to fish three lines. Silvers love cover so I went down the margins in around 3ft of water next to some rushes. Also in open water around 6 meters up to the edge of the ice in nearly 4ft. Both would be fed with a nugget of 170 and a sprinkling of dead maggots. Another line with some 2mm Jpelletz would give me another option. I like to be very precise where I am fishing in Winter so I used far bank markers and noted where my hands are on the pole.

Top: The Iced up lakes proved challenging. Margin and Open water. Note the Markers I line up with the be accurate.

 Rigs were simple. Margin was 4 x 10 Jim Standish Chianti style float attached .12-.08 and a 18 Drennan Carp Maggot.  Open water was a 4 x 10 Wire Slimzee .10 straight through to a size 20 of the same hook. Elastic for the Margin was Yellow Hydro to give me a chance of any bonus fish. Solid Preston Slip no4 for open water. I would mess around with shotting starting off strung out and potentially bulking later.

Simple Bait tray and Simple rigs

With the air temperature struggling to make 3 degrees the ice was melting very slowly which made bites at a premium. I kicked off down the edge with a nugget of crumb and 4/5 dead maggots. 3 Perch in the first 30 minutes were my reward. Upon asking some of the regulars people had fished all-day without so much of a bite and gone home. 1 small Roach in open water was all I could muster. An hour in and I had to get myself warm ... the air was freezing.

Air Temp 2.3    ===========      Freezing! 

Quick brew and toilet break and I would not give up. This time I fed positively with 3 golf balls of 170 onto my open water line. Ten minutes later and I latch into a proper roach around 6oz. Then another, then one around 12oz. A quick look on my Jpelletz line and I nick a quick Skimmer. None of these were the small 1-2oz fish I was expecting. All of a sudden I had gone from some potentially suicidal Perch (or the dominant margin species) to net Roach (The dominant species?) ... all from feeding more positively? The next 30 minutes or so I add a couple more before the cold and light beat me. What I thought was to be a disaster actually felt really positive.

Some points to give me self satisfaction; 

• A Natural water I had never fished
• Bait I had hardly used
• The first Ice cover of the year
• Temperatures barely above freezing point
• A limited amount of time

  

  A satisfying catch of silvers

I think for me it is all about keeping busy, keeping things tidy and simple and just enjoying your fishing. 
Here is to a good December and end to the year.

An 8 Match Fun Filled Festival Fishothon

Well what a week! Since my last update just over a week ago I have been on what can only be described as a massive Fishothon! 8 matches on the spin and I have to say I am physically and mentally drained... But oh how I enjoyed it!

I mentioned how I was heading off down to Docklow Pools in Herefordshire for their annual Docklow Championship festival. This competition has ran for many years in various formats and is open to those who have holidayed at the complex this summer & been invited, syndicate members, caravan owners or those who have a winter let. There were some very good anglers on show and I could not wait to test my metal.

Here is my 8 match marathon of a week (Advanced apologies for some poor bankside photography!)

Sunday : Eight Bells Angling Club, Fur and Feather :
Bradshaw Fisheries Lake 9, Bolton, Lancashire.

Id not fished this lake previously but the talk from the lads in the club was that it would be a small fish affair with small carp, F1, skimmers and various bits and bobs. The water was a snake type and I quite enjoy these venues. I drew peg 7 on the point of a bend with lots of water to go at.

With wails of "Flyer" ringing in my ears I trudged off to my peg and must admit it looked the part...almost too many options to go at. A Track line, and a couple of carefully selected features across (One tight over and one in deeper water) were my plans of attack. If ever I am unsure of a water I always use Worm and Maggots on one line to give me an idea of what is around as it is fairly instant. Groundbait is allowed and my ever faithful Marukyu EFG 131 was introduced, again something I turn to when I am unsure of the species.

