Today (Sunday 3rd Feb) saw me at an Eastleigh Club match at the notoriously difficult Winnal Lake(Winchester). Difficult because serious fish kills in recent years have left the lake a shadow of its former glory. I haven't fished here much and mostly in summer conditions. So it came as shock to see it in its winter coat. The Crabtree scenes of summer Lillie's willow trees and tench bubbling away all gone to be replaced by storm / snow damaged trees.
The draw bucket saw me draw 18 on this 46 pegger. Not having fished that end of the lake before I asked the locals for advice. Advice ranged from go home and watch the telly mate, to that's the dead stretch chuck the splodger you could get lucky!
Peg 18 was featureless, or so I thought plumbing around, found a million sub surface features in the form of branches , twigs, decaying leaves etc. The dead stretch indeed, it was like an elephants bone yard. An hour gone and a roach to my name. I had sculptured a small compost heap to my left, of all the detritus dragged from the swim. A strong left to right wind was making presentation difficult.
I had gone with a 4x10 diddy float made by a friend Mick Craddock, 06 main line through to 05 hook length and a sensas 3000 "feeling" hook size 24. Single squat or pinkie.
Over half the match gone and many anglers are walking the bank, to keep warm and see if any one has actually had a bite! James to my left have few roach for around 10z; Karl and Maurice to his left are blanking. Brian Keen on my right and a few pegs down is catching skimmers and has just had a 1lb+fish. I can smell the Braseem from my peg and I sneak down to see what hes doing to actually catch.
He has concocted his own ground bait from crushed pellet and copious amounts of braseem. I watch him cup in a semi sloppy mix which clouds the water. His float dips and out comes a near 3lb Crucian!!!! Double red maggot on an 18 and a much heavier setup than my fine approach.
Maurice has whacked the tip out and had a couple of Bream. We enter the last hour. Brian is still baggin, Pommy to his right in the bay has picked up a couple of skimmers and me well I had tried the splodger for an hour - no joy. Giving 10 minutes in each of my three swims on rotation had produced nothing but more leaves and twigs.
James has just had a 6oz roach to my left. Do I pack up and go home watch the rugby( many of the lads are). Sod it, stay. I shove all the weight under the float except a dropper no 12, come 6 inches off bottom and start pinging pinkie out with a catapult. After 20 minutes and 10 minutes to go the float sails away. Then again, and again, and again! Finish with 5 roach for exactly a pound. Why I didn't I try that earlier?
The monster 6oz roach James had was enough to pip me( he weighed in 1 lb 2oz). Brian has stormed it with 11 lb+ and Maurice has 3 slabs for 8 lb+ Pommy had third with 2 lb+. Rumour has it Tappy has won with around 14 lb+ from the other side of the lake. Dry nets and long faces abound. Even good anglers were reduced to fishing pop up boilies in the hope of a big Carp.
Hope the Canal at Devizes is kinder to me on Wednesday.
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