Tuesday 7 February 2017
Monday 30 January 2017
Moorlands open, Sunday 29/01/17
Sundays choice of open was at Moorlands Farm, a venue I don't tend to frequent in the winter as its so hit and miss.
The weather has been wet all day, so no photos this time.
However myself, Scott Poynton and Darren Fisher all made the decision to have a go at the open which was to held on Meadow the largest lake on the complex. This lake can normally be counted on to produce a few fish, if the carp don't feed then the F1's that can go over 3lb do as can the silvers.
I've drawn peg 15, right in the middle of the lake opposite an aerator, I considered this a good draw and one I thought I could pinch a few carp from. Looking at the peg the decison was to have 4 seperate lines of attack.
1) - Aerator, this was the obvious feature so needed some attention, the first was to fish a waggler at either 3/4 depth or on the deck. This I've tackled with a 12ft waggler rod, a handmade waggler by Scott Poynton (these are great wagglers, pre-loaded and fly like darts) This was set up on 3lb mainline and an 0.14mm hooklength and 18 T213 hook.
2) Aerator, a bomb or pellet cone line, the wind was meant to get up today according to the forecast (it couldn't have been more wrong) This was tackled with my Colmic 10ft Next Adventure feeder rod, a fantastic bit of kit this, very forgiving and has the power lower in the blank to cope with anything bigger. 6lb mainline and an 0.20mm Stream hooklength to a size 16 Guru MWG hook and bait band. This covers a wide variety of baits, sweetcorn, pellets etc.
3) 16m line, this was to be my big fish pole line, fed with 4mm fishery pellets. The rig was a 4x14 handmade float, 0.145mm Stream rig line, a spread bulk of number 10s above a 6 inch 0.125mm hooklength and a size 16 T213 hook set 2 inches overdepth. This was to suit either a double maggot, corn or 4mm expander hookbait. Elastic choice was an orange 10 hollow. This swim received 30 4mm pellets and 10 grains of corn initally.
4) 13m line, this was my main pole line, primarily aimed at Skimmers, F1s and if the odd carp turned up. Rig was again a 4x14 handmade slim float set 1 inch overdepth, a bulk of number 10s with 2 no10 droppers above a 6 inch hooklength of 0.11mm and a size 18 T213 hook. This was matched to a 8-10 hollow. Ive also set up a duplicate rig but used a 0.10mm hooklength and a size 20 Guru F1 pellet hook and matched to Colmics 1.5mm Blue hollow just in case the skimmers turned up in numbers and have a bit more fun if the F1s were there in numbers.
This swim would receive 20 micro pellets and 5-6 maggots initially and try to catch anything that swims,
5) Deep margin, This line was either side of me to the next pallets but looking for 4ft of water down the shelf, this was around 4m from the bank. Ive used a 4x12 RW dink float for this mounted on 0.145mm Stream line with a spread bulk of no11 shot above a 6 inch 0.12mm hooklength and a size 16 T213. This would receive a quarter cup of micros and 30 maggots and left alone until later in the match.
The all in being called at 10.45 as the draw was late and there were other matches on the complex, I've catapulted a few grains of corn towards the aerator and then fed all my pole lines with a view to leave them for a little while and trying my luck with a bonus resident carp...hopefully.
Alas after 15 minutes of casting the waggler around the aerator at full depth I've not had a sign or liner to give me an indication that there were fish at home. looking around the pool no-one has yet had a fish and those chucking bombs out have not had a fish either. So I've made the decision to come off the waggler and go onto the 13m pole line. Ive part filled a tosspot with another 20 micros and 5 maggots to top up the swim and see how things went,
Its taken another 10 minutes of gentle lifting and dropping to induce a bite which resulted in an 8oz skimmer, at least it was a bite and from what I could see was the first to catch anything on the lake. Anohter 30 minutes passed with a couple of roach and another small skimmer coming to the net, the angler to my right has had a carp on his pole line fishing pellet. This prompted me to try my 16m line, but after 10 minutes without a sign I've re-fed this and come back to the 13m line and was into a 3lb F1 immediately on a double maggot hookbait.
An hour in and a not a lot to show for my efforts, Scott next to me was also having a tough time and from what I could see around me and opposite we were all struggling to put anything together. However word was further to my left
The weather has been wet all day, so no photos this time.
However myself, Scott Poynton and Darren Fisher all made the decision to have a go at the open which was to held on Meadow the largest lake on the complex. This lake can normally be counted on to produce a few fish, if the carp don't feed then the F1's that can go over 3lb do as can the silvers.
I've drawn peg 15, right in the middle of the lake opposite an aerator, I considered this a good draw and one I thought I could pinch a few carp from. Looking at the peg the decison was to have 4 seperate lines of attack.
1) - Aerator, this was the obvious feature so needed some attention, the first was to fish a waggler at either 3/4 depth or on the deck. This I've tackled with a 12ft waggler rod, a handmade waggler by Scott Poynton (these are great wagglers, pre-loaded and fly like darts) This was set up on 3lb mainline and an 0.14mm hooklength and 18 T213 hook.
2) Aerator, a bomb or pellet cone line, the wind was meant to get up today according to the forecast (it couldn't have been more wrong) This was tackled with my Colmic 10ft Next Adventure feeder rod, a fantastic bit of kit this, very forgiving and has the power lower in the blank to cope with anything bigger. 6lb mainline and an 0.20mm Stream hooklength to a size 16 Guru MWG hook and bait band. This covers a wide variety of baits, sweetcorn, pellets etc.
3) 16m line, this was to be my big fish pole line, fed with 4mm fishery pellets. The rig was a 4x14 handmade float, 0.145mm Stream rig line, a spread bulk of number 10s above a 6 inch 0.125mm hooklength and a size 16 T213 hook set 2 inches overdepth. This was to suit either a double maggot, corn or 4mm expander hookbait. Elastic choice was an orange 10 hollow. This swim received 30 4mm pellets and 10 grains of corn initally.
4) 13m line, this was my main pole line, primarily aimed at Skimmers, F1s and if the odd carp turned up. Rig was again a 4x14 handmade slim float set 1 inch overdepth, a bulk of number 10s with 2 no10 droppers above a 6 inch hooklength of 0.11mm and a size 18 T213 hook. This was matched to a 8-10 hollow. Ive also set up a duplicate rig but used a 0.10mm hooklength and a size 20 Guru F1 pellet hook and matched to Colmics 1.5mm Blue hollow just in case the skimmers turned up in numbers and have a bit more fun if the F1s were there in numbers.
This swim would receive 20 micro pellets and 5-6 maggots initially and try to catch anything that swims,
5) Deep margin, This line was either side of me to the next pallets but looking for 4ft of water down the shelf, this was around 4m from the bank. Ive used a 4x12 RW dink float for this mounted on 0.145mm Stream line with a spread bulk of no11 shot above a 6 inch 0.12mm hooklength and a size 16 T213. This would receive a quarter cup of micros and 30 maggots and left alone until later in the match.
The all in being called at 10.45 as the draw was late and there were other matches on the complex, I've catapulted a few grains of corn towards the aerator and then fed all my pole lines with a view to leave them for a little while and trying my luck with a bonus resident carp...hopefully.
Alas after 15 minutes of casting the waggler around the aerator at full depth I've not had a sign or liner to give me an indication that there were fish at home. looking around the pool no-one has yet had a fish and those chucking bombs out have not had a fish either. So I've made the decision to come off the waggler and go onto the 13m pole line. Ive part filled a tosspot with another 20 micros and 5 maggots to top up the swim and see how things went,
Its taken another 10 minutes of gentle lifting and dropping to induce a bite which resulted in an 8oz skimmer, at least it was a bite and from what I could see was the first to catch anything on the lake. Anohter 30 minutes passed with a couple of roach and another small skimmer coming to the net, the angler to my right has had a carp on his pole line fishing pellet. This prompted me to try my 16m line, but after 10 minutes without a sign I've re-fed this and come back to the 13m line and was into a 3lb F1 immediately on a double maggot hookbait.
An hour in and a not a lot to show for my efforts, Scott next to me was also having a tough time and from what I could see around me and opposite we were all struggling to put anything together. However word was further to my left
Barrys blog!
The
plan was to go to Petes on Saturday to do some work on his heating system, stay
over and go fishing on the Sunday.
Sunday
morning duly came and we were greeted by a thin blanket of snow and
temperatures of -4 degrees. Due to the temperatures, Pete decided on Woodland
View. We were fortunate as the aerators had been on and the majority of the
complex was ice free.
We set
up on Ghost pegs 6 and 7.
Due to
the conditions being very cold but windless, I opted for a very simple plan
based on pellet at 13m.
The
first rig was to fish on the bottom. For this, I opted for a Middy purple solid
elastic (4-6) and a 4x10 RW Flexi dink on 0.15 guru n Gauge mainline.
This had a bulk and 2 no. 11 droppers. The hook length was 15cm of 0.11 of
the same line with a Guru F1 pellet hook in size 16.
The
second rig was to give the pellet a slow fall just in case the fish were up off
the bottom. This rig was the same elastic and mainline but the float was an RW
Maggie in a 4x10. This was shotted with 2 no. 11 at 10cm apart with the
remaining shot evenly spaced at 5cm intervals. The hook length was 10cm of
0.11 n gauge with the same hook. Both floats were back shotted (it's something
that I always do).To slow the fall of the pellet, the pellets were not pumped
but left to soak and absorb the water. The weight of the hook will overcome
the buoyancy.
