Had a day of pleasure/learning today. An opportunity for some paste fishing with a bit of coaching off one of the Partridge lakes regulars. Marsh isn’t the best water for this but it was the only one available today and the whole complex was pretty much pegged out by 08:30.
Set up 2 lines for paste;
1. 7m down the track, 10-12 elastic, 4 foot of water, GORTINI 4X12 Johny Paste float, SWL #14 hook. Burt Baits Nut Blend paste.
2. Right margin, top 2 plus short 4, 10-12 elastic, 20 inches of water, GORTINI 4×12 Johny Paste float, SWL #14 hook. Burt Baits Nut Blend paste.
Started off on my 7m line and it was extremely slow, with the paste I was feeding 10-15 Burt Baits 6mm F1 sweet carp pellet. Load of liners and lots of waiting. The first fish was a nice skimmer, which was unexpected. A slow day but lots of tweaking my approach and presentation. 13-14 Skimmer, small F1 and big roach on my 7m line. During the day I wasn’t getting anything on my margin line, but come the last hour I decided to concentrate on this line and managed a nice 7-8lb mirror and the elusive one that got away. A leisurely lunch of Branston pickle topped pork pies and copious cups of coffee which made a nice change from grabbing a bite here and there in match mode.
Partridge Lakes Sunday Open 2/8/2020
I made sure I had a pen handy so I could write my peg number on my hand. After last visit here I didn’t want to set up on the wrong peg again! Got drawn Covey 5 again, Peg 129 on the spit/island, 5 man section. To say it was hard today is an understatement, our section win being just 68lb odd. I did however manage not to come last in section. Again this peg had no margin other than 2 foot either side of the platform the sedge taking up the rest of the bank side, but everyone in the section had the same situation. Set up 4 lines today:
1. Right margin, top2 and short No4, 10-12 elastic, 0.19 mainline to 0.13 hook length #14 SWL hook, GORTINI 4×14 margin float. 3 white on the hook or corn. Feeding Burt Baits X-pander groundbait from a cad pot
2. Mud line, 13.5m, 8-10 elastic, 0.19 mainline to 0.13 hook length #14 SWL hook, GORTINI 4×14 margin float. 3 white on the hook or corn. Feeding Burt Baits X-pander groundbait from a cad pot.
3. Shalla down the track 7-11m, 0.19 mainline to 0.13 hook length #14 SWL hook, GORTINI 4×10 chianti float. 3 white on the hook or banded caster using a Maver butterfly bead and band.
4. Hard pellet line, 7m, 8-10 elastic, 0.19 mainline to 0.13 hook length #18 SWL hook, GORTINI 4×12 wire stem NiTi float. Banded Burt Baits 6mm F1 sweet pellet using a Maver butterfly bead and band.
The hard pellet line was a no go as Covey 5 it seems doesn’t have a hard bottom slope like most of the other coveys. Fished it 3 times during the match for no results and knowing it was a silty bottom.
I don’t think anyone in the section had a carp all day, they were there and the Margin and Mud line had the tails popping up but they just weren’t feeding! Tried mugging a few in my swim as well and every time they just either spooked off or swam past the bait without taking any notice. Ended up most of the match on my shalla line as this was the only way I was catching. 20 F1 and a brace of Ide for 49lb 4oz a few lost at the net and a monster took off with my hook, but I wasn’t going to worry end peg 125 who took the honours.
Havannah Flash 26/7/2020. Club Match, Summer League.
A weird start to the day, Bernadette didn’t see one of the young birds on the wire before she opened the outside Aviary door and it took the opportunity to fly out and away! So I had her feelings on my mind and almost cried off the match to make sure she was OK, but she insisted I go fishing as there was nothing either of us can do now the bird was gone. Got drawn peg 16, on the towpath front so my head went down straight away, I’m not comfortable fishing the towpath as there are just too many distractions with cyclists, runners and people walking their dogs etc. This is why I don’t fish any of the canal matches, it just puts me on edge, you get hemmed in with having so little space and have to adapt shipping back to splitting your sections so not to block the towpath or risk having your pole crossing the path with the chances some knob on a bike will be travelling too fast and not stop! Anyway; set up 4 lines:
1. 4m whip fishing shallow, 0.11 to #22 hook pinkie or white maggot.
2. 9m, 3-5 elastic, shallow, GORTINI 4×10 dibber, 0.11 main line to 0.09 and #20 hook, pinkie or white maggot.