I soon realised I needed to beef up across as a number of F1 were straight into the reeds when hooked. I soon found a rhythm of small fish including ... Around 30 Tench, Chub, F1, Mirror Carp, Roach, Skimmers and Gudgeon. I kept busy but I couldn't quite deliver the much needed win which has become a bit of a hoodoo. 28lb 10oz gave me another 2nd place in the match.

It also ensured I finished 2nd in the club championship race for 2013. Five second spots and an overall second has a bit of a theme really! However I have won the big fish trophy for my 9lb 10oz Common at Heronbrook :)

After Bradshaw is was foot on the pedal (A steady 70mph ;) to try and make the draw for the festival.

2nd place at Bradshaws and some bad camera work by Bob Price!

The Docklow Pools Championship Festival :
Docklow Pools, Leominster, Herefordshire.

Format :
60 Anglers. 4 Lakes. Match Pool, Farmer Jack, Stock Pond and Moby Dick

Each lake divided into 3 sections of 5 anglers. 1 point for a section win upto 5 points for last in section.

Essentially this is the exact same format as the Dave Jack Invitational in May with the only difference being the Snake Lake being replaced with the Moby Dick. This I was very excited about because the Roach fishing is Excellent. With a 9th last October and a 6th in the Dave Jack Festival I really wanted to emulate this form, but as Always draws would play a part.

My draw put me in Group B which had a rotation of Day 1 Match Lake, Day 2 Moby Dick, Day 3 Stock Pond and Day 4 Farmer Jack.

Day 1 Monday :
Match Lake Peg 2

I could not believe it when I drew out the same peg as on the Dave Jack Festival. On that day I caught a number of cruising fish on the waggler. Temperatures were not upto those heights but I remembered my lessons from last time... I needed to find a shallower Margin line and should fish a method feeder by the christmas tree to my left rather than a straight lead.

Peg 2 on its day can produce but I believe it is always up against noted pegs 8 and 10 in the section, with 6 regularly showing good form. I also had Yorkshireman Brian Clay and Wayne Wardle who has been fishing the place since god was a boy to contend with. Unless I landed some real lumps my plan was for 3 points. I decided against a long Chopped Worm and Caster approach and instead feed Caster down the Margins looking to catch Roach and Chub shallow. Also an 8mm Meat line at 6 metres aiming for Carp and Skimmers.

My Method feeder practice was pretty much useless as I ended up straight into the Christmas tree on my first chuck, despite clipping up (Must try harder). Whilst waiting on the method I am constantly throwing Casters looking for swirls of the Roach and let them build their confidence. I also regularly feed Meat by hand ready for later on in the Match.

I caught a number of Silvers on my top kit, along with 4 F1 carp on the method, but felt I was going nowhere. I needed either my long left hand margin (Careful plumbing found a slightly shallower spot) or my meat line to produce. And it was the Meat that caught me a run of skimmers along with carp. The Margin gave one or two F1 but nothing major.

36lb 7oz and 3 points on Day 1 

36lb 7oz gave me third in section which I genuinely thought was the best I could get. Wayne was 2nd with 44lb from peg 8 and as predicted Brian Clay smashed the section with over 74lb on peg 6.

Day 2 Tuesday:
Moby Dick Lake Peg 5

Word around the Bar at the draw for Day 2 was that Moby Dick had fished terrible. I have to admit I had only fished this water once in all the time I have been visiting Docklow and I thought it would be the one to trip me up due to lack of knowledge. I had ordered 4 pints of Caster thinking the Roach and F1 fishing would be great as it usually is. But upon inspection of the water I could see that it was Gin clear and the fish had probably gone into the spring fed Mickey Mouse which links together.

 I drew a peg which produced 1lb 6oz on day 1 and was told it was a good draw! I have to say I was brimming with confidence and knew this would be my chance to steal a section and get back in the race. Being brought up on tough northern canals and lakes has its advantages and weaknesses. A plus point is when the going gets tough I can stand up and be counted and can often pluck a fish from nowhere. The downside is that when it comes to big weights and aggressive fishing I struggle to compete.

