Shiplate Farm (Main Lake) Monday.

The last of a five day stint back on the main lake with the wife for company so she was hopeful of a peg in the sun", nineteen fishing today so a good turn out, obviously pegs 1 or 15 would be first choice but the wind was blowing down the lake so maybe a few fish would be caught here today? Into the draw & I didn't get my choices but was happy to draw peg 2 again as a few fish have been caught off it lately, arriving a the swim I was having second thoughts as there wasn't a sign of fish from what I could see but further down they were boshing in the open water with the wind on it but you never know, I caught a few fish down the edge back towards peg one last time on was on here & hoped for the same today so had a 0.2g rig on 0.17-0.15 & a size 16 hook to fish 8mts along the bank in just over 2ft of water, Next up was a rig to fish across in a few areas, to the left by the bush hanging off the island at 16mts tight to the bank in just over 2ft of water, A swinger'/shallow rig on a longer line & finally a 4x12 rube to fish in 4ft of water off the edge of the bush between me & peg 3, I had Glyn Wickham on peg 1 who normally fishes for silvers but change of plan after drawing it" & Roy Ede on peg 3 but I couldn't really see him but he said he was silvering today.

I started the day feeding some hemp & meat off the bush down my left edge, Fed some hard 6mms again down the edge back towards peg 1 & fed a few cubes of meat right across tight to the bank towards the rope separating pegs 1 & 2 & started the day at dead depth towards the far bank bush just cad a few hard 6mms & fishing a banded 8mm pellet, 15mins later & not a sniff, I still hadn't seen a sign of carp & felt if anywhere I would hook one tight over, I tried the meat fed line across but still nothing so time to start feeding some 6mms with the catty to try & draw some fish in back towards the bush, finally I had a bite then had a skimmer about a 1lb a couple more followed in the next hour around the same size but still no signs of carp over, I had a quick try down the edge & on the short meat line but nothing here so fed a new line with some corn & meat closer to the rope at 16mts in the deeper water & left it to settle, Back across I had another skimmer but bumped two of shipping back as the elastic was a bit heavy for them but didn't want to risk losing a decent carp, At this point the Mrs who had been sat quietly in here deck chair reading the paper shot out the seat like lightning' asking here what the hell was the matter she pointed to he front of the swim whilst on route over the bank to hawthorns where a grass snake was basking right next to us!" Lol, It got it away but she didn't sit near me for the rest of the match!  Around halfway Mark Wynn had come for a wander & said it was fishing hard but Titch Had had one big carp & a couple of silvers & that was winning' I kept trying the shorter lines & the new open water line but nothing so decided to dump pot a larger amount of 6mms across & continue to feed over the top with the catty, I was getting the odd bite but foul hooked a couple more skimmers, I tried shallower but no signs so went back to fishing just over depth, The odd skimmer kept me interested but bites really had to be worked for, I had tried the edge with pellet a few times & with no signs switched to feeding hemp & corn in the hope of some tench if no carp showed, With 90mins to go I went back in with corn on the hook & had a 6lb fish in seconds, Back out I had another fish this time around 11lb' no more signs so re-fed it with a larger amount & went back across, I had a couple more bonus skimmers but pulled out of a better bream near the net around 3-4lb' Again elastic at fault but wasn't going to change it now as could get a few carp in the last hour, I fully expected a few more carp down the edge in the last 45mins but spooked just one fish in the last few minutes, I had a couple more late skimmers across finding it best in the end to feed a few pellets over with the catty & sit & wait for bites. I thought I had around 15lb of carp & around 10lb of silvers but lost track of how many skimmers I had netted? when the scales arrived the top weight was 53lb from Mark who had returned to his peg to catch a few fish down his margin in the last hour & the silvers weight was 11lb odd, I had more than I thought in silvers finishing with 16lb odd & my carp went 16lb, Glynn had chucked back a carp & a few skimmers on peg one so it meant I was fortunate enough to win the silvers pool picking up £60 along the way, It fished hard today for everyone but at least it was a close match & well done to mark for preserving which proved worth while picking up £100. was surprized not to catch anymore fish down the edge in the last hour but that's fishing & at least I enjoyed the day & a good finish to the last few days, & we met a new friend not that Yvonne was to keen."