3. 7m, 3-5 elastic, off to my right to the rushes, GORTINI 4×12 round body float, 0.11 mail line to 0.09 and #20 hook, worm, pinkie or white maggot.
4. 10m 6-8 elastic, off to my right 2′ from the rushes margin, GORTINI 4×10 dibber, 0.11 main line to 0.09 and #20 hook, worm, pinkie or white maggot.
At the All In I started off on the whip, feeding 8-10 white maggot/pinkie and getting a bite a chuck, but these were tiny roach and blades. Stayed on this line for 30 mins and switched to my short margin with a worm head on the hook, potting in Burt Baits Worm Slop, hoping this will bring in the skimmers or bream, not to be had many missed bites which I think were tiny roach just grabbing the worm head. Had the same on my long margin line the skimmers and bream just were not in my swim. Spent the last 2 hours on my whip, fishing 5-7m and picking off blades a few roach and 2 small skimmers. All out seen me with 83 netted for 3lb 11oz, which was a pound more than I thought I had. Another “thanks for coming” but still a chance of drawing the golden peg later and getting some beer tokens for my efforts. I had mixed up a small amount of Burt Baits Darkside groundbait to use on my method feeder, but never got round to having a chuck. The Burt Baits Worm Slop smelled of Worms amazingly, mixed it to the same consistency as Burt Baits splash mix, it clouded the water well and kept it coloured for a good few minutes after potting it in, fishing maggot/ worm through the cloud had the fish biting, just the wrong size fish today.
Partridge Lakes Sunday Open 19/7/2020.
Bad day from the off. Got to Partridge and realised I had left my butties in the fridge. Booked in and got drawn Covey 5 peg 107. Went up and got my bait, had a chat for 10 mins then went back down the lane and set up on Peg 105. Yep, don’t know what happened between drawing my peg and setting up on the wrong peg! I was just starting to plumb up when the lad who was drawn on 105 made me aware I was on the wrong peg, (2 Doh! moments). Moved all my kit round to the correct peg and really didn’t fancy it, no margin to speak of as it was overgrown, left and right, with rushes and they were sticking out into the water a good 4 foot. I noticed a ‘ding’ on my No 7 section, have no idea how that happened.
I wasn’t going to make it worse or suffer the section breaking so was limited to my length out (3). Rigging up my top sections with new rigs, made up after Monday’s coaching from Chris Weeder jnr. Realised I had left one of my hook boxes in my workshop this box had my 0.13, 0.16 and 0.19 hook lengths in, so I was limited to 0.11 #16 SWL for the match (4). Set up 3 lines:
1. 3m left edge, 10-12 elastic, 0.20 mainline, 0.11 hook length to #16 SWL. GORTINI 4×14 Margin float, feeding 50/50 Burt Baits X-pander/Tiger Nut Margin groundbait.
2. 9m track, shallow, 8-10 elastic, 0.16 mainline, 0.11 hook length to #16 SWL. GORTINI 4×10 chianti, 3 white maggot on the hook, feeding white maggot.
3. 5m track, hard pellet line, 8-10 elastic, 0.16 mainline, 0.11 hook length to #16 SWL. GORTINI 4×14 NiTi wire float. Burt Baits Sweet F1 hook and hair 4mm pellet, feeding Burt Baits 4mm Sweet F1 hard pellet soaked in Burt Baits Sweet F1 additive.
When plumbing up I just could not find any slope or hard bottom, it was all silt, this was going to mess with my hard pellet line for sure.
All In, started on the shallow line and had a nice F1 first chuck in, this was steady until I hit into a Carp, this took me a while to control as I knew my hook length wasn’t up to these angry Carp, this was a ~4lb and I got it to the net OK. I did have 6 that just swam off with my hook length and I knew my weight was going to suffer. Other than the big carp I managed to net 27 F1’s and a few Ide and big roach on this line. My edge line was dominated with carp and every pull here resulted in a snapped hook length! so I had to concentrate on my shallow line, which was at least productive. Hard pellet line only had 2 small F1 and was too long between bites to bother with for too long.
So a comedy of errors seen me with 54lb 15oz at the weigh in, pegs left and right weighing similar, plus or minus 10-20lb the difference being the Carp I lost.
After Monday’s coaching session with Chris Weeder jnr, the ~140lb nets, I was gee’d up for this match. Different lake, different peg, different day, oh well!
Peg 105, looked so nice! Just not my peg
Peg 107, this is my peg
Only just had enough shrink tape to do the repair on my N0 7 section. I will leave it overnight and unwrap and check it tomorrow afternoon.