You may notice on the picture there is a willow tree to the right hand side and an island across. I set up a light waggler to fish in the open water and towards the island, along with a maggot feeder. Pole wise I knew the chap the day before caught small fish by the willow up in the water. Out came a long line 4x8 tiny rig and a poly ball tied to 0.08 and a 20 hook. I literally just needed a few fish to get me going.

At the start of the match there were a number of shoals of roach swimming through the peg and I literally mugged one on my first chuck with a single red maggot. But the 20 hook to a 6 elastic didn't feel right and I bumped the fish. One or two fish started finding the net fishing 18 inches deep on the polyball and feeding nothing.

The shoals soon dispersed though and I was left to try the waggler and the maggot feeder. Eventually I decided to "Work the treeline". Essentially moving along the tree from 5 - 14.5 metres with a single maggot and trying to find the odd roach. Over the next 5 hours I had to work my socks off trying different areas, different depths etc. I scaled up to an 18 hook and changed to a yellow Hydrolastic and literally got into the zone. Trying everything I could to muster fish. Some wouldn't have been an ounce, but it had to be done.
I really needed something like a 2s elastic and .06 line with a handful of pinkies, but nobody expected the fishing to be so tough.

6lb 4oz of hard earned Roach and 1 point section win

I managed around 70-80 fish for 6lb 4oz and a comfortable section win. Although quite a physically demanding session I really worked hard and felt rewarded for the effort I put in. 2lb was second in section, followed by 13oz and 2 blanks. Tough going for many.

Day 3 Wednesday:
Stock Pond Peg 6

Looks very different from April !

Amazingly I again draw the same peg as the Jacko Festival! On that day I managed over 93lb. Again word was that the Stock Pond was fishing poorly and the previous day my peg had only yielded 7lb! The highest being Monday's 30lb. With Brian Clay again in my section he was going to be a tough one to beat, but I fancied my chances despite the poor previous weights.

Tactics as always were my usual Maggot and Pellet approach. Top kit and follow the fish out. Meat and corn approach down the edge and hope for a lump. I kicked off very well with around 5 fish in the first 20 minutes. But I became nervous when the quiet spells didn't produce Ide, Roach or Skimmers. Just quiet blank spells with very hard to hit bites. A move out to 7 metres over Pellet with a pinch of worm pulled a few quick fish, but I was left frustrated with a number of foul hooked fish and VERY finicky bites.

F1 are notorious for shy bites but no matter what I tried I just could not hook them. Only thing I did not try and looking back maybe I should was to have a bulk very close to the hook and act as a sort of Bolt rig.
38 fish gave me 38lb. Brian Clay played a blinder off Peg 2 and claimed the section with 58lb. Ian Cooper battled with him from peg 3 claimed 2nd spot with 50lb. Both managed a couple of lumps which I was missing.

After day 3 and a total of 7 points I am lying in 19th place, however with a number of people still to fish the Moby dick which was finding many people out, there was a chance with a section win on day 4 I could sneak a top 10 finish.

A wet and shaky 3 points with 38lb

Day 4 Thursday
Farmer Jack Peg 6

Apart from the Moby draw where a couple of fish had been caught. I could only consider this the first "decent" draw so far of the festival. Probably the best peg in the section and with the only ton weight to come from this peg so far in the festival. 30lb came off the peg the previous day which didn't suggest that many fish were still in the area, but the 100lb+ weight came from the margins and the chap on Wednesday apparently did not attack there.

I decided on a Caster approach at 13 metres in the open water, but the day was very windy with a bitterly north wind. This made presentation difficult. I also put in a 13 metre line to my left down the lake with the wind, here was Caster and Chopped Worm. The worm had not really produced so far this week, but it can take time for the fish to get a taste and I felt this could be the day.

