This fantastically named venue is another place I’ve never won any money at and I wasn’t feeling confident of that changing today. Basically there are two small ponds which are used as stock/nursery pools. The top one contains mainly carp and is fairly shallow with a small island in the middle and the bottom one contains mainly silver fish.
Everybody wanted to draw the top pond as the bottom one has been hard going whenever we’ve fished it. There were seven pegs on the carp pool and five on the silver fish one and there was to be seperate payouts for each one. I managed to draw peg two on the carp pond and I had Picky Gage to my right and Steve Bishop to my left. My nemesis Janders was on the opposite side at the top end by some reeds, a peg that is always there or thereabouts. I was on the island and on the other side of it were Steve Bush and Butch Baker.
There are loads of small carp averaging an ounce apiece with odd fish around the 1-2lb mark. I mixed up some Van Den Eynde Carp strawberry groundbait and on my bait tray I had red maggots, corn and some Dynamite 4 mm pellets (original flavour). I set up two Trabucco rigs, both with 0.14 mm bottoms and size 20 Fox Match Carp hooks. Near the island I had about a foot in depth and my inside line to the left by a reed bed was about the same.
On the whistle I cupped in some loose groundbait towards the island at about 11 metres and a ball on the inside. I started on the longer line with double red maggot and first put in the float sailed away and I landed! a perfectly formed but very small mirror carp of an ounce. More followed and I was ahead of Picky and Bish but from the banter Butch was bagging as was Steve Bush. I got to ten fish before deciding to rest the island and try the inside, more small carp followed. Les and Janders on the anticipated ‘hot’ pegs were struggling.
Alternating between my two swims I kept small mirrors and commons coming but although I was well ahead of Bish, Picky was by now catching really well and had overtaken me. He was fishing towards the island, I went back across but could only get odd fish. I kept plugging away and by the half way mark I had around 60 fish for about 4lb or so. Picky was still flying as was Butch, Bishop’s fish had dried up and Bushy was now struggling. Late on Janders managed two better sized (for this pond) fish and I was worried they had done me. The last hour was a struggle and I ended with 89 small carp.
It was obvious the winner would be either Butch of Picky but as Les was paying the top four, had I done enough to beat Bushy and had those two bonus fish of Janders cost me. First we weighed in the silver fish pond and it had fished better than I thought with some decent roach, skimmers and the odd small carp showing. Dave Lawrence ran out the easy winner with 7lb 6oz. Then it was our turn, Les and Bish didn’t weigh so I only had to beat either Janders of Bushy to pick up. Picky was first to weigh and he had well over a hundred fish for 8lb 10oz, my fish went 5lb 4oz, then Janders weighed 3lb something so at least I was in the money. Bushy weighed 4lb 6oz and Butch had 7lb odd so I actually finished third and picked up £30. I also had a nugget off Janders but gave it straight to Picky.
Still that’s two venues (Ilminster Canal and here) where I’ve picked up for the first time as a senior this year. We’re back on Perry St next week so lets see if I can continue my good form (four pick ups in five matches). Although as they say all good things come to an end!
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up!
And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time! 🙂