Round three of the summer league and we were back at Coombe and I would be on pegs 1, 2 or 3. At the moment you need to catch big carp to do well and these seem to be mainly showing on the end pegs 1, 5 and 10. I’d even packed my feeder rod and bought some new 8lb line and bits and bobs in case I drew peg 1, although I did have a bit of a senior moment when I forget to bring my 8mm pellets. I didn’t need to worry though as I pulled out peg 2 and the three anglers who drew the end pegs in the first match were on them again!
To be honest I feared the worst already as Andy Saunders was on peg 1 and after he’d won off peg 10 in the first round with over 100lb, I was sure Bish and me would be fighting it out for second in the section unless the carp didn’t feed.
I set up rigs for top two plus two, 11.5 and 13 metres, the side tray had maggots, disco pinkies and worms plus some Bait-Tech Special G F1 Dark. Leighton shouted the all in and I fed the short line with a little loose groundbait and some pinkies and then the same on two lines at 11.5 metres angled to the left and right.
Starting short I’ve not had a bite while Andy had a decent skimmer on the pole, Bish was getting some chunky crucians from his short line so not wanting to fall too far behind at this early stage I’ve gone out to 11.5 metres. It took a while to get a bite and I bumped a fish before finally getting off the mark with a 4oz skimmer but it wasn’t really happening. Bish on the other hand was getting one a bung as were Nick P and Leighton on the opposite bank.
Another look short and I’ve started catching skimmers and crucians quite well although I also bumped a couple and had several come off which wasn’t ideal! After his bright start, Andy was now struggling and swapping between the bomb and fishing shallow but he hadn’t had a carp as yet.
The last few times I’ve fished Coombe, it’s switched off after two hours and today it was no different as the silvers just shut up shop. Then Andy has hooked a carp shallow on the pole, while he was playing it, my float sailed away and I was into a big fish that tore off, despite adding sections, I didn’t stand a chance on light gear and it snapped me. Andy successfully landed a decent fish and as we weigh any big fish straight away and return them, at 12lb 7oz it was a handy bonus and put him ahead in our three peg section.
Leighton had caught silvers well for two hours and then switched to the method and it wasn’t long before he was into a carp as well. I’ve gone back long and was getting very occasional fish but I was going nowhere fast and looking at three points which would do my league no good whatsoever.
As we headed into the last two hours, nobody was really catching apart from Leighton who was on for a big weight, Andy who’d added a couple of big skimmers and another carp shallow on pellet and Norts on peg 5 who was leading that section with a two decent carp. Les on peg 7 did well to get a carp out but also snapped a pole section on another.
I was fishing at 11.5 metres and toss potting in some sloppy groundbait with double disco pinkie on the hook when out of the blue, the float sunk from view and I had another skimmer, two more followed during the penultimate sixty minutes. Thinking there was still a chance of a decent finish in the ‘golden’ last hour, I started a new line at 13 metres but it wasn’t to be and I only had one more skimbob to finish with 32 fish.
Leighton was first to weigh and had a good net of silvers for 18lb and when all his carp were totted up, his total was an excellent 78lb 14oz which would win the lake by some margin! Nick had 16lb 2oz which included two nice tench and lots of crucians, Terry weighed 6lb 9oz and then Les had 12lb 9oz.
Leighton had the top weight on our lake with 78lb 14oz
Nick weighed 16lb 2oz of crucians and tench
Norts had two carp and some silvers for 19lb 9oz and Fieldy had 8lb 8oz on peg 4. Bish weighed 10lb 14oz and then my fish went 11lb 8oz, Andy had 9lb 8oz of silvers and his two carp added 20lb which won our section and was second on the lake.
Norts had 19lb 9oz which included 8lb 14oz of silvers
Fieldy weighed 8lb 8oz on peg 4
Bish had 10lb 14oz of mainly crucians and tench
I had 32 fish (skimmers and crucians) for 11lb 8oz
Andy was our section and was second overall with 29lb 8oz of carp, skimmers, tench and crucians
It had been hard going at Dillington with carpets of that willow fluff making some swims virtually unfishable. Dave Pope had the top weight with an excellent 20lb 4oz of skimmers and chub from peg 9 followed by George Perkins with 9lb 14oz which included a carp and two skimmers, Frank on 5 who had three skimmers for 8lb 14oz and Hainsey weighed 5lb 14oz on peg 17 for fourth. Thanks to Rob Cox for the photos*
Dave Pope had a lovely net of fish to win the lake with 20lb 4oz*
George was second with 9lb 14oz from peg 7*
Big Frank had some decent skimmers for 8lb 12oz and third*
Coombe Farm
1 – Leighton Cox (Ilminster) – 78lb 14oz
2 – Andy Saunders (Sharp MG) – 29lb 8oz
3 – Chris Norton (Stoke) – 19lb 9oz
4 – Nick Payne (Ilminster) – 16lb 2oz
Dillington
1 – Dave Pope (Stoke) – 20lb 4oz
2 – George Perkins (Ilminster) – 9lb 14oz
3 – Frank Woodard (Ilminster) – 8lb 12oz
4 – Chris Haines (Haines Angling) – 5lb 14oz
At the halfway point in the league, nobody has three section wins and after dropping the worst result, there are six anglers on two points with a further four on three,
Jake Woodard – 2 pts (dropping 2)
Andy Saunders – 2 pts (dropping 2)
Chris Haines – 2 pts (dropping 2)
Frank Woodard – 2 pts (dropping 2)
Chris Norton – 2 pts (dropping 3)
Leighton Cox – 2 pts (dropping 3)
Les Braunton – 3 pts (dropping 2)
Jamie Rich – 3 pts (dropping 2)
Rob Cox – 3 pts (dropping 3)
Dave Pope – 3 pts (dropping 3)
Six points won the league last year with seven enough to frame, I think somebody will have a perfect five points this time with six getting in the top three. So three section wins required in the remaining rounds which I think is a big ask (especially if you don’t draw an end peg at Coombe).
Another good week for the Nugget-O-Meter thanks to donations from the Grand Wiz, Norts, Nick Payne, me and Rob Cox as the total reaches £201.
There’s still a great offer running if you fancy treating yourself to some new fishing gear, use the exclusive discount code AgainstMenandFish10 to get 10% off when you shop online at Somerset Angling
Also I still have copies of my book available from eBay here or Amazon here
And if you could spare five minutes to leave a nice review on Amazon, it would be very much appreciated.
Next up – Revels
Coming soon – Lots more match reports
#sponsoredpost #affiliatelinks