I
started very negatively with the deck rig. This entailed cad potting in
literally a dozen or so fishery own micros. I lifted the float just clear of
the water and lowered it in on top of my feed. I waited for a couple of minutes
before the float buried. A little F1 of 8oz or so graced my landing net. This continued
for a while but it just didn't seem right. If I didn't get a bite as the float
settled, then I had to wait for a few minutes. I tried the slow falling rig but
it didn't really work.
I went
back to the deck rig and realised that the fish must be literally hovering
off the bottom and watching the pellets fall before deciding to have a go. I
then fed the same amount of micros but instead of lifting just the float out, I
lifted the bulk out, let the rig straighten and then lowered it very slowly.
This small change had an instant response and made a big difference to my catch
rate.
During
the session, Pete wandered over with his shiny new Airon F66. We laid it
on my rollers next to my Air. The first notable difference was the taper. The
Airon is much thicker because of the fast taper. I had to admit that the F66 is
stiffer than the Air and extremely well balanced (to be honest - I loved
it !!). I particularly thought that the titanium reinforcement on the
joints was a great idea. The finish on the sections was excellent and slid
through my hands with ease. I also think that the thickness helped.
I had
been on the lookout for some decent pole rollers that would extend to a
reasonable height. My existing rollers do not go high enough to allow me to
ship over a fence on my local venue. This of course, means having to break down
at least twice.
Pete
showed me his new Colmic rollers which are brilliant. Not only are the
horizontal rollers on bearings but the legs extend to over a meter which would
be perfect (2 on order for me).
The
session was cut short due to me having a long drive ahead of me. Meeting up
with a good friend and fishing again (just like the good old days), made for a
fantastic weekend. The only negative is the money that I am going to have to
find for the goodies - and maybe even a new pole !!! All your fault, Pete.
Thursday 26 January 2017
A blast from the past!
I've just had a very interesting weekend, I had arranged for a very good long standing friend in the form of Barry Robson to help me replace a failed valve in my heating system and make a weekend of it by fishing the Sunday as he lives some 3-4 hours drive away.
"It was a great weekend Pete, and long overdue.
Getting the system back up and running was a challenge (there's only so many times you can test things until the obvious issue becomes apparent - the boiler that we hadn't touched !!)
The fishing was great. I chose a 4x10 RW flexi dink for the slightly more positive rig with a bulk and 2 no. 11 droppers to 6" of Guru N Gauge 0.11 to a 16 F1 pellet. I also set up a 4x10 RW Maggie with a small spread bulk and 2 no. 11 droppers. This had the same size hook and line. The elastics were the middy purple and orange solids.
My thoughts were that they may not be having it right on the deck but want a slightly slower fall.
I opted to feed very negatively due to the sprinkling of snow and the sustained low temps but it worked.
I was astonished with the F66. When we put them on the rollers side by side, the Airon was definitely stiffer. The glaringly obvious difference was the diameter of the sections. The Airon was much thicker but amazingly well balanced. That is one heck of a pole.
It was great to catch up again and to fish together for the first time in about 10 years."
Now as it happens things were not as easy as we first thought, a few wiring technicalities and a boiler with loose connections made for a very difficult and fraught few hours. However this was soon forgotten after steak, chips and a few beers.
Unfortunately we probably chose the wrong weekend for fishing as we have had some very cold and constant weather leading up to Sunday meaning most venues have had a lid of ice on them for a few days. We drove to a local tackle shop and bought a few bits and some bait just in case somewhere was ice free (otherwise the ice breakers were going to have to come out) Thankfully Woodland View has its bubbler's and aerators on, meaning that the majority of the lakes were in fact ice free or had ice free pegs.
Thankfully Adrian Mason said why not go onto Ghost pool and catch some of the newly stocked F1s, ranging from 6oz up to around 1lb 8oz. This sounded like a good plan, at least a few bites could be had and we could have a good natter and try a few different things.
We settled on pegs 6 and 7, this was relatively ice free and a feature was recently shot on here using the same pegs by pole fishing magazine, (you can youtube it and look on their social media sites)
This was also going to give me a chance to try out my new Colmic Airon F66 pole, although F1's wont test its strength, they can certainly test the rigidity and responsiveness at longer lengths.
So setting up,
Very simple day ahead as I had 2 different sizes of expander pellets (2s and 4s) 2 pints of maggots and a bag of woodland views new blue coloured micro pellets. These new pellets are quite unusual as the dye comes off and you can use it to colour your expanders... your fingers, towels and anything else. They remind me of the original big blue pellets you could get at Stafford Moor that did the same thing.
I decided on 2 lines at 13m, one directly in front of me and one at the 2 o-clock position. The lake is only around 4ft deep so very light floats were the order of the day, 4x10 and 4x12 handmade floats on 0.125mm Stream mainline and a size 20 T213 hooks mounted to a 0.09mm hooklength. The shotting pattern's differed however, I have gone for a small bulk and 2 droppers on the 4x10 float and a strung out bulk above the hooklength on the heavier 4x12 rig. Both matched to either Colmics light blue hollow or orange hollow elastics. (3-6 rating) Which would be perfect for the new stock fish!
Ive decided that on my line just in front to fish a few micros and add a couple of maggots just as a change hookbait and feed solely maggots on the 2 o-clock line, giving me 2 quite different lines. Now being new stock fish I was also quite aware that they were likely to be pellet fed and reared so maggot may not be the right bait yet.
Barry however had gone for a slightly different approach and an even simpler plan than me. He had decided to solely fish pellets at 13m, but not feed any bait initially, rather using a very small tosspot and feeding 10 micro pellets and fish an expander over the top, exceptionally negative!
My approach was completely wrong on the day....I sat there for 45 minutes without an F1 to show for my efforts, a few roach and small skimmers were all that fancied eating the maggots I was dribbling in via a tosspot. Whereas Barry was quite content catching F1s fairly regularly.
Not big fish but at anywhere between 6oz and 1lb they were good fun on really light elastics. I've decided to change my feeding on the 13m line to just pellet but still keeping with actually using a cup to feed an initial dunp of bait and put my hookbait over the top. This eventaully started working for me and finally began catching these pretty new ghost carp style F1s!
I've caught a few fish over the pellet line but it still wasn't right, Barry was still catching regularly by lowering his hookbait over the 10 pellets hes been shaking out of the tosspot and following them down. This has also resulted in bites that have come just as the float settles properly. Something else that wasn't working for me was my expanders which were a bright blue, for some reason the fish although I'm sure were coming over or eating the feed pellets, they were not interested in mine.
Time for a change!
Ive set up a new line at 14.5m and found a little more depth, using Barry's method of just putting 10 micros in and following them down with the hookbait I was soon playing F1s regularly, great fun on these light hollows!
The Colmic F66 was very much at home at this length, stunningly stiff and responsive, it also remains super stiff when playing fish, see picture above! The finish on this pole is silky smooth all the way up to the 14.5m section, as the graphics for pole only reside on the 16m extension, this helps reduce the weight of the pole. The joints are all reinforced with the distinct Titanium wrap on the Airon F66, the male joints now also have an eye catching crossweave carbon finish that helps with section wear and strength. This is apparent on the 16m section through to the number 4. This is a very very nice pole, easy to use and has bags of strength to offer. It has a very fast taper meaning the sections do get quite big very quickly form the top kit back, this improves the rigidity of the pole, especially at length.
After around an hour on this new line I have finally found some of the bigger residents, again great fun on light hollows. Feeding just tiny amounts of bait very regular has definitely been the winning method on our pleasure session, its not often I have a day out but we have discussed every move, every shotting change, even how we are laying the rig in to determine what was the best method. This has resulted in us both catching the better fish towards the end of the day which unfortunately would be cut short as Barry needed to get home at a reasonable time, although I'm sure we could have both stayed on catching some of the bigger carp and F1s showing.
Thanks Barry, for all your help and a great catch up!
Here's a little from Barry!
Here's a little from Barry!
"It was a great weekend Pete, and long overdue.
Getting the system back up and running was a challenge (there's only so many times you can test things until the obvious issue becomes apparent - the boiler that we hadn't touched !!)
The fishing was great. I chose a 4x10 RW flexi dink for the slightly more positive rig with a bulk and 2 no. 11 droppers to 6" of Guru N Gauge 0.11 to a 16 F1 pellet. I also set up a 4x10 RW Maggie with a small spread bulk and 2 no. 11 droppers. This had the same size hook and line. The elastics were the middy purple and orange solids.
My thoughts were that they may not be having it right on the deck but want a slightly slower fall.
I opted to feed very negatively due to the sprinkling of snow and the sustained low temps but it worked.
I was astonished with the F66. When we put them on the rollers side by side, the Airon was definitely stiffer. The glaringly obvious difference was the diameter of the sections. The Airon was much thicker but amazingly well balanced. That is one heck of a pole.
It was great to catch up again and to fish together for the first time in about 10 years."
Thursday 19 January 2017
Colmic Airon F66 16m pole.
It has arrived!!
The Colmic Airon F66 16m pole.
.
Sexy looking top kits!
Its a bit Stiff!
Astwood Fisheries Silverfish only (stand in) 15th January
So Sunday the 15th saw me at Astwood Fisheries on the Buddleia pool as a stand in for a friend. As this was a silvers match I couldn't resist.
The draw was made at a local pub just down the road after meeting everyone for a breakfast and a little bit of a catch up. I managed to get somewhere near the front of the queue and drew peg 75 which is in the middle of an island some 14.5m away, this is one of the narrowest pegs on the lake and historically a poor area for both carp and silvers. A little dismayed I made my way to the fishery to try and get as close to the lake as possible, the weather was dreadful, persistent rain, a very cold breeze and incredibly gloomy. Not what i would call a nice day, but at least we didnt have to break any ice.
