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!