Sunday 4th June 2006 – Spring Valley Invitation Match, Wakefield.

Trying to get on was the hard part! Having had a chance encounter with 2005 Fishomania champion, Marc Jones, at Bob-co in Leeds on Bank Holiday Monday, he was telling me about his new lakes and that the first match was being held on Sunday 4th June. Marc was saying that the few that have fished it had bagged up. After pleading with Marc to get a ticket, he told me to ring him on Wednesday to see if he could get us on.

I rang Wed, both Purverted and I had got on. Phil Chapman had fished the lake, as had Castleford Munchkin, Marc had also had a go, as you do.

I spoke with Philly at Woodlands on Saturday and got a bit of information on what he did and what he caught on – everything. After getting a lift with Panic to Woodlands the day before, he also told me that he also had a ticket, so the cast list was something like:

Legend Barrett (Fisho 2006 qualifier)
Marc Jones
Panic Poole
Castleford Munchkin
Meatcutter Bailey
Mick Grant
Tony Hoppo Hopkins
Rob Hitchens
Mick Lodge
Purverted Purvis
Magnum Clarke
Steve (Higgins) Simmons

To name but a few.

After arranging to meet up with Philly for a breakfast (good job we followed as we’d never find it), which I might add was good, cheap and a lot, we arrived at the venue. Philly told us that Marc had been rotating the fish feed. One time he would feed the fish sweetcorn, then the next time that he fed them, he fed them pellets. That’s the bait bill sorted.

The Lakes

The lakes are similar to Woodland Lakes, Thirsk, in that they are rectangular in shape, with about 2ft deep at the side, with 5ft at 7m and 6ft at 11m. The lakes are some 20m to the middle and you are pegged on opposite banks. Some work still needs to be carried out yet, platforms need to be put in place etc, etc. The 2 lakes are called Fox (22 pegs) and Badger (20 pegs). The lakes are stuffed with fish between 1.5lb and 4lb. Marc had also put another 650lb of stock into the lake on Thursday.

I arranged the usual £2 with Purverted, £1 with Panic (who although he DNW’d yesterday at Woodlands, failed to pay me) and I had arranged a quid with Chappy at Woodlands the previous day. That’s not bad is it, I am on a virgin lake that has hardly been fished and I manage to get a quid going with someone who is at a totally different venue.

My Drawing Arm

At the draw, all the talk was of the winning weight(s) and the possible winning pegs, wind direction being the main point. Marc was hoping that someone would do the double ton.

At the draw, I managed to draw Fox 1, a corner peg (about 3m to the corner), with the wind blowing into it, scum on the water, a nice ripple. The only downside was that the draw took place about 5 yards away from the peg, anybody that wanted to have a look at the lake prior to the draw, stood in my peg or stood on top of the small bank that run along the bottom end of the lake, and when everybody went to their pegs, most (if not all) of them trundled past my peg with their trolleys, etc, etc (excuses already, or are they?). Everyone still told me as they walked past, that I would need at least 3 keepnet’s (I’d only taken 2) and that if I don’t get over 150lb, I might as well sell my gear.

Purverted had drawn Fox 18, with Meatcutter on 17, Higgins was on 19, and Castleford Munchkin drew 11, at the end of my section. I had Tony Hopkins opposite on 21 and one of the Rymer's (not Bob) directly opposite on peg 22. I must apologise, I can’t remember the name of the lad that was next to me on peg 2, although I did ask his name.

Rigs

I set up 4 rigs to try to cater for all eventualities, as follows:

A .2g Garbolino DC6 on .14 Maver Genesis direct to a size 16 Colmic 501 hook. I plumbed up along the bank, at 7m and 14m, and found about 2ft of depth (by pulling the rig up the slope).

A .3g Series E set up on .16 Maver Genesis direct to a size 16 Colmic 501 hook. This was for fishing the top 2 to hand where I had about 3ft of depth.

A .3g Carp Belter (?) that I had found the day before at Woodlands. This was set up on .4 Maver Genesis direct to a size 16 Colmic 501 hook. I plumbed up at 14m and found 6ft of depth.

This rig was a 4x14 Drennan Carp 2 rig; set up on .16 Maver Genesis tied direct to a size 14 Colmic 501 hook. I plumbed up at 7m and found 4ft of depth. I was hoping that this line was going to be my main catching line.