The lake we were to fish has around 40 pegs on it, has 3 seperate islands all ranging from 14m to 20m away. The 1st and 2nd islands were always the areas to draw, slightly wider and more cover in terms of trees and reeds, the 3rd or furthest island is a lot narrower at 14.5m or less and has no features to really speak of other than right at the end of the lake where there is a willow tree hanging over the water. I actually still hold the match record for the lake which currently stands at 236lb of carp off peg 85 on the first island.
So peg 75, a quick look at my peg and the only cover was a tree growing from the bank slightly to my left, I could see a coloured float tip a little easier in the reflection here so that would be swim number 1, after plumbing up ive found a steady 6ft just about all over the peg 1m from the far bank all the way to a top kit length from my keepnet. This would at least make duplicate rigs easy to make and match.
Target species today would be small roach, skimmers, perch and if you were lucky bream and chub.
So rigs and swim location,
I've chosen the tree to my left as my main swim, I could see a yellow tipped float very well in the reflection of the tree and the bottom was nice an even just at the base of the far slope. Ive set up 2 rigs for this swim,
Rig 1) 0.3grm Garbolino DS17 slim float, I like these floats for silver fishing, very sensitive, quite visible and shot very well. This was made up on 0.125mm Stream line, a spread bulk of number 11 droppers with 2 number 11 droppers 10cm apart onto a 0.08mm hooklength and a size 20 63-13 hook.
Rig 2) 0.4grm Garbolino DS17 slim float, made up on 0.125mm Stream line and again a spread bulk of number 10s and 2 number 10 droppers spaced 10cm apart with a 0.08mm hooklength and size 18 63-13 hook. (more positive if the fishing got frantic or the tow on the lake got any worse)
My next swim was at 14m to my right again around 1m from the bank in 6ft of water, I could use the same rigs for this swim, but this swim would be fed differently to my left hand swim.
Ive also had a track rig set at 11m, I have set up a handmade 0.4grm float to 0.125mm Stream line,
spread bulk and 2 number 10 droppers 10cm apart with a 0.09mm hooklength and size 18 T213 hook, this would be my chopped worm line for either the big perch, bream etc anything really!
I have also set up a top 5 line, (being lazy I've used the 0.3grm rig over this as it plumbed up perfectly) This would be my big maggot line in the hope of catching some roach.
Last but not least I've set up a rig to fish 1m away from the bank in the margins, this would be fed heavily with caster looking for a big perch. Ive used a 0.3grm handmade float, 0.145mm Stream line and a spread bulk above a 6 inch hooklength of 0.125mm Stream line and a size 16 T213 hook. (great hook for a double caster)
Baits,
The fishery does not allow groundbait unfortuntaely so, 1 bag of fishery own micro pellets, 1 pint of pinkies, 1 pint of casters, 1.5 pints of live maggots, a small amount of dead red maggots, 1/2kg of worm plus 2 and 4mm expanders for the hook.
All in,
Ive fed my main catching line in line with the tree with just a small pot of micro pellets and some dead red maggots, This would be left for 30 minutes in the hope of the skimmers that reside in the lake. Ive fed the other 14m line with 30 maggots, the track with a small amount of chopped worm and caster, my top 5 line with 10 maggots and then finally the margin to my left at 6 sections with half a small pot of casters....done! Time for a quick cup of coffee and a nose as to what other anglers are doing around me. I dont normally fish under a brolly, but i was very glad that today mine was up and keeping off the constant drizzle that was coming down and soaking everything.
Ive started on the top 5 line just flicking 5-6 maggots over the top of the float, this has resulted in a couple of dumpy roach before going quiet, I knew this area was going to be hard so it was time to move and let this line settle again.
Moving over to the right hand 14m line with a single maggot on the hook I've sat for around 5 minutes waiting for my first bite, During this period I've decided to ping maggots over the top with a catapult. Eventually the floats dipped under and a small perch was the only reward from this swim. So back to the 5m line and again no more bites were forthcoming. Thankfully no-one was catching around me, the angler to my left hadn't had a fish yet and the angler to my right had just one very small gudgeon.
Time to check the worm line at 11m, slipping on a small segment of worm I shipped out and laid the rig in and waited...and waited.. nothing..hmmmmm not a good sign. Change of bait required, trying a double pinkie i was rewarded with a leaf and small roach, but other than that no real signs. So a quick top up with a little more worm and caster (still flicking 5-6 maggots on my short line) I couldn't resist having a quick look in the edge with caster, which again resulted in nothing. 35 minutes into the match and it was looking grim, time to try the 14m line to my right.
Baiting up with a single dead read on the lightest 0.3grm rig I've lowered it into the swim and had an immediate bite which was duly missed through shock more than anything. laying the rig in again and letting it settle the float has dipped and a small skimmer (I mean small 2oz) was on its way to the net,I've managed to stick on this line feeding a very small amount of pellets and dead reds in 30 minute intervals as bites trailed off and it would bring a small run of tiny skimmers and roach to the net before requiring some more feed.
The third hour proved more difficult, anglers to my left and right were all struggling to put anything together, the anglers on the opposite side of the island to me hadn't even had a bite yet. desperate times!!
I've now decided to feed some more pellets over the left hand 14m line in the hope it might bring some more skimmers in and give me the opportunity to rest the left hand swim. this had mixed success, I've managed my biggest skimmer from this line (all of 5 maybe 6oz?) and a couple of roach but that was it over the course of the day.
My 5m line didn't produce another bite other than the initial couple of fish, the margin has not produced a bite at all, the worm line was like the kiss of death...nothing!
Wow...so stick on the left hand line and try to concentrate on this line till the very end, this has again given me a run of 1oz roach and small skimmers, but as no one else was catching I got my head down on it and worked away at it.
The all out was called and i knew I had won the section comfortably, the angler to my left had around 1lb, the angler immediately to my right just 4 fish, The guys opposite me in my section had really struggled with one blanking and the others having just a handful of fish between them.
The sclaes confirmed my thoughts as the top island produced the top weight of 7lb 4oz (all decent sized skimmers) with a few hooked and lost carp, the peg next to him had 6lb 8oz again some decent skimbobs and bits, one of the anglers managed 6lb 11oz off the second island with some decent caster fish and then me with 6lb 4oz (I reckon I had some 90 fish for this). So fourth overall out of 22 anglers from a poor area was all I could hope for and more importantly a section win and good start for the angler I was standing in for.
Job done!
The draw was made at a local pub just down the road after meeting everyone for a breakfast and a little bit of a catch up. I managed to get somewhere near the front of the queue and drew peg 75 which is in the middle of an island some 14.5m away, this is one of the narrowest pegs on the lake and historically a poor area for both carp and silvers. A little dismayed I made my way to the fishery to try and get as close to the lake as possible, the weather was dreadful, persistent rain, a very cold breeze and incredibly gloomy. Not what i would call a nice day, but at least we didnt have to break any ice.
The lake we were to fish has around 40 pegs on it, has 3 seperate islands all ranging from 14m to 20m away. The 1st and 2nd islands were always the areas to draw, slightly wider and more cover in terms of trees and reeds, the 3rd or furthest island is a lot narrower at 14.5m or less and has no features to really speak of other than right at the end of the lake where there is a willow tree hanging over the water. I actually still hold the match record for the lake which currently stands at 236lb of carp off peg 85 on the first island.
So peg 75, a quick look at my peg and the only cover was a tree growing from the bank slightly to my left, I could see a coloured float tip a little easier in the reflection here so that would be swim number 1, after plumbing up ive found a steady 6ft just about all over the peg 1m from the far bank all the way to a top kit length from my keepnet. This would at least make duplicate rigs easy to make and match.
Target species today would be small roach, skimmers, perch and if you were lucky bream and chub.
So rigs and swim location,
I've chosen the tree to my left as my main swim, I could see a yellow tipped float very well in the reflection of the tree and the bottom was nice an even just at the base of the far slope. Ive set up 2 rigs for this swim,
Rig 1) 0.3grm Garbolino DS17 slim float, I like these floats for silver fishing, very sensitive, quite visible and shot very well. This was made up on 0.125mm Stream line, a spread bulk of number 11 droppers with 2 number 11 droppers 10cm apart onto a 0.08mm hooklength and a size 20 63-13 hook.
Rig 2) 0.4grm Garbolino DS17 slim float, made up on 0.125mm Stream line and again a spread bulk of number 10s and 2 number 10 droppers spaced 10cm apart with a 0.08mm hooklength and size 18 63-13 hook. (more positive if the fishing got frantic or the tow on the lake got any worse)
My next swim was at 14m to my right again around 1m from the bank in 6ft of water, I could use the same rigs for this swim, but this swim would be fed differently to my left hand swim.
Ive also had a track rig set at 11m, I have set up a handmade 0.4grm float to 0.125mm Stream line,
spread bulk and 2 number 10 droppers 10cm apart with a 0.09mm hooklength and size 18 T213 hook, this would be my chopped worm line for either the big perch, bream etc anything really!
I have also set up a top 5 line, (being lazy I've used the 0.3grm rig over this as it plumbed up perfectly) This would be my big maggot line in the hope of catching some roach.
Last but not least I've set up a rig to fish 1m away from the bank in the margins, this would be fed heavily with caster looking for a big perch. Ive used a 0.3grm handmade float, 0.145mm Stream line and a spread bulk above a 6 inch hooklength of 0.125mm Stream line and a size 16 T213 hook. (great hook for a double caster)
Baits,
The fishery does not allow groundbait unfortuntaely so, 1 bag of fishery own micro pellets, 1 pint of pinkies, 1 pint of casters, 1.5 pints of live maggots, a small amount of dead red maggots, 1/2kg of worm plus 2 and 4mm expanders for the hook.