Full results -

1st Mark Wynn (Colmic) peg 9A, 55lb 4oz.

2nd Rob Birch (Summerhayes) peg 15, 43lb 12oz.

3rd Steve Howell (Shiplate) peg 10, 35lb 13oz.

4th Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 2, 32lb 14oz.

5th Titch Williams (Drennan Thyers) peg 6, 30lb 14oz.

Silvers -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 2, 16lb 10oz.

2nd Ray Wickham (Tom Thick Baits) peg 9, 11lb 8oz.  

Shiplate Farm Open (Hawthorns) Sunday.

Back again for the Sunday open hoping to draw the somewhere around the middle of the lake but for once I ended up on peg 1" its probably the best margin peg & even though 30lb odd was off it the day before I hopped to catch a few, When I arrived it was flat calm with the wind blowing further down the lake & I never saw a fish move whilst setting up which had me a bit concerned' then disaster, I span my pole roller over not realising my pole was close by & managed to shave off the last 6 inches of my number five section!! FFS" head gone before we even start..." Luckily Lewis Jones rang his dad to drop a spare down for me to use & he arrived shortly after the start, I began across tight to the bank & had three fish on 8mm pellet over cad-potted 4mms but it was still a bit deep & soon how a few foulers, After an hour I started to see the odd shadow appear in the peg followed but more as the day went on, I spent the next few hours mugging a few before they drifted further down the lake & I couldn't follow them due to the rope going across which was a bit frustrating as Gary Finders on peg 3 started to get a few, I expected to catch shallow down the edge but it didn't really happen I had a couple but caught better when I fished on the deck late in the match with double meat but did it to late in the day & wasted to much time chasing the shadows which didn't really want to play ball, Steve Howells draw hand never lets him down & one peg away from where he was the day before he won the day with 139lb catching across in the shallow water on worm over G/Bait, I think?? but still got to catch them, I ended up with 86lb odd but felt the peg was worth a few more, Expected to get liners if I fished on the deck down the edge in 4ft of water as I saw fish swirl here in the day but oddly I didn't.

Back to Shiplate today for the late starter on the main lake & with my draw in the last two days being 1 & 15 then on this lake either of them again & I'm on a flyer so bring it on"

Full results -

1st Steve Howell (Shiplate) peg 8, 139lb 12oz.

2nd Russ Peck (Thatchers Tackle) peg 5, 118lb 4oz.

3rd Gary Finders (Shiplate) peg 3, 94lb 4oz.

4th Dom Sullivan (Mosella) peg 1, 86lb 8oz.

   

Summerhayes Longs Lake Silvers Only & Shiplate Farm Knock-Up.

Friday saw me at Summerhayes for the latest silvers qualifier, I drew peg 13 which was in the widest area & going on last weeks weights expected a few bites".

I had Tom Thick next to me on peg 11 who was being greedy as he wanted a quid on it just after winning the Avalon Festival the previous four days" Well done mate. Well it didn't quite turn out as we expected' I had two small skimmers after two hours & was winning the lake! Tom had a run of seven small skimmers mid match then nothing & called it a day with an hour to go, I kept plugging away picking up the odd small hand size skimmer on soft pellet but nothing of any size, I saw Bill Hopping on peg 17 net some good skimmers late in the day & Rob Birch was netting some better late fish on peg 8 behind me but it was rock hard today & the silvers just didn't want to play ball.

Full results -

1st Rob Birch (Peg 13) & Bill Hopping (Peg 17) (Summerhayes) 4lb 10oz.

3rd Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 13, 3lb 5oz.

4th George (HLS) peg 34, 2lb 12oz. 

