Lindholme - Laurels Lake

Lindholme Lakes, Doncaster hosted the 2nd match in our 30 match summer series and we were on Laurels lake.

Whilst Frontrow was driving us there, I texted Greg Norris to find out what was what and he replied - pellet, pegs 16, 25, 33 (all at the end of the spits), 38 or higher than 40.  Upon arrival, I spoke to Daylite Rothery and John Allerton who both said either pellet or meat and draw higher than 40.

By the time of the draw, there were 24 of us there and I put my hand in the bag and peg 31 stuck to my fingers. A quick chat with Daylite again, who told me that he had fished peg 31 on the open match the day before.  He said to fish top 5 towards peg 25 and then to fish to a small stump at 14.5m down the edge with meat.  Lurch Moorhead drew peg 16, Craig McKenny drew peg 25, Mrs Webster drew peg 33, Chris Watson drew peg 38.  Macca was behind me on peg 35.    Stuart Wilson was on about peg 62, Frontrow was on peg 68, Mr Webster was on about peg 57, Andy Limbert was opposite him on about peg 53.  Opposite me on peg 28, I had Ian 'Syd' Waddell.

Peg 31 is one peg out of a little corner (peg 30 being the corner peg) and peg 33 is on the point of the little spit.  There were no features down the edge apart from this little tree stump with a couple of twigs coming off it.

The wind was blowing from my bank to the opposite bank (hence why you wanted to be higher than peg 40).  In the main, the peg was more or less flat calm, but as you went further away from the peg, the ripple became waves.  Frontrow had the wind straight in his face.

I set up 1 rig for top 5, where it was about 5ft deep and one for down the edge as told by Daylite and I also set up a shallow rig at 14.5m (just in case).

For bait, I had some venue 4mm and 6mm pellets for feed, some 6mm Bait-Tech expander pellets for hookers and 4 tins of 6mm cubed meat (I gave a bag of meat to Charlie Filofax).

That's it, I was ready.

The match started, I flicked a few pieces of meat out on top 5 and then potted a few pieces of meat and 4mm pellets out to the tree stump.

I baited up with meat on a size 16 Preston PR 490 hook and went out to the top 5 line.  I lowered the rig in and waited for it to sail under.  I waited, and waited some more.  Then I waited some more again.  I was constantly flicking 2 or 3 pieces of meat out over the top of the float.  After 30 minutes, I had not had a dink.  Macca behind me had 5 or 6 fish or so, Syd opposite had nothing.  Mrs Webster had a couple of F1's on method  I put an ever-faithful expander pellet on the hook, to no avail.

I decided to have a look down the edge, I baited up with a 6mm Bait-Tech expander pellet and lowered the rig in down the edge.  I fed a couple of pieces of meat and a small pinch of 4mm pellets over the top and waited.  After about 30 mins, I was still fishless and I went back out to the top 5 line for another 30 mins.  Still nothing.

I could see a few fish topping out in the middle of the lake, so I decided to have a go shallow for a bit.  After about 30 mins of slapping and lifting and dropping the bait, I still had not caught a fish.  We were now 2 hours into the match and I was still fishless. Syd opposite me had caught 1 small F1 and a small roach.  Macca was still catching fish, as was nearly everybody else that I could see.

I baited up with a pellet and went back out to the top 5 line and lowered the rig in and waited.  All of a sudden, the float wobbled, dipped a little then shot under.  FISH ON, FISH ON.  A little F1 about 12 oz was painstakingly and slowly brought back to the landing net.  Phew, I had caught a fish.

Was that the first of many???, Nope, I struggled all match.  I never had a fish shallow, I could only catch odd fish here and there (never had a fish on meat).

To make matters even worse, with about 1 hour to go, I put the shallow rig on my Garbolino M1 pole and shipped out to 14.5m, I was just about to lift the rig and place it where I wanted it, when - SNAP!!. What the hell??, my pole had snapped clean in half about 1ft down from the male end of the 14.5m section and was tethered by about 2ft of spiralled carbon (from the inside of the pole) to the remainder of the butt section that I had in my hand.  I managed to get hold of the pole and took the section off and inspected it.  I could not see or find anything wrong with it.  I have never had a pole break on me in this way for years, I have had a G995 (the number 6 broke on the strike), a G10 - I never had a problem with this, a Gmaxx 1000 - again, no problems with this. Baubles or words to that effect.

That was it, match over, thank god.  I had managed to snare 8 little F1's, 2 small barbel and 2 gudgeon.  That was it.  Match over.  Not a good day in the office today.  Oh well, sometimes it happens.

The scales arrived and after my one weigh (my 2nd net was already dry on the bank lol), I managed to cobble together 13lb odd for nowhere.  Syd opposite me had 9lb odd.  Lurch had caught 17lb from flyer peg 16.  Craig weighed in 49lb from peg 25, Michelle had about 33lb from peg 33, Macca had 47lb, Chris Watson had 72lb, Dave Horsfall had 40lb (ish) from peg 40, Mark Wright had 60lb ish from about peg 47, Andy Limber had 47lb, Webster had 47lb, Stuart Wilson had 79lb on meat on top 5 to left and right, Pid had 22lb and Frontrow had 41lb.

Full Result:

1. Stuart Wilson - 79lb (Peg 62)
2. Chris Watson - 72lb (Peg 38)
3. Mark Wright - 60lb (Peg 47)
4. Craig McKenny - 49lb (Peg 25)

Well done all.  Tightlines.