Due to winning the Robin Hood AC points last year, I was put forward to fish the Garbolino Club Angler of the Year qualifier at Lindholme Lakes, Epworth.
I arrived in good time and found out that all lakes were in apart from Benny's. Pre-draw I wanted to ideally draw a peg that I could reach the island with 16m pole (max) or some open water for fishing shallow, I didn't want to be on Beeches (as I have never faired very well on there), nor did I want to be on Loco (as I had only fished it once on a Fisho qualifier years ago and again, didn't do very well - general theme for my matches).
By the time of the draw, there were about 140 anglers present. I was near the front of the draw queue and put my hand in the lucky bag and out came Loco peg 25. Eeeewww.
I looked on the peg board and saw that I had an empty peg to my left (peg 26) and for some reason had peg 23 in my mind. I went to my peg and had a quick chat with Tim Moran who advised me to fish pellet wag at 25yards feeding and fishing 6mm pellets, whilst feeding 4mm pellets at 14m or so with the intention of catching shallow - there are loads of 2lb+ F1's plus some big munter carp to be had. My peg had a nice looking reed bed to my right, which I was almost sitting on. I had Phil Limbert (not Lambert as named in Match Fishing Magazine) for company on peg 21.
After about 20 mins of setting up, Gary Matthews appeared and said 'Mick, you are on my peg'. I said 'No, I am not'. A quick call to Neil 'Uncle Fester' Grantham confirmed that I was.... on the wrong peg. I was on peg 25, not 23. Damn, lost my nice looking reed bed. Don't know why I thought that I was on peg 23.
Gary helped me move my gear to my new peg and I continued setting up.
I set up a pellet waggler rod and 3 shallow kits and 1 margin rig as follows:
2 x Jigga rigs - one to fish between 8" - 18" deep and the other to fish as deep as 3ft.
1 x Drennan Crystal shallow rig to fish about 2ft deep.
All hooklengths were .13 Preston Powerline to a size 16 C1 hook.
My margin rig was a Cralusso inline float on .17 Preston Powerline direct to a size 14 Colmic B501.
For bait, I had a couple of tins of corn and 1 bag of micro pellets and 2 bags each of 4mm and 6mm pellets.
That was it, time to start.
I pinged a few pellets out on the pellet waggler line and cast out over the top and worked on this line for the next 20-25 minutes and never had a liner or an indication or anything. All the while, I was feeding the pole line. I decided to have a look on that line instead.
I baited up the jigga rig and lowered the rig in and catapulted some pellets over the top, a couple of slaps with the rig and oooosh, I was in. My first fish - an F1 about 6oz. I repeated the process and caught another fish of the same stamp. I wondered if I could catch them closer....???
I fed at 13m and dropped the rig in, a couple of minutes later, I was in again. I wondered if I could catch them closer...., so chucked some pellets in about 5/6m out and lowered the rig in on that line, nothing, so I went back out to 13m whilst still feeding 5/6m line.
After every fish at 13m, I would drop the rig on the 5/6m line whilst shipping back out. On my 4th time at dropping in, oooooosssshhh, I was in at 5/6m.
I fished this line for the duration of the match, having a peg to peg battle with Steve Riley who was to my left hand side on peg 27.
At one point, I hooked a zoo creature that took off up the lake, taking my top kit with it....Crap!!!! The section must have worked loose whilst slapping??!!
Both Gary and Phil were struggling to catch. Gary was even fishing in my reed bed LOL.
At the all out, Steve Riley came to have a chat and we both said that we had beaten each other, he said to me that at one point I was catching 5 fish to his one and vice versa. It was going to be close to call between us both. I estimated that I had about 200 fish for about 90 - 100lb ish. Pure estimation.
By the time that the scales arrived, Gavin Maguire was winning it with 124lb 8oz from Oasis peg 53with a couple of other 100lb back ups. I didn't have that.
I lifted my first net out which weighed about 60lb total. I lifted my 2nd net out (which had a similar weight) for 65lb for a total weight of 125lb 6oz. I was the new leader. Now it was the turn of Steve on peg 27, he had a few weighs and his fish totalled 100lb 6oz. I was the new leader. I was told to stay at my peg with half of my catch for a catch photo should I actually win the qualifier.
I waited for what seemed like hours, but was probably about 30 mins when Alex Bones came to me to tell me that I had won and he wanted a catch photo.
I was made up. I thoroughly enjoyed my days fishing.
Now to start planning for Barston.
Tightlines.
Mike
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