Saturday saw me have a friendly knock-up for another Johno Mania match on Shiplate Hawthorns lake which is just a piss take among a few of us a couple of times a year, I ended up on peg 15 at the far end, Had a strange day, Couldn't really get more than one fish on any method, Managed to dob a couple through the day, Had one early tight across but soon scraped that due to the wind so fished up & down in the edge & 6mts on meat on the deck which got me some late carp & a few silvers, I ended up with 50lb odd but easy winner on the day was Peanut Howell With 138lb on peg 9 in the middle of the lake catching shallow down the track but don't ask him what he caught on cause it wont be the truth!! I ended up 2nd & did win the silvers but no double bubble so only £32 quid back, A small profit I thought but not to be as I snapped two elastics through the day Losing both fish & the entire rigs in the process so had to quickly make a trip to the tackle shop for some more!

Full Results -

1st Steve Howell (Shiplate) peg 9, 138lb 8oz.

2nd Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 15, 53lb 10oz.

3rd Andy Light (Shiplate) peg 1, 38lb 8oz.

4th Paul Hawkins (Pole Repairs Needed) peg 6, 35lb 4oz.

Update on the last Four days" Shiplate Main Lake, Summerhayes, Shiplate Hawthorns.

Been a busy few days so whilst I have five minutes Ile do my best to run through how things went, Thursday started with a last minute decision as I had finished work early not feeling great but didn't want to sit at home so got in just in time for the draw on the Cost-cutter on the main lake at Shiplate Farm, I let Steve's helper Jim draw for me & fancied a few bites on here for a change when he handed me peg 5, Titch had drawn peg 1 again' so fancied him to be the winner but was still going to target carp, I kept it simple, Shallow on the long pole, the pellet waggler, & a rig for down the edge towards peg 6 where I had around 3ft of water away from the rocks, I started shallow on the pole but no early signs, Saw a few fish on the wagg line but only two foul hookers in the next hour which both came off, Two hours gone & I was blanking, Gary Finders had had a couple shallow on the pole so spent most of the match doing the same, I ended up with six carp for 50lb odd but lost 12 through the day mostly fouled or not hooked properly?? Their is no ruling on how shallow you can fish here & even inches deep I was having problems, They were big fish as well. As expected titch won the day with 107lb, Gary did well to finish 2nd with 80lb including some late fish on the method & a few shallow in the tail"Lol, Silvers wise Dave Wride showed the way here yet again with 23lb odd, A funny day as they weren't keen to feed & tempting a few on the hook proved hard, I tried the edge but never had a bite here all day.

Full results -

1st Titch Williams, (Drennan Thyers) peg 1, 107lb 15oz.

2nd Gary Finders (Shiplate) peg 4, 80lb.

3rd Mike Owens (Sensas 88) peg 13, 78lb 1oz.

4th Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 5, 50lb 14oz.

    

Shiplate Farm (Squirle Pool)

After spending the day car booting with the wife yesterday I was looking forward to getting back on the bank, Only a knock-up with nine of us fishing but usually once this lake has warmed up a bit you get plenty of bites from generally small carp & Goldfish with the odd bonus carp thrown in' It was already a glorious morning with the sun out from the minute we got there, I had the wife in tow for a few hours who wanted to make the most of the sun". I fancied a draw on the low numbers today below the footbridge but ended up on peg 9 again which I just happened to draw last time I was here but it was a lot cooler then. Its just over 12mts to the far side so first up was a rig to fish at the bottom of the far side shelf as its quite uneven the closer you get to the bank, Being a 0.2g AS1 float on 0.15-0.11 & a 16 F1 Pellet hook where I found around 3ft of water. Next up was a small 4x12 float on 0.15 & a 16 B911 hook to fish in just over a 1ft of water tighter to the bank between two clumps of bull rushes off to my right, A rig to fish the track again a 0.2g AS1 on the same line/hook where I had around 4ft of water & finally a 4x12 rube to fish down each edge in 3ft of water.

My plan today was mainly soft pellet on the hook over micros, 4mms & G/Bait, & meat down the edge. I stared the day feeding a ball of G/bait with 4mms added down the track, Feed a handful of 4mms down my right edge at 6mts & began the day across on 4mm expanders over cad-potted micros & 4mms in the deeper water at the bottom shelf, It didn't take long to get my first fish being a 6oz carp, & a run of smaller fish after was interrupted when I had a bonus 3lb fish soon followed by another around 2lb' I had a good first 30mins & had around 10lb in the net before things slowed up a little, I was still getting odd fish including some chunky 6-8oz goldfish so was happy to keep putting the odd fish in the net at this stage.

