This week with the weather turning mild I hoped for a great days fishing on the open at Hillview. This week the match was split over the Moorhen and Heron pools. I prefer the Heron pool but when I drew Moorhen 12, a peg with great margin I wasn’t disappointed. There was a gentle wind blowing into my peg. So the big question was would the fish follow the wind.

This time of the year can be tricky, would it be a pellet match or would I have to go down the maggot route to get a bite? I decided to start on soft pellets and hoped the maggots would stay in their bite tub. As least I had some if needed.

Getting it wrong at the start!

I stated the match with a 4mm soft pellet at 6 metres in around 5 foot of water. cad potting in a few micros. I began to get bites but I couldn’t hit the bites and I only caught a couple of small F1’s and a few Skimmers during the first 30 minutes. I was fishing a 4×16 with a bulk and two droppers here but it didn’t feel right. A re-think was required. The options were to go long to 13 metres with maggots but as I was getting the bites off a soft pellet I decided to come on a short line in 3 foot of water, thinking with the mild weather and the sun out this water would be warmer the fish may want to be there. I plumbed up a Top kit+1 line again to fish a 4mm soft pellet but this time a lighter 4×12 float with strung out shotting rather that the bulk and droppers on the heavier rig.

Getting it right!

So with 30 minutes in the match gone there was still plenty of time left and despite only about 4lb in the keep nets during this first 30 minutes, at least the fish were taking a pellet and the maggots were still going to be sat in the bait tub for a while. Would the fish be happy in the shallower warmer water? Yes the change was like someone throwing a switch! I began to catch straight away with some better F1’s around 2-3lb with the odd Skimmer. I was back in the game and beginning to build a weight. I stayed here to the next couple of hours catching around 40lb. I did play around with 6mm soft pellets but 4mm was better. I expected this line to fade but it didn’t, but now I needed to put a little bait into the margin just in case. I big potted in half a cup of micro into the righthand margin with the intention of going on it in 10 minutes and retuned to the top kit+1 line if needed. I was still catching there but I couldn’t rule out that margin with the wind blowing into it. So after the 10 minute prime I took a look in the margin, fishing a 6mm soft pellet. I though I would try it for 10 minutes and if no fish came my way I would return to the top kit line. First put in the float buried with another 3lb F1 gracing my landing net. The fish were there.!

Into the margin

There is a old saying “never come off feeding fish” But these margins if the fish are there can be awesome fishing and they just can’t be ignored. (even in March) The top kit line had been good for 2 hours and with my pole hovering over the same line in that shallow water on a bright day it was good to rest it anyway while I tried the margin. The margin was also good though and I caught some decent F1’s here. It was time to stay in the margin for the rest of the match if I could keep the fish there. There are some big Carp in this pool and if I could catch a couple it would really boost my total weight. The 6mm soft pellet was good and I was catching some decent sized F1’s up to around 4 or 5lb now. I decided to try corn next on the hook only, just feeding micro’s hoping a standout hook bait would attract a Carp. One didn’t follow just more F1’s but good sized ones and as I was now catching steady on the corn, slowly beginning to offer a few grains of free offerings in with the micro. I then caught a Carp around 10lb so continuing with corn seemed the best way forward and I was now feeding 80% corn to 20% micro every put in. Today no more big Carp followed but the quality of these big F1’s were as good as carp anyway. Some of these F1’s were around 5lb and decent weight builders.

I had a good 3 hours in this right hand margin catching these big F1’s and I stayed there for the rest of the match. At the end of the match I weighed in 127lb 8oz which won the Moorhen pool and I was 2nd overall in the match with 134lb being the top weight off the Heron pool. My first 100lb+ weight of the year and it’s only March! maggot season is finally over!!

Best rigs of the day

I caught my fish from two lines. A Top kit + 1 line and the margin today.

Top kit+1 line – This was a Preston 4×12 F1 pellet set up on 0.17mm mainline with strung out no.9 shot and one no.10 shot nearest the hook loop. with a Preston size 18 GPM 0.11mm Ready rig set up on 13 White Dura Slip elastic. Hook bait was a 4mm Sonubaits Pro Expander.

Margin rig – This was a 4×14 Preston Edge set up on 0.19mm mainline with a bulk of no.8 stotz’s above a Preston XSH size 14 0.17mm Preston Ready Rig cut down to 4 inches. This was set up on 0.17mm Yellow Dura Slip elastic thought a Garbolino short margin top kit.