Decent warm up before Classic Qualifiers
1stMick Bull (Shimano / Dynamite Baits)66Meat short146-08-00
2ndMatt Blackmore (Maver)0Bomb / Method feeder113-02-00
3rdBrian Clark (Vespe / Marukyu) Method feeder107-06-00
4thMatt Barnes (Whitehall/Miracle baits) Method and edges 104-11-00
5thJohn Cattermole (Maver) Method feeder103-14-00
6thPaul Cook (Maver) Method feeder102-08-00
With the matchfishingscene.co.uk annual lash up/match next week and the classic qualifiers also starting next week I really wanted to give Larford a bash as I have not been there for a long while. Walking in to the café I face Blacky giving all the club anglers advice, poor blokes! Just after I arrive Mike Spragg arrived followed by Scotty Poynten and Tony 'Glugger'.
Top banter at the draw with us using the bingo balls for whatever reason and certain anglers ability to pull out fliers was cheered or jeered when pegs were pulled out. I pulled out 60, not on area I have spent much time on. Mike was on 58 end peg and I had Paul Cook to my right. I have been pegged next to Paul a few times and always get battered.
I had sorted out in my mind how I wanted to fish this match and with conditions being horrendous with heavy wind and persistent rain my plans worked out. The peg looked good for my approach of fishing the tip most of the day between the method and bomb and a short pole line. I had a lovely edge line 13m to my right towards next platform with 2ft of water just under a metre from bank.
Set up:
Long range method rod - 12ft maver powerlite matched to a 4000 shimanno exage. 35g Kobra large method feeders. 0.22 n-gage hooklength to a 14 Guru MWG
Short method rod - 11ft maver powerlite matched to a 3000 daiwa regal-Z. 35g Kobra large method feeders 0.22 n-gage hooklength to a 14 Guru MWG
Bomb rod - 11ft maver powerlite matched to a 3000 daiwa regal-Z. 1oz lead 18" 0.19 powerline hooklength to a 14 Guru QM1
6m line - 0.75g Hillbilly dweezel on 0.17 powerline to a 0.17 hooklength to a 14 B911. 12-20 Maver retro dual core
Margin - 0.3g Sconezone samurai on 0.19 powerline to a 0.17 hooklength to a 12 B911 X. Orange Garbolino bazookarp
I started off the match chucking the method out at 25m whilst pinging pellets and soon got a couple of carp. I then had a number of skimmers come to this line. The wind then started to pick up so regular feeding was impossible to do accurately. I had to therefore ping double or triple pouches when the wind did die. I pulled out of a couple of carp after 40mins in, I was using a size 16 MWG hook, so upped to a 14 MWG. I stayed on this line all day and kept fish coming by fishing past feed for a couple of chucks, in front of feed and to the side also worked when bites came slow. I used a mix of Marukyu 150 with some Old Ghost protein binder to sticky the mix up a bit. Hookbaits were a change of red/white boilies, 8mm pellet and single corn.
Towards the end of the match this started to slow down. I had around 50lb with 2 hours to go and filled my edge in with 4 pots of orange miracle baits pellet crumb with some corn and dead reds. I then went onto my 6m line whilst the edge swim was settling down.
I had been flicking corn on this line for a good hour or so now so the fish should be there. I had a decent skimmer first drop in. I was just feeding by hand but the bites were far between. I therefore potted in a ball of groundbait and corn on my line. Straight away the float buried and a 6lb carp was quickly subdued. I then foul hooked and subsequently lost another carp. The skimmers then moved in. They were a decent stamp however I was not catching them quick enough.
As this wasn't working I went down the edge and the float zipped under with a 3oz perch on the end. On return I had a lump of about 12lb then another before getting smashed on 0.19 powerline. To be fair if the fish can break 0.19 powerline I don't want to catch it as it would be stronger than me!! After this the line was quiet so 2 more pots went in. I now flicked the method over 5m/6m but this did not work at all.
The last hour I had 3 more edge carp and after the 3rd put another cup of groundbait in but this proved to be the kiss of death as no more fish came off here in the last 30mins. I could not believe the short pole/plopping method did not work for me as this is usually a banker in the last hour. Blacky came round with the scales which surprised me as I didn't think he could read. I thought I had 80lb but my fish weighed a bit more than I thought with me weighing 104lb 11oz. This was enough for 4th on the day. Pleased with that from an OK area. Mick Bull won the match with 144lb, a 113lb bag second and Brian Clarke 3rd with 107lb.