I had a couple of carp just over a 1lb off this line along with some smaller fish for the first few hours & on the halfway mark thought I had a round 28lb in the net, I hadn't seen that much being caught above me around the island pegs but didn't know if they were catching down on the lower pegs. At this stage Simon Ryall who was struggling on the peg below me had switched to fishing the shallower water across with corn on the hook & had netted a few decent stamp fish. With things slowing up I followed suit fishing corn in the shallower water tight to the bank, I had a carp around 8oz then foul hooked a fish but it wasn't really happening, I tried meat across shallow against the reeds to my left which got me another 1lb carp & a 6oz chub but that was it, I had a look down the edges but no signs here & to be honest the 4th hour was wasted trying to chase fish around the peg looking for so bonus fish. I switched back to fishing the bottom of the far shelf again on soft pellet just adding anything to the net I could catch, I had to keep tweaking the depth & the amounts I was feeding but one thing I did notice was I had to feed something every put-in to induce bites, This was it for pretty much the rest off the match, I did keep trying the shallow water across & added a couple more small carp before taking two 2lb plus fish in the last two dob-ins, Simon had managed a few more better sized carp but was having to wait a bit longer for bites as the day went on so felt I still had enough to beat him? I ended with 46lb on the clicker but it went a bit to pot after struggling for an hour so thought I may have 50lb odd? I helped with the scales doing the board & first to weigh was Ray Wickham on end peg 14 who finished with 14lb odd as did Paul Faires on peg 13 so harder over that side today, Steve Howell did well on peg 12 in the top corner of are bank to finish with 40lb odd before Titch on peg 11 had 20lb odd, My turn & I was a bit out finishing with 67lb odd after two weighs, A Good days fishing with plenty of bites, Simon finished with 44lb then Dave White had 49lb next to the bridge on peg 6, last to weigh on peg 2 was Golly Jones who did well to end up with 59lb.

So back at the results & I picked up £50 for winning the day, A great little lake for plenty of bites in most areas & a lake you have to work hard at to keep bites coming, I used the white Mosella Ozone elastic for the first time today & found it perfect for this stamp of fish & plenty enough for the odd bonus. I was only 3lb odd off breaking the lake record today which would of been another bonus of £100 but don't think I could of had much more so not to worry & sure they'll be another chance. Another great day weather wise, long may it continue'?

Full Results -

1st Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 9, 67lb 12oz.

2nd Golly Jones (Shiplate) peg 2, 59lb.

3rd Dave White (Bait-Tech Viaduct) peg 6, 49lb 4oz.

4th Simon Ryall (Shiplate) 44lb.

5th Steve Howell (Shiplate) peg 12, 40lb 4oz.

          

Chiltern Trinity Woodlands Lake, Shiplate V Clevedon A.A.

Guesting for the Shiplate Farm Team Again today on a venue I don't get to fish enough to be honest, I think the last time I was here was in the winter a couple of years ago when I had my new lead rod & reel dragged in! Luckily I got it back somehow" More of a friendly event but the Shiplate side had taken the spoils in all the previous rounds when fished together so were keen to keep up the good work' Unfortunately The Clevedon Team were Short as Paul Faires couldn't get his car started but the top eight weights from each side would decided the out come, It looked like being a nice day but their was quite a breeze blowing from the north west down the lake, Into the draw & I pulled out peg 17, I was told it was a good area in the bottom corner of the lake on the right hand side, Apparently Peg 15 not far round from me had won a resent match with 200lb but I had good mate Nick Harvey who has just returned to the bank having hibernated for the winter on peg around from me on peg 14 which gave him the option of fishing down to 15 so expected him to do well but also hoped to be in for some decent action, I did warn him though if he started bagging I would slig the method his way! Lol.

