Wow what a month April has been!
April kicked off with our Drennan Supercup match against Woolston Legion A.C. from Warrington.
Bratty's Partridge drawbags team consisted of:
Me
Richard Bratt (Captain)
Tom Dobson
Paul Jagger
Stephen Physick
Stephen Hilditch
Scott Rutter
Carl McCormack
Venue: Partridge Lakes Covey no6
I drew peg 155 and as the picture illustrates, its a bit of a much of a muchness in terms of features. I decided to have 2 deep track lines, 2 lines up the far slope in 3ft of water and a rig to fish tight across. Being a team match and only fishing against one other angler it was important to be cagey yet confident in my approach.
As per my previous blog, it is a small fish venue with the odd 4lb fish milling around. Just over 16lb of small F1 gave me a 9lb margin over my competitor so it was job done. JPZ over Jpelletz/Fishery pellets did the trick. I sensed as a team we had fished well and it was proven by an 8 section 0 victory.
Every one of the team beat their opposing man so a great score for the day. Carl McCormack put in a great performance to win overall with 32lb+.
Next round is early June away against Bay Malton A.C. on their Border Fishery. Fingers crossed I make the team and we can progress.
Old Hough Fishery
Next time out I decided to join "Captain Bratty" on one of his local venues in Cheshire. Old Hough isn't a place I have visited before, but I was instantly impressed. Good parking, well thought out waters and pegs. If the venue had a cafe and a tackle shop it would tick all boxes.
The match was split into two separate matches on the Upper and Lower Benbo waters. I drew Lower Benbo peg 11 which was an end peg just off the point of the central island.
Quite a breezy day made holding 16 metres of pole across difficult, but it was necessary. On the image there is a gap between the freshly grown rushes, here was where I would present double maggot or 6mm JPZ over EFG170 cupped in loose.
It paid off handsomely with a string of F1 and small carp. I also placed two track lines and a margin line. By rotating I had a lovely days fishing to weigh 39lb 7oz and win the match on my lake. My peg was clearly a good one being an end peg, but even so the next weight was over 10lb behind so I was happy that I weighed the peg up quickly and did the business.
Eight Bells A.C. -Whitmore Fishery - East Canal
Now I have to say I am not a fan of this venue. Lots of big barbel and carp are the mainstay but our club matches never seem to produce, I think we possibly fish the water too early on in the year. A measly 16lb sat on the feeder all day gave me 5th spot. Absolutely not my kind of fishing, especially with a million bait bans on the go.
Bradshaw Fisheries
I booked on the Easter Friday match to have a crack at Lake 3 as my Eight Bells club had it booked for Easter Sunday. As It happened I drew lake 6 and enjoyed a decent day weighing 28lb of Skimmers and Roach with a bonus Carp and a few F1, this wasn't enough to get me in the frame.
A couple of the lads fished the day and did ok too. Chris (The Wealdstone Raider) Pickering had 20lb+ and Nick Haymes framed with 40lb+ for 2nd place.
Come the Easter Sunday and Lake 3 was blowing an absolute hoolie! I drew around the back of the lake where the new platform pegs go out into the lake.
I sensed the going was to be hard and approached it that way. .09 through to a 20 Drennan Carp Maggot hook with little balls of EFG170 and a JPZ or krilled maggot over the top gave me a run of tiny F1 carp and silvers. Feeding maggots tight over ensured I had a back up plan.
Feeding the left side of my peg ensured I could attract any fish from my left hand neighbour. I fished it just as I would a canal match and won my section with 20lb 14oz. Second in section was only 7lb so very pleasing and came 4th overall.
Hayfield Lakes - Fish O Mania Qualifier
The less said about this match the better. I drew Big Adam's pool and had around 15 feet between myself and either peg on the river side. 1 small carp around 2lb spared me the blank. Next year its an expensive lottery I wont be getting involved in any more.
The Dave Jack (Jacko) Invitational Spring Festival - Docklow Pools, Herefordshire
Format:
57 anglers. 4 Lakes: Match pool, Farmer Jack, Stock Pond, Snake lake.
(Snake weights not included)
Having finished 6th overall in this festival last year, as always I wanted to improve. The caveat being I had not visited since December due to work commitments. The venue has had a fresh head of fish introduced and I was nervous I would be out of touch.
