Rayne Lodge Top Lake 21st April 2012

#1

Will Chairman Dave survive 6 hours of Als singing on the next peg?
Can Clive find some sunshine and some fish at last?
Will Keith be able to aquire another Milton Keynes pound or will he have to put up with Mick teaching him where he went wrong on the long drive home.
Will anyone have a heart attack on the hill?

The answers to these and many more questions can be found later on this afternoon on here and on Muggers and Keiths Blogs.

#2

Not if you don't get the results posted.

#3

15 minutes or sooner.

There you go

#4

#5

Not if you don't get the results posted.

Where is it then.

Its been over 3 hours now have you been helping TK lick his envelopes

#6

Where is it then. Its been over 3 hours now have you been helping TK lick his envelopes

Bleedin cheek, it took you nearly 24 hours from when the match finished to post the results.

#7

The Top Lake at Rayne Lodge just outside of Braintree in Essex is yet again the venue for the second Marsh AC club match of the year. However we normally visit the venue in late may once things have started to warm up a bit. The view through the bedroom window today promised a decent start to the day ahead, but the forecast was for heavy showers after midday

. I soon had the cats fed, while cereal and coffee fuelled me to load up the car and set off. A good traffic free run saw me arriving in the car park just after 7·30am along with Kevin & Jean. Soon the others started to arrive and with just 14 of us fishing today things were soon underway. Dave asked Keith and I to sort out the pegs to use today so we set off round the lake while others ferried their gear down the hill and Dave collected the monies. Virtually every peg looked good for a few fish and Keith and I made the picks trying to give most anglers a bit of room and our 14 choices went into the hat ready for the draw

.

Into the hat and it's peg 14A for me, the 2nd time in the last 3 visits (the other one was peg 14) I never seem to be able to get out of this corner of the lake when we visit, but it's normally good for a few fish

.

Knowing the area so well it didn't take long to get set up, just 3 top kits with black hydro. It can tow a bit in this corner if the wind gets into it so I set up a couple of rigs to fish at 6mtrs where there's around 3 feet of water, the first was an 0·4 NG XT Gimp on 0·14 Ultima power match straight through to a size 16 Kamasan B911X while the second was a, 0·3 NG XT Power Pencil Mk 2 again on 0·14 Ultima power match straight through to a size 16 Kamasan B911X which was a little more delicate and would see use if it wasn't towing. The third rig was my customary 0.2 NG Edger again on 0·14 Ultima power match straight through to a size 16 Kamasan B911X for the margin lines that had around 2 feet of depth. Bait was simply 6mm coarse pellet for feed and the hook along with some sweetcorn and 6mm GOT Rippers as alternative hookers.

There was still a good 30 minutes to go so I took a stroll to see how others were going to tackle things. Al and Dave were already exchanging banter on the prospects for the day that lay ahead

. Kev was settling into peg 1 which I'd fancied for a few fish when Keith and I selected it earlier. Jean kindly provided a freshly cooked sausage and bacon roll and a mug of coffee to wash it down

. Chris had set up for a catch anything with fins approach. Most seemed to be going with the pole, though Martin next to me on peg 14 was going for the feeder to the island in front

.

10am and the whistle sounded for the All-In. A cup of pellets with a few grains of corn was fed at 6mtrs along with a handful of pellet into the left hand margin before I shipped out with a banded 6mm pellet, Dave over on peg 21 had got off to a flyer with 6 fish in his first 6 put in's!!!!!!!!! and I had seen Al netting a couple of quick fish as well.
A few more pellets flicked over my rig and a couple of lift and drops soon saw the float slide away and a spirited fight from a small common followed before I netted it to get myself off the mark

. The first hour was nice and steady, keeping a little bit of feed going in and working the rig kept the bites coming and a few small carp and skimmers coming to the net.

Word was filtering down that Dave was already in the pound seats as he'd found the fish in the margins and feeding from the off, while Al had reverted to the method to the point of the island in an attempt to keep up with him as he couldn't buy a bite from his margin

. I could hear the two of them talking and tales of 3-4lbs fish, which meant I was going to need some more and larger fish than I'd already got, especially when my next fish was this mint little common ......

I took an early look down my margins but to no avail so it was back to 6mtrs to keep working it, occasionally adding another section to see if anything had backed off the feed, but they didn't seem to be there in any numbers. I would take 2 or 3 fish and then have to wait 10-15 minutes for a bite. This seems to be the pattern in this part of the lake since 2009 when all the overhanging trees that provided cover were cut down and it now seems that fish just move through the area and you almost have to ambush them as they pass through as they seem reluctant to settle for any length of time.

Mick over on peg 16 was putting a few together but having to work for them, though this was disturbed when a passing duck snaffled his bait as he was laying his rig in. Thankfully Mick managed to get the duck to the bankside where he finally managed to unhook it after some deft work with a disgorger, the duck swimming of with just a few feathers and its dignity ruffled

. Martin was having a hard time of it, latching into various snags round the island and then seeing his reel handle fly off and land in the lake. Undaunted he soon changed reels and was back in action

......

For me it was just a question of plugging away and keeping a few fish going into the net as apart from Dave and Al nobody else seemed to be getting among the fish from what I could see or hear. I kept having the odd look down the margins but they steadfastly refused to produce as much as a bite, and after a blank spell of nearly 20 minutes at 6mtrs I re-fed it pretty heavily and set of for my customary stroll with the camera

. John was struggling next door to Martin and it looked like the two travelling companions would be battling to the end of the match for the bragging rights today .......