A few options here that's for sure, I got the shallow wagg & Method feeder rods put first up, I do have to add I have used these Mosella Hardcases which fit into the Mosella holdalls for over a year now and their really sturdy, There as good as new with no issues with zips ect that usually break in time & all the stitching is still perfect.

Pole wise I set up a rig to fish shallow/Slapping with banded pellet, A 4x12 Rube on 0.17-0.19 & a size 14 hook to fish meat at 6mts which is fairly deep around 7ft, The same float/line to fish down both edges which turned out to be over 4ft deep so would fish at 6mts on my right towards the empty pallet peg 16 tight to the bank & 16mts past the pallet to my left again against the bank which looked fishy with the wind blowing are way.

I started the day pinging 6mm pellets in the open water to my left in the open water to try & draw some fish shallow whilst I started on the deck with 8mm meat at 6mts, I also cupped a decent amount of 6mms down the edge at 16mts & fed a few hard 6 & 8mms down my short edge by hand, I gave the meat line around 15mins but with no signs had a quick look infront of me on the pellet wagg shallow, This didn't work with no indications so it was time to try shallow on the pole where I had continued to ping some 6mms, It was a bit of a mare with the wind to get the rig in properly but after a bit of persistence I hook a fish which turned out to be around 8lb so I was up & running, Soon after I had a 3lb fish then lost another Decent fish foul hooked Near the net! I gave it another 40mins or so but again just two more foul hooked fish one I got in around 3lb. the wind had started to get stronger & I missed a couple of bite but things just weren't right & I was going nowhere, I had Terry Taylor behind me again today & after he had a wander around not much had been caught at this stage.

It was time to try down the edges, I started with banded 8mm on the short line to my right where I had been dripping in the odd pellet, I missed a couple of bites before connecting with a 3lb F1" A while later had a 3lb carp foul hooked then lost a bigger fish fouled again, I added a cad-pot and rather than throwing a few pellets by hand started to cup 3-4 8mms each put-in, I had a carp around 5lb straight away, By this time Nick who was yet to catch followed suit & started to fish down to the boards on peg 15. It didn't take long for him to start catching & they were decent sized fish by the look of it with the first one over 10lb" I noticed he was fishing corn but could see that he only had a couple of feet of water, I had another plumb around but still had at least 4ft of water to contend with so had to make do, I decided to follow suit & feed some corn down the edge when I couldn't get anymore signs.

Back out shallow I hooked & lost another fouler but soon slung it up the bank as the wind just wasn't playing ball" so time to try down the long edge where I had been feeding 6mms with the catty with banded 8mm on the hook. I had a 6lb fish in seconds,  then another F1 & a small carp before things went a bit iffy as I foul hooked two more in the next ten minutes so went out on the shallow rig, A couple of plops with the pellet & the elastic was soon out & a 5lb fish in the net, I thought I had sussed it & would start bagging" Wrong' I couldn't get a bite here after. I feed another decent amount of 6mms back down the long edge & though as soon as tried down my short edge with corn I would be catching as Nick was still doing well on it. Nope' Just small dinks on the float so I had draw in the small fish then" I tried had pellet again but nothing so was regretting feeding the better amount of corn here, I plumed a new line close to the pallet leg & started to drip feed 8mm meat here with a few 8mms. The second half of my match turned out to be pretty much a disaster" I managed to hook another decent fish shallow on the long pole which managed to dive between my nets & snapped my top kit in the process but I still managed to net it around 6lb" Then I managed to hook the bottom at 16mts" I got back to my top-kit with it still attached then managed to snap another top-kit just as the hook length gave way! FFS...

I did managed a few more fish down the edge at 16mts when I switched to cad potting a few 8mms over the top but they wouldn't stay here, The shorter edge was a waste of time where I had fed the corn as I never had another fish off this line & wished I had just continued to feed the odd pellet by hand, & the new line produced just one bite near the pallet leg but it turned out to be a 2lb tench". On the all-out I had 62lb of carp on the clicker & my tench & two F1's would go about 7lb? I had seen Rich Hawkins further along Nicks bank netting on the end peg netting fish through the day but new Nick would be the likely winner with over 100lb as he caught most of the match in the shallower water on double corn.