The only difference to last year is that the lakes would be split into 2 sections of 7. Same points scoring 1 for first and 7th for last.
Many of the same faces from last year came up from London and I had a really good group where I knew even if the fishing wasn't what I wanted then the laughs and banter would be.
Before the festival Proper I fished the weekend opens. The snake I struggled for 9lb of very small fish, but the following day I managed 48lb+ of F1 and Carp on the Farmer Jack peg 43 for 2nd place. So a mixed start before the business end kicked off.
Day 1:
Farmer Jack Peg 15
Day 1 draw did not fill me with optimism. It can be good or it can be rubbish. Pegs 6 and opposite 11 hold much more consistent form so I set myself a target of 3 points.
Top 2 +2 fishing Casters for anything should give me a bit of a head start. Long at 11 metres with hemp and meat to the right and pellet to the left would give other options. But it was the margins I needed to work come the last couple of hours.
Casters accounted for a mixed bag of Skimmers, Roach, baby Barbel and other silvers for around 15lb. A couple of stocky carp long also helped boost the weight. But it was the margins offering chunky F1 and Tench that did the trick for a surprising section win!
Weight: 52lb 10z 1 point
Day 2:
Stock Pong peg 6
Bizarrely this is the 3rd festival in a row which I have drawn peg 6! The difference this time is that the section was split slightly different. My peg would be against the left hand pegs 7,8,12,15,16. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing as peg 16 won the section the previous day.
55lb had come off my peg the previous day and weights had not been the usual 100lb+ from previous experience so I decided on my usual Maggot and top kit approach, but have the plan B of a pellet line in open water. There had been a couple of lumps shown the previous day too so I also put in a Corn line at 9 metres.
As always my short approach did dry up and I was left chasing my tail a little bit trying to find extra fish. 64 F1 and a few silvers gave me 66lb11oz was only enough for 2nd in section.
Paul Jennings across the way on peg 15 caught consistently all-day where as I had that quiet spell in the middle of the match. I think the problem with this peg is that you don't really have a margin as such. Either side is full of tree roots and the margins can be really productive off some other pegs. Still 2 points wasn't bad.
Weight: 66lb 11oz 2 points
Day 3:
Match Pool peg 18
Day 4:
Snake peg 12 (Carp side)
The weights from the Snake matches do not count, because the snake lake itself is split into two. One side has F1 Carp as well as the Silvers, this would be one section. The other section was Silvers only. Obviously the two don't really compare so they take away the weight advantage.
Although the silver side last year was my nemesis, I felt confident of doing reasonably well on any peg and I had fished peg 12 a couple of times in the past.
I started very negatively with .09 to a 20 hook and maggot with a taster of chopped worm and decided to feel my way in. Both snakes go down hill traditionally after pressure and with it being the last day I didn't expect much action. I set a target of 20lb for good points.
However I hooked 5 F1 and lost 3 in the first 30 minutes. I decided on fishing .12 to an 18 hook and using a 10H. After that I didn't lose another fish. A smattering of Skimmers and Roach made an appearance, but it was under the tree to my left using 6mm meat and JPZ that did the damage. I never expected the water to fish as well and rarely had to go tight across as the track and margin kept me busy all-day for a final section win and the highest weight off the lake all week.
Weight: 43lb 6oz Points 1
Total of 7 points
So I managed to beat last years total points and as the sections were actually bigger this was probably more of an achievement. Apart from maybe the snake, I don't think I had any particularly good draws so overall I have to be pleased.
My weight and points put me in 5th overall from 57 anglers. If I had the extra 3oz on the match pool that would have put me in second place. Such a fine margin yet a big difference.
But that is fishing and why we all love it. 4 waters, 4 different styles of fishing and I am really happy I improved with my highest finish yet.
With my club season starting, Fish 0 Mania qualifier and Docklow Festival it has been none stop, so let's get cracking with where we are at...
April Action:
 |
| Peg 155 Covey no6 |
Bratty's Partridge drawbags team consisted of:
Me
Richard Bratt (Captain)
Tom Dobson
Paul Jagger
Stephen Physick
Stephen Hilditch
Scott Rutter
Carl McCormack
Venue: Partridge Lakes Covey no6
As per my previous blog, it is a small fish venue with the odd 4lb fish milling around. Just over 16lb of small F1 gave me a 9lb margin over my competitor so it was job done. JPZ over Jpelletz/Fishery pellets did the trick. I sensed as a team we had fished well and it was proven by an 8 section 0 victory.
