Witherington Farm Team knock up.

Next outing was a Browning Andover team get together on Witherington's inner snake lake. This is the first time we had all got together for some friendly fishing rivalry! We had a new face, Ian Madden, and a guest from Crowsport, Justin Watkins with his new z12. After a suitably good breakfast the draw was made and we ventured forth. I was pegged next to our honorary match secretary John Dewberry, so a £1 side wager was on! A sharp overnight frost was sure to make the fishing a little slow for all as the snake is not the easiest place when it gets a little chilly. Three swims, one tight across, where I found some reasonable depth, an 0.12 rig to yellow hollow, down the track with an 0.10 rig to a very soft set yellow hollow, and a margin line, which was an 0.14 to green hollow.
I had some corn, 4mm meat, and some 4mm pellets, plus a few soft expanders. At the all in I started on a grain of corn and fed some chopped corn, it's a trick that has caught me a few fish in the past at Witherington. It took a good half an hour before I hooked my first small carp, it was definitely fishing tricky. I fed a small pot of meat and pellets down the track with the intention of leaving it for a good hour before fishing it. A couple more small carp followed across before it went very quiet. Stu and John either side of me were struggling as well and no one seemed to be setting the world alight so to speak.
Time for a look on the track rig, a couple of indications and a couple of missed bites before I hooked a skimmer on a piece of 4mm meat. I kept plugging away, feeding through a tosspot, putting a few more skimmers in the net. I had been feeding corn in the margins and kept having a look, but there was nothing doing. Not much was doing tight across either so I persevered down the track. Towards the end of the match I hooked quite a lump, I thought I had it under control until it decided otherwise and tour off to the far bank and transferred my hook to some reeds! One last small carp followed for the end of the match. It definitely was a case of working for every bite, and ended up being quite a cold day. At the scales I weighed 14lb odd, just enough to beat John and relieve him of his "golden nugget! " ( I am sure he will get his own back! ) An enjoyable day but tricky fishing for all as the fish never really switched on for anyone.

Foxcotte Lake 11/03/12

After a winter break due to work and the cold weather, time was long overdue to return to the bank. So it was to Foxcotte Lake in Andover for my first outing in a couple of months. After very little rain the lake is a few feet below it's normal level, But has been fishing well so hopefully I would get some of the roach and even the skimmers to feed. I drew peg 6 out, which is one of the points. With the lake being so low, the island was within reach of the pole so an all out pole attack it was to be.
It was a warm and pleasant day, which has made a change to the cold weather that we have been having. A 3 line attack, one at 6m, the deepest part of the peg at 3ft. Another At 13m, any closer to the island and it shallowed up to much. And one staggered at 14.5m to my right in the open water. Two 0.10 rigs on pink hollow for the far lines, and 0.8 rig for the 6m swim. At the whistle I cupped in a couple of small balls of 50/50 fishmeal and sweet groundbait at 6m and at 13m. Also a large pot of chopped worm on the far staggered line.
Flicking some casters over the close line and using maggot on the hook, I was instantly rewarded with a string of small roach, I then hooked a couple of small skimmers before the first of the pike strikes killed the line. Switching to the 13m line and I was really having to work it just to get a bite. Having a look on the 14.5m line and I hooked a couple of bigger roach, again on a maggot hook bait. Try as I might I couldn't string anything together, and the pike were definitely putting the fish off in the shallow water. The close line and the 13m line had died completely and I could only catch a few over the far line, in between the pike strikes! The last hour of the match and I started stringing some nice size roach together, whilst I was feeding caster I could only catch on the maggot. I was catching steadily at the all out and was enjoying catching the stamp Foxcotte roach. The scales came round and I weighed in 9lb 11oz, not to bad, the pike strikes and having a very slow middle of the match had cost me, but I had enjoyed wetting a line again! It was nice to get back to Foxcotte, hopefully the weather gods will be kind and top it up soon.