Orchard lakes, Spring series round 2.

Peg 14 " Snag City! " and some of my 53lb 4oz catch above.

Orchard lakes in New Milton was the venue for the second round of the Challis Tackle spring series, not on the usual match lake, but on main and tench lake. None of us were to familiar with either of the lakes, but I had fished a knock up on main lake some time back, and with a little info stored in the old grey matter I was hoping for this lake at the draw bag. The weather had been kinder the previous few days and today it looked fair as well, hopefully making the fish feed a bit. At the draw I waited for the mad rush to finish before dipping in my hand, peg 14 on main, great got the lake I wanted and an island peg. After loading up my gear I made my way down the slope to my peg, it looked lovely! But looks can be deceiving as I new that it was very snaggy close to the island I would have to be careful. After looking at the peg for a few minutes, I decided on a pole only approach, the island was reachable at 11.5 m but there were some nasty brambles there so I decided that 13 m would do nicely. I had a nice margin to my right, and my third line would be in open water away from the island at 13 m. I knew there are quite a few silvers in main lake, but with one side of the island to my self, I decided on a carp approach. An 4x12 chianti 0.14 strait through, 911 size16 attached to green Garbolino hollow was for the open water, an 0.2 gram dc6 0.18 strait through, 911 -14 attached to an orange Garbolino hollow, was for the margins, as I have been told the fish run up to 20lb! Now for the island, this is where it went a bit pear shaped! After attaching an 0.16 rig I went out with the plummet, I decided that I wouldn't fish tight as I new it was snaggy, so I plumbed up about 2 feet off, the trouble is it was snaggy there! I lost the lot! Leaving my rig line and plummet creating an even bigger snag than before! Next rig a bit further up the island this time I decided to plumb about 4 feet out. Wrong! strait into another snag, lost the lot again! Not only was I leaving rigs behind, but I was running out of plummets! This was getting expensive! After having a drink, and calming down a little, I tried again, by know I would be fishing at 14.5m just to get away from my own snagged rigs. I came out a bit further still, and finally got clear of the snags, I set up a 0.4 gram dc6 0.16 strait through 911-16, to a Green Garbolino hollow, and also a 0.18 strait through 911-14 to an orange Garbolino, to cover the same line if the fish headed for the snags, the orange should be strong enough to bully them away. I had corn, micros, and some soft pellets, no maggots to forget this time! At the all in I fed a medium pot of micros and some soft pellets on the open water line and half a pot of corn and micros down the edge. Strait onto the 14.5m line just away from the snags with corn on the hook and some corn and micros in the toss pot. A bite strait away, a small chub on the drop, two more small chub followed, then a couple of small skimmers. I was getting regular bites but nothing of any size, out again this time a small carp of 1lb or so, out again and back to the small chub. I decided to feed a pot of corn and micros on this line and leave it for a bit, hopefully the carp would move in. I had a look in the edge swim, 1st put in and the float buried and a nice 2lb crucian! No more bites though so I re-fed it and went back out to the 14.5m line. A couple of small chub, but no more carp, about an hour had gone and I had about 5lb in the net. I could see most of the lake and it seemed that most people were struggling, I did hear that Maurice in the top corner was getting a few carp, as well as loosing some, it was time for a re-think. I could see the reeds moving next to the island and I knew that the carp were in there, it was just a case of how to get them out without loosing every rig in my box! I decided that i would fish up in the water next to the reeds, but away from the snaggy bottom with some heavy gear and hopefully get the fish away from the snags before they made into it, well that was the plan. Before that could take place I needed a comfort brake! I blame the bacon roll earlier! On the way to the toilet I past Maurice in the corner playing a nice carp, so that made my mind up, snag pit fishing it was then! Once I got back to my peg I set up a dibber on 0.18 strait through to a 911 14 onto fairly tight set orange Garbolino, I set it at a foot deep well clear of the snags below. 1st put in with corn on the hook, nice and visible, and with a toss pot full of corn and micros, the float dipped and a small chub came flying out of the water as I struck! Next put in the float dipped again, this time I hit into some thing that was intent on heading for " snag city " I leaned into it and steered it away from danger and into my net, perfect the plan was working. Out again and the same result, 2 carp in the net and no lost rigs! A few more followed, before the inevitable happened, Snag! Arghh! I pulled and the rig came back this time, although it had no float and a straight hook! I re-rigged but this time I put an 0.16 hook length on, in case I hit the snags again, hopefully all that I would loose would be a hook length. By now James to my right was catching steadily, and it was close between us, so time to get my head down, back out and strait into another carp, they weren't big but there were a few there. I would get a few then I would hit into the snags and have to pull for a brake, but I was only loosing the hook length. I was catching a couple, pulling out of a few, and loosing the odd hook length, but I was steadily building a weight. My plan was working! I rested the island swim for a bit, and had a look in the margins, which I had been feeding with corn by hand, after fifteen minutes and a few small chub later, I decided to leave it and concentrate on the island swim for the last hour of the match. James was still catching steadily, and as far as I could tell it would be between him and me. First put in at the island after looking in the margins, I hooked a fish that shed the hook into the snags, and had to pull for a break, next put in it happened again! I was getting a bit fed up with snags, and now I had run out of 0.16 hook lengths! All I had left was some hair rig method hook lengths on 0.18, so I chopped the hair off and used them! The last 50 minutes turned out to be the most productive stretch of the match, no lost fish and no lost hook lengths, and the added bonus was that slightly bigger fish had moved in. The last fish of the match turned out to be my biggest, about 5lb, as I unhooked it I realised that I had no float again, so that was 4 lost rigs, 2 plummets, and about 20 hook lengths! The all out sounded, and I knew it would be close between James and me, all down to the scales. I weighed before James, and the scales went 53lb 4oz, not to bad from " snag city " ! James weighed 48lb 12oz, I had done just enough to beat James, and after following the scales around the lake, it turned out that I had won the lake. Onto the other lake, Tench, and Keith had won his lake, and done enough to win the match, putting me into second, which I was very pleased about after the start. After two rounds Keith Theobold is leading the series with two section wins, but as you drop your worst result it is all to play for.

