The last match arrived with me lying in second place in the league, three points behind Graham Field and in all reality the only way I was going to beat him was if he didn’t turn up! This went out the window when I walked into the Crown and he was there. Still I had to try and hang on to second place as young Jake Woodard was only two points behind me.
I really didn’t fancy drawing peg one again and of course did, along with the scales. The weather was gorgeous and there were lots of fish moving. After my disaster last week I thought I would do something a little different this time around so I set up a waggler along with two pole rigs. The first rig was a 0.5 gram Drennan Roach float with 0.12 mm bottom and size 18 B611, this was to fish at 11 metres over my groundbait. The other rig was a Colmic Jolly to fish at two sections to hand and up in the water on the longer line. This rig had a number two elastic, 0.08 mm bottom and size 18 B511.
I mixed up some Sensas Magic and Lake and on the whistle cupped in four balls at 11 metres. Now Graham, Justin Charles, Frank and Jake have all been enjoying success by fishing four metres to hand and catching loads of small fish along with the odd bonus. I get bored catching bits and try and sort out the better quality roach, which really worked for me last year but hasn’t really happened so far. I started on the waggler, loosefeeding hemp and caster to hopefully snare some roach and chub. This didn’t really happen but I was catching perch and the odd small roach on caster. After an hour I had around twenty fish which wasn’t too bad although Graham opposite had already netted a bream!
I came in to two sections to hand and in the next hour caught perch and small rudd regularly and got up to 61 fish. To be honest I couldn’t wait to go out on my longer line but once again it just wasn’t happening and I only had a few small roach and perch. I fed another ball and had another go on the waggler but this was a struggle and the two sections to hand line was also dying although I did add a few more fish to take me to 70 fish. Looking around at the pegs I could see it seemed most anglers were now slowing up. Janders was still getting odd small perch as were Frank and Graham although they kept chopping and changing between methods which I guessed meant bites were harder to come by for them as well.
I went out with the shallow rig and caught a nice rudd followed by a couple of roach but it wasn’t exactly ballistic although at least I was still getting the odd fish. The wind had blown lots of scum into the corner on my left by the willow and by dropping the rig on the edge of it I started to catch rudd quite regularly. Of course it had to happen, I hooked a chub which tore my number two elastic out and snapped the 0.08 bottom like cotton. I put on a more substantial 0.12 bottom and size 18 B611 and changed over top sections to one with blue hydro in and went back out to resume battle.
I didn’t have to wait long and after a decent scrap a chub around the pound mark was deposited into the net. I then missed two good bites on caster before having chub number two. With quarter of an hour to go I had number three but remained biteless for the last ten minutes to finish with 90 fish. I packed up and went to weigh Justin in, his fish went 8lb 10oz and I thought it would be close. Barney weighed 3lb 15oz and I was suprised when my fish pulled the needle round to 10lb 11oz. Janders had loads of small perch for 4lb 6oz so another pound was headed my way.
Back at the results Graham had won his second match on the trot with 14lb 6oz, he also won the league with 9 points after a very consistent series. I was second on the day and picked up £30, I also hung on to second spot in the league and picked up another £25. I ended with 12 points. Robin Cox was third with 10lb 7oz although he did lose five chub! Young Jake Woodard struggled on the day but held on to third place in the league, well done Jake.
I don’t think I’ve got a match next week but there is another Dillington match the week after, tune in then to see how I get on.
