That'll teach me to rush.
After the 6 hours of fishing and 46 fish in the net, I managed to tip the scales at 56lb 9oz, the second place angler managed 44lb 9oz so I was 12lb clear and well pleased with my days work

first win of the year

Well it’s been a busy few weeks getting ready for the official launch of TNfloats both me and Terry have been busy. We have open a joint business account and relevant people have been informed, so let’s hope all goes well when we start on 1^st April.

With lot’s to do with the business the fishing tackle has had to take a bit of a back seat, and so for my second match of the year, I did not preparation at all just took with me what I had. So Friday night came and a quick check over my tackle before loading it into the car ready for the short journey to Lindholme for my second match of the season. Another match with the hopefuls for the Yorks and Humber team for the maggotdrowners, we have the first team match in a couple of weeks in Nottinghamshire. By the time I was loading the car it was already dark but not a problem, the wife was watching the soaps so I wasn’t missing anything.

I was up nice and early Saturday morning 24^th March, it was already light but with the think blanket of fog you wouldn’t   have known. With the fog I decided to set off a little earlier at 6.30 and just take my time. Without rushing the 10 mile trip didn’t take much longer and I was at the lakes before 7 O’clock so plenty of time. I went into the café first and sat down with two bacon butties and a coffee to set me up for the day. Outside it was still covered in a thick blanket of fog and no wind. Bonsai the lake straight outside the café was flat calm like a mill pond. Slowly more anglers were turning up with the headlights of their cars appearing out of the gloom. There were a few club matches and the last of the winter league matches on so there were a few big name’s at the venue, world champions, at least two  fish-o mainia winners plus all the venue experts, Lucky I was not fishing against these guys today and throwing my money away.

Due to other commitments only 8 of us turned up for the Match on Laurel’s, we had plenty of room pegged from 23 to 38. And for the second match in a row I drew the end peg. Steve Hepinstall had kindly got out of his bed early this bleak Saturday morning to help me get my gear from my car to my peg. I had a full bay at the end of the lake to myself, and looking at the water there were fish all over just under the surface, so there was only one way to go for me fish it shallow with a pellet waggler set about 1ft deep. I also set up 1 pole rig for the inside later on if needed, but was really hoping I wouldn’t need it.

I was ready with half an hour to go to the all in at 10.30, with 6 hours to fish, all around you could hear other matches starting before us. 10.30 cast and feed this was going to be my rhythm for the day, whilst hopefully avoiding the tree branches above my head. The fog was still thick but I could see the fish were up in the water and so that was the way I was going to fish. I had a couple of early fish, then it slowed down a little and the fish backed off and so I changed things a little, mainly the float witch was a 4AAA more than heavy enough for the distance I was casting and so I changed to a 3AAA which was easily big enough for the job. I wasn’t bagging by any means but I kept putting the small stockies of around the 1lb mark in my net. Though the match I fed 4mm pellets down the inside getting it ready for if I needed it later in the match. My main set up with the pellet waggler was my trusty 11ft Mach III pellet waggler and SPRO Red arc reel, and our own hand built 4 and 3 AAA pellet waggler set about 12inch deep with a size 16 hook and a hair rigged 6mm pellet.

Everything was going great until the final hour when a miss timed cast saw my pellet waggler get stuck in the tree so not wanting to waste an time trying to get it down or set the rod up again I just picked up the pole for the last hour, this produce a few more fish including 3 small barbel and a few more small carp.

First of the year

Today I got on the bank for the first time since November. I loaded the car up last night ready for a quick get away this morning and forgot to take my two bottles of water from the fridge uppppps. I left home just after 6.30  for the 10 mile drive to Lindholme lakes at Sandtoft, in thick fog.

I was one of the first to arrive at the fishery and the kettle had not even boiled, so had a short wait for my first coffee of the day, coffee drunk and still no sign of Aaron or Neil, god that place would just not run without Bev. A last Aaron arrived to open the tackle shop so in to get a few bags of pellets for the day, then back into the cafe for a bacon buttie to see me through the day, by now a few more people were turning up some for the open match and the others for the maggot drowners match I was fishing on Oasis lake.

we paid our pools and drew our pegs, plenty of room for us all with only 10 of use spread from pegs 35 to 63. I was happy with 63 the end peg but it was a stong wind blowing to my end of the lake all the early fog had gone.

I only set up one pole rig at about 9mtr the wind was to strong for more. I soaked a bag of micro pellets and added a few 4mm pellet to them, and at 10.15 all in and away we went, first two puttings two small F1's, then nothing this was going to be harder than I though, I tried a couple of other lines with no luck plus straight out was the only place I could hold the pole right.

After a couple of hours and only a few fish I tried the method feeder, dam I had left all my hook lengths with pellet bands on at home so tried it with just corn on the hook and managed 1 fish and two lost feeders, so back on the pole and a few more fish.

In the last hour I had a change of tact and set up a second rig for the inside, I had 3-4 fish off this in the last hour and weighted in a massive 16lb 8oz. and expected to have come last not having a clue what the others had caught. As I saw the rest of the results I hadn't done as bad as I thought and finished 7th out of 10 with the winning weight being only 27lb I was happy for my first outing of the year.

I made a lot of mistakes and should have known better, but a few more days on the bank will hopefully put that right.