Monday, June 04, 2007

LCFC Sunday League Match - Clavering Match Lake - 3rd June 2007

Weather:
Fog>Mist>Sunny
Temp 14>22°C
Wind E (9 mph)
Relative Humidity (%): 85,
Pressure (mB): 1022, Falling,
Visibility: Good

19 members gathered early (0630 hrs) for our Annual Pilgrimage to the home of the Biggest Bag of the year. - Clavering Lakes. The early morning mist as they like to call it in Summer - Fog to me as you could not see the other end of the lake, but bode well for a sunny day. Through the mist I could make out Kev Keeling helping Dan his son set up on the adjacent Silver Fish Lake, almost ready to go. They must have got up really early having already pegged out the Lake - that's dedication for you. Dan was later about to put half the Match men to shame - More of that later.

I was surprised to see so much colour in the water - this is normally Gin Clear in the margins as it is spring fed. I was not surprised to find the water level high - as had been reported to me the week before. I had brought my 'Wellingtons' as a pre caution as the higher numbered pegs required a little paddling to get to the Platforms. As only 19 were fishing Peg 21 the peg that needed a boat to get to was taken out of the draw.


The view from My peg just before the off the last of the Fog/Mist just lifting


Clavering is very much what I call a 10/10 Lake - I have built up a rough understanding now of most of the lakes we fish and which are the so-called 'hot pegs' and who are the really good Anglers and rate accordingly. Marks out of 10 for each, So if you get a good angler on a good peg you have a good idea of where the top places will be coming from - So the draw is all important here- whereas somewhere like Tyler's Common (Ash) is not each peg bar two get an 8 rating.
Here I rate Pegs 1-4, as 10, Pegs 14-17 as 8 or 18-20 as 9 - then Put a good Angler in one of those and there you have it.

This was my mental model for the key Players based of the Hot Pegs:
Olly Wagg 10/8 = 18
Kev Keeling 10/8 = 18
John Buck 9/9 = 18
Luke Hyde 8/8 = 16
Mick Byrne 7/10 =17
John Pearce 7/10 =17
Paul Hyde 9/10= 19
Steve Barrett 9/8 = 17

Needless to say I drew peg 9 so a score of 5 /4 = 9 so that meant a normal middle of the road position for me again !

My Peg (9) was not a 'proper' swim no platform I squeezed in between Steve Ellis to my right and Mason Mills to my left - I measured out and set up at mid point between Steve and Mason. Olly Wagg went walkabout and comment as he came round that I had a '"£$%" swim and that Steve had already turnt his back on me !.. I retorted that I believe you fish what you draw - end of !

Mason sitting 'Patiently' for the off a few feet to my left


I suppose the rest of the day is not really worthy of note - expect two things 1) My pairs' partner Gary Somerfield discovered the Method Waggler fishing 1 foot deep as a bagging tactic and 2) a unique capture by me.

1) Gary's method Waggler tactic was born out of desperation. The Carp were swimming around at foot below the surface but showed no interest for surface baits, sprayed maggots, sweetcorn caster, I tried everything bar the method Waggler - I have one but it did not enter my mind - It has now !

2) Using the best tactic for me - the Waggler set at 12 foot depth with no weights and treble red maggot so it slowly fell through the layers. On one occasion I had a very slow pull bite classic carp take. As I reeled in and retrieved most of the line with the Float close to top tip I noticed a cage feeder come out of the water aligned /attached with my line. One landed - what a surprised and I don't know if you would consider it a legal match catch. The hook in the carp's mouth was attached the feeder and my hook was through the top eye of the Swivel on the feeder line on the feeder set up. - Amazing - good job I kept a tight line !

What did worry me was that the feeder was set up in a FIXED fashion i.e. the Hook /length Feeder were all one unit the Feeder was fixed to the main line and blow the swivel - so the poor old carp had been pulling this around - But judging on the stet of the hook and feeder it had not been for long -thankfully - Perhaps the carp saw my line -and thought ah-hah lets hook that up get pulled in and get the furniture off me - No just a pure fluke.

I Picked up four carp the best being a ~ 5lb Mirror using this along with 1 dozen nice Chublets and the normal Roach and skimmers. Limited success on the feeder, which I hadn't set up on as I have never done well here on that - But Mason to my left bagged a few slabs early on fishing the cage feeder 10 Metres out. Steve was also having limited success on the feeder also.
The 5lb mirror mentioned early I was lucky to get in as it provided a good scrap on my match rod set up, but also took Mason's Pole rig he was fishing close in to his right / my left. - Didn't do any damage and Mason accepted my apologies - well he was only 8 feet away.

All the time we were fishing for bits, Paul Hyde was bagging up on Peg 3 and John Buck was also pulling them in but not at the same pace. Olly was quiet in the opposite corner and Kev went Roach bashing. Steve had been putting in what look like a 2kg bag of Sweetcorn in his margins most of the afternoon - but paid dividends late on as the carp moved in and he winkled 4 -5 out in the last hour (On Red Maggot). It did draw a comment from Kev at one point - " go on Steve one more for luck" Kev was referring to the fifth handful of Sweetcorn Steve put in in one go.
It was a bit of relief as 4 o'clock came and we could weigh in - The Sun had taken its toll - I forgotten to put some sun block on - Well it was foggy at the start ! - I thought I hadn't moaned too much but - no paddy's though Mason put me right on that one and Steve said why do you think I had my back to you. I promise from now on that I am going to say nothing - I getting a Zipper for my mouth.

As we progressed round the weigh -in we measured Dan's bag - - A very respectable mixed bag of 19lb 10 ozs - 11lb of Carp - Which drew the expected comments like - You done your old man and we should have fished that lake - Well we will later in the year -(October). That weight would have placed Dan 11th in the Match - Not bad eh!

Given the mental Model the only surprise to me was Kev with 18lb+ of Silvers - fishing not 10 feet away from Olly who weighed in 47lb (46lb carp). But no guesses who was the winner - Paul Hyde in that favoured corner.

Looking back at last years result the average weight per angler was well down (28 ½ lb versus 49.5lb) - What was difference - Perhaps the timing and the Weather ?.
Last year the match was on 2nd July, with weather being Sunny and Temperature which started at 22 and rose to 31 but with a brisk SW wind of 25mph !!! compared with this year – 3rd June, Sunny and easterly light wind – and fish either just finished or about to start spawning ?

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