This was a Harry’s Hero’s match split over the Island and Middle pools at Manor Farm. I drew on Middle 27 an area that has been devoid of fish over the last few weeks. With only one fish coming off it the last week. So I feared the worst. But there’s always a chance and today the fishing god’s were with me!

With not really expecting much action I threw out a Method feeder for the first hour. I had no indications or bites during this time and an early bath was on the cards especially knowing this top end of the pool had been fishing hard in recent weeks. An afternoon watching the footie seemed to be on the cards. (I never pack up early) But you just never know with fishing and there is always a chance and today it all came good in the end.

So an hour in with no return I turned to the pole. I decided to fish long at 13 metres and then a short line if the wind got up. I also planned a margin line but the water level is very low and to find a decent depth of water meant fishing about 5 metes out into the pool. I started at 13 metres fishing a 6mm banded Robin Red pellet and feeding then same with a catapult. There are some big carp in this pool and you don’t need many to do a weight. I felt I needed to attract these carp into the peg and feeding 6mm pellets rather than 4mm’s meant I would create noise to attract the carp. With this pegs recent form I didn’t really have anything to loose I was going to feed heavy today!

20 minutes in it looked like another crap day and then the float dipped and a large carp was attached which broke my hook length. (0.15mm) So even though I lost the fish I felt there was a change of catching one. The section was only won with two carp the previous week! I just need to catch a couple at least. So I carried on fishing the pole. Then 10 minutes later I landed one around 10lb and then after that another smaller one. Great I had something to weigh now. I then caught another small carp 10 minutes later. Around 22lb in the keepnet now and the possibility of a section win already I thought.

The next hour was frustrating I hooked several more big Carp but these were foul hooked and the hook lengths broke again. I just couldn’t get them under control with my 17 Preston Dura slip elastic. I was fishing 0.19mm mainline to a 6 inch 0.15mm hook length on a size 14 hook. I caught a few F1’s but every time I hooked a big Carp they weren’t on for long.

So I changed to the short pole line hoping if I hooked a another big carp at least I could add sections and follow them out, giving me more time to get them under control, plus the wind was now getting up and coming short made presentation easier. This short line was good, I was feeding by hand now and it made it easier to be accurate with the the feed pellets and I caught several more F1’s and the odd big Carp. I was catching more than I lost now but I still went though several more hook lengths. I also caught a 3lb Tench here. The biggest Tench I’ve caught for a while so that was nice. I was on my 2nd carp Keepnet now and noted everyone else only had one carp keepnet in so I thought a framing place was on the cards and I stayed on this short pole line for the rest of the match.

Come the weigh in, and I was last to weigh in on Middle pool my first keep net weighed in at 38lb. I ‘d won the pool already and with my 2nd carp keep net and that 3lb Tench my total weight is 69lb 8oz. I’d won the pool easily. Only Island pool to beat now and I’d heard it hadn’t fished that well. Top weight on there was 51lb so I won the match !!

Best Rig of the day

Although Middle pool is a mixed species pool there are some big Carp to be caught so I fished a 4×12 Preston Carp Pellet pole float in four foot of water on the bottom with 0.19mm mainline with a reversed tapered shotting pattern above a size 14 (0.15m) Guru SLWG banded Ready Rig with 17 Preston Dura Slip. 6mm Robin Red pellets as hook bait and I fed 3 pints.