Blakey's Fishing Blog

With a Pleasant day - chores done at home a quick visit to pick up 1 pint of red maggot and small pack of frozen pinapple 20mm boilies from Big Johns menat an afternoon session.

I set up on Peg 16 with Ledger under the Island tree and on the pole to the right hand side margin.

Tried Maggot, Pellet, sweetcorn & paste over pellet on the pole but only small Perch and Roach on the maggot.

Had a run on the ledger aftr a 1 1/2 hrs - and landed a pristine 5lb Common - The 1st carp I've landed on this lake since a Baliff fish in April. My haven't these carp come on well over the past 2+ years since they were introduced as 1/2lb > 1lb babies !

I switch to the new In-line Fox Flat feeder to the mid position with hair rig double sweetcorn, Within 3 mins a tap then a fierce pull round - A short but spirited fight - landed another Pristine carp which I thought went about 7lb but was 9lb dead on - a very deep body - yet another from that brood stock.

A couple runs on the ledger one where the bobbin drop back with a single beep no line going out but in an arc the fish running towards the red zone. Lifted in was on for a second but lost it.

I was just about to switch over to maggot feeder when a few big twitches on the tip - this was a nice 3 1/2lb tench on double hair rigged 6mm Sonu Halibut pellet.

After a couple more cast decided to switch to the maggot feeder Size 14 / Double red maggot. Casting to all locations around the swim - A few Roach /Perch knocks. Then just before Dusk bang just off the Island . Had a long fight and had to let it run many times as a large carp kept making a dash for freedom. A nice mirror weighing in at 17lb 4oz.

As I was packing up the feeder etc. had a run on the ledger another big fish as it took me round the Island and snagged me up and off it came. The guy sat on the Bench murmured - "you lost it then"

It was dark when I finally got my gear to the car - A good impromptu session.

17 Anglers fished the 30 Peg Road Lake at Puddledock Farm Fishery Upminster for the Penultimate Match in Big John's Angling Sunday League Series.

My expectation were not high as a pre-match viewing in Septembers Southern Angler Guide stated " The Road Lake isn't producing huge weights but will plenty bites from Skimmers Tench & small Carp"

Talking with Mick Wagg before the draw that it may be important to pick the left hand side Pegs 8-20 (East Bank) will pick up from the South West later ( it was calm at this point and a lovely early autumn morning.

I drew Peg 26 mid way down the West Bank. With fish moving in the mid track and at the island at 20 meters I decided that I would opt for a Feeder & Waggler approach today. I set up with the New Middy I-Line Power Feeder and a light 3BB Waggler on the match Rod.

The wind started to pick up mid way through the Set Up hour and started to gust at the All-In whistle. Ist chuck with the pellet feeder to the Island - had a small F1 carp to Sonu Halibut pellet - Olly to my right missed a fish on his 1st chuck on a cage feeder to the Island but didn't miss on the next cast - A Nice 4lb Common. This looked good but that was about it for me- very slow.

I simplified the rigs, baits etc. came in to the middle track with feeder and waggler and was reduce to fishing Size 20 / 1lb line on the waggler suing Whip style to catch small Skimmers, Rudd and Roach up in the water on single Red maggot.

Well come the weigh -In - the Bridesmaid became the Bride. Steve Barrett won with Paul Hyde 2nd (i forgot the rest) but all the big weights if you could call 29lb big came from that East Bank- What did i say Mick !

I believe the overall league is still undecided with only few Points between Ed Pearce and Olly Wagg. So it is all on the last match at Tylers Common Horseshoe Lake next Month.

I'm nowhere Only go along for the 'pleasure Fishing and comradery.

Getting me and my gear to the venue was interesting:

I offered Philip (my son) the loan of my galaxy to his Family on Holiday to the Isle of Wight in better comfort than his Ka. So we did a swapped. On the Saturday I trialled getting my gear in.

This meant removed on the rear set cushion (easy only a couple of self tappers would you believe) but getting it all was not but I succeeded, and left it there overnight ready for the Morning - See here.

24 Anglers fished the September LCFC Sunday League Match at Coleman's Cottage Wood lake (which was also the Semi-Final of the Knockout Cup - Kev Keeling, Mick Wagg, Luke Hyde & John Buck remaining) .

This session was going to be a teach-in for my nephew Ben on how to catch on good fighting small to medium carp using a number of tactics on a well stocked Commercial fishery. However he was not allowed to come as he had been a bad boy during the summer holidays, but I decided to go as I needed a lift in the catching game.

I arrived at 8am and found all but 6 pegs already occupied and they were at the far end facing the wind. I decided to split the day into two distinct parts – Given that the lake was packed and effectively ‘drew ‘a peg – 36, I would treat the 1st part as a match and a target of 100lb. Then I would treat the remainder of the day as a true pleasure session using a ledger target the bigger fish and set a target of 150lb.

I set up on the korum in-line Method and tip and tried a number of hair rig baits on size 14 Middy hair hook links, Baits = Spam, Sweetcorn, Mini Pineapple Boilie & maggot. Best was the mini Boilie.

The Northerly wind rally kept it cool throughout the day gusting at times making any pole work too hard for a pleasure session so I stuck with the method at 20 metres. Carp came at regular interval basically a fish a chuck, just to show how populated this lake is 5 times during the day I lassoed a fish on the drop! All came off unharmed and no tackle loss.

Best Fish of the ‘match session was a long slim 10lb 12oz Common but I failed in my target after 6 hours only 84lb10oz, Mind you weighing every fish was taking up time probably worth 10lb over the 6 hours so not all that far off. At 230pm went into Pleasure mode and set up a ledger and alarm with 20mm Big John Frozen Pineapple Boilie over 4mm pellet and a few freebies under tree to the left of the peg. Had 6 fish out of there over he next four hours best going to 10lb but were getting the bigger fish – a lot of small ones were picking and dropping the 20mm regularly – had to wait for the run. Twice I had fish on both rods, good fun and managed to land them all.

The day was punctuated by fish running off with peoples tackle not once but FOUR times. The 1st I noticed a top kit circling the centre of the lake – it carried on four an hour when one young lad managed to capture it with his method rig and landed the fish which looked like a double and returned the kit to its grateful owner.

The lads to my left fishing with their Mum had ants in their pants and were not paying attention to their rods. The inevitable happened, A SHOUT OF MY ROD! – followed by Mum saying Your Dad paid £70 for that go and get it – So he stripped off and went in after it needless to say across my swim but got to it and landed the fish. This happened again 2 hours later to his brother who repeated his brothers swimming and fish retrieval technique and shouting it’s a monster playing to the on looking bemused anglers around the lake.

Then at 6pm the 1st brother repeated the earlier feat but this has gone a little further and he was complaining he had no pants on so I caught using my method and dragged in again with fish on – which was a nice 5lb Mirror which safely returned no worse for wear for its experience. Mum didn’t even say thanks !!!!

I finished when I had used all on my blended Method Mix and total up and 162lb 10ozs in 10 hours. A new PB pleasure Fish bag.