Over 60 and Disabled Match, White Door Dam, 19/9/19.

My second week attending the “Old and Bold” match scene due to being off work for a few weeks holidays. Drew Peg 28, first peg on the back bank Beech Pool. Never fished this peg but was told it was OK with plenty of Carp to feet and down the dam between Beech and Oak. Not so for me today though, fishing was good and productive but no Carp or skimmers/bream. For 79 all roach 4lb 14oz. Wasn’t last but nowhere in the frame, with 20lb odd of Carp and silvers taking first place. It was a learning experience on a complex I don’t fish that often and a peg I had never fished. Good silvers practice for the Havannah Flash Match on Sunday 😀 .
3 tracks set up plus a margin;
1. 10m @10 o’clock, 2 foot from the dam (and all them snags) GORTINI 4×14 0.10 main line to 0.9 6″ hook length 20 forged hook, 18″ depth set.
2. 10m @12 o’clock, GORTINI 4×12 0.10 main line, 0.09 hook length to 18 forged hook, 20″ depth set.
3. As 2. but GORTINI 4×14 johny paste float, dead bottom 4′, 0.16 main line to 0.10 hook length 14 forged hook.
Margin. GORTINI mini margin float 0.16 main line to o.10 hook length 18 forged hook.
Bait.
Burt Baits; Natural bream red and crushed xpander 70/30 ground bait, sweet F1 pellets soaked and hooked with Krill additive. 2mm Choc Orange and 4mm Polony feed pellets.
2mm expander pellets, big red maggot, pinky, worm and mainline 1 to 1 natural paste. Next match is on Havannah Flash, Sunday, then back to work <sad face>.

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17/9/19 Haydock Park Farm complex, Park pool 1 and 2.

Eddie Marcroft and I fished these pools today to carry out a census on stock levels. Started off on Park 1 and after knocking up another platform we seem to have scared all the fish away. Moved to Park 2 and had a fish a chuck all day for 6 hours solid. Eddie was getting some good size roach and a few skimmers, I was pulling out roach, a nice perch and a ~1.5lb skimmer. I fished big red, pinkie and caster alternating throughout the day. Simple rig, 2+top 2 GORTINI 4×10 chianti to a 22 wire hook. Finished the day with over 150 roach, a big perch and that skimmer, a good day. Eddie had a fair few more fish than I and also had the bigger stamp. But it wasn’t a competition and was just to gauge the stock, condition, size and quantity.

I actually fished the Canal! 15/9/19

And I don’t think I will be back anytime soon.
I decided to give the Sunday Canal match a go, had no intention of taking a pole and having to deal with fat men in lycra who think the tow path is the domain of bikes. Drew peg 28 on the ~20m wide, barren, featureless, stretch of the canal. Meant nothing to me as I have never fished the canal before.
5m whip, GORTINI 4×10 pole float, 0.07 mainline to 0.06 hook length 20 forged hook.
Waggler rod, 4BB slim waggler.
8′ Shakespeare Omi feeder rod.
Fed, Burts Baits 2mm choc Orange at 5m and F1 sweet 4mm pellets at 16m. Hand tossing Natural silvers light nuggets over my float.
At the all in I was catching perch, I had 32 in the first hour. Then nothing for over an hour, swapped between whip and waggler, not even a bump. Threw out a hybrid feeder with worm and then expander on the hook for nothing over 30 mins. Last hour I had a roach on waggler and a few more perch on the whip. All out, was 35 perch and 1 roach for maybe 2lb ish. Didn’t weigh in. Not an impressive day by any stretch of the imagination and I honestly don’t think I could have done any more to make improvements, the fish just weren’t there.

Over 60 and Disabled match, Lagoon 14/9/19

As I am off work for a couple of weeks I decided to give this weekly match series a visit. Draw was 10:00 and I was really looking forward to it as Lagoon has been a good venue for me previously. Drew peg 8, far bank midway down. That was pretty much the highlight of the day! Although I was steady in getting bites, at the all in all I was pulling out was small roach and even smaller perch. I had 3 tracks set up and a margin.
1. 7m out on the edge of the lily bed, GORTINI 4×12, 0.09 mainline to 0.06 hook length and #20 forged hook. Caster and pinky.
2. 10m out back edge of the lily pad, GORTINI 4×12, 0.09 mainline to 0.06 hook length and #20 forged hook. Caster, big red and pinky.
3. 13m open water directly out front, GORTINI 4×16, 0.10 mainline to 0.08 hook length and #18 forged hook. Caster and expander.
Margin. 2+2 front of the lily pad, GORTINI 4×14 margin, 0.15 mainline to 0.09 hook length #18 foged hook. Caster and worm.
Burt Baits; Red bream and crushed expander 70/30 groundbait, big squirt of red glow additive. Sweet F1 4mm and Chock Orange 2mm pellet.
All day it was proving hard with very little happening on any of the pegs, Paul H on a far bank peg was landing a few good carp though and sat across from me I could see Jimmy C pulling out some decent bream. I was still catching but nothing substantial. 15 mins to go and Chris G hit into a carp that was leading him a merry dance round the pool, but he did eventually land it. I had what I think was a tench take my margin rig and dump my hook soundly in the middle of the lily’s with 10 mins to go to the all out.
Finished off with 21 roach, perch and skimmer for 2lb 11oz and 5th place.
Next week is on White Door Dam and I have already booked on.

Polemasters Open Tournament, Upper Pound, Sankey Canal, Newton-le-Willows. 8/9/19

Before I go off and start the Blog let me first thank; Burt Baits, for not only sponsoring this event but also supplying a selection of baits, additives and some mugs for the section winners and top 4 framers.
To the organisers and committee members who helped with the weigh in and to everyone who turned up, from the 4 corners of the UK, to participate in this event.
51 booked on and just a few no shows, this was a well attended and supported match.

