This Sunday I fancied a change of venue for my fishing. I’ve been going to the regular Sunday opens at Woodland View pretty much all Summer with limited success and I fancied a return to Hillview, I venue that suits me well.

The match was held over Moorhen and the first canal. I really fancied fishing a canal as I’ve not fished one since lockdown but I found Moorhen 15 home for the day. I was pretty happy with that but the other anglers at the draw had said Moorhen hadn’t been fishing well for a while and only 30lb had come off it the day before. With bright weather and high pressure I wasn’t expecting a good day but I still liked Moorhen 15 its a peg I’ve won off before so hoped for a good days fishing.

The plan was to fish short with meat on the deck, pellets long on the bottom and shallow plus the margins with meat or corn over two bags of fishery micro pellet. The margins can be good and at the all-in I potted in micro’s hoping to fish it early in the match but starting short on 2+2 with meat.

I was soon into fish. A carp around 5lb graced the landing net after 10 minutes, followed by several small F1’s in the next half hour. It was a good start but the angler on the next peg had caught several big fish out long at 13 metres and was pulling away from me. I needed to react to that. So out to 13 metres I went fishing a 6mm pellet and loose feeding 4mm’s over the top. That was what the other angler was doing and I just copied him! and I soon began to catch some Carp and F1’s. I manged to draw the fish off him and while I was now catching him up he was also slowing down. All was good I had around 30lb after the first hour and I was winning the pool.

The 2nd hour was still good but I was caught more F1’s than Carp. I wanted some bigger fish so in between feeding the 4mm’s I catapulted in a few 6mm’s. This worked and my carp to F1’s ratio improved and it also kept them on the bottom as they were beginning to come up in the water.

Bagging

3 hours in and I’d clicked to 50lb in the first net and was beginning to fill the 2nd keepnet. The fishing was good and I began feeding my left hand margin with fishery micro’s. As I was catching well at 13 metres there was now no need to try the margin early and I was now planning save it for the last hour.

4 hours in and I’d clicked 50lb into the 2nd keepnet the fishing was still good on the 13 metre line but slowing down a little and my thoughts were turning to be margin. I’d seem a few swirls now and I couldn’t help myself. In I went with 8mm meat. The float ripped away with a foul hooker that I lost. At least I knew some fish where there, and probably bigger! In I went again but again hooked another foul hooker. Then several missed bites. They were clearly there but it wasn’t right and my catch rated had dropped.

Decision time

Do I stick with margin with potentially bigger carp or go back to the 13 metre pellet line? I knew I was easily winning the pool if not the match. I didn’t need any big carp. I just needed to be adding to my weight with F1’s and the odd carp. I’d now clicked the 2nd 50lb net and had started my 3rd keep net. I made the decision to bin off the margin and continue fishing at long range. The line had been rested for 20 minutes and I’d still been feeding it. So for the last hour I continued to catch more F1’s and the odd carp. They had began to come up in the water and I just beginning to get a few foul hookers. Feeding more 6mm’s between the 4mm’s seemed to push them back down but I was fishing a strung out bulk and I caught several on the drop. I felt there was no need to go out with my shallow rig as I was still catching well and had easily won the pool already!

The Weigh in, with expert clicking!

Some days it all goes right. I’d clicked 50lb for the first keep net and I weighed in at 50lb on the nose. Out came my 2nd net which again I clicked to 50lb. The scales went round to 50lb on the nose again. Amazing! My total weight on my clicker was 141lb so I was happy anyway but the 3rd keepnet weighted in at 41lb which gave me a total weight of 141lb Even more amazing!!

This was easily enough to win the Moorhen pool. Then with the best weight from canal 1 being 123lb I’d won the match outright. It all went right today and my clicking was just unbelievable.

Best rig of the day

I caught virtually all my fish on the same rig in 5 foot of water. This was a 4×14 Preston Carp Pellet because it was a calm day with no wind. This was set up on 0.17mm Guru N-Gauge with a sprung out no.8’s and 10’s as the shotting pattern, (3 inch gaps) above a size 14 Guru SLWG 0.15mm 6 inch banned Ready rig. set up on yellow 17 Preston Dura Slip through a side puller. 6mm fishery pellet as hook bait and feeding 4mm & 6mm fishery feed pellet.