Fees: £11 (Please bring the correct money, thanks)
Draw: 09:00
Start: 10:00
Finish: 15:00
Match rules:
In addition to the usual match rules which you all should by now be familiar with, we have some extra rules for this event.
The purpose of the two methods match is to restrict participants from fishing one method for the duration of the event. Therefore, restricting learning and skills needed to fishing other methods.
So, for the first two and a half hours of the match, Participants will be allowed to fish with a feeder or a bomb/lead. All of which must be fished beyond the halfway point in the lake. (halfway between the angler and the islands)
The coaches will tell you if they feel that you are fishing too close, and you will be asked to reel in and lengthen your cast.
You may feed the swims closer to you in preparation for the second half of the match.
At 12:30, a verbal notification will be given to participants to switch over to float only methods. Pellet Waggler, Standard Waggler, and pole may be used from 12:30 until the end at three o’clock. No feeders allowed in the second phase of the match.
Silverfish will not count towards your total weight.
Jerry Christmas, Martin the Chauffeur, and I have been to Todber today (Tuesday). Here is what we found/learned.
I fished within one metre of the opposite island on a standard method feeder.
Jerry fished a bit further away from the island (two or three metres) with a combi/banjo feeder.
Martin fished a similar distance away with a Pellet feeder.
Jerry and I caught similar numbers of fish, but his were slightly bigger on the combi feeder. Martin caught marginally fewer fish but, again his fish were of a better size.
Jerry and Martin fishing slightly further away from the island and continued to catch steadily, and I switched to a bomb/straight lead fished at between ½ to ¾ of the way across with only a few fish to show for it. I fed steadily by firing two pouches of 6x 8mm pellets over the area where the bait was sitting, every couple of minutes.
You could see the fish under the surface, but they would not take the bait fished with a bomb. I switched to a combi/banjo feeder, and it was like someone had flicked a switch. I don’t think the feeder hit the bottom sometimes before the tip flew round.
Before lunch I tried the pellet waggler. Because I had fed the swim for fishing with a bomb (with 8mm and not 6mm pellets) I ended up with way too many fish in the swim. I lost a lot more fish than I landed, and it wasn’t long before I abandoned it completely. It would probably have been ok if I had started another swim in a different area of my peg instead of going over my bomb line.
After a spot of lunch and a chat, we started fishing with our poles and the fishing was just as you would have expected Todber Manor to be. Absolutely insane!
We all fished short lines (top kit or top kit plus one section) and the fishing was frantic.
I don’t know what the other two finished with, but I would have weighed something around the 250lbs mark.
We all noticed that the fish were a little smaller than we remembered from our last visit, although I did land one close to 7 or 8lbs, and a few at around the 5/6lb mark.
Tackle:
Feeder:
I fished with a 30g method feeder to start with, then to a 20g bomb/lead. Finally, I settled on a 20g combi/banjo feeder. 8lb main line to a 0.19mm (7lb) 10cm hook link, to a size 16 banded hook. I fished with soaked micros (2mm) on the feeder with a 8mm pellet hook bait.
Pellet Waggler:
0.17mm (6lb) main line to a 0.15mm (5lb) hook link with size 14 banded/lasso hook link.
The float was a 3g Pellet Waggler fished at 35cm deep (14”).
A heavier 4 or 5 gram float would have been easier to manage in the slight breeze that cropped up as soon as I picked up the rod!
Pole:
Elastic was a 16/18 hybrid.
Float was a 0.2g shallow float (strong!).
Main line was 0.25mm (12lb) to a 0.22mm (9lb) hook link to a strong size 16 hook with a band. This was fished at 30cm (12”) deep.
I did set up a rig for fishing deeper, but I didn’t use it.
Feeding:
For the feeder, I fired a few 8mm pellets over the area to be fished at the start, spreading them out as free offerings.
For the bomb, I ‘double pouched’ (fed twice) six 8mm pellets roughly two minutes apart.
On the pole I regularly fed a good pinch of 6mm pellets (basically all the time!).
Summary:
Phase one, Feeders only. (No closer than halfway)
Phase two, Floats only. (Can be fished anywhere)
I would pick a spot roughly halfway between the island and halfway across the lake and feed some pellets (6 or 8mm) in a reasonably tight area with a catapult. Cast your Combi/Banjo feeder into this area and wait. My guess is that you won’t be waiting for long.
I wouldn’t bother casting too close the island because the fish didn’t seem to want to be there. I wouldn’t really bother with the bomb either. It did not prove to have any advantage over a feeder what-so-ever.
The pellet Waggler will work, as long as you choose a separate area from where you fish your feeder.
The pole is as good as it can be, with fish flying into the landing net at frightening regularity.
The idea of this match is to improve skills on a variety of methods and not just sitting on one that has worked before. I’m setting you all a challenge. Let us see who will rise to meet it.
See you Saturday…
Juniors Sec…
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