After actually picking up some money last week I was hoping to continue my good fortune this week. After drawing peg 3, I wasn’t so sure. Butch Baker drew another flier in the shape of peg 10 and Chris Haines also continued his good form at the draw bag with peg 20. My peg has had some form but only when peg 2 hasn’t been in but I was still cautiously optimistic.
The peg looks ok and there are some reeds to the left, on the right hand side (towards peg 2) is an overhanging tree and this is where most of the fish have been coming from. I had match organiser Les Braunton to my left on peg 4 and Janders was opposite on peg 19, so at least I could gauge how safe (or not) my pound was looking.
I set up my usual two rigs (see previous Perry St posts) and mixed up some Van Den Eydne strawberry carp groundbait and added some PA Megabaits carp powder and was ready well before the off. On the whistle I cupped in three balls at 11 metres and some hemp, pellets and corn on both insides. I started on the longer line with double red maggot and had a small roach first put in. A switch to corn resulted in no bites whatsoever, looking round the pond there wasn’t anything happening at our end at all. Pegs at the other end seemed to be getting the odd fish.
Janders hooked his usual foulhooked bream but it came off this time so we were still neck and neck. After an hour I tried both inside lines but had no indications at all and it really was looking like another struggle. Chris had a tench and Les lost a small carp in the reeds but that was the only excitement down our end for hours. I did foulhook a perch on my left inside line but of course it came off. After three hours we were all bored shitless, Chris had started to get odd fish but it was obvious all the weights would be from the other end. To top things off there were several hailstorms as well.
With an hour and a half to go Steve Bishop on peg 5 had a couple of fish and Les had landed two small carp. I was fishing to my right with corn on the hook when the float went under, the black hydro did its job and I netted a mirror of around 3lb, hooked in the side! A bit later I had a second, this time hooked on the top of the head and then a third hooked in the tail. There were obviously a few fish there and I missed a couple of bites. I had three more before the end, all hooked fairly this time and missed a bite just before the end. Why couldn’t they have moved in an hour earlier?
I knew I wouldn’t feature in the frame but thought it might be close for the section as Bishop had a similar number of fish and Mark Hollister just up from Steve had caught well. I did know I’d won a quid off Janders as he’d only had one small roach. I packed up and awaited the weigh in, Dave Abrahams on peg 2 only managed one carp and then my six (plus the small roach) went 19lb 10oz. Les just had the two small carp and Bishop weighed 15lb odd so it was still on for the section. Hollister then spoiled things by plonking over 28lb on the scales, still if he framed I’d get the section by default.
As the scales reached the top end of the pond the weights rose dramatically, Steve Bush had 29lb plus and Butch Baker made the most of his good draw to weigh over 45lb, there were several other 20lb weights including Hainsey who had 22lb something. At the results I was relieved when Hollister was called out in third place and I did pick up £20 for the section. As well as Janders pound I also collected a ‘squid’ off Picky which was very satisfying as it was the first time I’d beaten him here.
So two pick ups in two weeks, could I carry it on next week when we are at Chard reservoir? Les reckons bream have been showing well so lets hope so.