I caught up with the scales just up from Nick & Rich Hawkins was leading the way with a level 70lb, Nick was next & finished with 115lb, before it was my turn, I was a lot closer with my estimate today & finished with 73lb odd, back at the results & Nick easily won the day so well done Mate, Thankfully after my expensive day' I held on to second picking up £50 so not a total disaster' On the team stakes it was a lot closer today & Clevedon finally took the spoils after the top eight weights were added for each side with a total of 325lb odd to Shiplate's 305lb odd. I did enjoy the day, The wind ruled out the long pole shallow as I'm sure I would of had a few more on it? Have to say a big thanks to Titch Williams after he donated me some of my beloved Chanti's which will come into use in the winter months, A few people struggled for fish today in some areas so thankful for a better draw this week after missing yesterdays match at Acorn due to work.

Full Results -

1st Nick Harvey (Sensas 88) peg 14, 115lb 12oz.

2nd Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 17, 73lb 10oz.

3rd Rich Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 8, 70lb.

4th John Page (Drennan Thyers) peg 26, 63lb 6oz.

Silvers -

1st Mark Broomsgrove (Sensas 88) peg 27, 9lb 12oz.    

Shiplate Farm Main Lake, (Monday).

Back on the main lake again today & with 16 of us fishing fancied it to produce a few fish as we had a late start, 10.30 draw & fish 12 til 6pm, Obvious we all wanted to draw the normal two hot pegs but didn't mind being in the middle of the lake as a fancied a few fish shallow here? Into the draw & out comes peg 9, Dire!" I keep hearing of fish in the area of the lake but yet to see it produce in matches, Last time Mark Jones called it a day here so wasn't that confident of catching much? It looks inviting with decent margins left & right & an island chuck some distance away being sat in the bottom bowl on the lake but the level was down last from last time with much of the undercut back showing so new it was very shallow tight across, 

I found a couple of areas down the edges, 13mts to the right & 12mts along the end bank to my left which were the same depth around 2ft, Had a rig to fish the open water at 9mts in 4ft or so of water, a long line/slapper rig to fish at 14mts & just one rod, a Method Feeder!" Yep I am Finally going to succumb to giving it ago". I had Steve (Peanut) Howell on peg 9A & Glen Baily on peg 8 through the gap to my right, We had the lakes aerator on between us as well as an overflow pipe running water in at 17mts along the left bank but agreed to keep them on rather than risk things switching it off as it had been on overnight.

I didn't go into details of my rigs because simple my day went like this, started short with banded 8mm feeding just the odd hard 6mm, Not a sign after 15mins so my first try on the method" Banded wafter on the hook, Micros around the feeder, 15mins I missed a right pull round the rod nearly went in! 20mins later this time fish on, All 2lb of it" & that was it for the rest of the day!! I Lost another on the method & had another snap me late in the day, never had a single sign of fish on any of the pole lines despite seeing the whole match out, I never saw a fish move except for one fish against the island & that was before I had one" so guess it could of been the same fish, It was rock hard are end, Nigel on peg 7 had around 2oz's", Glen had called it a day with two small tench with a couple of hours to go & went on Hawthorns, Peanut had one small carp I could see & a few silvers & Rich Hawkins on peg 10 had a couple of silvers so loads of carp are end then!" Walking back around Rob Birch who was on peg 2 told me how many carp had been hanging around him all day, even hooking them on expanders short whilst trying to catch silvers' Next to him Paul Faires was admitting to around 100lb so certainly at the wrong end yet again today, Didn't get the results sorry as made are way straight home to attend the dog as was fortunate the have the Wife's company the last couple of days with the time off work & great weather to boot, I nearly wet myself though when she was saying she wished the day hadn't started after spilling coffee on her leg on-route among other things only for seconds later her bed chair collapsed..!" Perhaps it was an omen??.

Full Results -

1st Paul Faires (Sensas 88) peg 2, 138lb.

