Target's for 2013...

I want to challenge myself with my fishing this year and set myself some targets to achieve. Obviously in the sport of fishing things aren't by any way predictable and depend on a lot of variables often out of my hand. However some will say my drawing hand can be quite magical at times. If I meet all of these targets then I have had a brilliant year but I shall be happy with meeting any of them. I feel they are realistic however at the same time will challenge me in my fishing.

I shall of course keep the blog updated with how I am getting on. I have listed in the order I would imagine achieving the targets:

• 8 sections points or less in the Maver Classic final.

• 2 open match wins.

• 20 points or less in Maver Larford Festival.

• Weight 200lb+ in a match.

• Win Whitehall league

• Weight 650lb+ (or even 700lb) aggregate weight in Whitehall league matches this year.
• How I will hope to go about this:

• Date	Estimated Weight for Target	Venue
  19/05/2013	10lb	Whitehall Pool
  02/06/2013	110lb	Laughern Island Pool Cob House Fishery
  09/06/2013	N/A	Memorial Match Whitehall Pool
  16/06/2013	15lb	Whitehall Pool
  23/06/2013	50lb	Reddings Pool Hawford Bridge Fishery
  07/07/2013	30lb	Fishponds Colwall
  21/07/2013	70lb	Heron Pool Elmbridge Fishery (25 Pegs)
  11/08/2013	20lb	Hallow Pool
  18/08/2013	150lb	Wyatts Pool Cob House Fishery
  01/09/2013	70lb	Valley Pool Solhampton Fishery
  28/09/2013	80lb	Pete’s Lake Tirley
  12/10/2013	80lb	Pete’s Lake Tirley
  03/11/2013	10lb	Whitehall Pool

 

Winter Carping... Grrrrrrrrr!!

Had a trip out to fish the Wednesday open at cob house on wyatt's pool. The pool had been fishing really well down the one end and 2 ton + bags have been had, in late December this is not bad at all. I drew peg 22 which was end peg but put me in the middle of the pool. I was happy with this at the draw but my mood would soon change.

I set up a load of lines in order to find the fish. I set up a line at 8m in front of me just at the bottom of the slope. It then levelled off but only to just under 4ft of water from 8m all the way to 16m. I set another line at 12.5m and then at 14.5m if the fish were backing off. I wanted to fish pellet on these line and thought of frugally feeding 4mm pellet with a 4mm expander. I set 2 rigs up for 8m, one a light rig; a 0.1g Hillbilly Billybob float to 0.13 with a 0.11 hooklength to a 18 hook fished on white hydro elastic. The heavier rig was a 0.2g Billybob on 0.13 hooklength to a size 16 to grey hydro.

My long lines were set on 0.2g Billybobs and featured the same line, elastic and hook sizes as above. To start I potted 15 4mm pellets on 8m line and the same at 13m. Fishing over these lines for the first hour and half with a mixture of expander, dead red krilled mags, live reds and JPZ resulted in not a bite. Elsewhere people were catching fish. I had to work something out.

I went to 14.5m at '10 o'clock' from my main lines and fed a small nugget of EFG 130 with 10 dead reds. I then went over this with 3 dead reds on a size 18 B911 F1 hook. I managed to latch into 10 carp between 11:30 and 13:00 which were all around 2lb 8oz and 3lb, slightly bigger than the average for the pool. Just after 13:00 this line went dead and 3 skimmers on the bounce proved this.

I was really stuck and I had completely ruined my pellet lines by over feeding 4mm pellets on this line. I saw some fish topping in mrgins on far side of the pool and had fed this line at 13:00. I went down the edge with a Sconezone Jubleez 0.2g on 0.17mm to a 0.15mm hook length to a 16 b911 matched to 12-20 retro elastic. 3 lumps came from this line which were all between 6lb and 7lb 8oz. This bumped my weight up but I was still way behind, I tippped back around 30lb-35lb. I was frustrated with what I had done.

SO........ what have I learnt;

• smaller feed particals - micros or 3mm are a must
• really start with small amounts of bait and increase it if necessary
• DO YOUR HOMEWORK WHEN VISITING A FISHERY YOU HAVEN'T FISHED IN A WHILE!!!