26/11/22 Junior Christmas Match Homeground Lake Todber Manor Match fees £15 (To cover prize costs and including a £6.00 peg fee) Draw: 10:30 Start: 11:30 Finish: 15:00
The final pre-match report is for those who care to read it. If you don’t care to read it, I can say rude things about you. But, to save the blushes of those that do, I won’t say rude things.
I do not have a great deal of experience of Homeground lake at Todber Manor, so I have sought advice from those in the know (Richard Butler). On to the match report then and, from the advice I have been given, it seems that the weather will play a vital role in how the match will play out. So below you will find two different options.
WARM/MILD WEATHER Homeground is a better lake for catching closer in than some of the other lakes at Todber, so that should make it easier for juniors to catch with shorter, more manageable poles, or even a close range waggler. Richard recommends a top kit plus one section of pole with an 8mm pellet hook bait. You will need to be feeding either micro pellets or 4mm. The margin areas may still be working, A worm hook bait fished over dead maggots may work well. Out in the open water (the rest of the lake) it is recommended that 8mm meat fished one a straight lead or bomb. Use quickstop hook links to make using meat easier and more reliable.
COLD WEATHER Bomb with bread or meat cast around in the open water. Keep casting around until you find some fish. You may catch a few, but the chances are that they will not settle in one spot all day. So, you may have to do some chasing when the bites slow down.
Other options are a single dead maggot fished over a few micros on the pole, or a small maggot feeder. If you use a small maggot feeder, be prepared to go through quite a few maggots.
One thing that I would underline several times if I could, would be to NOT OVER FEED THE FISH. As the weather gets colder, the fish need less and less feed. If you feed too much too early, you may ruin your day before it’s even started. Having said that, the lakes here are heavily stocked. If you find some fish, you may need to give them more bait than you at any other venue. Just be sensible with the amount you feed each time.
No one has really mentioned ground bait but, I would have some with me. A fine, cold weather mix or a finely sieved bag of method mix should do. No one has mentioned sweetcorn either, but would it hurt to have one in you bait bag just in case?
This match doesn’t have such as much importance as a points match. There is a trophy to win, but we are here to celebrate our year of junior fishing and the fact that it is nearly Christmas. So, let’s just enjoy it…
Juniors Sec...