Last couple of matches

Over the last few weeks, I have fished the following matches:

8th September 2013 - Kippax - Osprey Lake
15th September 2013 - Hayfield Lakes - Little Adams Lake

Kippax - Osprey Lake

This was the first of the final two legs of the club knockout competition and I was up against Dave Horsfall to determine the overall winner.  Dave opted to fish his choice of legs at Kippax and I selected Lindholme Lakes - Bonsai Lake in about a month's time.

Osprey Lake is one of my least favourite venues as it is predominantly a worm venue and Dave, along with quite a few other club members fish with worm quite frequently and being as tight as I am, I will not fish worm if I can help it.

I put my hand in the bag and drew peg 11, which was a little indifferent to me as Osprey Lake is pretty much straight up and down with a central island between 14 - 17m away.  On my last visit here I drew peg 23 and was 3rd with 44lb ish.  Dave put his hand in the bag and drew peg 23 or thereabouts.  It was all to play for.

I fished with pellet across on the pole at 16m and pellet, paste down the edge.  I could see the fish down the edge, but as has usually been the case for the past couple of months, the fish are coming into the margins, but not eating my hookbait.

I had some worms left from a previous fishing session (I think from last year LOL) and started to fish worm and slop down the edge for the last hour and managed to snare one or two fish.

At the end of the match, Dave shouted across to me 'Mick, what have you got?'.  I said about 30lb.  He replied 'No, be honest, what have you got'?  I said about 35 - 38lb.  He shouted back that it was going to be close.

By the time that the scales had arrived, Webster had plonked 39lb on the scales.  Craig McKenny had weighed in 44lb odd.  I weighed in 38lb odd.  Colin the worm had 48lb by fishing worm down the middle.  Dave was next to weigh and a couple of weighs later had plonked 56lb on the scales.  There was another 40lb+ weight, putting me 5th overall.

Worst of all, I was 18lb behind Dave in the knockout match - got a lot to catch up.  Gulp!!!

Full Result:

1. Dave Horsfall - 56lb
2. Colin Weaver - 48lb
3.  Craig McKenny - 44lb
4.  Dave Webster - 39lb
5. Mike Herrington - 38lb


Hayfield Lakes - Little Adam's Lake

Last Sunday, the club were booked on at Hayfield Lakes on Little Adam's Lake.  By the time that the draw took place, due to various reasons, there were only 8 of us in attendance, so I did the pegging out.  I put in pegs 15, 17, 19, 22, 25, 28, 30 and 32.

I wanted to be on pegs 15 - 19 and 30 - 32 due to either having the wind in your face or off your back, in addition pegs 28 - 33 all had over 100lb each on the clubs last match here. I put my hand in the lucky bag and drew peg 25 - unlucky or what.

Front row drew peg 15, michelle was on 17, Craig Mckenny was on peg 19, Colin the worm on peg 22, Horsfall on peg 28 , webster on 30 and can't remember who was on 32.

I set up a pellet waggler rig, bomb rig and two pole rigs, one for the margin and one for fishing about 10m out.

I had a bag and a half of groundbait, sweetcorn and some 8mm and 11mm pellets.

At the all in, I lobbed the bomb out to about 30m or so and catapulted some pellets out over the top.

The weather was cold, horrible, drizzly and overcast.  I was not looking forward to today.

After about 3 hours of trying things that were not working (I had 1 carp at 10m on the pole along with about 5 skimmers), I decided it was time to go on the margin swim and see if I could get anything off that line.

I potted in some groundbait and some corn.  First drop in over my potted in groundbait with double corn and the elastic shot out of the pole tip.  A carp about 7lb was soon in the keepnet.  I managed to snare another 5 carp off this line and shouted to Dave Horsfall to see if we could bring our 2nd leg of the knockout forward to today (he had 2 carp and some bits), but wasn't having any of it.

I had 7 carp and some bits for 51lb odd and 2nd place.  Craig McKenny won with 65lb odd.  Michelle was 3rd with 36lb odd, then there were a few weights between 25-29lb,

Full Result:

1.  Craig McKenny - 65lb
2. Mike Herrington - 51lb
3. Michelle Webster - 36lb