September Matches

3 Days at Solhampton

Every year I fish a two day event with a club that is based on the old Barclays Bank AA. Once the bank removed its funding we re-named the club and allowed open membership. Originally just a regional team event attracting around 200 in the 70s it was expanded a few years ago to include an individual match making it a two day affair. As many used the day before as a practice, we use a different venue each year, there is now a friendly knock up organised thus turning this into effectively a three day club festival.

Day 1, Valley Peg 9

Fifty fished and we were spread around the lakes at this excellent fishery. I had read that the main approach here was to go no further than 2+2 and the margins were worth targeting. This lake is where I had my biggest ever fish at 18-6 in the same event in 2012. Plumbing up revealed a very uneven bottom with a shelf just to my left at 2+2 so I set rigs to fish up and down this. Also margin rigs for left and right. I didn't have a good match and could only get the occasional fish and almost no two fish from the same place consecutively. I didn't weigh in as I had an estimated 42lb and knew that this was nowhere good enough to take one of the two paying places on the lake.

Day 2, Dragonfly, Peg 10

The Individual championship with 70 fishing. Having learned that I probably overfed the day before I again set up the same lines, 2+2 and margins at the same length of pole. I was determined not to overfeed today and thus fed the 2+2 with just 4-5 3mm pellets every few minutes. This seemed to work and I started catching small fish fairly regularly. But this line died quickly. A switch to the margins didn't produce anything and I was again struggling while others caught.

After two hours of switching between lines and picking up very occasional fish I decided to add two sections and fish the left margin at this distance where there were some fallen rushes providing a little cover. Immediately I started to catch a good stamp of fish. I had thoughts that if this continued I would get a decent weight. Unfortunately this line also died though I had boosted my weight substantially. I struggled though and only put 51lb on the scales. Nowhere near the ninety pound that won the lake. This came from the corner swim to my left where the angler estimated his weight at 40 before the scales told the truth.

Day 3, Partridge, Peg 1

Team day and I was, as I have for a few years, part of the Yorkshire team. They had brought enough for four teams of six. Placings were decided on weight and my weight got me into team three. Three years ago I was in team 1 and my large carp helped us secure the win by one point from the local West Midlands lads.

I had fished Partridge peg 14 in the 2012 individual match and managed third on the lake with over 80lb. Looking at recent results this would be a good weight today. The margins had produced well that day so they were an obvious choice plus a couple of swims at topkit+1 just up the margin slope. There was also a sparse bed of rushes to my right that sat around two foot from the bank. I ignored these to begin with as I suspected any hooked fish would charge through them and snag me.

Took a few early fish on the +1 line but the margins remained stubbornly empty. After a while of not catching I decided I had to bite the bullet and rig to fish against the rushes. This produced a good run of fish but again the swim died and I was left struggling for the remainder of the match.

55lb put me sixth in section. I was however the best weight by a margin at my end of this canal style lake. So it may have been the best I could hope for. The team came sixth and the match taken by West Midlands.

An enjoyable weekend meeting up with old friends and as I say an excellent fishery with a dedicated owner. If you haven't fished Solhampton it is worth the trip. A lot of rules yes, but most are sensible and leave nothing unclear. Not sure though why dead maggot is banned.

Decoy Elm, Peg 1

Fourth day fishing on the trot, good practice for the five day Maver festival at Whiteacres at the end of the month.

This is the lake where I did my best match weight last month. But the opposite end that didn't fish well that day. Still happy to draw it though as it offered some options and is the shortest walk.

Set to fish the margins and at the bottom of the margin slope. Since I last fished this peg the bank has collapsed and filled in the lovely margin shelf that I used to good effect for second that day. Not to worry I was confident as some careful plumbing found a small flattish spot at +1 that I hoped would hold bait and attract fish.

I started on the pellet feeder towards the aerator that sits in the middle of the end bank. This has normally got me off to a good start when drawn on these pegs on the other strip lakes at Decoy. Today the tip stayed stubbornly still. So a switch to the pole and rotating round the swims at last saw the float bury and I landed a small skimmer. One hour gone and 4oz in the net. Not to panic, I have recovered from similar starts to frame.

I tried the feeder again but closer to the bank and this produced a couple of small carp. I decided to fish the pole across the corner at +3 and the same depth as I was fishing at the bottom of the slope to the left. Immediately I switched to this I had two fish that totalled 15lb or so. Great, if I can keep catching this size of fish I will soon catch up. I didn't. Things went quiet and I spent the rest of the day swapping around lines taking odd, decent sized fish. Gradually pushed my weight to around 50lb by the end. While I had some nice sized fish that gave a good account of themselves I knew I was nowhere near framing. 58Lb and middle of the list, no records today.

Cranford Hall, Peg 9

This lake only has ten pegs on but is a lovely little water to fish that is well stocked, the biggest fish in it being a grass carp of around 18lb. I have only fished this once before.

There were only five of us fishing this match I organised. Only two of us were regular match anglers so I decided not to run a pool but just fish for the fun of it with a weigh in at the end.

I set up to fish the right margin, I could only fish as far as my topkit due to the reeds and shape of the lake. I also set to fish a couple of swims at +3. these I would feed with groundbait on one and pellets on the other. A couple of early small carp came on the long lines but nothing consistent. I decided to take a section off and try slightly shallower and closer. This made a difference and I had a run of 2 1/2lb fish before activity alerted me to fish in the margins. Took a couple of fish from the margin before resting it and going back to the +2.

Once I had just over ten pound in the net I put the pole up and went to help the one young lady that occasionally fishes with us. By this time she had only had one 4oz carp. I got her rigs and feeding sorted and pretty soon she was playing a 3lb fish so I left her to it. I looked up half an hour later to see her battling what would turn out to be a carp of around 5lb. I was a happy bunny.

Back to my own match and I continued taking single fish from the margin and odd fish from the +2 line. These swims died with around 90 minutes to go but that was OK by me as I knew I had done enough and getting someone else catchin had made my day anyway. I eventually topped the list with 37lb, the young lady had 17lb and was not last.

I ended the month fishing the Maver Festival at Whiteacres.  I'll cover those five matches in a separate post.

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