Well it rained pretty much for the whole match, and with temperatures down to the low teens, the lake level 2-3ft down and most margins showing clear water - it was never going to be easy. And so it proved, with the carp being paticularly spooky and the F1s not really playing ball.
11 fished today and Clive led the way doing something that many found difficult - catching steadily from the margins.
Simon was runner up, catching mostly at 10 metres and narrowly beating Keith into 3rd place. Well done fellas.
Result:
1. Clive, peg 8, 83lb
2. Simon, peg 20, 64lb
3. Keith, peg 22, 63lb
4. Dave, peg16, 42lb
5. Gino, peg 10, 40lb
6= Kyle (guest), peg 18, 36lb
6= Tony R, peg 12, 36lb
8. John, peg 14, 29lb
9. Mick, peg 2, 20lb
10. Terry, peg 6, 12lb
11. Rod, peg 4, dnw
Sections 2-10 Clive, 12-22 Simon
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Colemans Cottage - Stepfield 22nd September
Moderator: Spamwham
-
keith
- Marsh AC
- Posts: 858
- Joined: February 6th, 2008, 6:23 am
- Personal Text: Did I say 30lb
- Location: Milton Keynes
- Sponsor: GOT Baits
- Contact:
Re: Colemans Cottage - Stepfield 22nd September
How a couple of weeks can make a difference in fishing, the weather was great at the start of the month, now we have Storm Ali closely followed by storm Bronagh,. Luckily I am not a fine weather angler. The strange thing is it always coincides with matches at Coleman's Cottage, looking back there are plenty of times I have driven with condensation on the windows where everything inside the car is soaking wet.
Pulling up to Mick's house, I could see he was ready with all the tackle on his driveway. We were soon off for the 80 minute drive along the M1, M25 and A12 to Witham. The weather was fine at this point and it was great putting the world to right with the Mick as we have been working different times recently.
Arriving in plenty of time for a Coleman's Breakfast is always good and plenty of changes have taken place to the cafe since my last visit,all for the better. A few of the other lads were already in attendance and discussing the forthcoming match and analysing their performances from the last one.
With the pools money leaving my pocket, Dave started off informing us of the rules of the fishery and which pegs we were to fish. We had plenty of room with the pegging from 2 to 20, that's until I pulled out 22, the match organiser's job is not a happy one, but with every other peg and 11 of us on it I suppose 2 to 22 was right. Still where Simon had contrived to get the "end peg" it was snatched away from him by me. Mick had also managed the other end peg in peg 2. At least we were not together, as often happens.
Setting up home on 22, I felt confident of a few fish, plenty of depth out, shallow margins but there were a few fish swimming past that could be seen.
I was going to try to nick a couple of early carp, down the edge before going out to 2+2 and sacking up before going back to the edges late on. That was the plan, however we only had around a foot of water two metres from the bank and only 8 inches closer in. The other side was a little deeper but was awkward fishing due to the trees.
At 2+2 I had around 3ft which was perfect for the pellet attack to follow. I had based all my efforts around pellets for this match. We had been told it was fishing well for F1s and the carp were not showing, this may have been due to the warmer weather, but today was different, it was cooler and the onset of autumn was starting to show. It was starting to rain and looking to the skies was going to be set for the day.
I started off the match feeding a mix of micros and 4mm pellets onto both the margin lines and 2+2 lines and within minutes I could see fish coming into the peg, heads down and then leaving the margins. I left it for a while trying to see if there was a pattern to the entering and leaving of the peg. I managed to take three carp from this line by fishing at the entry point which was by a set of reeds at 2 plus one to the left. The second hour I had a look at the 2+2 line and nothing, not a murmur, lifting dropping, fishing bigger,smaller pellets, shallow were all tried. Fish were still coming into both margins but I was only catching from the shallow one.
It was extremely frustrating, I could see fish coming in and feeding, then bypassing my bait and moving on. I swapped hooklengths down to .13 line diameters and changed hooks to a size 18 KKMB and still I would only get an odd bite.
I really felt that during the match I would have been better off fishing maggot, considering the depth of water, but although I know the water does respond to maggot, I had not brought any with me. P£$% Poor Preparation.
Still I stuck it out for the five hours, nicking odd fish. I could not see anyone else, so did not have a clue how the match had gone. I had caught some fish, but I assumed the others had fared well as the better pegs were on the corner, pegs 8 and 10. The wind was blowing down to that end of the lake and always seem to hold a few resident fish. A quick chat with Simon before the weigh in and a 61lb admission, whereas I thought I had around 50lb.
It had rained all day getting progressively worse as the day wore on. Starting off on Mick's Peg two I was very surprised to see him lift 20lb to the scales, Rod had not had a bite, Terry on 6 had fared just as bad with 12lb before we got to peg 8 and Clive, two weighs and 83lb, just goes to show a good angler on a good peg will always do well. Gino on the other flyer 10 had another frustrating day and 40lb. The reverend Tony Roberts must have cursed his way to 36lb, John placed 29lb and by now I was thinking I had done well, I could not catch Clive but the others were in my grasp. Dave placed 42lb with a mix of carp and and 7lb of silvers to snatch second off Gino. Kyle, fresh from his last match successes, placed 36lb on the scales. Simon was next and his estimation of 61lb was not too far away with 64lb going onto the weigh sheet. I was last to weigh in and using two weighs placed 63lb on the scales to miss out on the section win by a pound.