I got to the event nice and early as I had volunteered to help with the draw, weigh in and carry out live feeds on Facebook and take a multitude of photo’s and video. Car parking was tight but it was managed well and all the cars and vans were parked and with enough room to de-bus all the tackle and sundries safely.

All in was 09:15 and this was a 5 hour match. First hour and it was looking good with most anglers having fish in their nets, Peg 38-42 were right on where the 63lb of Bream were caught on the last club canal match. These today again proved to be the pegs to be on, Peg 42 in particular (Ernie Hankinson) had a good showing of 3-5lb Bream, early doors this didn’t dilute the chances of all the other anglers. However as the hours rolled on it was obvious that these 3 pegs were going to be in the frame and it would take something special and some bonus fish to get close to them. Ian Wilson had a beaut of a Pike, but under match rules cannot be weighed in. Catch and release.
As it was Peg 38 3rd, Peg 40 2nd and Peg 42 a superb 60lb for 1st place. Ray Jacks up in the Muckies pulled 4th out of the hat. There were 7 section winners, each leaving with a few quid, some Burt Bait goodies and a smile.

1st Ernie Hankinson, 2nd Roger Gardom, 3rd Terry Speakman and 4th Ray Jacks.

  • Just 1 of the net load Ernie landed
  • Ian Alexander (Burt Baits)
  • Ian Alexander (Burt Baits)
  • Ian Wilson’s Pike.
  • Section 1 win
  • Section 2 win
  • Section 3 win
  • Section 4 win
  • Section 5 win
  • Section 6 win
  • Section 7 win
  • 2nd, 3rd and 4th
  • Mark Brown presenting trophy to 1st place
    Earnie Hankinson

Beech Pool, White Door Dam 01/9/19

Today’s club match was on the canal, so I did not fish it. Headed off to Beech Pool, I had to test run the paste floats that Bri @Gortini made up for me and decided that Beech was as good as anywhere else. Set up on the back side 1/3 the way down. 3 rigs;
1. GORTINI 4×12 0.19 main line, 0.16 hook length, #20 forged Guru hook.
2. GORTINI 4×14 paste float 0.19 main line, 0.16 hook length, #14 forged Guru hook.
3. GORTINI short Margin 0.19 main line, 0.16 hook length #18 forged Guru hook.
Bait was Burt Baits; 2mm Choc orange, 4mm sweet F1, 4mm polony, krill additive soaked 4mm and 6mm pro expanders. Ground bait was 3/4 dark bream mix and 1/4 red bream mix.
Paste was Mainline 1 to 1 natural.

Started off on my paste rig, fed 4mm polony pellet 10m directly out front of the peg, first drop and within 30 secs a nice ~4lb (one eyed) ghost. 2 or 3 missed bites and then another ~3lb ghost, next drop a large skimmer, it was looking too easy, 30 mins of skimmers and large roach, no more carp. The paste float was well balanced and dropped/washed out paste was indicated correctly with the tip raising up to the full 50mm. Small roach started to come into the swim and just nuisanced the paste off the hook constantly.

Switched round to my margin rig and fished left and in front of the lily bed. Fed 4mm sweet F1 pellet with 4mm expander on the hook, started with some really nice bream and skimmers, this continued for an hour or so when I then changed back to my paste line, again just getting small roach nuisance. Set my paste float to same depth as margin and dropped in, BANG! the float shot off into open water like a steam train. Took a while to calm things down and start to get the upper hand, 10 mins and I still hadn’t got it’s head up. Just took my time and was rewarded with an easy double figure common that just about fitted in my net. The rest of the day was spent on this left margin with spells out at 10m, bream, skimmer and roach were the rewards for the rest of the day. John (White Door Bailiff ) jinxed me as up until he came over and had a chat I had not had a gudgeon, as soon as he walked off I had a single gudgeon.
Ended the day with 44, really enjoyed the day and was well impressed with the Gortini 4×14 paste float.

Havannah Flash Sweepstake. 25/8/19.

A warm and sunny start to the day with temps forecast for 27C. Drew peg 18 so not too shabby and I wasn’t dissapointed, right twang 1/2 way up. A bit of weed right at my feet and out 6 m or so, but still fishable. 3 tracks set up;
10m directly to my front GORTINI 4×12 chanti style float, 3lb main line through to 1.1 22 hook.
10m @2 o’clock over a lily pad GORTINI 4×10 chianti style float, 3 lb main through to 1.8 20 hook.
13m directly to my front GORTINI 4×12 round body, 4 lb main through to 3lb 20 hook.

At the all in started on my 2 o’clock line, pinky, and was getting one a chuck, problem being they were smaller than a small thing. Swapped out to caster and went shallow, still couldn’t get past the bits. Same on my 10m line out front. Switched between pinky and caster but nothing bigger than a few drams. Decided to just stick with it as there was nothing other than the odd small skimmer and rare stamp roach, the fish were there, just the tiny fish! Lunch time ish my elastic took off across to the far bank, I was fishing #3 elastic, as big fish are few and far between in the Flash! Stuck my pole in the water and waited for the hook length to snap. Surprisingly it didn’t, played the fish for 10 mins or so being careful to not bully it on the small tackle I was fishing with. Got it’s head up and played it towards my net. Yea, as soon as it saw the landing net it turned and was gone, my float and terminal tackle smacking off the end of my No1 like a gunshot! Oh well that’s fishing. Had a Pike attack my keep net, I pulled the net but no holes so no fish lost.
At the all out 42 fish for a paltry 2lb 14oz, a good days fishing but not the result I was hoping for off this peg.