Every one of the team beat their opposing man so a great score for the day. Carl McCormack put in a great performance to win overall with 32lb+.
 |
| Small F1 fishing was the way on Covey 6 |
Old Hough Fishery
Next time out I decided to join "Captain Bratty" on one of his local venues in Cheshire. Old Hough isn't a place I have visited before, but I was instantly impressed. Good parking, well thought out waters and pegs. If the venue had a cafe and a tackle shop it would tick all boxes.
The match was split into two separate matches on the Upper and Lower Benbo waters. I drew Lower Benbo peg 11 which was an end peg just off the point of the central island.
 |
| Lower Benbo 11 |
It paid off handsomely with a string of F1 and small carp. I also placed two track lines and a margin line. By rotating I had a lovely days fishing to weigh 39lb 7oz and win the match on my lake. My peg was clearly a good one being an end peg, but even so the next weight was over 10lb behind so I was happy that I weighed the peg up quickly and did the business.
Eight Bells A.C. -Whitmore Fishery - East Canal
Now I have to say I am not a fan of this venue. Lots of big barbel and carp are the mainstay but our club matches never seem to produce, I think we possibly fish the water too early on in the year. A measly 16lb sat on the feeder all day gave me 5th spot. Absolutely not my kind of fishing, especially with a million bait bans on the go.
Bradshaw Fisheries
I booked on the Easter Friday match to have a crack at Lake 3 as my Eight Bells club had it booked for Easter Sunday. As It happened I drew lake 6 and enjoyed a decent day weighing 28lb of Skimmers and Roach with a bonus Carp and a few F1, this wasn't enough to get me in the frame.
A couple of the lads fished the day and did ok too. Chris (The Wealdstone Raider) Pickering had 20lb+ and Nick Haymes framed with 40lb+ for 2nd place.
Come the Easter Sunday and Lake 3 was blowing an absolute hoolie! I drew around the back of the lake where the new platform pegs go out into the lake.
 |
| Peg 20 Lake 3 |
Feeding the left side of my peg ensured I could attract any fish from my left hand neighbour. I fished it just as I would a canal match and won my section with 20lb 14oz. Second in section was only 7lb so very pleasing and came 4th overall.
Hayfield Lakes - Fish O Mania Qualifier
The less said about this match the better. I drew Big Adam's pool and had around 15 feet between myself and either peg on the river side. 1 small carp around 2lb spared me the blank. Next year its an expensive lottery I wont be getting involved in any more.
The Dave Jack (Jacko) Invitational Spring Festival - Docklow Pools, Herefordshire
 |
| Docklow Pools has given me a lot of joy the past 4 years. |
57 anglers. 4 Lakes: Match pool, Farmer Jack, Stock Pond, Snake lake.
(Snake weights not included)
Having finished 6th overall in this festival last year, as always I wanted to improve. The caveat being I had not visited since December due to work commitments. The venue has had a fresh head of fish introduced and I was nervous I would be out of touch.
The only difference to last year is that the lakes would be split into 2 sections of 7. Same points scoring 1 for first and 7th for last.
Many of the same faces from last year came up from London and I had a really good group where I knew even if the fishing wasn't what I wanted then the laughs and banter would be.
Before the festival Proper I fished the weekend opens. The snake I struggled for 9lb of very small fish, but the following day I managed 48lb+ of F1 and Carp on the Farmer Jack peg 43 for 2nd place. So a mixed start before the business end kicked off.
 |
| 48lb for 2nd off peg 43 the day before the festival starts |
Day 1:
Farmer Jack Peg 15
 |
| peg 15 the polar opposite to the previous day |
Day 1 draw did not fill me with optimism. It can be good or it can be rubbish. Pegs 6 and opposite 11 hold much more consistent form so I set myself a target of 3 points.
Top 2 +2 fishing Casters for anything should give me a bit of a head start. Long at 11 metres with hemp and meat to the right and pellet to the left would give other options. But it was the margins I needed to work come the last couple of hours.
Casters accounted for a mixed bag of Skimmers, Roach, baby Barbel and other silvers for around 15lb. A couple of stocky carp long also helped boost the weight. But it was the margins offering chunky F1 and Tench that did the trick for a surprising section win!