Still at least I had the comfort of another MK Nugget off Mick to make the score now 10-5 in my favour.
Well done to Clive and Simon on winning the match and section prizes.
Next match will be at Hartleylands Reservoir on October 6th. Looking forward to this one, having not fished it under the new ownership.
Keith 10
Mick 5
Pulling up to Mick's house, I could see he was ready with all the tackle on his driveway. We were soon off for the 80 minute drive along the M1, M25 and A12 to Witham. The weather was fine at this point and it was great putting the world to right with the Mick as we have been working different times recently.
Arriving in plenty of time for a Coleman's Breakfast is always good and plenty of changes have taken place to the cafe since my last visit,all for the better. A few of the other lads were already in attendance and discussing the forthcoming match and analysing their performances from the last one.
With the pools money leaving my pocket, Dave started off informing us of the rules of the fishery and which pegs we were to fish. We had plenty of room with the pegging from 2 to 20, that's until I pulled out 22, the match organiser's job is not a happy one, but with every other peg and 11 of us on it I suppose 2 to 22 was right. Still where Simon had contrived to get the "end peg" it was snatched away from him by me. Mick had also managed the other end peg in peg 2. At least we were not together, as often happens.
Setting up home on 22, I felt confident of a few fish, plenty of depth out, shallow margins but there were a few fish swimming past that could be seen.
I was going to try to nick a couple of early carp, down the edge before going out to 2+2 and sacking up before going back to the edges late on. That was the plan, however we only had around a foot of water two metres from the bank and only 8 inches closer in. The other side was a little deeper but was awkward fishing due to the trees.
At 2+2 I had around 3ft which was perfect for the pellet attack to follow. I had based all my efforts around pellets for this match. We had been told it was fishing well for F1s and the carp were not showing, this may have been due to the warmer weather, but today was different, it was cooler and the onset of autumn was starting to show. It was starting to rain and looking to the skies was going to be set for the day.
I started off the match feeding a mix of micros and 4mm pellets onto both the margin lines and 2+2 lines and within minutes I could see fish coming into the peg, heads down and then leaving the margins. I left it for a while trying to see if there was a pattern to the entering and leaving of the peg. I managed to take three carp from this line by fishing at the entry point which was by a set of reeds at 2 plus one to the left. The second hour I had a look at the 2+2 line and nothing, not a murmur, lifting dropping, fishing bigger,smaller pellets, shallow were all tried. Fish were still coming into both margins but I was only catching from the shallow one.
It was extremely frustrating, I could see fish coming in and feeding, then bypassing my bait and moving on. I swapped hooklengths down to .13 line diameters and changed hooks to a size 18 KKMB and still I would only get an odd bite.
I really felt that during the match I would have been better off fishing maggot, considering the depth of water, but although I know the water does respond to maggot, I had not brought any with me. P£$% Poor Preparation.
Still I stuck it out for the five hours, nicking odd fish. I could not see anyone else, so did not have a clue how the match had gone. I had caught some fish, but I assumed the others had fared well as the better pegs were on the corner, pegs 8 and 10. The wind was blowing down to that end of the lake and always seem to hold a few resident fish. A quick chat with Simon before the weigh in and a 61lb admission, whereas I thought I had around 50lb.
It had rained all day getting progressively worse as the day wore on. Starting off on Mick's Peg two I was very surprised to see him lift 20lb to the scales, Rod had not had a bite, Terry on 6 had fared just as bad with 12lb before we got to peg 8 and Clive, two weighs and 83lb, just goes to show a good angler on a good peg will always do well. Gino on the other flyer 10 had another frustrating day and 40lb. The reverend Tony Roberts must have cursed his way to 36lb, John placed 29lb and by now I was thinking I had done well, I could not catch Clive but the others were in my grasp. Dave placed 42lb with a mix of carp and and 7lb of silvers to snatch second off Gino. Kyle, fresh from his last match successes, placed 36lb on the scales. Simon was next and his estimation of 61lb was not too far away with 64lb going onto the weigh sheet. I was last to weigh in and using two weighs placed 63lb on the scales to miss out on the section win by a pound.
Still at least I had the comfort of another MK Nugget off Mick to make the score now 10-5 in my favour.
Well done to Clive and Simon on winning the match and section prizes.
Next match will be at Hartleylands Reservoir on October 6th. Looking forward to this one, having not fished it under the new ownership.
Keith 10
Mick 5
Golfs a game for people who cannot catch fish
-
keith
- Marsh AC
- Posts: 858
- Joined: February 6th, 2008, 6:23 am
- Personal Text: Did I say 30lb
- Location: Milton Keynes
- Sponsor: GOT Baits
- Contact:
Re: Colemans Cottage - Stepfield 22nd September
whhoooooppppeeeeee found out how to add pictures to the reports
Golfs a game for people who cannot catch fish