Junior Match #1 Revels Main lake Match fees are £5.00 Draw: 10:30am Fish from 11:30am until 4:00pm Lay out all your nets when you get to your peg please Looking at the long range forecast we may have pulled another nice day out of the bag… Anna did ask me for a nice day and we always aim to please. Good weather of course means a risk of sunburn. So, bring plenty of sun cream and drinks with you.
I am hoping to get on the main lake this time and, with catches steadily getting better and more consistent in the senior matches, we should be in for a few fish.
Revels is one of those venues that can be really kind to you one day and bite you on the behind the next. In senior circles, Revels is known as a ‘thinking angler’s venue’. You can just turn up to any peg and fish it the same as the one next door. Every swim is different.
Pegs 1 to 5 will be left for those who do not want to participate in the match, leaving the rest of the lake to those that do.
Going round the lake: Peg 6 is deep in at the edge with a long reedy margin to the left and a small island channel to the right. Both can hold Carp on the right day. Silverfish in front of you but it is DEEP.
Peg 7 is one that I am not that familiar with. Plenty of water to fish with two island chucks. One short to the left and a longer cast to the right being careful not to interfere with peg 18 opposite. Plenty of fish in the left hand channel.
Peg 8 is often THE peg on the lake and has won many matches. Good close margins, either side of the opposite island, and plenty of fish to the reeds on the right. There is a step to the right mid water that can hold fish. 10 ‘Attaboy points’ to anyone that finds it.
Peg 9 is again a peg I haven’t had that much to do with, and it may not be used. Feeder chucks to the far side, plenty of water to aim at, and lots of Perch close in. (eh Jerry?)
Peg 10 is an old friend of mine that can be a winner and has out fished 8 on occasions. The outlet pipe is opposite you and can hold some fish. There used to be plenty down the middle on this peg, but that was a while ago.
Peg 11 can be frustrating because of the reeds and snags. There is no doubt that it holds fish, some big ones too. But can you get them out?
Peg 14 has won some matches lately and has a long, well featured margin on the right. Don’t forget the water in front of you though.
Peg 16 is another personal favourite. Heavily featured with two islands and a long left hand margin. Holds LOTS of fish but it is very shallow and weedy. Take lots of feeder hook lengths!
Peg 18 can be a headache. But it does hold lots of silverfish sometimes. There is Carp to be had to the left, but it so snaggy it is sometimes not worth bothering with in a match. The island looks inviting, but it is very shallow close in. Good depths in open water. Gets deeper if you go right.
Peg 20 has lots of water and an island cast. Legend has it that there is a gravelly bar that runs from the front of the peg to the island, but I don’t know if that is true or not. Again, a good silvers peg on the right day. Gets deeper as you go left. Good close margin features but you’ll have to be quiet.
Peg 21 is another feature filled swim with two islands and lots of water. The channel to the right is tempting because, if the sun comes out and it should because Anna asked me to make it so, you will see and possibly hear the Carp moving there. Can be a match winner if you get it right.
That’s my take on the pegs. We won’t use all of them and there some that we won’t use at all because they are too difficult for inexperienced anglers.
Bait wise it is much the same as usual:
1kg - 2mm micro pellets 1 pint each of 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm hard pellets 4mm Expander pellets Method mix groundbait 1 pint maggots (Red/White mixed)
Extras: Sweetcorn Maybe Luncheon meat? (cubed)
Top tips: Do not feed too much to start with…
Fish further out if you are on a shallow peg. The fish are not that willing to come in that close in cold shallow water.
Start by feeding a few (no more than 4 or 5) ‘Flash soaked’* 4mm pellets around your float. Do this little and often. A tiny amount of bait fed regularly. This will create noise for larger fish to home in on. Fish a 4mm expander on the hook. (Soak your expanders the night before. See the online or hard copy booklets) * Flash soaking: 4mm hard pellets will float if you do not dip them first. Pour water over them in a bait strainer or use a fine meshed landing net. If you use a pole, you can give them a quick dip in the pole pot before shipping them out. Do soak them like you would micro pellets. They will be too sticky. You just want them to be damp, so they break the surface film.
If you struggle with Expanders, use 4mm hard pellets on a band.
I would only feed micros on the feeder and not around any kind of float UNLESS you are catching silverfish.
Feed one or two grains of corn now and then as a visual indicator to attract fish around your feed.
I’m looking forward to our first competitive event of the year. Don’t forget, it is the first of only five matches this year. So, make it count…
See you Saturday!
Juniors Sec.