Harescombe match lake, 11 pegs

Another trip up the m5 into deepest Gloucestershire to the little gem of a fishery that is Harescombe, there was 17 booked in originally but on the day for whatever reason this got whittled down to 11, alot of the usual suspects were missing and it was very quiet without the likes of Adam Caswell and Alan Healy.

After a top notch breakie Will was on had with the draw paying a top two and two sections, by its own high standards the weights have been relatively low over the winter months with 25-30lb being a decent weight, but one thing you can guarantee is a few bites off most pegs where your never far away from a f1 or two although catching them regular is whole different ball game!

Pegs ether side of the landslip are usually very favoured and Lionel Legg raised a smile when he pulled 29, another angler smiling was Steve Burgess who drew yet another corner peg this time being 16 at the top end, for my sins dipping in the bag disc no30 was staring back at me its a peg I've drew several times before having some good results from it.

Conditions were to be fair very good with a light breeze and very mild temperatures but no one was really sure what to expect. The one good thing about peg 30 is it affords you a great perspective of the lake giving you a perfect view on who's catching what, it does throw up its problems tho with a wicked undertow due to the waterfall and stream entering at this end of the lake, my plan of attack was one I've used to varying degrees of success at the fishery this winter and that was based on dripping caster through a kinderpot at various length between five to ten metres, now this worked to a certain degree but some proper rank bad angling was to cost me dear come the end.

Early doors and there was the odd fish being caught around the lake especially Matt Challenger on six who was fishing tight over catching f1s, as the match progressed tho there was a real peg to peg battle going on between Lee Williams on 20 and Steve on 16, also after a very quiet start Lionels pellet attack was starting to pay off as a good run of proper carp found they're way to the net.

Entering the final stages some peoples margins really sprang to life, Keith Ray on 12 in particular who had been feeding caster heavy had a great run of fish to make a late charge, all match id been catching small f1s in fits and starts never really pinning them down but moving into the last hour i was getting a positive bite every put in but this is where the bad angling took over as i started to prick and lose several fish, on close inspection it was clear id lost the point on my tubertini 808 but unlike most anglers who would of changed hook lengths like a twat i carried on! this was a major mistake as in the last ten minutes i lost three big f1s in a row 8-9lb of fish down the Swanee. On the whistle lionel lifted into a bite that proved to be very significant gingerly playing a very decent fish and landing a 5-6lb carp five minutes after the all out.

I don't think anyone was sure who'd won and this was bore out by an incredible set of close weights with just 6lb separating the top six anglers, first on the day with 45lb 15oz was Lee who made the long trip up from Bridgwater very worth while catching mainly on maggot, second and just over a pound behind with 44lb 4oz was Steve B also catching on maggot, it was a welcome change for Steve who has been catching bugger all lately and what made it even sweeter was he could spend his winnings on taking the new girlfriend on a trip to curry kings! something hes not done for along while, the top section was taken by Keith with 39lb 3oz on the caster with lionels last gasp carp nicking the bottom section with 40lb 2oz.

The Bridgwater pikey with his winning net, you can also find his take on things here http://woolavy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/psv-match-harescombe-match-lake-24-01-16.html


FULL RESULT

1. LEE WILLIAMS              45LB 15OZ    PEG 20
2. STEVE BURGESS           44LB  4OZ             16
3. LIONEL LEGG                40LB  2OZ             29
4. MATT CHALLENGER   40LB                        6
5. CHRIS SZAKACS           39LB 12OZ            30
6. KEITH RAY                    39LB   3OZ            12
7. WILL DEARLOVE         30LB  8OZ             15
8. COLIN BUTLER             26LB                       3
9. STEVE SEWELL             16LB   8OZ            9
10. LEE WALLER                  16LB  4OZ           22
11. ROSS SEWELL                 2LB   9OZ           25

So yet another very close contest at a very fair venue, no match next week but the week after we are back down on tile lake at the sedges and if it stays mild the entire carp population might of spread out alittle and not all be sat in peg 37!

The Sedges, Tile Lake

First PSV match of the new year on one of the clubs favourite venues The Sedges where asper usual we were afforded a warm welcome and lovely cuppa.