I was proven right with the caster line ahead only producing the odd Skimmer and Roach, where the worm line along with very aggressive feeding produced a number of plump F1 and a decent carp. The Margins felt too deep for me with over 3 foot of water and although I attacked this with my favourite Hemp and Corn with Marukyu Credence liquid I could only manage a couple of F1. I was left to keep searching over the worm line and working hard in the wind.

48lb 5oz and a section win on the last day

48lb 5oz of F1 and Skimmers gave me a comfortable section win with 30lb in second place. I needed more weight to boost my cumulative total, but overall I felt I did OK.

With an 8 point total this equalled both The Dave Jack Festival and the 2012 October Docklow Champs, so I am happy with my consistency. If only I could find a more consistent approach for the match pool then I would be pushing that bit further.

With 7 of us sat on 8 points I finished in 12th position due to my relatively low weight aggregate of 129lb. I was only 14oz behind 11th which was frustrating. But overall 2 section wins and my 12th place paid enough to cover my entrance fee, so better than a poke in the eye with a stick.

A massive well done has to go to Brian Clay in my group who recorded a perfect 4 section wins to become the 2013 Docklow Festival Champion. Not only is Brian a top angler, but also a top bloke and I cant fault him, I only wish I could find a Mrs like his lass Elaine who loves to sit by him and read a book :)

Docklow Champ 2013 Brian Clay presented by Simon Bozward

2013 Docklow Fesitval Championship Result

1st Briay Clay (Yorkshire) 4 points 212lb 10oz
2nd Paul Jennings (Manchester) 6 points 168lb
3rd Steve Greaves (Bury) 6 Points 138lb 13oz
4th Gary Davis (Swindon) 6 Points 92lb 12oz
5th Bill Rathbone (Cannock) 7 Points 144lb 4oz
6th Greg Herbert (Herefordshire) 7 Points 129lb 8oz
7th Keith Harris (Swindon) 7 Points 94lb 5oz
8th Dave Chipperfield (Essex) 8 Points 225lb 8oz
9th Kevin Bell (Wetherby) 8 Points 223lb 6oz
10th Phil Mason (Herefordshire) 8 Points 146lb 3oz
11th Bob Lindsay (Manchester) 8 Points 129lb 14oz
12th Dave Eastwood (Manchester) 8 Points 129lb

Paul Jennings 2nd Place

Steve (Oh Noooo!) Greaves 3rd place

Me Collecting 12th Prize and Sections off Simon Bozward of Docklow Pools

Day 5 Friday Pairs Event :
After the Festival there is always a bit of a fun match whereby pairs are drawn at random. One fishes the Farmer Jack and one on the Match Pool. Unfortunately I drew a chap who finished 58th in the festival and wasn't having much luck. I played my part weighing 44lb 10oz on peg 5 of the Match Pool which was 4th best on the lake. Meat at 6 Metres and a couple of lumps down the margins put a weight on the board. My Partner struggled for 9lb on Farmer Jack so alas it was not to be.

When 4th and 5th in Festival are drawn together as a pair, this is what happens. Well done Bill Rathbone and Gary Davis

Day 6 Syndicate Members Match :
Docklow Members are invited to fish the syndicate matches on the 2nd Saturday of every Month. This month it was a teams of 3 event again names drawn at random over 3 separate sections. I drew peg 24 on the Match pool which can be one of the best pegs on the lake. The first hour on the method feeder produced some F1 and a nice Common. But my Pole line was a nightmare where I lost 7 foul hooked fish over the Meat line. I didn't feel they were feeding properly and the effectiveness of meat is probably wearing off after a week of pressure and the drop in temperature. I really wanted to fish the Chopped Worm, but I didn't have enough to do it effectively. 36lb left me nowhere. However I wasn't to let the team down too much though as one on the Farmer Jack struggled for 2lb.

Day 7 Brookside Fisheries Open :
Brookside Fisheries, Stretton, Cheshire.