All in,
Ive fed my main catching line in line with the tree with just a small pot of micro pellets and some dead red maggots, This would be left for 30 minutes in the hope of the skimmers that reside in the lake. Ive fed the other 14m line with 30 maggots, the track with a small amount of chopped worm and caster, my top 5 line with 10 maggots and then finally the margin to my left at 6 sections with half a small pot of casters....done! Time for a quick cup of coffee and a nose as to what other anglers are doing around me. I dont normally fish under a brolly, but i was very glad that today mine was up and keeping off the constant drizzle that was coming down and soaking everything.
Ive started on the top 5 line just flicking 5-6 maggots over the top of the float, this has resulted in a couple of dumpy roach before going quiet, I knew this area was going to be hard so it was time to move and let this line settle again.
Moving over to the right hand 14m line with a single maggot on the hook I've sat for around 5 minutes waiting for my first bite, During this period I've decided to ping maggots over the top with a catapult. Eventually the floats dipped under and a small perch was the only reward from this swim. So back to the 5m line and again no more bites were forthcoming. Thankfully no-one was catching around me, the angler to my left hadn't had a fish yet and the angler to my right had just one very small gudgeon.
Time to check the worm line at 11m, slipping on a small segment of worm I shipped out and laid the rig in and waited...and waited.. nothing..hmmmmm not a good sign. Change of bait required, trying a double pinkie i was rewarded with a leaf and small roach, but other than that no real signs. So a quick top up with a little more worm and caster (still flicking 5-6 maggots on my short line) I couldn't resist having a quick look in the edge with caster, which again resulted in nothing. 35 minutes into the match and it was looking grim, time to try the 14m line to my right.
Baiting up with a single dead read on the lightest 0.3grm rig I've lowered it into the swim and had an immediate bite which was duly missed through shock more than anything. laying the rig in again and letting it settle the float has dipped and a small skimmer (I mean small 2oz) was on its way to the net,I've managed to stick on this line feeding a very small amount of pellets and dead reds in 30 minute intervals as bites trailed off and it would bring a small run of tiny skimmers and roach to the net before requiring some more feed.
The third hour proved more difficult, anglers to my left and right were all struggling to put anything together, the anglers on the opposite side of the island to me hadn't even had a bite yet. desperate times!!
I've now decided to feed some more pellets over the left hand 14m line in the hope it might bring some more skimmers in and give me the opportunity to rest the left hand swim. this had mixed success, I've managed my biggest skimmer from this line (all of 5 maybe 6oz?) and a couple of roach but that was it over the course of the day.
My 5m line didn't produce another bite other than the initial couple of fish, the margin has not produced a bite at all, the worm line was like the kiss of death...nothing!
Wow...so stick on the left hand line and try to concentrate on this line till the very end, this has again given me a run of 1oz roach and small skimmers, but as no one else was catching I got my head down on it and worked away at it.
The all out was called and i knew I had won the section comfortably, the angler to my left had around 1lb, the angler immediately to my right just 4 fish, The guys opposite me in my section had really struggled with one blanking and the others having just a handful of fish between them.
The sclaes confirmed my thoughts as the top island produced the top weight of 7lb 4oz (all decent sized skimmers) with a few hooked and lost carp, the peg next to him had 6lb 8oz again some decent skimbobs and bits, one of the anglers managed 6lb 11oz off the second island with some decent caster fish and then me with 6lb 4oz (I reckon I had some 90 fish for this). So fourth overall out of 22 anglers from a poor area was all I could hope for and more importantly a section win and good start for the angler I was standing in for.
Job done!
Thursday 12 January 2017
Colmic Evolution 2.0 seatbox
So here it is!
This is the Colmic Evolution 2.0 seatbox in all its glory. A fantastic piece of kit, strong, lightweight, stable and plenty of storage space make this a stunning box.
this features a very comfortable gel seat, a non slip platform, 2 spirit levels, 6 adjustable legs, a sliding cassette under the seat, 2 front drawers and a decent carrying strap. You can actually adjust the height of the seat without using the legs or having to buy additional units under the cushion. This is simply done by an alan key (supplied) and adjusting the height up or down.
The box also boasts water proof trays and drawers that do not get stuck when sitting on the box. There is also a host of accessories that can be bought with it, but if you buy the full package you get 2 different side trays, a set of balling arms, brolley arm, spray bar, spare legs for the trays and bags to fit it all in.
What does it cost?
The basic box without any accesories will cost you around the £450 mark, with everything pictured you will be looking at around £799.
What accessories are available?
Colmic have a whole catalogue of accessories, from trays with awnings to keep the bait dry, top kit roosts that fit on the box, keepnet atttachements, foam arms in varying lengths and sizes, trays, cassettes and a host of others, You can have a quick look online here;
https://issuu.com/colmicspa/docs/8_panieri_seatboxes_it_2
I will follow this up with a used and abused review later in the year.
Tightlines!
Wednesday 11 January 2017
Old Hough fishery - 27th December 2016
So Colin and Pete Mercer have an annual Christmas match that they very kindly subsidize for the benefit of the members on MFS (Match Fishing Scene website - see links lower right of page)
This year they had booked Old Hough fishery and the lake was to be Big Max.
I've never visited this venue before and information was kindly supplied via Colin Mercer and a couple of others on the website. The pool itself has a large island in the middle and supports some 40 pegs. The pool is filled with lots of roach, skimmers, carp and F1s...simple!
So Ive drawn a peg literally within inches of the carp park the draw was made on, perfect!! Means no trolley required, mince pies in easy reach and a bum warmer if the weather got any colder.
So looking at my peg I had a corner of the island to throw a waggler or feeder/bomb too, lots of open water in front of me and the pleasure of Steve "Daddy" May to my left and Colin "I have a chuck at the island" Mercer to my right, and just round the corner a little further I had Jim Manc and Andy "Oooooosh!!!!" May. The banter was going to be very good...
So swim choice, the obvious choice was a feeder chuck to the island initially, I was a little undecided as to what to do but I just couldn't get the little niggle in my head that said micro method feeder. So going with the niggle I set up a small 15grm garbolino inline method feeder around 2m from the far bank of the island, this would be loaded with fishery micro pellets and a 6mm pellet mounted on Guru 4 inch method rig, size 18 MWG and a band. this was set up on my Colmic Next Adventure 10ft feeder rod, what an awesome little bit of kit these rods are, super soft actions but with lots of power in reserve to handle any carp, a Daiwa TDX 3012 reel loaded with 0.23mm Colmic Feeder Pro NXAT70 line.
Ive also set up a 12ft waggler rod loaded with 0.20mm Colmic Feeder Pro and a TDX 2508 reel. Waggler was a hand made Scott Pynton loaded waggler with 3 number 10s down the line with a 0.12 Stream hooklength to a size 18 Milo Suehiro T213 hook. This would be suitable for a piece of corn, double maggot etc, this was set initially at 4ft deep.
Pole lines,
The topography of the lake is quite unusual, as it has quite deep margins which shelves off quite quickly to 6-7 ft out to around 12/13m then it steadily shelves back up to around 4ft again all the way to the island. So ive set up a 13m line directly in front of me just at the base of the shelf, this was set on 0.145mm Stream line with a 4x14 handmade float, this would have a shirtbutton style bulk of number 10s, this would give me the ability to move the shot around if required. I have set up a duplicate but with a bulk set above 2 droppers spaced 6 inches apart. The hooklength was a 6 inch length of 0.125mm Stream line and size 18 T213 hooks. I was going to fish small balls of micros laced with a few maggots to tempt anything that swims I hoped.
Ive also set a line on top of the shelf at 16m away from the 13m line, this would be fed a lot heavier primarily with corn and micros and left until the later period of the match.
Using the same 0.145mm Stream line, 4 x 12 handmade float and a 6 inch .125mm hooklength with a size 16 T213 hook. This was setup again with a shirt button style bulk of number 11 shot.
All my top kits had an 8-10 orange hollow with pulla kits.
Bait,
Again I've tried to keep my side tray as simple as possible, some Micro Pellets, 2 pints of maggots, 1 tin of corn, a few expanders in 2mm and 4mm plus a few 6mm pellets for the hook on the method feeder.
A little hint for fishing the method feeder, well micro ones. use a small plastic bag and put your method mould into it, then fill the mould with the bag over the top, this helps stop the pellets sticking to the mould and breaking away as the made up feeder is pried from the mould.
The all in!
I've initially fed my 13m line with a small uneven ball of micros and 30 maggots, then fed my 16m line with 30 grains of corn and few loose micro pellets easy!! I've then cast my method feeder out tot the corner of the island and the wait began. Sitting on a method or bomb gives you the chance to a) have a cup of coffee, b) a mince pie and c) watch everyone else and seeing what happens initially. This can give you an idea of whats going on around the lake, especially if a method like the waggler works immediately casting to features, pole lines coming alive very quickly etc etc.
During the first 20 minutes I've re-cast once as I like to leave the feeder in 15 minutes or so when its so cold, this allows me to see any liners and keep an ever watchful eye on Others.
Andy May further to my right was casting a bomb and bread some 10m short of the island, whilst feeding a waggler line some 18m out with casters...interesting!! Jim Manc was also searching his swim using a bomb without any early success. colin Mercer to my right was looking on the pole lines but remained biteless for the time being. Steve May to my left however had managed a couple of little roach on the pole fishing over his worm lines...worm??? worm??? nobody said anything about bringing any worm.