Clive was settled into peg 11A and having a look down his left hand margin, having struggled to catch from the right hand side of his peg ......

Keith was on peg 10 and working hard to put a few together and beat Mick in another battle of the travelling companions, though I did manage to bring a smile to his face when I relented the tale of Mick's encounter with the duck

.....

Simon and Graham had similar tales of struggle, though Graham's did ring a little hollow as he lifted into a fish as I passed by

......

Ken seemed quite content with his lot tucked away in a corner on peg 5 and was happily putting a few together today

......

Chris on peg 3 was also putting a mixed bag together with his approach, but felt that he could be doing better .......

Kev on peg 1 was having a mare in all honesty, not only was he struggling for bites from his swim, he also had the perfect view of Dave and Al apparently bagging up just across from him

......

Dave had vanished for a stroll by the time I got round there, but I probably shouldn't have asked Al what the crack was, as it wasn't a pretty site

......

Back at my peg it was just a question of head down and get on with it, nick a couple of fish then wait a while before getting another couple. At least they were getting a little larger as time wore on with a few 2-3 pounders mixed in among the smaller ones

. After yet another blank spell I took another look down the margins with 45 minutes to go and the float buried by a feisty little mirror that was soon in the net and thankfully this continued right up to the whistle sounded the All-Out at 4pm

.

Packing away my kit I couldn't help wondering what the outcome would have been had they turned up earlier in the margins? I was sure that Dave and Al were way out in front but reckoned that my late run of fish should see me with around 70lbs of fish to put on the scales.

The Weigh-In started with Kev on peg 1 who only managed a meagre 12lbs

. Chris recorded 38½lbs while Ken was happy to see his fish weigh 53lbs

, Graham's 42¼lbs was followed by Simon's 36½lbs and Keith chipped in with 39½lbs. Clive had a smile on his face due to his 56½lbs

while Martin and John both recorded a level 16lbs to share the bragging rights in the car. My fish came to 77lbs leaving me happy with what I'd got from my peg

. Mick's 36½lbs meant that Keith had the bragging rights for their trip home

and Terry could only muster 26½lbs for his days efforts. that just left Al who was admitting to 70lbs (meaning he probably had a Ton+

) and Dave who was owning up to 80lbs and he's normally pretty close with his estimates. Al in fact put 106lbs on the scales and Dave 87½lbs

.

So back up Heart Attack Hill to the car park where Dave sorted out the days results and the monies. The Winner today was Al

with Dave taking 2nd

and third place for me

.
The sections went to Ken, myself and Al

.

Next up for Marsh AC is an Inter-club match at Hartleylands Farm against Morefax AC.

#8

Bleedin cheek, it took you nearly 24 hours from when the match finished to post the results.

Couldnt put them up too soon as I then get accused of only getting them up quick when I do well.

The fish never seemed to settle as apart from the first half hour I had to keep chopping and changing. Normally Rayne is a banker for floaters , the ducks can be a problem though they back away a bit once the carp start feeding. All day long I kept some floaters going in and after 4 hours finally managed to get three carp feeding. By the time I had changed rigs and baited the hook they had gone never to return.

They wind usually blows between the islands straight into pegs 20 and 21 and obviously the fish had followed it. i never fished further out than 2 feet with a top two plus two and Got hooker pellets. I had quite a few liners and ended up alternating between full depth 18 inches and 12 inches deep in 2 1/2 of feet of water.

I did try the right margin several times but never had a bite down there. Al kept pinging pellet long but although he got some swirls out there couldnt catch regular . We both felt the fish wanted to be shallow or on the top but something was stopping them.I can only put it down to the weather.

#9

Whomever that fella may be Peter
He's got a nice bottom

Thanks chairman Dave. Really enjoyed the banter.
and yes I did give it 120 %

#10

Well done Al on the win

and to Ken,Mugger and Al on the section win.

Whilst I had a tough day in BullSh*t corner with Al and Dave trying to out do each other, all I could see was Red Hydro from Dave's peg and hearing Al's comments of &quot

ave's got another fcuking lump"

and " I'm gonna kill them ducks and take them home for tea"

At least the expected heavy rain kept away with just a couple of showers to keep things interesting.

Another great day out with you all and of course backed up with yet another great report from Mugger.

See you all at Hartleylands.

#11

Meeeeee Bullsh1t NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well maybe just a teeny little bit. I did tell Al that my first two 1lb carp went 10lb between them and the first 6 went 20lb.

But I would never deliberately make the fish splash so they sounded bigger.

Mugger and I did tell him that he would never live it down if he got beaten off the next peg by a disabled pensioner wearing two wrist braces. Must go now as I have to put my wooden spoon in the dishwasher ready for the next match.

#12

Great report mugger.

kev i think you need glasses after reading the scales for martins silverfish, never a 1lb, second thoughts you need binoculars

i was robbed

,

mugger iu wonder if you can help tried to get into maggotdrowning it wont let me, so tried to reregister it wont accept my email address.
the reason want to get onto the site to put my interest in the alders farm match ta tutu

#13

John,
You're already registered on Maggotdrowning as John - Tutu, don't know what your password is though I'm afraid.

You've been a member since 16th June 2003 and made your last of your 16 posts on the 1st October 2003. The last time you logged onto the site was 3rd November 2009.

#14

thanks peter
Manage to register my interest for both days.

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