The A La Carte menu for the day consisted of 2 small tins corn, 4pts micro pellets, various hook pellets (including the conkers) and a bit of meat left from the previous day and that’s about it.

Time to bag up!!

At the all in I cupped (a small Garbolino cup) in some micro pellets at 7m, a smaller helping at 14m and two small pots in down the side to both swims.

I baited up with a conker on the hook and a ‘Toss Pot’ full of micro pellets. I shipped out in anticipation, as you do on a virgin water, and waited. I waited a little bit longer, then waited some more. I’d only cupped in some bait and blown it all ready.

With the design and the layout of the lake, I was able to keep an eye on about 15 or 16 of the competitors and get an idea of who was doing what and catching where. Nobody else seemed to be breaking any records. The majority of people were fishing at 6 – 8m, with the odd person fishing at 13m.

After about 15 minutes, I got a dink, the bait was gone. I re-baited, dropped in again hoping that the fish had finally found the bait. Got an indication, the float buried, I struck, foul-hooked. Basket!!!

I then waited another 15 minutes without a bite. I dropped in down the side at 7m, shock horror; I caught a fish, a carp of about 2lb. I dropped in again thinking that they may be in the shallower water. Nothing. I went out to 14m down the side and managed to snare 2 more fish.

We were now 2 hours into the match and I had 3 carp to show for it. The lad next to me had about 5 fish (most of them shallow at 14 – 16m). Hoppo had about 6 fish, Rymer had 3 fish. Purverted rang me to say that he was catching on corn over pellet, feeding next to nothing. He was admitting to 13 fish. Meatcutter at the side of Purverted had about 10 fish. It was hard.

I had a go shallow, feeding 6 or 7 pellets every so often, I foul-hooked one and that was that. The lad who was 2 pegs away from me (on peg 3) was fishing with a 13m pole, a 5ft lash between pole tip and float and was swinging his rig out, not feeding anything and catching the odd fish shallow.

I cut back on all feed on all lines, and just waited and waited for the fish to come.

Bag up city

Between 2:30 and 3:05, I got a steady stream of fish between 1.5lb and 3lb from the same hole down the side at 14m, feeding a small fruitshoot of bait after every fish (it’s like scratching in winter). I managed to snare 10 fish for an estimated weight of 20lb, to add to the 3 fish that I already had.

Purverted was still catching a few, Legend was starting to motor, Higgins was getting a few and Meatcutter had slowed.

That was it, no more bites. The lad next to me was catching the odd fish shallow, albeit, slowly and I thought that it was going to be close between us.

Marc came round with the scales; he was admitting to 150lb and losing another 60lb. I was the first to weigh. I put 26lb exactly on the scales. Peg 2 weighed 25-12, I should have had a quid with him, peg 3 had 16lb, then there was a couple of v. low 20’s, including Keith Kotchie who had 21lb. The Castleford Munchkin was the last to weigh on my bank and he was admitting to 15 fish (I’d had 13 fish for 26lb), did he have more weight?

Did he heck, he weighed in 25lb dead. I’d won my section. It was bloody hard. The scales then disappeared on to Badger Lake.

By the time that the scales had got back onto my lake, Marc Jones had weighed in 123lb odd, duty rumour was going round that Marc had used 2 kilo of worms and 4 pints of caster in the process. Philly weighed in just shy of 70lb (the practice made a difference) and 55lb was lying in 3rd place, all from Badger Lake. Legend weighed in 53lb for 4th overall. Purverted had 35lb (and my £2 and also half of my section win), Meatcutter had 31lb, Higgins had 41lb and Hoppo opposite me had 29lb. Panic weighed in 35lb next to Marc on Badger Lake, I was down another quid.

And to cap it all, I couldn’t beat Chappy who was on a different venue. He weighed in 37lb (ish), so that is another quid down, although I haven’t paid him yet!!

My thoughts!

I don’t know why the lake(s) didn’t fish. I can recall the same thing happened on Cedar Lake at The Oaks Lakes, Sessay when they first opened it.

Would I go back?

Yeah, of course, with the stamp of the fish and the amount of fish that are stocked, I would predict that 100lb weights would be common place once the fish get used to the disturbance on the bank and the various baits going in.

A match was held on Wednesday 7th June and by all accounts, 70 - 80lb was common place, not sure what or who won.