Weight: 52lb 10z 1 point
Day 2:
Stock Pong peg 6
Bizarrely this is the 3rd festival in a row which I have drawn peg 6! The difference this time is that the section was split slightly different. My peg would be against the left hand pegs 7,8,12,15,16. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing as peg 16 won the section the previous day.
 |
| Peg 6 Again! |
As always my short approach did dry up and I was left chasing my tail a little bit trying to find extra fish. 64 F1 and a few silvers gave me 66lb11oz was only enough for 2nd in section.
Paul Jennings across the way on peg 15 caught consistently all-day where as I had that quiet spell in the middle of the match. I think the problem with this peg is that you don't really have a margin as such. Either side is full of tree roots and the margins can be really productive off some other pegs. Still 2 points wasn't bad.
Weight: 66lb 11oz 2 points
Day 3:
Match Pool peg 18
 |
| The "Roots" peg 18 :( |
Peg 2-10 had been doing the damage throughout the week and I was disappointed to draw the opposite bank, because this was my last chance to get a decent weight on the board. However the positive meant I was in a more fairer section, although peg 30 had won the past two days.
peg 18 has an old tree's roots in the water to the right hand side and the fish know exactly where they are going! I decided on a waggler approach as there was a number of fish cruising around and the day was quite humid. I would also set up my margin pole to attack the roots.
Meat up in the water accounted for 4 decent carp and a few decent chub although I did lose an absolute Donkey which tore right through the roots when I got it to the rod tip. Pole against the roots I did manage a number of chunky F1 and a couple of 5lb carp. Top 2+2 also accounted for a few F1.
 |
| Trying to extract these from the roots was a huge challenge. |
Terry Wade on the peg 20 had very little until he decided to empty the margins the last 2 hours. His last gasp double figure carp hooked before the whistle put him on 85lb. My 74lb 1oz I thought was OK for the peg, but the kick in the teeth came when Micky Robinson on peg 30 weighed 74lb 3oz to put me down to 3rd in section. I was gutted and sensed it might well cost me in the overall standings. It is incredible that when we are talking weights of 70lb+ that them vital ounces can make all the difference.
Weight: 74lb 1oz 3 Points
Total cumulative weight: 193lb 3ozDay 4:
Snake peg 12 (Carp side)
 |
| Peg 12 Carp Snake |
Although the silver side last year was my nemesis, I felt confident of doing reasonably well on any peg and I had fished peg 12 a couple of times in the past.
 |
| When the fish are not playing the Robin's always doo! |
I started very negatively with .09 to a 20 hook and maggot with a taster of chopped worm and decided to feel my way in. Both snakes go down hill traditionally after pressure and with it being the last day I didn't expect much action. I set a target of 20lb for good points.
However I hooked 5 F1 and lost 3 in the first 30 minutes. I decided on fishing .12 to an 18 hook and using a 10H. After that I didn't lose another fish. A smattering of Skimmers and Roach made an appearance, but it was under the tree to my left using 6mm meat and JPZ that did the damage. I never expected the water to fish as well and rarely had to go tight across as the track and margin kept me busy all-day for a final section win and the highest weight off the lake all week.
Weight: 43lb 6oz Points 1
Total of 7 points
So I managed to beat last years total points and as the sections were actually bigger this was probably more of an achievement. Apart from maybe the snake, I don't think I had any particularly good draws so overall I have to be pleased.
My weight and points put me in 5th overall from 57 anglers. If I had the extra 3oz on the match pool that would have put me in second place. Such a fine margin yet a big difference.
But that is fishing and why we all love it. 4 waters, 4 different styles of fishing and I am really happy I improved with my highest finish yet.
 |
| Top 30 of the festival
A huge well done to Pat Pike for winning the festival. He has always been there or thereabouts whilst I have fished the festival and he fished a blinder with 3 section wins and a 2nd.
1st : Pat Pike (Dagenham) 5 points 235lb 4oz 2nd : Tony Williams (Birmingham) 7 points 232lb 7oz 3rd : Bobby Munroe (Dagenham) 7 points 232lb 6oz 4th: Keith Harris (Swindon) 7 points 210lb 5oz 5th : David Eastwood (Manchester) 7 points 193lb 3oz So it is into May and lots more activity coming up!
Tight Lines
Dave
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