I headed home after the syndicate match, but in a moment of madness rather than have a lie in after 7 matches, I decided to try an open at Brookside Fisheries near Warrington. I haven't been for around 8 months, but do like the place as its maggot fishing and lots of species.

Peg 5 on Snake one left me with an aerator to the left hand side and lots of cover on the far bank. By fishing Maggot over little nuggets of EFG 131 I managed a storming first hour with a nice big Mirror around 6lb and a number of smaller ones. Chopped Worm and Marukyu Credence by the Aerator accounted for some Skimmers and a number of start up lines along the track with 2mm Jpelletz kept the odd F1 coming. 50lb 4oz gave me joint 4th and a section win. So a good end to the week.

Final Thoughts :

Festival Fishing is hard work with the amount of preparation needed. If I am honest I didn't really have as much time as I would have liked to prepare this time around, but I did my best. With a little more thought and just try and keep things a little more simple on the Match I think I could have nicked 2nd in section. The same goes for the Stock Pond as I should have had a "Plan B".

As for fishing 8 matches on the bounce, well I am knackered. I imagine it is every match anglers dream to fish for a living, but for me there would be two certainty's...
1. I would be permanently mentally drained.
2. I would probably starve!

Enjoy your fishing! :)

(P.s. Thanks to Tom Mackay for taking pics of my ugly mug after every match)

Action Update - August & September

It seems like forever since I last put fingers to keyboard as it were so an update is in order ....

My last blog reported on a Club Match situation where I managed a 2nd place spot on Dunham Fisheries with 43lb of Crucians, Skimmers and Carp. Here is what I have been up to since ....

August Action : 

It was towards the end of August when I managed to sneak out for another club match. This time on Bradshaw Fisheries in Bolton on the famous Number 4 Lodge.
This lake has a real mixed bag of Roach, Skimmers, Carp, Chub and a few Barbel. It normally tends to be a Pellet Waggler affair and this day was no different.

The big difference was the fish were not responding as they normally do. I kicked off around 30 metres fishing an 8grm Garbolino Pellet Waggler with an 8mm hard banded Pellet. Regular casting and feeding along with twitching the bait gave me 2 Mirror carp early on. But it was a case of chopping and changing between the Waggler and a straight lead with a long tail to account for a couple more carp.

 I did have a plan B in place though and this was in the form of hemp and corn over EFG 151 at 4 metres at the bottom of the near shelf in around 5ft of Water. The lake is very silty and if you fish the pole at any distance the fish do their usual frustrating digging in the silt and you sit there bite less. By fishing on the hard slope with double corn I managed to land my biggest mirror of the day along with a number of Skimmers for another hard earned 2nd place with 35lb.

Another 2nd place at an out of sorts Bradshaw Fisheries

September Action : 

Into September and I am lying in 3rd place in the Club Championship race. It is vital that I have a good result this time at HeronBrook Fisheries in Staffordshire. I have a bit of a mixed record at the venue where I have enjoyed some good success but also blew out. This time we was on the Canal lake which I had not fished previously. The weather was a pleasant 20 degrees and it was overcast so conditions looked great. I drew Permanent Peg 28 which was not good. Anywhere between 2-15 are the main areas.

Still I needed a good result. The first couple of hours were very slow and I needed to make a change. I decided to feed hard nugget sized balls of Marukyu EFG 131 across on the far shelf on a flat spot. A quick burst of 8 F1s got my confidence up.

 I also had a separate mix of EFG 151 and with a spare peg to my right I fed 6 cups of the over-whetted mix along with Hemp and Corn with 2 hours to go. Not many anglers actually think about the groundbait mixes they use. If we take the Marukyu range as an example the EFG 131 is a great all round feed for any weather. The EFG 151 is for warmer temperatures and full of feed aimed at big fish. I am looking for big fish down the edge so I feed the big mix! It makes sense and as the groundbait only takes a couple of minutes to mix with no riddling needed it really isn't a big deal.

