Chiltern Trinity Open (woodlands lake).

Traveling With team mate Don again today we had are usual Hilltops Breakfast on route and had a good bit of banter with a few others which always makes to a good day in my eyes as gone are the days you we all used to have a pint and a chat what went right or wrong" Don & Myself are involved with leagues which means you get to chat with other anglers and take in what has worked on the day, unfortunately there are a lot of people who just don't want to ask for a bit of advice and disappear at the first opportunity, We all think we have styles or methods that are sure fire winners but its the anglers who ring the changes when things aren't going to plan that always seem to be the most consistent, if you get the opportunity to have a chat with those who have done well after a match you'll be surprised just how detailed their information can be as we all like to brag sometimes'.

Back to the fishing  and the forecast today was not pleasant with rain and strong winds and when we arrived at the fishery it was obvious you wanted to avoid the far bank as it would be straight in your chops". Talking of the morning banter Jonny (Slaphead) Page' I was trying to convince him he was going to draw there but you guessed it as it backfired and I saw myself at the lower end of the far bank peg 13! and as it happened Mr Page drew the bank we wanted right opposite me on peg 27.."

Fortunately it was still dry and there was little breeze as we set up but I new it was coming' A pole rig for silvers at a massive 9mts" in 7ft of water being a 0.08g PB2 on 0.13-0.10 and an 18 808 hook. The normal bomb rod to fish towards the middle of the lake with various baits and finally a 4x12 chanti to fish towards the pallet of the empty peg on 0.15-0.13 and a 16 PR434 hook were I had about 5ft of water. Their were 16 fishing today & For company I had Dave Stevens again on peg 11 and Jim Jenner on peg 14 but neither of us was really looking forward to it to be honest.

Starting on the bomb and bread all I had was a couple of liners in the first hour even after casting around with different baits and I had already resorted to putting the last of my clothing on with the weather setting in' I decided to try my pole line with a 4mm expander to start with were I had fed 4 large balls of ground-bait containing some micro pellets and pinkees. but after 10mins and just a skimmer and a rudd' on pinkee I had no feeling left in my hands and had to stop.

After getting my circulation back I had a look down towards the pallet with two 4mm expanders on the hook  where I had been feeding a few loose 6mmpellets by hand but after 10mins I had to get back on the bomb just to stop shaking" it had really set in now and the wind was getting worse as the day went on but looking around I hadn't seen much caught, I finally connected connected with a carp on hair rigged double corn but it was brief as it shed the hook! Again nothing in the next for what seemed like an eternity" I decided to give the pallet swim another try with corn on the hook feeding a few grains of corn over the top via a cadpot, after a bit of lifting and dropping I was attached to a big fish but it was obvious it was foul hooked, after 10mins I thought I was winning but all I ended up with was a scale'. next put-in and again I had a foul hooker which also came off! it would of been easy to say try fishing off the deck but with the wind howling towards us it was creating waves so decided to feed a slightly larger amount to try and pin them to the deck, it worked' as soon after I netted a double figure common carp! With no more signs I had the chance to feed another inside line as with two hours to go both Jim & Dave had done which I was about to before I hooked a carp and that was pack up and get home in the warm". I fed a handful of corn and 6mm hard pellet about a metre short of the platform and tried the bomb again without so much as a liner so I had to rely on the pole swims where I thought I had the chance of some more carp, It was short lived though as after a liner on my new swim the match was called to a halt with an hour to go as it was that bad tackle was getting broke and umbrella's being folded inside out! I was thankful really as some days it just doesn't seem worth it battling against the elements but that's why we go we must be a rare breed..?

I didn't get to see Miska for the full results sheet as she was back in the warm soon after the weigh-in, or take any photo's for that matter, but the match was won by, YEP' it had to be with 30lb that man JONNY PAGE" catching on hard pellet at 14mts" I Ask Ya..." I did manage to get a snap of him after the match...

 (Winner John Page)

Next up was Mike West next door to him on peg 29 with 24lb, Silvers went the way of Rich Coles with 7lb odd but to be honest we just all wanted to get in the warm after a day like today, Might even slip into that Onesie I had for Xmas???. 

Full Reasults - 

1st John page (Weston) peg 27, 30lb 7oz.

2nd Mike West (Landsend Fishery) peg 29, 24lb 9oz.

3rd Lewis Jones (Drennan Thyers) peg 7, 16lb 4oz.

4th Dom Sullivan (Maver/Cadbury Ang) peg 13, 13lb.

Silvers - Rich Coles (Sedges Fishery) peg 19, 7lb 3oz.