Sunday 13th August 2006

No fishing last week as a mate of mine got married in Richmond, London on Saturday, then we spent Sunday at Thorpe Park, so had a weekend away darn sarf.

Following a rest, the batteries had been recharged and I ready for todays match at The Oaks, Sessay. I travelled on my own this week as both Panic and Purverted had cancelled off for one reason or another.

By the time of the draw, there were 60 anglers ready to do battle. The wind was blowing an absolute hoolie (?).

The current method has still been to fish meat down the middle over hemp, although pellet is starting to make a comeback and more and more peolple are taking maggots to their peg (don't they read my blog?)

3 jackpot pegs were drawn, they were 46 (Alan Scott), 63 (Andy Dargue) and 79 (Mr Pimlott). Of all the jackpot pegs, in order of preference I would have to choose 79, 46 then 63. This is not totally down to anglers ability, more down to form of the peg. Peg 79 holds more records than any other peg on the venue and 63 just isn't a good peg (62 is, generally, miles better).

Orc was in attendance and prompty accosted me for my quid from the last match, which I gave up gracefully, not. I even wrote my name on the quid as I had a feeling that I would be getting it back. Macca wasn't in attendance (£2 down already), Pacifier was there, as was Chappy. The now obligatory side bet's had been struck. Chappy handed me a piece of paper with his bank details on it in order that could set up a Standing Order - Cheeky Beggar!!! I have to mind my words with Chappy as he is bigger than me and might give me a 'Chappy Slap'. But hey he's bigger than everyone bar Big Mark (Happy Birthday Mate!!).

On the Oaks Banter website, we have been aliking people to various cast members from the Carry On crew and ended up as follows:

Marco - Charles Hawtrey
Chappy - Bernard Bresslaw or Hattie Jacques in Drag!! - Aren't they one and the same?
Bruce Poland - Sid James
Me - Kenneth Williams
Ian Exman - Frankie Howard (although he did comment that he would have preferred to have been likened to Jim Dale, does he live in a house without mirrors?)

I digress, back to the match. Johnny Mac, the Rochdale Raver, sent a raiding party over and introduced himself (nice to meet you mate).

Will my drawing arm still fail me or am I round the corner now? I shuffled the peg numbers, then passed them to Tom (the owner to be!!), who shuffled them some more.

I dipped in the bag and peg 37 was stuck to my hand. Trying to work out the way that the wind was blowing, I thought that it would be coming straight into my face from peg 35, but according to all the locals, the peg is and would be flat calm all day.

My quids were going to pegs 50 (Orc), 58 (Chappy) and 75 (Pacifier).

Peg 37 is a peg on a bend with pegs 38 - 42 being on the straight. Peg 36 to my left looks straight down both arms and 35 is the one at the top of the other straight from pegs 35 - 28. There was no one peg 36 and Harry Potter lookalike, Rob Minikin, had drawn peg 35. Dave Parkinson was to my right on peg 38 and Stewie Newbury was further round on peg 38.

After taking a couple of minutes to look at my peg and those around me I decided on the following:

1 shallow rig - a .2g Garbolino DC6 on .11 Preston Powerline straight through to a size 16 Colmic WN501 hook. I plumbed up to the edge of the sedges and found that I had about 18" of depth. This rig was attached to white hydro through my No2 section only.

1 deep rig - .5g Series E float on .13 Preston Powerline straight through to a size 14 Colmic WN501 hook. I plumbed up at the base of the slope and found about 5ft of depth. When I plumbed up at the base of the slope, it was whilst looking towards peg 35. This rig was attached to grey Hydro.

1 rig to fish down the side - a .3g Garbolino DC6 float on .13 Preston Powerline straight through to the same hook as above. I plumbed up down the side and found 2 1/2 ft at 11m.

My bait for the day consisted of:

2 pts micro pellets, 1 tin of corn, hook pellets (including the conkers) and 2 tins of meat.

On your marks!!!

At the all in, I 'Toss-potted' some micro's down the side, some meat down the middle, then went over to the farside with pellet on the hook and a fruitshoot top of micropellets as feed.

I dropped the bait in and fed the micro's over the top. After about 5 minutes, I caught a carp of about 10oz. I re-baited and dropped in again, another carp, of a similar size, was on it's way to join it's breathren.

My third drop in, and the rig was all over the place. Ducking and diving, bobbing and weaving. i kept on tyring to hit the indications, then all of a sudden a gudgeon about 1oz (if I was lucky) came flying out of the water (superstrike hit home again) and dropped off the hook. I hope that it doesn't cost me!!

I dropped in again and waited for about 10 minutes, I was still getting the dips and blips, but the float wouldn't go under. Then all of a sudden 3ft of white hydro went screaming from the pole tip. I managed to gain control of the fish, that was until I got it to the landing net. When I saw the fish and it saw the landing net, it bolted and snapped me, right next to the loop used to attach my rig to my connector. That one will cost me, I would estimate that it was a 4lb (ish) mirror carp.

Why is that when you lose a fish, it can affect your stride, considerably!!

I quickly got a duplicate rig out and went back over to the farside and caught some more gonks. I re-baited down the middle and decided to have a look down the side.

I baited up with pellet, and fed some micro's over the top. 7 drop in's and 7 carp, then it all went squiffy. I caught a perch, then an ide, then 2 roach then 2 gudgeon. Time to rest this line me thinks.

I decided to have a look on the meat line down the middle. I baited up with meat, dropped in and waited and waited. I had been feeding a few micro pellets in with my meat. I came back, put a conker on the hook, dropped in and caught a succession of carp, mainly F1's to 2lb. This line then went squiffy. I foul-hooked 6 carp in 7 put ins.

Do you ever get the feeling that it is going to be one of them days?

I started to then rotate the swims, trying to pick up the odd carp until the bits moved in.

Harry Potter was steadily catching fish throughout and was fishing pellet across to the far side. Parka Parkinson and Stewie were, I would say, fairing worse than I. Parka was fishing with maggots as hook bait and was catching the odd fish, barbel, roach, carp, ide. Stewie didn't seem to be catching much of anything.

By the time of the all out, I was ready to go home. I could not get one method to work and was getting 'bitted out' on every line that I fished with pellet and I struggled to get a bite on meat. had I done something wrong???

By the time that the scales had arrived, Harry Potter was leading on my half of the lake with 88lb. I weighed in 25lb 8oz for nowhere. Parka, Stewie and the lad on peg 41 all DNW'd.

I was tempted to drive straight home, but then I remembered, I had to sort out the brown envelopes.

Orc weighed in 17lb. I asked for the quid with my name on it. Chappy had 41lb and Pacifier had 29lb (I new that the fish that snapped me would cost me - £2.00). Do you have the feeling that sometimes your up one minute (£1) then down the next (£3).

Oh well, there is always next week.

Full result:

1. Rob Minikin (HAS) - 88-03. Peg 35. Pellet across to the island.
2. Andy Stoner (Team Browning/Cudmore) - 74-08. Peg 30.
3. Geoff Scott (Mosella/Rochdale) - 66-12.
4. Dave Pimlott (Garbolino Elton) - 61-02.
5. Tony Neesom (Elton Tackle) - 53-10.
6. Mal Bailey (Garbolino Elton) - 52-13.