27 minutes in (second mince pie time..how rude!!) my tip has gone round with my first fish, a mirror carp of around 6lb. Great start fro me as nobody I could see had around me had a carp or decent fish up till now. Although I couldn't resist an OOOOOSH for Andy May's sake.
Now, I've made a cardinal sin here i guess, Ive not re-cast my method back to the island, I wanted to give it a few minutes to settle after finding that fish and try my 13m line. Im sure Andy may would tell you, "Dont come off feeding fish" but I couldn't resist looking just incase an F1 or carp had found my bait. I spent 5 minutes on the pole catching a few small roach on the maggot and decided that the fish were not there yet, time to re-feed and let it settle.
So back to the method rod, Ive cast out again letting the feeder hit my clip and fall 2m short of the island and sat back to wait. (cup of coffee 2 and finish off that mince pie) So now the lake is starting to wake up, Andy May has come off the bomb and is now looking on his waggler line and catching the odd roach, Jim Manc is still casting a bomb, Colin Mercer is catching some small roach fairly regularly on the pole and Steve May has had some decent roach over his worm lines. I am also aware that a carp has been snared further to my left on the pole.
After another re-cast the tip has gone round with another carp, this time around 5lb in weight, things were looking good. I've also just re-fed all my pole lines with just a trickle of bait to hopefully keep anything there interested.
A fruitless 10 minutes and ive watched Steve May to my left hook and land a carp of around 4lb on the pole, this has prompted me to wind in and look on my own pole lines for a while. So Tosppot added to my top kit, a small nugget of micros and 10 maggots went out to my 13m swim and I lowered my rig over the top, I have initially started on the strung out rig just to see if anything was about. an instant reaction from a couple of 2oz roach on double maggot and a missed bite...hmmm
So an expander was next on the hook with another small nugget of pellets and maggots. This time I've waited all of 20 seconds and a bite has been met with solid resistance and a carp around 4lb was the culprit, easy subdued on the pulla kit. so 3 carp in the ent and a few silvers, not a bad start and I was doing well from what I could see.
Re-feeding my pole lines ive now decided to have a quick look on the 16m line with a garin of corn on the hook, this has resulted in...nothing and a wasted 10 minutes. Back to the 13m line and again just a couple of small roach for my efforts, time to try that method again.
Casting just short of the island, the method has gone in with a lovely plop...just thought I'd share this with you, i was rather pleased with my casting for a change.
Andy may has now caught a few decent skimmers on his waggler line alongside the roach and one foulhooked carp/F1 which unfortunately found freedom.
Colin Mercer is rotating his pole lines looking for bites, but is still catching odd bits and pieces. Jim Manc is now on the waggler pinching Andy May's fish, Steve May is still catching odd bits on the pole and has now found a whopper of a perch!
News from the bank is that Rich Hodgkis is catching out the edge further to my left and Jay (pellethead) was catching fish regularity on the pole around the other side of the lake.
Ive managed another carp and F1 on my method line but I'm waiting a very long time for bites, Colin Mercer has now settle on a shorter line at 11m pinging maggots and catching small roach a bung, Andy May has now gone back onto the bomb whilst letting his pole lines come to life, Steve May has now started to cast a small bomb with maggot at 18m pinging maggot...this was an interesting method...As this line came to life for him, as hes had 5 F1s/carp in the last hour on this method.
I've switched back to my pole line at 13m and started to get indications, finally foulhooking a carp that steamed off into Steve's peg and breaking my hooklength. After sorting out a new hooklength I've re-plumbed, fed a small amount of maggots and hey presto...F1 on the pole, followed by a carp and then another carp...and another carp!
A decent last hour has put me into contention I thought, Steve to my left has had a good last hour, Colin Mercer has worked hard and managed to snare a carp on his maggot lines whilst fishing for roach, middy 6-8 orange elastic is ever so good for this.
Andy may has had a few more decent silvers and a clonking great big perch which he reckoned would eat Daddy May's (the result was Daddy May's was the bigger specimen, his words to Andy were..let that be a lesson to you.)
Ive managed to trouble the scales with a 39lb for 2nd overall, not a bad result! The match was won by Jay (pellethead) with a cracking net of F1s and carp. A great little venue and one which I would love top come back to, maybe when its not quite so cold.
Thanks to Colin and Pete Mercer for organizing the match and for subsiding it, most generous!
This year they had booked Old Hough fishery and the lake was to be Big Max.
I've never visited this venue before and information was kindly supplied via Colin Mercer and a couple of others on the website. The pool itself has a large island in the middle and supports some 40 pegs. The pool is filled with lots of roach, skimmers, carp and F1s...simple!
So Ive drawn a peg literally within inches of the carp park the draw was made on, perfect!! Means no trolley required, mince pies in easy reach and a bum warmer if the weather got any colder.
So looking at my peg I had a corner of the island to throw a waggler or feeder/bomb too, lots of open water in front of me and the pleasure of Steve "Daddy" May to my left and Colin "I have a chuck at the island" Mercer to my right, and just round the corner a little further I had Jim Manc and Andy "Oooooosh!!!!" May. The banter was going to be very good...
So swim choice, the obvious choice was a feeder chuck to the island initially, I was a little undecided as to what to do but I just couldn't get the little niggle in my head that said micro method feeder. So going with the niggle I set up a small 15grm garbolino inline method feeder around 2m from the far bank of the island, this would be loaded with fishery micro pellets and a 6mm pellet mounted on Guru 4 inch method rig, size 18 MWG and a band. this was set up on my Colmic Next Adventure 10ft feeder rod, what an awesome little bit of kit these rods are, super soft actions but with lots of power in reserve to handle any carp, a Daiwa TDX 3012 reel loaded with 0.23mm Colmic Feeder Pro NXAT70 line.
Ive also set up a 12ft waggler rod loaded with 0.20mm Colmic Feeder Pro and a TDX 2508 reel. Waggler was a hand made Scott Pynton loaded waggler with 3 number 10s down the line with a 0.12 Stream hooklength to a size 18 Milo Suehiro T213 hook. This would be suitable for a piece of corn, double maggot etc, this was set initially at 4ft deep.
Pole lines,
The topography of the lake is quite unusual, as it has quite deep margins which shelves off quite quickly to 6-7 ft out to around 12/13m then it steadily shelves back up to around 4ft again all the way to the island. So ive set up a 13m line directly in front of me just at the base of the shelf, this was set on 0.145mm Stream line with a 4x14 handmade float, this would have a shirtbutton style bulk of number 10s, this would give me the ability to move the shot around if required. I have set up a duplicate but with a bulk set above 2 droppers spaced 6 inches apart. The hooklength was a 6 inch length of 0.125mm Stream line and size 18 T213 hooks. I was going to fish small balls of micros laced with a few maggots to tempt anything that swims I hoped.
Ive also set a line on top of the shelf at 16m away from the 13m line, this would be fed a lot heavier primarily with corn and micros and left until the later period of the match.
Using the same 0.145mm Stream line, 4 x 12 handmade float and a 6 inch .125mm hooklength with a size 16 T213 hook. This was setup again with a shirt button style bulk of number 11 shot.
All my top kits had an 8-10 orange hollow with pulla kits.
Bait,
Again I've tried to keep my side tray as simple as possible, some Micro Pellets, 2 pints of maggots, 1 tin of corn, a few expanders in 2mm and 4mm plus a few 6mm pellets for the hook on the method feeder.
A little hint for fishing the method feeder, well micro ones. use a small plastic bag and put your method mould into it, then fill the mould with the bag over the top, this helps stop the pellets sticking to the mould and breaking away as the made up feeder is pried from the mould.
The all in!
I've initially fed my 13m line with a small uneven ball of micros and 30 maggots, then fed my 16m line with 30 grains of corn and few loose micro pellets easy!! I've then cast my method feeder out tot the corner of the island and the wait began. Sitting on a method or bomb gives you the chance to a) have a cup of coffee, b) a mince pie and c) watch everyone else and seeing what happens initially. This can give you an idea of whats going on around the lake, especially if a method like the waggler works immediately casting to features, pole lines coming alive very quickly etc etc.
During the first 20 minutes I've re-cast once as I like to leave the feeder in 15 minutes or so when its so cold, this allows me to see any liners and keep an ever watchful eye on Others.
Andy May further to my right was casting a bomb and bread some 10m short of the island, whilst feeding a waggler line some 18m out with casters...interesting!! Jim Manc was also searching his swim using a bomb without any early success. colin Mercer to my right was looking on the pole lines but remained biteless for the time being. Steve May to my left however had managed a couple of little roach on the pole fishing over his worm lines...worm??? worm??? nobody said anything about bringing any worm.
27 minutes in (second mince pie time..how rude!!) my tip has gone round with my first fish, a mirror carp of around 6lb. Great start fro me as nobody I could see had around me had a carp or decent fish up till now. Although I couldn't resist an OOOOOSH for Andy May's sake.
Now, I've made a cardinal sin here i guess, Ive not re-cast my method back to the island, I wanted to give it a few minutes to settle after finding that fish and try my 13m line. Im sure Andy may would tell you, "Dont come off feeding fish" but I couldn't resist looking just incase an F1 or carp had found my bait. I spent 5 minutes on the pole catching a few small roach on the maggot and decided that the fish were not there yet, time to re-feed and let it settle.
So back to the method rod, Ive cast out again letting the feeder hit my clip and fall 2m short of the island and sat back to wait. (cup of coffee 2 and finish off that mince pie) So now the lake is starting to wake up, Andy May has come off the bomb and is now looking on his waggler line and catching the odd roach, Jim Manc is still casting a bomb, Colin Mercer is catching some small roach fairly regularly on the pole and Steve May has had some decent roach over his worm lines. I am also aware that a carp has been snared further to my left on the pole.
