Simple Match Fishing Forum

No doubt the results will appear from Dave in due course.
In the meantime just thought I'd say how nice it was to get out on the bank again. It feels like it was a long winter to me - and certainly some of our fellow members seem to have had a particularly rough time of it by all accounts - so best wishes for a healthy year to all of you.
Personally I had a pretty average sort of day - could'nt get them to settle in any one swim or on any one bait
While I managed to catch some a few inches off the bottom I failed to get them to feed up in the water - did anyone managed to do that.
Oh and how come the Chairman is fishing paste in early Spring

Al Loader 221
Simon Watkins 180
Dave Collier 179.5
Keith Ashby 166
Clive Pritchard 143.5
Mick Wright 127
Terry Goff 111.25
Troy Hillyer 108
John Holdsworth 100
Tony Roberts 96.5
Bernie 87
Gino Exell 82
Jim Etherington 77.5
Al Loader Jnr 77
Chris Withall 69.25
Jim Boase 56
Tom Exell 48
Kris 46
Rod Turner 12.5

Well seeing as I have only just been able to get my gear out of the car and have just completed the results today at the first opportunity I have had,you need a little more patience Tony. And it looks like you will need to wait a little longer as the uploads to photobucket are not working correctly. Im now off for some insulin and a late lunch.

Right sorted now.

[IMG]http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn73/davetf/Arrons%20Lake%20010417_zpsxeg3rddh.jpg[/IMG]

That was a different day to the normal summertime fish race at Arrans. I had read last year that some anglers in the big weight matches had fished paste and caught some 15lb plus fish. I decided two weeks ago that rather try to compete in a fish race, I would make paste my main attack and hope to catch less but bigger fish.
As per usual by the time I got myself sorted out I was 20 minutes late starting, but the first four chucks six inches from the edge produced 4 fish for around 18lb. Like everyone else I suffered with spooky fish drifting in and out of the swim. The left hand side was much shallower and despite trying it both in the edge and a couple of feet out didnt have a fish from it. Only had 2 fish in the last 20 minutes but at 6lb each they were worth catching.

There seemed to be a few differing opinions on when it is best to fish Arrans, some prefer August to be able to challange their PB match weights, others like the more relaxed early months which can be just as challenging to catch a decent weight of harder to catch fish.

Me I liked this years match but what do you lot think.?

My opinions get me in trouble so........................................................................................

Compromise between April and Sept

Same time next year for me the match this year was just right

I'm a bit on the fence on this.....whilst it was probably right for a first match out as it made you think about it and chop and change to stay in touch, I do also like the idea of a once a season blow out of manic madness.....probably not room for two trips but......as for the day itself like most I changed depth, swims and shotting patterns (but not bait, 8ml pellet was all I brought for hookbaits!) throughout and never felt I had a proper run of fish. I was very surprised to end up with 180lb (honestly Gino, I really did not think I had that much!)....must buy a clicker or learn how to count and size fish!...Tony, oddly the two times I tried up in the water I had a fish first go and thought I'd cracked it followed by nowt! A big plus was how well my new Nick Gilbert laccy (micro bore hollow 14-18, 2.4mm sky blue) performed, really soft initially but with plenty of backbone at least when not hooked in the bloody tail but it dragged all those in too. Thoroughly recommend and apart from munter fishing at Rolfs I see this as my number one elastic throughout the summer, and no I am not on commission!!

Perhaps as a compromise book it in May next year - just saying

A compromise between August and April ??????? Hows about December then. Its right in the middle of the two

I would be up for it

50 lb of Rudd would be a realistic target in December Keith.

Why not throw it in as a Christmas match this year?