Partridge Lakes, Monday 12/7/2020. A full day with Chris Weeder Jnr, learning.
Overcast day and threat of rain, which didn’t happen, fishing 10:30 until 17:30. Hooray 😍 . Met up at the tackle shop and moved off to Covey 4 Peg 99, an island peg 🤯, not been having too much luck on these island pegs, but with a great tutor I should do OK I hope. Chris got me to set up as I normally would and then went over my top kits and rigs, generally have a good laugh! Several small issues but nothing a Dremel can’t sort!! Started off on a left edge line, going through the mechanics and method to best approach how to set the rig up, how to plumb up to find the ideal levels to fish and where to cup the GB in and how this will determine how the fish will enter the swim. Set up a margin rig and then went through how to lay the rig in for the best presentation. 3 white maggot on a 14 hook, laid the rig in allowed it to settle and then STRIKE, first fish in the net in less than 1 minute. Nice carp. Rinse repeat for the next few hours, talking through presentation as I was getting lazy as I became more confident and complacent as time went on. Prepped and fished this edge for most of the day, changing from GB to soaked micro’s and 3 maggot on the hook, the F1’s were there and some of them were big old warriors, but the carp had moved away or were just not interested in GB or micro’s and maggot. Swapped over to potting in micro’s with corn on the hook, this did the trick and I started to pull in the Carp. Missed a few, lost a few and had some foul hookers but talked through how and why with Chris and I then started to get them hooked correctly and putting them in the nets, yep nets. Late afternoon moved on to hard pellet in 5 foot over a slope on hard bottom. Feeding 4mm hard pellet, 2 and 2 as I laid the rig in, #20 hook with a banded 4mm pellet. Every hooked fish feed 4 then 4 pellet this was producing some good stockies and a few big F1’s. I put 2 nets in at the start of the day and would have had weight penalties on both had it been a match weigh in. Net 1 had 65-70lb and net 2 had 70-75lb by far the largest weights I have had out of Partridge Lakes. A great day, a fantastic tutor, some amazing Carp and F1’s and beautiful surroundings. Now to put all this practise into a match and improve my fishing.
“Hook the fish, feed 4, feed 4, land the fish”. “Hook the fish, feed 4, feed 4, land the fish”. Going to go to sleep with that going round in my head tonight.
Some of these big ‘ol F1’s only just fit.
Net No 1.
Net No 2. Need a younger man to pull my nets out!
Partridge Lakes, Sunday Open 12/7/2020
Covey 2 Peg 47, another weekend another island peg!
This peg is well dodgy! Half the support on the right side of the platform rotted through and really tight behind, maybe 7 foot of space before the tree line. Wasn’t looking forward to a potential dip in the lake. Today is a learning day, no maggot, corn or worm just Burt Baits 6mm sweet F1 pellet on the band and feeding Burt Baits 4mm F1 pellet.
Suck it up and get on with it! Real simple today, left margin out to vacant peg 46, in front of my nets shallow and mud line across. All rigs Nu-Fish Zipp elastics.
1. #8-10 elastic, 13.5m left margin to pallet. 0.13 mainline to 0.11 hook length #16 SWL banded 6mm Burt Baits F1 sweet pellet, potting 50/50 Xpander/Sweet F1 groundbait and Burt Baits 4mm sweet F1 pellet. GORTINI 4×14 Margin float, 2 foot depth.
2. #8-10 elastic, top 2 plus 2. 0.13 mainline to 0.11 hook length #16 SWL banded Burt Baits F1 sweet pellet, hand feeding Burt Baits 4mm sweet F1 pellet. GORTINI 4×10 Dibber, 10-18″ Depth.
3. #10-12 elastic, 11.5m 2 o’clock to the reeds. 0.13 mainline to 0.11 hook length #16 SWL banded Burt Baits F1 sweet pellet, potting 50/50 Xpander/Sweet F1 groundbait and Burt Baits 4mm swet F1 pellet. GORTINI 4×14 Margin float, 2 foot depth.
At the All In I fed my margin line and mud line with a cup of 4mm F1 sweet and groundbait each. Hand fed some pellet to my net line and slapped out for my first put out, the float only just settled before dipping below the water and fish on, played it for a good while, got it to the net and ‘ping’ off it went taking my hook with it. Hand fed this line and had 3 small F1 and a tiny ide before it went quiet. Left pallet was producing nothing other than being bothered by gudgeon sucking on the pellet but not taking the hook. I had nothing off this line all day. Mud line was producing some little F1’s but nothing of any great weight early on. Switched line regularly during the match and had some right munters that made a right mess of my shallow line, ended up getting smashed off on 3 of my 4 Dibbers!