After another re-cast the tip has gone round with another carp, this time around 5lb in weight, things were looking good. I've also just re-fed all my pole lines with just a trickle of bait to hopefully keep anything there interested.
A fruitless 10 minutes and ive watched Steve May to my left hook and land a carp of around 4lb on the pole, this has prompted me to wind in and look on my own pole lines for a while. So Tosppot added to my top kit, a small nugget of micros and 10 maggots went out to my 13m swim and I lowered my rig over the top, I have initially started on the strung out rig just to see if anything was about. an instant reaction from a couple of 2oz roach on double maggot and a missed bite...hmmm
So an expander was next on the hook with another small nugget of pellets and maggots. This time I've waited all of 20 seconds and a bite has been met with solid resistance and a carp around 4lb was the culprit, easy subdued on the pulla kit. so 3 carp in the ent and a few silvers, not a bad start and I was doing well from what I could see.
Re-feeding my pole lines ive now decided to have a quick look on the 16m line with a garin of corn on the hook, this has resulted in...nothing and a wasted 10 minutes. Back to the 13m line and again just a couple of small roach for my efforts, time to try that method again.
Casting just short of the island, the method has gone in with a lovely plop...just thought I'd share this with you, i was rather pleased with my casting for a change.
Andy may has now caught a few decent skimmers on his waggler line alongside the roach and one foulhooked carp/F1 which unfortunately found freedom.
Colin Mercer is rotating his pole lines looking for bites, but is still catching odd bits and pieces. Jim Manc is now on the waggler pinching Andy May's fish, Steve May is still catching odd bits on the pole and has now found a whopper of a perch!
News from the bank is that Rich Hodgkis is catching out the edge further to my left and Jay (pellethead) was catching fish regularity on the pole around the other side of the lake.
Ive managed another carp and F1 on my method line but I'm waiting a very long time for bites, Colin Mercer has now settle on a shorter line at 11m pinging maggots and catching small roach a bung, Andy May has now gone back onto the bomb whilst letting his pole lines come to life, Steve May has now started to cast a small bomb with maggot at 18m pinging maggot...this was an interesting method...As this line came to life for him, as hes had 5 F1s/carp in the last hour on this method.
I've switched back to my pole line at 13m and started to get indications, finally foulhooking a carp that steamed off into Steve's peg and breaking my hooklength. After sorting out a new hooklength I've re-plumbed, fed a small amount of maggots and hey presto...F1 on the pole, followed by a carp and then another carp...and another carp!
A decent last hour has put me into contention I thought, Steve to my left has had a good last hour, Colin Mercer has worked hard and managed to snare a carp on his maggot lines whilst fishing for roach, middy 6-8 orange elastic is ever so good for this.
Andy may has had a few more decent silvers and a clonking great big perch which he reckoned would eat Daddy May's (the result was Daddy May's was the bigger specimen, his words to Andy were..let that be a lesson to you.)
Ive managed to trouble the scales with a 39lb for 2nd overall, not a bad result! The match was won by Jay (pellethead) with a cracking net of F1s and carp. A great little venue and one which I would love top come back to, maybe when its not quite so cold.
Thanks to Colin and Pete Mercer for organizing the match and for subsiding it, most generous!
Colmic 9401-X3 Carp pole
So first pole review of the year, The Airon F66 review will come in a few months time...watch this space.
Colmics new 9401-X3 carp pole is their top of the range super specimen pole, its designed to be super stiff, super strong and handle everything that can be thrown at it.
It comes at 13m as standard but 1.7m extensions are available to purchase separately (I have 2 of them to extend the pole to 16m)
What do you get as a standard package,
13m pole with power kit inside
4 x oversize K power kits
2 x reversible extensions
1 x Force 4 K number 4
1 x duro pole holdall
Now this may not be the biggest package on the planet, but Colmic are more than happy to personalize the pole package as they have done with me.
I've now used this pole over the latter end of the summer and autumn for all my heavy duty carp fishing, I can honestly say its a pole that wont let you down in the most demanding of situations, I've used it at the Glebe fishery to take bags of fish to 260lb, at Larford to take carp from the edge to nearly 20lb, fishing in reeds using super heavy elastics to extract them from inside the reed beds...no problem! The nicest thing is, it doesn't bend like a banana when playing fish or giving the pole some stick, this I feel gives you control of the fish at all times, rather than just hitting and holding on.
If you primarily carp fish at bagging meccas, big fish venues, short on meat etc, this is the pole for you. The finish is super slick and doesn't stick to your hands in wet conditions, all the joints are reinforced with the titanium weave, the graphics are simple yet attractive.
The top kits are quite a large bore, meaning you only need to cut off 4-6 inches to accommodate the 5.5mm internals that I personally prefer. All the top kits, match and power for this pole have the re-enforced band for drilling, but again you can request Colmic to supply the power kits pre-drilled.
There is a plethora of extras available, from power kits without holes and with. Short power kits with and without holes, super power kits called "Hyper kits" which take just about any elastic available. Colmic actually produce a hollow thats 3.8mm thick..... thats tow rope!!
Obviously there are lots of top 3s, 4s and 5s available and are at extremely good prices. In fact if you want a pole to throw around for river fishing this is the pole to have.
Whats it like to use at 13m?
Its fantastic, you wouldn't know your holding a super specimen pole, Its as good as any top of the range pole out there.
Whats it like at 14.5m?
Its a good pole, you know its a carp pole as its quite heavy but the stiffness and rigidity are there and can compete with most poles.
Whats it like at 16m?
Its a carp pole, with a match kit and match number 4 on its great, with the carp kits and power 4s you know it s a carp pole, don't get me wrong its more than usable at this length.
What will it cost?
It has a an ssp of £1299 for the 13m package, with extensions costing around £159.99 each.
The pole itself comes with a very nice Duro carp XL pole holdall, this has a single zip down the entire length wioth a pocket at the side for umbrellas, landing net poles etc.
The holdall has a heavy re-enforced base to protect the ends of the tubes when in transit or setting the holdall down.
So, there you have it!
Colmics new 9401-X3 carp pole is their top of the range super specimen pole, its designed to be super stiff, super strong and handle everything that can be thrown at it.
It comes at 13m as standard but 1.7m extensions are available to purchase separately (I have 2 of them to extend the pole to 16m)
What do you get as a standard package,
13m pole with power kit inside
4 x oversize K power kits
2 x reversible extensions
1 x Force 4 K number 4
1 x duro pole holdall
Now this may not be the biggest package on the planet, but Colmic are more than happy to personalize the pole package as they have done with me.
I've now used this pole over the latter end of the summer and autumn for all my heavy duty carp fishing, I can honestly say its a pole that wont let you down in the most demanding of situations, I've used it at the Glebe fishery to take bags of fish to 260lb, at Larford to take carp from the edge to nearly 20lb, fishing in reeds using super heavy elastics to extract them from inside the reed beds...no problem! The nicest thing is, it doesn't bend like a banana when playing fish or giving the pole some stick, this I feel gives you control of the fish at all times, rather than just hitting and holding on.
If you primarily carp fish at bagging meccas, big fish venues, short on meat etc, this is the pole for you. The finish is super slick and doesn't stick to your hands in wet conditions, all the joints are reinforced with the titanium weave, the graphics are simple yet attractive.
The top kits are quite a large bore, meaning you only need to cut off 4-6 inches to accommodate the 5.5mm internals that I personally prefer. All the top kits, match and power for this pole have the re-enforced band for drilling, but again you can request Colmic to supply the power kits pre-drilled.
There is a plethora of extras available, from power kits without holes and with. Short power kits with and without holes, super power kits called "Hyper kits" which take just about any elastic available. Colmic actually produce a hollow thats 3.8mm thick..... thats tow rope!!
Obviously there are lots of top 3s, 4s and 5s available and are at extremely good prices. In fact if you want a pole to throw around for river fishing this is the pole to have.
Whats it like to use at 13m?
Its fantastic, you wouldn't know your holding a super specimen pole, Its as good as any top of the range pole out there.
Whats it like at 14.5m?
Its a good pole, you know its a carp pole as its quite heavy but the stiffness and rigidity are there and can compete with most poles.
Whats it like at 16m?
Its a carp pole, with a match kit and match number 4 on its great, with the carp kits and power 4s you know it s a carp pole, don't get me wrong its more than usable at this length.
What will it cost?
It has a an ssp of £1299 for the 13m package, with extensions costing around £159.99 each.
The pole itself comes with a very nice Duro carp XL pole holdall, this has a single zip down the entire length wioth a pocket at the side for umbrellas, landing net poles etc.
The holdall has a heavy re-enforced base to protect the ends of the tubes when in transit or setting the holdall down.
So, there you have it!
Tuesday 10 January 2017
Lower Broadheath fisheries open match Saturday 7th of January
Its been a long time since I've actually fished an open carp match at Lower Broadheath Fisheries or the jam factory as its more affectionately known. Its a venue that holds some great memories and some sad ones. The spring leagues were awesome and the teams of 4 competitions, however these have long gone.
The weather has been on the cold side running up to this match, meaning that unfortunately we have had several days of melt water, cold nights and ice. Upon arriving at the fishery I was rather hoping that the lakes would be ice free, as they average 8-10ft deep so tend to hold the temperature a little better than most places.
Alas, the lakes still had ice on them in some places so of course some anglers were going to end up breaking the ice on some pegs and others who draw well (like me) will have ice free pegs.
