Chard AC always hold on match on Good Friday and today was no exception. Once again the forecast was crap with strong winds, hail and rain. I managed to draw poxy peg 15 again and the wind was right in my face. I set up the same two rigs as the last match (see previous post) and on the whistle cupped in some chopped worm at ten metres and some 4 mm pellets, corn and chili hemp on the inside to my right. I started on the longer line with double red maggot on the hook. It was very cold and the wind was making holding the pole difficult.
After half an hour it looked like it was going to be hard as nobody I could see had caught anything! Ten minutes later I had a bite and after a short tussle, netted a carp of around a pound, things were looking up. I then had a small roach and that was it. Alan ‘Picky’ Gage opposite me had placed a pound side bet with me before the start so I was dismayed when he landed a carp on the feeder. I refed the longer line and came on the inside.
After an hour on the inside I hadn’t added to my tally. The odd fish was now being caught around the pond but nobody was running away with it. The grapevine reported that Janders had landed a carp so my other side bet was looking iffy as well. Then the jungle drums reported that Les on corner peg ten had landed a lump of 10lb 10oz and had a couple of smaller carp to go with it. I still couldn’t buy a bite on either line. I was once again looking forward to the final whistle.
With an hour to go I was on the inside with double red maggot on the hook when I started getting the odd bite, they turned out to be roach, which staved off the boredom a little and I added four to my ‘bulging’ net. Then out of the blue I had a carp around three pound and hopefully this had put me ahead of Picky. No more bites and the whistle sounded just as the rain came down yet again. I quickly packed up and walked round to watch the weigh in, Oz on peg one has 15lb+ and Janders had four carp for 10lb something so that was one pound down, Picky had another carp which I hadn’t seen him land and he weighed 5lb odd. I knew I didn’t have that so my other pound bit the dust as well.
There were a few double figure weights and then Les went into the lead with over 22lb, Steve Bush came the closest to him with just under 17lb, I weighed a lowly 4lb which was second from last but at least I’d beaten my weight from last time. I’m out here again on Sunday and the weather doesn’t look great for then either. I just can’t get my head round this carp lark, give me roach anyday.