2nd Mark Jones (Shipate Burger Van) peg 4, 112lb.

3rd Tim Ford (Thatchers P.I) peg 14B, 85lb.,

Silvers - 1st Steve Howell (Shipate Farm) peg 9a, 20lb 12oz. (Had More Than I thought) Lol.

     

Shiplate Farm (Hawthorns Lake) Sunday.

Back on Hawthorns today with 13 of us fishing & what a weekend of weather we were forecast in are favour for a change with bright skies & plenty of sunshine, Steve put all the pegs in the tub today meaning someone would draw an empty peg but on this lake you cant really tell what peg will win which is a good thing'. Into the draw I ended up on peg 13, & guess what, 12 & 14 weren't drawn so had an empty peg either side", I planned a simple day, two rigs to fish across around 14mts, one tight to the far bank in 2ft or so of water & a shallower rig to fish over the top, A paste rig to fish down the edge which was deep around 5ft, & finally a swinging dibber rig for mugging if I saw fish milling around which I expected once the sun had fully come out, I thought I had some tins of meat at home but didn't so had to make do with pellets & paste down the edge instead & I planned to fish pellet across.

Just before the start I saw a fish surface down the edge so before feeding any lines I started on the swinger rig on my topkit plus two sections down the edge with banded 8mm pellet set around a 1ft deep, Bingo' Two carp for 10lb in the first 5mins! That was it though, I tried the left hand edge at the same distance but no signs so switched to fishing across. Again banded 8mm with the rig set a couple of inches off the deck, I didn't feed to start with which got me a 3lb fish but they easily spooked so started to feed a few 6mms with the catty, Straight away the fish were coming up in the water so switched to the shallower rig across, This worked for a while adding a couple more 4-5lb fish, I had another shallow down the edge where I had been dripping in 6mms, but still no signs to the left. after a while the fish were now chewing up the far bank" this sounds ideal but it was causing me a mare' I had managed a fish nearly 10lb on the swinger rig near the rope between myself & peg 14 & another around 6lb 20mins later but across to the bank where I had been feeding I just couldn't get to work properly, I would get the fish in the peg but as soon as the pole went out the were gone & I ended up waiting for indications but most no mater what depth I was fishing were foulers".

I wasted far to much time here through the day fishing it totally wrong in hindsight, I may of been better of cad-potting just a few pellets at a time to keep them down long enough to feed properly, I persisted fishing down the edge shallow which got me a few more fish later in the day but after a good start & around 40lb in the net after 90mins the middle few hours I put hardly anything in the net, I could here peg 15 catching well in the closing stages & I knew Rich Hawkins had done well again down on peg 11 as I could here him catching. When the scales arrived peg 15 finished up with 99lb, 46lb of which he had in the last hour down the edge, I knew I didn't have that much as I had 78lb on the clicker, A bit out as I finished with 87lb of carp & a 1lb Tench' But rich looked to have done the business again today finishing with 146lb mainly down the edge on meat", Felt I fished it wrong today there seemed to be plenty of fish around but getting them to feed was a different story, I should of tried the paste rig again in the later stages after having a go mid match without signs, & meat would have got me a few more fish I'm sure? That's fishing though & sometimes its better to admit you did it wrong rather than make up excuses' Lol. Back at the results & it was a day for the wormheads, Rich won the day again so well done to him, & the silvers went to Ray Wickham with 13lb odd But I don't think anybody else fished for them Lol'. I'm writing this blog just before making my way back to the fishery for the later start match on the main lake today so fingers crossed'.

Full Results -

1st Rich Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 11, 146lb 6oz.

2nd Julian Pinkett (Wormheads) peg 8, 120lb 4oz.

3rd John Hawkins (Wormheads) peg 2, 106lb 6oz.

4th Andy Bishop (Matrix) peg 15, 99lb 14oz.

5th Steve Howell (Tinder Love Match) peg 5, 93lb 6oz.

6th Dom Sullivan (Mosella UK) peg 13, 85lb.

Silvers -

1st Ray Wickham (Tom Thick Baits) peg 7, 13lb 12oz.