Easter Sunday, No Egg For Me...

My peg at Bowsaw, 22.

First blog and it turns out to be a very valuable lesson learned! After a cooked breakfast that my wife got up and cooked for me, bless her, I loaded the car and drove the hour's journey to Bowsaw Lake near Odiham for the first round of the Challis Tackle Spring Series. I won this round here last year and was looking forward to hopefully doing something similar. After loading up my gear, a short walk to the lake where the draw was taking place, I had a quick look at the lake, it was very coloured from the heavy rain we had over the past week, and even the night before it had been raining hard, there was also a nasty wind which seemed to be swirling and affecting one side of the lake more than the other. After a bit of banter the draw took place, with 22 fishing pegging was going to be tight and I was hoping that my normally fairly good drawing hand wouldn't let me down and perhaps even draw me one of the favoured pegs either side of the spit, I waited till the end as I like to have the one of the last pegs left in the hat, with two left I pulled out peg 22, on the wind affected side of the lake, but with a plus point of having an island chuck. I arrived at my peg and considered my options. With both pegs in either side it cut my options down, I decided to set up a method rod for the island, a swim at 7 meters, one at 14.5 and a rig for the margins either side, but wasn't hope full of the margins as the pegging was so close. Disaster! After looking in my holdall I realised that I had left my maggots in the fridge! Which cut my options down even further, as there are quite a few chub in Bowsaw, I was hoping to catch a few out on the 14.5m. line if the carp weren't having it. It also cut my bait options down on the method, it would have to be corn or pellet! I plumbed up and found the same depth at 7m. as 14.5 so I set up two rigs very similar, the first a Preston Chianti 4x16 on 0.12 main to a 0.10 hook length, pr32 18. The second was again a chianti 4x16 this time 0.12 hook length to 16 pr32. Both rigs were married up to Garbolino yellow hollow with pull bungs. The margin rig was a Garbo DC6 0.16 strait through to a 911 size 16 married to a green Garbo hollow. After having a few casts with a bomb attached, I found my distance at the island, about a foot short of the dogwood that was over hanging, the rig was 6lb main line to a free running method feeder, 0.16 hair rig hook length, as I had no maggot, hair rigged corn or pellet would be the bait. I had some ground bait mixed up which consisted of green swim stim, brown crumb and a few micros. Bait for the match would be corn, hemp, micros and some 4 mm. expander's. The all in sounded and I cupped in half a small pot of corn and hemp at 7 m, and half a pot of micros with a few expander's at 14.5m. Leaving that to settle I had a cast with the method, I hair rigged a 4mm pellet and cast out. 20 minutes later and no indication things weren't looking good, Paul to my left had hooked a carp but it had found some old line that was tangled in the weeping willow, and was doing battle with a tree and a carp! In the end the fish got off but the tree fought him all the way to the net! Still no indications so I recast this time with corn as bait. 10 minutes went by and i had a half bite which I lifted into but nothing there. I recast again with corn, Paul and Dave either side of me by now had had a couple of fish each, nothing big but all caught using maggot as bait. Another 15minutes past before the tip went round and a 2lb carp ended up in the net. I recast again hoping for the same, as apart from the peg on the spit most of us in our section were struggling. With no more bites or indications it was time to put the tip rod down and have a look on the pole lines, I had been feeding the margins by hand just flicking a few grains of corn in every couple of minutes, so I had a quick look either side but there were no indications, so I left it but carried on feeding by hand. Out onto the 14.5m line with a 4mm expander, 10 minutes later the float dipped and a small carp of 4oz was in the net, out again but had to wait for a bite, some time later the float dipped and this time a nice 3lb carp, a few more of these would be nice but alas it wasn't to be. A switch to the 7m line resulted in no indications so I re fed and went back out on the feeder. By now I was falling behind, as a few fish were being caught in my section but I was struggling, I kept swapping between my lines but could not buy a bite. Into the last hour, and it was picking up for some further round the section, catching big fish in the margins, I had a look but there were no indications, so back out onto the 14.5m line with expander on the hook the float buried and I had a small carp, a few more small 2 - 3oz carp followed, I then had a 2lb er to finish the match. I new I was down in the section, and the scales went 9lb 4oz. not last in section but pretty close! But as it is a series with dropping your worst result all is not lost. The weights either side of me were just over the 20lb mark so forgetting the maggots was costly as far as points go, as I reckon I would of had a few more. The favoured spit pegs were 1st and 3rd, and 2nd was at the other end of the island. Reflecting on the match on the long journey home, the only thing I would of done different is to remember the maggots! There is always next week!