Todber Manor – Silvers Open – 10th February 2024

I haven’t fished Todber for a while so when I saw on Facebook they were turning Ash into a silvers lake and had taken a lot of the carp out, I thought it could be really interesting. Early match results looked good, 20lb+ needed to frame with lots of small fish, some decent skimmers plus odd tench and perch making up the weights. An open was advertised for Saturday so I booked in and Nick said he fancied it as well. Leading up to the weekend, I spoke to a couple of people who had fished the matches and basically it sounded like fishing short (four or five sections) with maggots and groundbait was the way to go.

The first thing I noticed when we arrived was a huge construction project where the car park used to be. A substantial restaurant and bar are well underway and will be a fantastic addition to the complex. After getting some bait we paid our pools and it was nice to see Nicky Collins, Andy Miller and Pete Z at the draw. There were fourteen booked in but two failed to show on the day which was a shame as there was reserve list as well.

Normally on canal/strip type lakes the pegs in the middle are favoured for silvers and when I pulled out 69 (the pegs are numbered 62-75), I was well happy and Nick drew 74 towards the top end. I set up rigs for top kit plus two, a couple of lines at five sections (left and right) and lastly one swim at 11.5 metres straight out.

On the whistle I fed all my lines before starting short, I had a bite first chuck and was getting small roach and little skimmers with the odd one around 3-4oz and thought I was going to be in for a busy day. It was fairly short lived though and after thirty minutes or so, bites slowed right up so I moved out to the top five lines and started catching again but the lack of quality was slightly concerning. The pegs either side were fishing long and although not catching particularly quickly, they were getting some decent skimmers.

I fed another ball of groundbait on the long swim and dropped back in on the top four line where I’d been feeding maggots and had a nice little run of roach up to 8oz but it didn’t last long. My neighbours were still catching better skimbobs and it looked like the pegs at the top end were netting fish regularly as well. I’ve gone out on my 11.5 metre line for the first time and started getting bites but it was mainly small fish again.

I tried toss potting in maggots and groundbait every put in which worked to a certain extent and I began getting the odd skimmer but it still didn’t feel like I was catching as well as those either side. They were both fishing 13 metres and I’m pretty sure Ade West on my right had been feeding chopped worm in his groundbait. I tried adding another section and fishing past my feed but that didn’t really work and similarly the shorter lines had all died a death now.

The wind also got up and holding the pole at 13 metres was a nightmare, I pulled out of several decent skimmers and landed three carassio up to 3lb (which don’t count) but never hooked a carp all day. Towards the end of the five hours, I tried feeding at 13 metres and had two nice skimmers and another carassio which I landed after the whistle. I finished up with 73 fish but knew I hadn’t done any good today.

The scales soon arrived to start the weigh in and Nicky Collins did well from peg 62 with 18lb 12oz but it had actually been quite hard to my left, Andy P on 63 struggled for 1lb 14oz, Pete Z chucked back, Andy Millar had 17lb on 66, Nigel P weighed 4lb 12oz and then Dave Griffiths had 15lb 10oz. Thanks to Todber Manor for the photos*

My fish went 13lb 12oz, Ade had a lovely net of skimmers for 20lb and then the weights just got better and better towards the top end of the pond, Nick King weighed 22lb 8oz and then Lee Woodhouse on 72 had an excellent 27lb 8oz. Nick loved his first visit and had a bite a chuck all day to weigh 41lb 14oz and then Steve Purchase on peg 75 had the top weight and a cracking days fishing with 44lb 12oz.