The lakes being used were Oak and Willow, both pools have around 20-22 pegs so there would be some room for us all. I managed to draw a fancied ice free corner area in the shape of permanent peg 10, this area is a little shallower than the early pegs and a little more sheltered. I had an inviting corner some 17m to my left covered by a willow tree and plenty of open water in front to have a few different lines.
So I've decided on 3 pole lines initially, my first and primary line was at 14.5m at the 10 o-clock position and my second open water line would be at the 2 o-clock position (but only at 13m) my third pole line was into that lovely looking corner to my left at 16m into the slightly deeper water just off the marginal ledge in around 4ft of water.
The techy bit, rigs!!
My open water swims were made up on 0.145 Stream line (see earlier review) utilising a Perfect Control plus float, these are my current favorite float for deep water fishing. They are similar in shape to a carpa chimp, but have a stronger wire at the base and a thick solid plastic tip. I prefer these thicker plastic tips for a couple of reasons, Firstly I believe they are more sensitive and you can have a little more of the bristle showing so bite detection is a little easier, secondly I find them easier to shot.
I have used a reverse taper shotting pattern of number 10s on a 4 x 16 size float in 8ft of water, with a 6 inch hooklenght of 0.125 Stream line and a size 16 Milo Suehiro T213 hook. This was matched with a 10-12 hollow elastic on a pulla kit.
Now, Ive also set up a lighter float in the shape of a 4x14 Perfect Control plus float, again with a reverse taper shotting pattern of number 10 shot, again matched to a 0.125mm hooklength and sizze 16 T213 hook plus the same grade 10-12 hollow.
My reasoning behind this is the lake has a mixture of large carp and decent skimmers, as per winter carping, all the carp could be up the other end of the lake and skimmers might be worth aiming for, some of them can go 3lb plus.
My margin line was made up using a handmade 0.3grm float mounted on 0.165mm Stream and hooklength of 0.145mm matched to a size 16 T213 hook.I prefer a slightly heavier hollow for the margin and opted for a 12-14 hollow. These fish can approach 20lb in the lake so are worth hanging onto if I found one.
Owing to the depth of the lake I have also set up a 12ft waggler fished at 5ft initially with a light waggler, 4lb mainline and an 0.125mm hooklength armed with a Guru LWG size 18 hook. I would use this in the first 15-30 minutes of the match looking for anything mid water around the peg.
Bait - Nice and simple.
I had on my side tray 2 pints of swimstim green pellets, 1 tin of corn, 2 pints of maggots and 2 sizes of white expanders plus some Ringers wafters for the waggler.
The start of the match,
I have initially cupped in a quarter cup of micros squeezed into a ball with a couple of grains of corn in at 14.5m made into a slightly uneven ball so that it doesnt spin off from where Im planning on fishing.
Same again at 13m but with added maggots as this would be the line I would concentrate on if the skimmers were present in any numbers.
The margin line then received a half cup of loose micro pellets and 30 grains of corn, as i would not be looking at this line for at least 2 hours.
Pole lines fed, it was time for me to search the peg with the waggler and watch what others are doing on the lake to see if a particular method or area would catch fish. Of course the obligatory bomb and bread went out from some pegs, pellet feeders on others and some started on the pole. the two anglers opposite each other had carp on straight leads around 10 minutes into the match, literally at the same time, in fact I was wondering whether they were playing the same fish. However watching them land carp of around 3lb a piece I wasnt overly worried.
My match started off very slowly, I never had a touch on the waggler despite changing depths, hookbaits and exploring the open water in front of me. (although I hadnt seen a fish move or top yet ether) after 40 biteless minutes the waggler was put up the bank and out the way as it just wasnt meant to be. The angler opposite me in the other corner hadnt had a bite yet so i was beginning to worry that the fish were under the ice at the other end of the lake. indeed the anglers in the middle of the lake had all caught 1 or 2 carp now and the skimmers were starting to show in the early pegs.
Time to concentrate on the pole lines which I had fed once more at the 30 minute mark, giving them around 10 minutes rest before hopefully plundering a load of carpy type creatures! Alas, my float tips remained motionless for the next 20 minutes, despite changing hookbaits and lifting and dropping to try and entice anything. an hour and 15 minutes in I was still biteless and the middle pegs were now on 3-4 carp, this was looking like an early bath.
Finally after another small tosspot nugget* of pellets my float has buried on the 14,5m line and a skimmer was on its way to the net. this had a least given me a little hope that some fish would move in to these lines. I swapped to my 13m line and after 5 minutes another followed, again at 2lb it was a welcome fish.
On the next cast I've decided to change hookbaits and tried a piece of corn, hoping that maybe a carp would have moved over the bait at 14.5m after the initial fish activity. A few lifts and drops and the float has buried and my first carp nudging 6lb was in the net in double quick time. This gave me more hope that the fish would actually move up the lake or at least any resident fish in the area would move over my lines. Re-feeding again with a tosspot nugget* I've moved over to my 13m swim and waited for 15 minutes without a sign or indication.
Now 2 hours in I've had 3 skimmers and 1 carp for my efforts, so a change back to white expanders on the lighter rig resulted in another decent skimmer around 3lb and a carp shortly after on the 14.5m line. At this point I've decided to discontinue feeding the 13m line as another 15 minutes of no indications has led me to believe the fish wanted to be that little further out and perhaps I'd made the mistake of starting too far out.
So concentrating on the 14.5m line I've managed to snare another 2 carp both around 7lb mark, one gave me a right runaround for some reason? properly hooked in the top lip too, must have taken me 7-8 minutes before it finally found the way into my landing net, albeit reluctantly.
Time to try the margin line, I had been prepping the margin to my left with small amounts of bait during the course of the match and was rather hoping i would have an immediate fish. On went a tosspot, a few grains of corn topped off with loose micro pellets. I've put my rig in first, gently lowering the hookbait into position in the hope a carp might be waiting before depositing the tosspot contents over the top. alas, no bites for a few minutes and it was time to feed and wait.
Unfortunately after 10 minutes of waiting Ive had to come off this line as no signs down there meant i needed to look elsewhere for fish for the time being. Back outon the 14.5m line the rest has done it some good and a little run of 2 carp and another skimmer moved me into the last hour of the match.
The guys in the middle of the lake had slowed down and I was quite sure I was only 1 or 2 fish away from contending for 1st place, time to make a new 16m line in the open water and see if the carp had moved away. I've fed this with a a tosspot nugget* and 4 grains of corn and left it for 5 minutes. No more signs on the 14.5m line and it was time to try the new area.
The float has buried as soon as the corn hit the bottom, perfect!!! The last hour saw me add 3 carp and 1 more skimmer to the total and i knew I was somewhere close, although the angler in the far opposite corner at the top of the lake had caught well in the last 2 hours on bomb and pellet cast tight to the edges. This has frustrated me somewhat as my margin line just didn't work, perhaps i also needed to just ping some 6mm pellets up the edge and look over it with a banded 6mm?? Food for thought on the next one.
I was also quite sure the angler to my right ion the middle of the lake was also 2 fish ahead which was later confirmed by the scales.
The angler in the far opposite corner has managed some right lumps and weighed a very creditable 64lb to win the lake, the angler to my right in the middle of the lake weighed in 62lb and my estimate of being 2 fish behind was just about right with me weighing in 50lb on the nose for 3rd overall.
I enjoy this venue as you can catch up relatively quickly if the bigger carp turn up, so you are never quite out of the match and its worth persisting with big fish lines. Roll on the next one!!
*Tosspot nugget - compressed ball of pellets large enough to fit in a medium sized cad pot, this ensures the pellets go down to the bottom on deep venues without breaking up or sitting in the lower levels of the water.
The weather has been on the cold side running up to this match, meaning that unfortunately we have had several days of melt water, cold nights and ice. Upon arriving at the fishery I was rather hoping that the lakes would be ice free, as they average 8-10ft deep so tend to hold the temperature a little better than most places.
Alas, the lakes still had ice on them in some places so of course some anglers were going to end up breaking the ice on some pegs and others who draw well (like me) will have ice free pegs.
The lakes being used were Oak and Willow, both pools have around 20-22 pegs so there would be some room for us all. I managed to draw a fancied ice free corner area in the shape of permanent peg 10, this area is a little shallower than the early pegs and a little more sheltered. I had an inviting corner some 17m to my left covered by a willow tree and plenty of open water in front to have a few different lines.
So I've decided on 3 pole lines initially, my first and primary line was at 14.5m at the 10 o-clock position and my second open water line would be at the 2 o-clock position (but only at 13m) my third pole line was into that lovely looking corner to my left at 16m into the slightly deeper water just off the marginal ledge in around 4ft of water.
The techy bit, rigs!!
My open water swims were made up on 0.145 Stream line (see earlier review) utilising a Perfect Control plus float, these are my current favorite float for deep water fishing. They are similar in shape to a carpa chimp, but have a stronger wire at the base and a thick solid plastic tip. I prefer these thicker plastic tips for a couple of reasons, Firstly I believe they are more sensitive and you can have a little more of the bristle showing so bite detection is a little easier, secondly I find them easier to shot.
I have used a reverse taper shotting pattern of number 10s on a 4 x 16 size float in 8ft of water, with a 6 inch hooklenght of 0.125 Stream line and a size 16 Milo Suehiro T213 hook. This was matched with a 10-12 hollow elastic on a pulla kit.
Now, Ive also set up a lighter float in the shape of a 4x14 Perfect Control plus float, again with a reverse taper shotting pattern of number 10 shot, again matched to a 0.125mm hooklength and sizze 16 T213 hook plus the same grade 10-12 hollow.