The plan worked and adding to a few more F1 were 5 Carp and a Barbel over the 151 mix with Corn or Worm on the hook. One of the Carp went 9lb 10oz and that has me in the lead for the big fish trophy so fingers crossed I can lift that come the end of the year. 44lb 7oz was a good result in a tough area and gave me a section win.

The latest match on Dunham Fishery was a shadow of the venue where I had a great day in July. Using similar tactics to the last blog I could not find any Carp or Crucians and I ended up fishing for small roach up in the water to weigh 5lb 14oz. The venue really switched off and only 12lb was needed for overall 3rd.

Lovely Luxus :

Although I have not been out as much as I would like, I always try and sneak out for a couple of hours to try new things if I get chance. Last month I decided I needed to practice the method feeder a bit more. I have stated previously any form of lead fishing I don't particularly enjoy, but I have to start putting that right if I want to progress. I recently realised I needed a shorter rod for small chucks and when fishing to overhanging branches or indeed casting underneath branches. So I treated myself to a little wand (albeit second hand) and I wanted to try it out.

You know how it is when you get a new piece of kit you cant wait to get it used. Well I had a spare couple of hours so nipped up to my local club water. The plan was to just practice casting the little rod and also have a try with the new Marukyu Luxus method mix. As I don't fish the method often I haven't given the stuff a go as yet. I wanted to see how it mixed and broke down and what consistency was needed when mixed with pellets.

The water has a number of Skimmers and Small Tench, but if I am honest I didn't really expect to catch anything! It was howling a gale one minute, pouring with rain the next and sometimes blazing sunshine! The water was also very clear with this being a natural water I decided to add some Black plain crumb to the  Luxus to take the pinky coloured edge off.

Tackle
Rod : Tri-Cast XRS 2k4 power wand 1oz tip
Reel : Team Daiwa 3000 loaded with 4lb Maxima
15g Preston small method feeder - 4inch 0.12 Silstar Match team - 18B911 with quick stop.

A simple running set-up

50/50 Luxus/Black Crumb and 2mm Jpelletz

Maggot and 6MM jpz for the hook

The plan was to chuck the small method to an island around 20-25 metres away and hope I could snare a couple of skimmers. The little rod was a joy to use and the Luxus Mix with 2mm Jpelletz held together perfectly (Although I would recommend riddling this mix, unlike the EFG range) Although the fishing was difficult (and wet!) It was nice to practice my casting and use the new groundbait mix. Surprisingly I caught a nice Ide nearing 2lb and lost an even bigger one at the landing net. A couple of Skimmers, a Roach and a little Crucian made the couple of hours all the worthwhile, all on a JPZ hookbait.

A couple of hours casting practice was worthwhile.

This weekend sees me back to Herefordshire and Docklow Pools for the Autumn Festival. It will be the same format as my "What a difference a month makes" blog from May. With a couple of decent draws and a splash of luck I can do well, We shall also see if my Method practice has helped. No doubt my next write up will be filled with festival tales. Until then .... Tight Lines.

Summer Lovin - Had me a blast

Wow what a month July was! Temperatures into the 30s and tons of fish being caught everywhere!

Unfortunately for me due to work commitments and a little holiday to Spain I did not get out anywhere near as much as I would have liked. However when I did it was rewarding.

July Action :
I kicked off July with a weekend at Docklow Pools in Herefordshire. Simon (Shed Shed Shed) Bradford has been running a short series over the Summer and although I could not fish the league enough to qualify, I decided to fish the Saturday match as a one off.

Peg 2 on the Match pool was exactly where I drew in the Festival in April and it looked completely different with everything in bloom. Weather was hot and a short meat line and margin provided me with 40lb 4oz which left me halfway in the section. Around 95lb won at the opposite end of the lake known as "the bowl".

