Gold Valley's Gold Lake.First team practice for the upcoming winter league semi final, and my first trip to Gold Valley. (forgot the camera again sorry!) I didn't know really what to expect. Meeting the rest of the squad for a particularly good breakfast bap in the on site cafe over looking Gold Lake, some of them dressed in there new Browning attire, (very Smart!). There was a good turn out as you would expect with 11 teams, and the buzz and excitement that goes with a big match. The draw took place and Dave Tuck was at the front as usual and the first to draw! I was quite a way down and the draw took a bit of time to do with the large numbers of anglers fishing. I finally stuck my hand in the pot and pulled out peg 42, on the causeway bank of Gold Lake, along with a few others from the team! I made my way to my peg and found out that I was pegged right next to Kieth, after a bit of a chat with him we decided we would fish it slightly different from each other to see what would work best.
A couple of the lads had been down to the mid week match earlier in the week, so we had an idea, but it was still a bit of trial an error. I set up a method rod on 8lb main line to 0.20 hook length and 14 hook. This was for fishing towards the rope that splits Gold lake in 2, meanwhile Kieth went for a bomb and maggot feeder approach. On the pole lines again we tried slightly different tacks, to see which would work best, I plumbed up at 14.5m and had about 7ft. I set up 2 rigs for this line a heavy rig in case the carp showed up and this was a Karpa Carp 1, 4x16 to 0.16 straight through to a 911-16 to a green hollow. I also set up a lighter rig which was a Karpa Chimp 4x16 on 0.12 straight through to a 18 hook on yellow hollow. I plumbed at 16m also and found it slightly shallower, a go to area in case the fish backed off. The last line was a line at 5-6m which again was good depth at 6ft. A Karpa Chimp 4x14 on 0.12 - 0.10 to an 18 hook married to pink hollow.
Kieth an I decided on a slightly different approach, I was going to put in micros with minced luncheon meat on the 14.5m line, while he put micros on one line and some chopped worm on another, as he had a blank peg to his right. At the all in I fed three good size balls of the micro meat mix, and went out onto the method. It was quite a cold day and it was obvious from the early proceedings that it was going to be a tricky day. Not much early indications on the method just a few small movements of the tip, not the full blown wrap around was hoping for from the size able carp that live in Gold Valley. The odd carp was coming out further down the lake. Kieth was not doing much better on the bomb. About an hour had past before the tip flew round and a 1lb skimmer was in the net. Kieth had now switched to the maggot feeder and was getting the odd roach. No further fish followed in the next half an hour so I went onto the pole. After having a quick look on the 5-6m line which I had been trickling maggot over with no indications.
Out to the 14.5m line with a couple of maggots on the hook, after a couple of minutes the float slipped away and a skimmer of a 1lb came to the net. Next put in this time with a bit of meat on the hook and the float slipped away again this time it was a better fish of 2.5lb. Out again with the meat but nothing for a bit so I went back onto the maggot, the next fish was a lumpy beam of 5lb. Kieth was struggling for bites next door, as was the guy to my left. The swim seemed to die for a while so I fed a small cup of micro meat mix and went back on to the method. Not much doing out there so leaving the 14.5m line to settle for twenty minutes I went back onto it. Some nice size roach and a couple of nice big perch followed in the next small spell of catching. Again it died, I just couldn't seem to keep them going. A small re-feed and out onto the method.
It was well into the match now, no carp but I seemed to be doing OK on the silver's side of things. Again not much doing out on the rod, so back onto the pole. Again a small run of fish, skimmers and roach, before the bites stopped. Into the last hour and I decided to feed once last time, going on the method for half an hour before coming back onto the pole. A couple of fish this time on the rod was a bonus, nothing big but it was adding to the weight. Switching back to the pole for the last half hour and it was slow, so I pushed it out to 16m, I did have a nice skimmer but that was it for me at the all out. At the scales I weighed in 25lb 4oz, for 4th in section not to bad, but a carp or 2 would of helped out. Kieth struggled all day next to me, as did the guy to my left. It was generally a tricky day for most, just the odd angler doing well or catching a couple of bonus carp, I seemed to do quite well on the silver fish, just need to try a couple of things out in the next match that I observed during quiet spells, it might just catch some of those elusive carp!
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