My reasoning behind this is the lake has a mixture of large carp and decent skimmers, as per winter carping, all the carp could be up the other end of the lake and skimmers might be worth aiming for, some of them can go 3lb plus.
My margin line was made up using a handmade 0.3grm float mounted on 0.165mm Stream and hooklength of 0.145mm matched to a size 16 T213 hook.I prefer a slightly heavier hollow for the margin and opted for a 12-14 hollow. These fish can approach 20lb in the lake so are worth hanging onto if I found one.
Owing to the depth of the lake I have also set up a 12ft waggler fished at 5ft initially with a light waggler, 4lb mainline and an 0.125mm hooklength armed with a Guru LWG size 18 hook. I would use this in the first 15-30 minutes of the match looking for anything mid water around the peg.
Bait - Nice and simple.
I had on my side tray 2 pints of swimstim green pellets, 1 tin of corn, 2 pints of maggots and 2 sizes of white expanders plus some Ringers wafters for the waggler.
The start of the match,
I have initially cupped in a quarter cup of micros squeezed into a ball with a couple of grains of corn in at 14.5m made into a slightly uneven ball so that it doesnt spin off from where Im planning on fishing.
Same again at 13m but with added maggots as this would be the line I would concentrate on if the skimmers were present in any numbers.
The margin line then received a half cup of loose micro pellets and 30 grains of corn, as i would not be looking at this line for at least 2 hours.
Pole lines fed, it was time for me to search the peg with the waggler and watch what others are doing on the lake to see if a particular method or area would catch fish. Of course the obligatory bomb and bread went out from some pegs, pellet feeders on others and some started on the pole. the two anglers opposite each other had carp on straight leads around 10 minutes into the match, literally at the same time, in fact I was wondering whether they were playing the same fish. However watching them land carp of around 3lb a piece I wasnt overly worried.
My match started off very slowly, I never had a touch on the waggler despite changing depths, hookbaits and exploring the open water in front of me. (although I hadnt seen a fish move or top yet ether) after 40 biteless minutes the waggler was put up the bank and out the way as it just wasnt meant to be. The angler opposite me in the other corner hadnt had a bite yet so i was beginning to worry that the fish were under the ice at the other end of the lake. indeed the anglers in the middle of the lake had all caught 1 or 2 carp now and the skimmers were starting to show in the early pegs.
Time to concentrate on the pole lines which I had fed once more at the 30 minute mark, giving them around 10 minutes rest before hopefully plundering a load of carpy type creatures! Alas, my float tips remained motionless for the next 20 minutes, despite changing hookbaits and lifting and dropping to try and entice anything. an hour and 15 minutes in I was still biteless and the middle pegs were now on 3-4 carp, this was looking like an early bath.
Finally after another small tosspot nugget* of pellets my float has buried on the 14,5m line and a skimmer was on its way to the net. this had a least given me a little hope that some fish would move in to these lines. I swapped to my 13m line and after 5 minutes another followed, again at 2lb it was a welcome fish.
On the next cast I've decided to change hookbaits and tried a piece of corn, hoping that maybe a carp would have moved over the bait at 14.5m after the initial fish activity. A few lifts and drops and the float has buried and my first carp nudging 6lb was in the net in double quick time. This gave me more hope that the fish would actually move up the lake or at least any resident fish in the area would move over my lines. Re-feeding again with a tosspot nugget* I've moved over to my 13m swim and waited for 15 minutes without a sign or indication.
Now 2 hours in I've had 3 skimmers and 1 carp for my efforts, so a change back to white expanders on the lighter rig resulted in another decent skimmer around 3lb and a carp shortly after on the 14.5m line. At this point I've decided to discontinue feeding the 13m line as another 15 minutes of no indications has led me to believe the fish wanted to be that little further out and perhaps I'd made the mistake of starting too far out.
So concentrating on the 14.5m line I've managed to snare another 2 carp both around 7lb mark, one gave me a right runaround for some reason? properly hooked in the top lip too, must have taken me 7-8 minutes before it finally found the way into my landing net, albeit reluctantly.
Time to try the margin line, I had been prepping the margin to my left with small amounts of bait during the course of the match and was rather hoping i would have an immediate fish. On went a tosspot, a few grains of corn topped off with loose micro pellets. I've put my rig in first, gently lowering the hookbait into position in the hope a carp might be waiting before depositing the tosspot contents over the top. alas, no bites for a few minutes and it was time to feed and wait.
Unfortunately after 10 minutes of waiting Ive had to come off this line as no signs down there meant i needed to look elsewhere for fish for the time being. Back outon the 14.5m line the rest has done it some good and a little run of 2 carp and another skimmer moved me into the last hour of the match.
The guys in the middle of the lake had slowed down and I was quite sure I was only 1 or 2 fish away from contending for 1st place, time to make a new 16m line in the open water and see if the carp had moved away. I've fed this with a a tosspot nugget* and 4 grains of corn and left it for 5 minutes. No more signs on the 14.5m line and it was time to try the new area.
The float has buried as soon as the corn hit the bottom, perfect!!! The last hour saw me add 3 carp and 1 more skimmer to the total and i knew I was somewhere close, although the angler in the far opposite corner at the top of the lake had caught well in the last 2 hours on bomb and pellet cast tight to the edges. This has frustrated me somewhat as my margin line just didn't work, perhaps i also needed to just ping some 6mm pellets up the edge and look over it with a banded 6mm?? Food for thought on the next one.
I was also quite sure the angler to my right ion the middle of the lake was also 2 fish ahead which was later confirmed by the scales.
The angler in the far opposite corner has managed some right lumps and weighed a very creditable 64lb to win the lake, the angler to my right in the middle of the lake weighed in 62lb and my estimate of being 2 fish behind was just about right with me weighing in 50lb on the nose for 3rd overall.
I enjoy this venue as you can catch up relatively quickly if the bigger carp turn up, so you are never quite out of the match and its worth persisting with big fish lines. Roll on the next one!!
*Tosspot nugget - compressed ball of pellets large enough to fit in a medium sized cad pot, this ensures the pellets go down to the bottom on deep venues without breaking up or sitting in the lower levels of the water.
Product review - Stream rig and hooklength line.
So here we have my current choice for all my hooklengths at present, this line comes in 50m spools at an approximate cost of £4.99 in the shops.
It does have some very interesting breaking strain statistics, as in the picture the 0.165mm has a breaking strain of over 4kg (8.9lb)
0.064mm - 0.62kg - 1.3lb
0.070mm - 0.77kg - 1.7lb
0.080mm - 0.94kg - 2.1lb
0.090mm - 1.10kg - 2.4lb
0.103mm - 1.49kg - 3.3lb
0.115mm - 1.90kg - 4.2lb
0.125mm - 2.39kg - 5.2lb
0.145mm - 2.95kg - 6.5lb
0.165mm - 4.05kg - 8.9lb
0.185mm - 5.40kg - 11.9lb
0.200mm - 6.80kg - 14.9lb
Colmic have advertised that these are real diameters and breaking strains and verified by testing, Im always a little skeptical with such high figures on low diameter lines, but what i will say is Im using the 0.125mm for all my carp fishing at the moment and have been since November without any issue.
I have no problem in saying this is great hooklength material, although expensive if you want to go down the rig making side of things with it. The 0.20mm looks awesome for summer conditions with heavy duty carp fishing in the edges or 200lb+ weight venues. The spools are quite small making them easy to store in your seatbox, so are quite user friendly when storing.
Monday 9 January 2017
How times change!
So it's been a while since I've posted on here, time to resurrect the blog and share some of the memories and matches I've fished.
A little update is required first I think.
Since being married I've changed sponsors from SPRO and Ultima to Frenzee and now to Colmic.
I've also been blessed with the birth of my handsome son, Jamie Steven Bailey, born boxing day of 2015. Its been a fantastic time, one that I wouldn't change for the world.
Has it impacted on fishing, well yes of course it has, I cant give the time that I once used to, especially the preparation and the time away from home. It rends my heart when I'm away for any length of time from Jamie, he's growing so fast and I don't want to miss anything.
Proper cheeky little man!! Wonder where he gets that from?
So yes, I've lost a bit more hair and put on a few pounds...OK maybe more than a few.
So moving on, I would like to say a big thanks to Colmic for taking me on as a sponsored angler, looking forward to using the large range of products they have available and hopefully helping them get a foothold back in UK.
Keep an eye out for the reviews that will be added to the blog, this will be rods, poles, luggage, lines, shot, keepnets and seatbox all used and abused!
So, bring on the fish, the warmer weather and have tightlines all!
A little update is required first I think.
Since being married I've changed sponsors from SPRO and Ultima to Frenzee and now to Colmic.
I've also been blessed with the birth of my handsome son, Jamie Steven Bailey, born boxing day of 2015. Its been a fantastic time, one that I wouldn't change for the world.
Has it impacted on fishing, well yes of course it has, I cant give the time that I once used to, especially the preparation and the time away from home. It rends my heart when I'm away for any length of time from Jamie, he's growing so fast and I don't want to miss anything.
Proper cheeky little man!! Wonder where he gets that from?
So yes, I've lost a bit more hair and put on a few pounds...OK maybe more than a few.
So moving on, I would like to say a big thanks to Colmic for taking me on as a sponsored angler, looking forward to using the large range of products they have available and hopefully helping them get a foothold back in UK.
Keep an eye out for the reviews that will be added to the blog, this will be rods, poles, luggage, lines, shot, keepnets and seatbox all used and abused!
So, bring on the fish, the warmer weather and have tightlines all!
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