Match fees: £10 Draw: 10:30 Start: 11:30 Finish: 15:00
I think we can all agree that a few lessons were learned from the last match at Luckfield, so I hope that this report gets a little more attention than the last.
I have decided to seek guidance from other better anglers for you to give a more educated report about the venue than I could. I will chuck in my tuppence at the end. It’s up to the individual if this is read or not, but expect a stern ‘I told you so’ if you do not…
The weather has been kind to us this year, but it seems that we could get all the bad weather that we missed all in one go! It’s going to feel colder. It will probably rain, and it looks like it will be very windy. Be prepared. If it is going to be windy, umbrellas could be more of hinderance than an advantage. Good waterproofs will get my vote over a flappy umbrella every time.
The championship is finely balanced with no less than seven juniors having at least a mathematical chance of lifting the trophy. The Championship points are as follows,
Faith Stone 59 Jack Copp 58 Oliver Smith 57 Josiah Wells-Parkes 57 Austin Scott-Kennedy 52 Jake Taylor 40 Carter Lynock 37
Firstly, on recommendation from the fishery owner Tom, we will be fishing on the Canal Lake and not the Top Lake (Donut). The introduction of an abundance of silverfish into the Canal Lake means that the chance of catching for more inexperienced anglers has increased dramatically. The draw will take place in the main car park at the end of the lane. Not in the usual spot. Tom recommends that juniors will need to fish with ground bait on the feeder (Method Mix) and with maggots on the hook. In fact, Tom simply says ‘Maggots, maggots, maggots’… So, one can safely assume that maggots will be required. (I promise you; this is not an extension of the last match blog. You will genuinely need maggots.) He mentioned to fish with, and feed maggots in the margins for the Carp too.
Local star and all-round good egg, Rich Butler says, ‘Maggots or Sweetcorn fished over a small ball of micros at around the Top kit plus two mark. (Roughly 4 metres out). Method feeder with ground bait and/or micros with maggots on the hook. Dead maggots and a few micros fished down the edge (Margin) for Carp. BE PATIENT! Sit and wait for the bites… If you should find yourself on pegs 14, 15 or 16, fish for the Skimmer Bream. (To be honest, I don’t know which part of the lake we will be fishing. If we get enough turning up, maybe all of it!).
Whitemoor Wizard and new contributor to the juniors, Steve Nadin says, ‘At Whitemoor, it is really important to find the part of the lake where it starts to shallow up towards the far side. Plumbing the depth accurately is vital to finding where the far side slope starts as this is a very good place to fish’. (About 7 to 10 metres out). Steve goes on ‘The margin is another good spot on most swims, and plumbing the depth accurately here is important too. Those who do not have a pole, a ground bait Method feeder fished to the far side with maggots or Sweetcorn will catch you Carp. Remember, the fish in the Canal only average around 2lbs each. So, you do not have use tackle that is too heavy. Good luck!
From the above information, it is obvious that using a plummet carefully is key to having a good day. You need to find where the far side slope starts at 7 to 10 metres out, and to find any flatter areas in the margin where you should find some fish.
Like most fisheries, a Method feeder cast to the far side with ground bait and maggots or Sweetcorn on the hook should score over pellets. But I would advise bringing the usual pellets with you just in case.
If you don’t have a pole, what is to stop you buying or making a pole rig to use on your float rod?
Because the fish are smaller (on average), you will need to think about smaller hooks and lighter lines. A hook size of 18 to 16 is better than the larger hooks you were using in the summertime. I would even consider dropping to a 20 if bites were hard to find. A size 16 on the feeder should be fine.
On the bait front, there really is one bait that you should forget at your peril. Maggots… A pint of maggots should be plenty for a short match like this. You will need some Method Mix (Sonubaits Method Mix) If you wanted to, you could bring some lighter ground bait such as a Roach or Skimmer mix. (Dynamite Sweet F1 is a good option). Sweetcorn (A large tin. If you can, empty the corn into a bait box and leave the tin at home) Micros (2mm pellets) Always bring Micros… I don’t think I would bother bringing too many 8mm pellets, if at all. I’d take some 6mm pellets and maybe a few 4mm’s. (About a pint of each. You might not use them, but you’ll have them just in case.) 4mm Expander pellets were not in the list, but they are one of the baits that I take everywhere. Particularly as it gets colder. No one has mentioned meat when asked, so I wouldn’t bring that. Same with paste. I might bring two or three bread slices with me as a backup in case it fishes on the hard side.
When we are talking about bait, most people worry about how much they should bring (especially parents because they have to carry it!). If you look at the online booklets, there is a section there that looks inside my own bait bag. You will see that, most of the time, I do carry a variety of bait, but not loads of each bait. Just enough.
For instance, I can’t see anyone using much more than a kilo of micros (2 pints)
You will probably only need half a bag of Method Mix ground bait (1kg).
I’ll only take a pint of both 6 and 4mm pellets. Probably one large tin of Corn. Yes, you can buy bait in large quantities, but you do not HAVE to bring it ALL to the lake with you. The more you fish, the more you will learn about what you need.
So, there you have it. Everything you need for success. It’s now up to you, and the fish…
Juniors Sec...
Martin Vine 8/7/1951 - 9/11/2019 Rest in Peace