No Joy on Sheds Summer Series 40lb

It was the Sunday Open on the Stock Pond I was really looking forward too. Peg 5 was my home for the day and again with temperatures around 27 degrees I was hoping for a weight of F1 carp up in the water along with some Ide. My first and second hours went well fishing maggot short. However I then lost touch with the fish until the last hour which cost me. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I should have had a line around 6 metres to chase the fish out. However 84lb 8oz gave me a welcome 3rd place especially against noted pegs 18,19 and 20.

Gawsworth Hall was a place I had not visited before and was my next port of call with my Eight Bells A.C. 25 degrees and sunny conditions greeted us all and I was faced with 17 metres across the serpentine canal and a deep 6ft of water across. Fishing Over a mix of Marukyu EFG 131 and 151 with a piece of meat I soon found out that the resident carp were crazy, knowing exactly where to take you.
Whilst leaving my margins and far lines to settle I plundered Roach, Skimmers and Rudd shallow. A heavy rig was needed across to get through the silvers and down to the carp. Dump potting did the trick. 21lb gave me 2nd spot at a very pleasant venue.

After my holiday at the end of July it was back to the Glebe for a pairs match in the first week of August. I drew Lake 1 which I really fancied after my lessons learnt in June. However my feeder line never really got going and I relied on a short approach of Hemp and Corn and EFG151 down the edge with dead maggots. 88lb 12oz gave me 4th in section. I only needed 92lb for 2nd in section so it was a close affair. Our end of the lake did not fish particularly well with 109lb being the best weight (And that's a bad day at the Glebe!) As for the pairs result, lets just say my partner had a mare!

And so onto my latest feature for the month. I Wanted to do something a little different and record an actual Match situation so here goes.

The session:
Venue : Dunham Fishery, Cheshire
Weather : 18 degrees, sunny spells with occasional showers.
Match : Eight Bells Angling Club 18 anglers fishing
Prize : Club Trophy, pocket money, pride and bragging rights
Target Species : Small Carp, Barbel, Chub, Skimmers, Crucian Carp.
Bait : 2mm Jpelletz, 6mm Nori JPZ, Caster/Worm, 6mm Luncheon Meat, Corn, Hemp.
 (Groundbait banned)

I had heard the venue had a number of Crucians and Skimmers which responded well to pellet. But I also heard the venue can be tough at times. So I decided on 2 lines down the track, one with 2mm Marukyu Jpelletz with Jpz and expanders over the top. Secondly a worm and caster line to maybe attract some Barbel or if it is tough....anything. Heavier baits in the form of Meat, Corn and Hemp were to be fed across at 16 metres and down the margin respectively.

First let me show you how I prepare plain expander pellets to give them a little twist.

1. Ingredients : Bait Tech 4mm Xpander pellets. Marukyu SFA 450 Krill liquid. Mainline Tru Color Red dye

2. Pour the dry pellets into the pump and add a glug of SFA 450 and a tiny sprinkling of TruColor.

      

 3. Fill the pump with around a quarter of bottled water (I don't like using tap water) and pump as normal until the expanders sink. 

         

        4. Once all the pellets have sank, keep the water for mixing groundbait or mixing paste or pour                      away. The pellets will take on the colour and krill flavour whilst being pumped, but I like to bag the                pellets up with some of the remaining water and leave in the fridge overnight for perfect red krill                    infused expanders.    

         

The bottom of the lake flattened out at around 9 metres and this is where I would fish my track lines at around 5ft deep. A Jim Standish 0.3grm Wire Slimzee was the float of choice. A bulk of no 9 and 2 no 10 droppers on 0.12 Silstar with a 18 Drennan carp maggot hook was the choice for both lines as it was the same depth in both spots. 6-8 Drennan Carp Bungee should subdue anything that comes in the open water.

The peg I am faced with at Dunham Fishery

Although the bait tray looks a little full and maybe too many options, there was some thought process as I do not know the venue. Also if you don't take it... you cant try it! 