The big carp were there and they were making me look foolish with my rigs that just weren’t up to the task or bumping my pole on the rollers or trees behind for them to ping off. Lost 8 at the net or hook pulls in total. Weighed 41lb for a thanks.
This is as far back as I could stand without being in the trees, front roller far too close to my peg
I am back on Partridge tomorrow. I have a full days tuition with one of this venues masters. Never too old to learn and nice to get an education off someone who knows every peg, trick and almost every fish in Partridge Lakes. Chris Weeder Jnr.
Partridge Lakes Open, Sunday 5/7/2020.
Covey 1 Peg 21, Island Peg.
Forecasted for rain and high wind and not dissapointed as it was as expected. Rain drops the size of cup cakes and wind blowing constantly left to right straight through the spit with some huge gusts, no chance of putting a brolly up. Couldn’t present at anything over top2 +1 or right margin. Peg 20 was in and I was told this would kill off my peg and my best bet was to fish to the next pallet right and hope that the F1’s and carp were holed up there, not to be though.
2 lines today:
1. Top 2 +1 in front of my nets, 8-10 elastic, GORTINI 4×10 Dibber, 0.16 mainline to 0.11 hooklength, #16SWL hook, Burt Baits hook and hair expander and/or maggot. 6″-18″.
2. 10m right margin, to next pallet, 10-12 elastic, GARTINI 4×14 Margin float, 0.16 mainline to 0.13 hooklength #15 SWL hook, Burt Baits hook and hair expander and/or maggot. 2foot.
I had made up 2 small tubs of Burt Baits 6mm expander, 1 soaked in Burt Baits F1 sweet and 1 soaked in Burt Baits krill liquid. Maggot was Big red and White.
I used my top kits I had re-elasticated with the Nu-fish Zipp elastic range, well impressed with the quality and control these elastics gave me. Had 2 foul hooked carp on the 8-10 which took me for good runs, lost one under the pallet to my right and one shot off through peg 20’s swim before losing the hook, not good for Angler relations stuffing up someone else’s swim!! Stretches a bit that 8-10 🙄. Pallet to my right was occupied by gudgeon, perch and the odd small F1 and Mirror, everything else was caught shallow in front of my nets. 28 fish for a paltry 10lb odd.
Club Match, Summer League, Havannah Flash, 28/6/2020.
It was a wet and windy one today! Rain was forecast so it wasn’t a surprise it was raining on and off during set up and at the All in. Wasn’t expecting the high winds, massive gusts and torrential rain though! All in 10:00. Less than 5 mins in had a nice perch and 2 small blades, on the 4m whip. That was it for the next 30 odd minutes. Switched to a waggler and chucked out to 18m with a half dendra on the hook hoping to find the Bream that patrol out at that distance. Stayed on the waggler for 25 mins without any indications, hybrid feeder out to 20m with Burt Baits 2mm feed pellet soaked overnight in F1 sweet enhancer, dendra on the hook. Nothing, nada! Came back on the 4m line with a top 2 +1, #2 elastic 0.09 mainline to 0.06 hook length #20 SWL hook. GORTINI 4×10 dibber, 24″ with single maggot. Trying to see if they were up in the water, moving up 6″ every 5 mins until at 6″ for nothing. Pulled out to 30″ and the float buried and the elastic was about 10m from my topkit! Started to reel in some elastic on the side puller and could see the slimy little barsteward trying to get to the lily pad and snag me, eel! yuck. 3 attempts with the net and I had it in and unhooked and in the keepnet. This is when the wind and rain really started to come down in torrents. Huddled up, got the whip out and stayed on this line for most the rest of the day, I had no indications on any other line. Took another ~1lb eel on the flick tip and a couple of more blades and a roach. 7 in total for the day! Diabolical conditions and fared no better than those anglers to my left and right, we all had a mare of a day with an average of just over a pound. Brolly got blown inside out a few times, on the 3rd time 2 of the tines got ripped out of the stay and that was it for the brolly, collapsed it and threw it to the back of my peg, roughed it in the rain from then on. Weighed in with 1lb 8oz. I am sure there were spells where the ducks were laughing at us from the cover of the trees to our backs. Fingers crossed for the golden peg draw later, for some funds.
