A few carp for me on Willows - plus Springvale match

Peg 22, Willows, Monday, July 14
Happy with peg 22 in what used to be called Deadman's Bay, even though Trevor was on the famous peg 25 and Golden Peg. I had Rod Melnyk on my left, and he started well on a pole on a top 2, while I started a bit farther out, and found some small bream and an F1 on 4mm expanders. However after about an hour he was way ahead, and by the time I had 15 lb he probably had nearer 40 lb. So I came closer in, partly because the wind got a bit fiercer.

No picture of my swim because I took a video, and can't get it to compress proerly to send it to my e-mail Technology!!

Eventually I found those bream again, plus a carp or two around 4 lb, and some small F1s. But it wasn't until I came into the nargins that I found bigger carp. First I foulhooked one on mussel from the right margin, where there is a long cut-out; then first drop into the left margin, right against the reeds, I had a bite in seconds...and this came off, also probably foulhooked.

Trevor on 25 had all his fish shallow. One of my foulhooked fish almost
 made it to that aerator, which must have been 25 yards away.
It was hooked in the tail, and I landed it (the fish, not the aerator).

The last two hours saw a bit of a nightmare, and eventually I lost count of the number of big fish I'd hooked and lost on mussel, and I think two or three were properly hooked. I did land two fish over 8 lb, though; both were hooked in the tail. However in the last hour they started to feed properly, and I added four or five more, with a couple on worm..

My mistake
I think the problem was that the fish were big, and milling around when I fed micros, and wafting the mussel around, so that they couldn't target it properly, and in adddition sometimes it would rest against them and foulhook them. Paste would have been reasonably stable, allowing them to pinpoint it properly.

Rod Melnyk, pegged next to me, had fish
of all sizes in his  97 lb 9 oz catch.

The weigh in

Peter Harrison blitzed it on peg 1 with 193 lb 9 oz, saving us all the golden peg money. Trevor was second on 25 with 138 lb 15 oz, all taken shallow against the island. Rod next to me had 97 lb 9 oz, and after my very slow start I added enough to bring me to 85 lb and fourth place, followed by Peter Spriggs 83 lb 7 oz and Roy Whitwell 83 lb 3 oz. So a tight finish! I give myself 5/10, and I should have done much better.

Mick Ramm - 54 lb 6 oz.

Bob Walker - 47 lb 14 oz.

Peter Harrison - the winner with a
magnificant 193 lb 9 oz.

Trevor Cousins - second
with 138 lb 15 oz.

THE RESULT

1 Peter Harrison          193 lb 9 oz        1st
3 Roy Whitwell             83 lb 3 oz
5 Dick Warrener            12 lb 13 oz
7 Kevin Lee                   39 lb 13 oz
9 Peter Spriggs              83 lb 7 oz
11 Bob Barrett               26 lb 8 oz
13 Neil Paas                  49 lb 6 oz
15 Mike Rawson           13 lb 10 oz
16 Bob Walker              47 lb 14 oz
18 John Garner             35 lb 10 oz
20 Rod Melnyk            97 lb 9 oz        3rd
22 Mac Campbell        85 lb                 4th
24 Mick Ramm            54 lb 6 oz
25 Trevor Cousins      138 lb 15 oz        2nd

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Martin Parker and I visited Springvale Fishery, near Beavercotes, North of Newark up the A1, a couple of weeks ago, as that's where the Vets National is being held on Wed, July 23. It's a lovely fishery, neatly kept, with lots of silver fish as well as carp, and the lakes are quite big.  You can drive to every peg.

I fished a pole most of the time and had lots of silvers - bream, ide, tench, roach etc, on expander, and Martin had big carp on a bomb and hard pellet, all on Duchess Lake.

Last Thursday we entered the Over 50s match, and he was drawn on Golden 2 while I was on First Spring. In fact First Spring is in the Vets part of the National, together with Golden 1 and Newcastle. The locals insist that Newcastle Lake will be favourite to produce the winner. Seventy-six entered that match.

Springvale - as usual I managed to avoid any raspberry ripple.

Martin had 56 lb of bream in the match, and I had 46 lb, which won my three-peg section; it was almost the lowest section winning weight in the match (but it won me £27), and I now see why paste is so popular there as a bait for the carp. That's because you have to fish a lash of at least a foot, whatever depth you are fishing at, and obviously in a wind you are most likely to be able to keep paste still, rather than maggots, casters, worm, corn or pellets, which are the other main baits used, as all meat is banned. 

Lovely scenery at Springvale. This angler next to me had 36 lb I think.

I had a problem having to use a minimum of 12 inches, as I couldn't push the rig up to some overhanging vegetation in my margin. Most of my carp came in the last hour, so I see why so many target the silvers to start with.

I may also have to amend some of my carp rigs, as you have to use a hooklength, while some of my rigs for the big carp at Decoy are all-through. 

You also have to use fishery pellets, which are Coppens, and it's difficult to get micros to squeeze together like Skrettings. The locals use additives to bind them. I haven't got time to experiment, but as groundbait is allowed probably Method feeder will help. I'm not used to using groundbait, as it's banned at Decoy except in feeders, but anglers told me it definitely keeps the silvers in your swim.

Our best performances in the past in the Vets Nationals have been winner (Martin, on the Grand Union Canal) and Sixth (me on Tunnel Barn), but I have won my 10-peg section several times and have two NFA medals for winning my zones on Moorlands and Woodland View. Not sure we will be able to do well on Wednesday, as there will be so many locals fishing the match. But it's always good to meet anglers I see only once a year.