I have a nice looking margin to my right around 4 metres, its a little deeper than I would like at 3ft but here I will feed Hemp and Corn. Nice and heavy baits to ensure the fish feed hard on the deck and avoid foul hookers.  Rig here is a 4x12 Jim Standish Pencil float with 0.15 Guru N Gauge to a 16 Drennan wide gape margin hook. Grey Hydrolastic is the buffer.

At 16 metres across I can see the fish knocking the reed line. Here I will feed meat, again big positive baits aimed at carp. I do not want to be pestered by small fish when I am fishing so long. 

Disturbingly it is over 4 foot tight to the sedges, and with it being quite breezy I will need a largish float in the tow and ripple to present correctly. A KC Carpa 4x14 with 0.15 Guru N Gauge to a 16 drennan wide gape margin hook. Again Grey Hydrolastic is the choice.

To kick off the match I started on a worms head over a pot full of caster and chopped worm which contained a glug of Marukyu SFA450 Krill. I expected this to be instant whilst the other lines settled, and it was... with 1oz Roach! 

A look over the Jpelletz line with one of my red expanders saw me into small Crucian Carp instantly. Around 6oz a piece they were welcome. Everybody around me had decided to start across, which I knew would be inevitable. I didn't want to plunder this line too soon and preferred to build it up and gain the fishes confidence. 

I cracked on catching small crucians with the odd skimmer for the first hour. Small toss pots of Jpelletz with either an expander or a 6mm Nori Jpz brought a fish nearly every chuck. Both anglers either side of me had some joy across catching Small carp, but I wasn't panicking. In fact I was having a lovely time! 

Every hour on the hour I would have a look on the Margin line. I managed a carp around 1lb 8oz after hour one. I felt I was keeping up with those around me. Second hour and time to look on the meat across. Instantly I hook a fish as my hookbait drops through the water, the Carp were shallow and intercepting my loose offerings. The problem was the rushes, before I had chance to strike they were already in them making a bid for freedom. Lesson learnt from Gawsworth...dump pot, get them down. This worked and I nicked a couple of stockies. 

This then became the theme of the day. The worm and caster never really materialised. So I decided to keep catching Skimmers and Crucians at 9metres on Pellet. And dump the Meat and fish it out nicking one or two fish before the commotion disturbed them. All the while potting in Hemp and Corn down the edge. 

With 90 minutes of the match to go I had plenty of fish in the net, but only around 6-7 stocky carp. I had faith in the margin though and I was proved right. Fish after fish came to the net in the last hour down the edge. 

Averaging around 2-3lb I have never caught such stamp of fish that fight so hard. Such was the power I actually lost a couple and one broke me with 10 minutes to go at the net.  It was weight building stuff simply feeding a pot of feed after every fish and fishing 2 inches over depth. 

I had a busy days fishing and really enjoyed the sport on offer. As I have said before we do not have a Docklow or Glebe on our doorstep in the North West, but these pretty little waters around Cheshire may not produce ton weights but lots of busy, thinking sport. 

I weighed 43lb 10oz for 2nd in the match. The third time this year I have been the bridesmaid in the Club Season. 

43lb 10oz for 2nd place and a lovely days sport

Conclusion

Although I had a relatively cautious approach to the match, I think this helped me along the way, especially on a water I hardly know. Here are my key learning points from the match : 

• Feeding 2mm rather than 4mm jpelletz seemed to hold the Crucians well
• Using my red krill expanders. These were perfect in coloured water
• Doing something different to everybody else and not plundering the far line
• Having faith in my margin approach with heavy baits
• Not being tempted to fish shallow across next to the rushes, this would have been snag central

With another Match next month on the venue I now feel better prepared and can hopefully go one step further.

Now we are in August it looks like the temperatures are back to average and fingers crossed I can keep up the good form. Good luck.