The fishery was looking very soggy and with all the cold water and a drop in temperature even fishery owner Jamie was unsure how the Tile lake inhabitants would respond, as it happened considering the conditions it didn't fish to bad at all with one lucky angler having a real red letter day.

Thirteen in attendance and Will was his usual efficient self having monies and payouts sorted well in advance of the draw, top two and a section on each bank plus top silvers was order of the day. There was the usual scramble at the draw and with no Steve Burgess everyone had a chance of drawing a corner peg.

Dipping my hand in the bag of dreams pingpong ball 25 stuck to my mit and going on past winter form i was not to displeased as the fish do have a habit of balling up around the middle pegs.

For most anglers it was gonna be a one rod jobby myself included, and on the whistle a variety of leads and feeders were chucked towards islands, all apart from Lee Waller on 23 who does own a lead rod but was never gonna use it having a day on the silvers instead.

My plan of attack was have a couple of hours searching the peg with popped up bread then if that failed a small pellet feeder with various baits would be brought into action, chucking out at the start i tightened down just in time to see Alan Healy on next peg lift into a carp his one and only bite for the first four hours! turning back to my rod the tip dropped back and carp no1 was soon in the net out again and five minutes later carp no2 joined his mate in the net and my thoughts quickly turned to a bagging session...errr fat chance as that was my last bite for three hours.

As the match progressed there was the odd carp coming out in various pegs whist others really struggled, at the top end on corners 30-31 Lionel Legg and Nick Sanders were nicking the odd fish on the wag and corn which was stark contrast to the bottom corners 40-21 where Ryan Radford and Dean Malin were really struggling, also Keith Ray on 33 was picking up the odd fish on the bread.

One angler in particular tho hit the jackpot, now I'm not sure whether i disturbed the shoal and they moved the other side of the rope or the two i had were stragglers but as my bites stopped  directly opposite on 37 Mark Radford started to catch......and he never stopped for the rest of the match!! taking a steady run of fish on the lead and a single cube of meat and feeding exactly nothing he walked the match weighing a cracking weight of 166lb 9oz even losing several fish in the process.

Very frustrating for myself as even tho my hook bait was no more than twenty feet from marks i was not even getting liners only managing two more carp and a lone skimmer, after a fruitless four hours Alan next door was getting cheesed off especially as he had Adam Caswell next door chewing his ear but out the blue he took a carp and then proceded to take nine in a row on bread to go from near last to second place with 53lb 9oz, third place and section winner went to Will Dearlove on 39 who despite suffering serious neck ache being pegged next to mark still managed nine or ten carp on the bread again for a very creditable 51lb 2oz. Section winner on the motorway bank was Lionel up on 30 with 48lb 7oz and the silvers went to Lee who managed a decent eel and big skimmer plus bits for 6lb 4oz.

Mark with part of his winning catch, it was that solid in his peg that after the whistle son Ryan sat on his box and in four chucks had four carp! all joking aside well done to mark on a cracking winter weight.

FULL RESULT

1. MARK RADFORD       166LB 9OZ      PEG 37
2. ALAN HEALY               53LB 9OZ               26
3. WILL DEARLOVE        51LB 2OZ               39
4. LIONEL LEGG              48LB 7OZ               30
5. KEITH RAY                   43LB 10OZ             33
6. NICK SANDERS           39LB                        31
7. MATT TAYNTON        35LB 14OZ              29
8. CHRIS SZAKACS         28LB 11OZ             25
9. LEE WILLIAMS           17LB 5OZ               35
10. LEE WALLER              13LB 13OZ             23
11. ADAM CASWELL        5LB 9OZ                27

AND TWO DNWS

SILVERS

1. LEE WALLER               6LB 4OZ
2. MATT TAYNTON        5LB 14OZ

A good set of winter weights from a very good fishery, next week the club are on the main lake at shiplate and with proper winter weather forecast for the week we could well be in for a grueller

Booking in

Just a quick one, with there being no meeting this month there are matches at the sedges, Shiplate and  harescombe to book into, so if possible could members contact will to confirm places.