Army Match 6 Todber tiddlers

Army match 6 at Todber Manor, drew 17 on Park lake.  Breakfast at Skevys Cafe.  I don't feel like it today, (not like me) cant shake work off my mind. Concentration is all over the place. This was compounded when I realised I had forgotten many of the things I would normally take. I had left my bait bag (corn, maggott, caster, micro pellet, expanders - pellet pump - mini boilies etc) at home!!!  Left one of my pole rollers there as well. Then to top it all had forgotten to change my rig trays over (still had the canal rigs). No good here. Got to the lake and realised, I had forgotten already (draw 10 minutes ago) what peg I was supposed to be fishing. After finding the board holder and making enquiries I made my way to the peg.

 Its becoming traditional now, when we go to Todber that it is either raining or has been raining for a long time.  Today was no different the place was saturated.


 I mean if there was heatwave from here to September; it still would still be wet.  Water was pouring under my platform causing a little waterfall and affecting my bladder. Constant drip drip, driving me nuts.
 
Enquiries are made as to how close we are to the all in.  Earth to Gary, ( thinking about work) wake up get with the picture, concentrate - get your game face on and shout the all in.

The wind was relentless, all day right to left and really strong; so strong it made it impossible to fish across to the far side with a pole.  So I set up a small method feeder.  Dug out half an old bag of micro pellet, rusty tin of corn and a pre war tin of meat and a quarter pint of maggot left over from the weekend from the bottom of my bag.  Also found some hard pellet and a bit of sticky pellet.  The first 40 minutes across, using sticky pellet powder and micro pellet with 4 mill pellet on the hook.  Whilst the tip is out I set about tying a couple of 0.12 rigs one with an 18 hook and one with a 16 for the big hook baits.

 

The mobile keeps ringing with enquiries from work.  After five or six I get a really annoying one where the caller starts with - you email says you are out of office.  That's right says I; I am on a days leave.  But we need to sort this out now, any chance you can come in.  No I am on leave, and it can wait till tomorrow.  Switched the phone off and went to put it in my pocket when I dropped it.  It bounced to the front of the platform, teetered on the edge but didn't fall in..  The only piece of luck it turns out, all day.

 

Carl and John Goddard had fished the lake a couple of days ago. They had done well on pellet and corn.  So I rotated through the baits Corn , Pellet, Pellet corn.  No joy.  The fish were starting to suck at the reeds on the far bank.  In fact it was turning into a maelstrom of an orgy with carp crawling all over each other.  My hook bait was bank in the middle of it, and the tip was bouncing about all over the place, it was like I had flicked it into an aquarium, never have I seen so many line bites and I couldn't hit any of them. 

 

Several Big slab Bream were rolling in among them now and the water was full of fish crashing around.  It dawned on me now with a deepening depression - they must be spawning!!  The bream were spawning and the carp were feeding on the spawn.  Finally the tip went around and a foul hooked slab , which was absolutely covered in tuburcles and as rough as sandpaper slid into the keep net.

 

Corn and pellet was doing  nothing so I reached into the bag and opened a tin of meat, chopped into 6 mill bits and came back over the 5 mtr line.  The float dipped and a 6 oz roach slid into the net.  Then another and another and another.  That my friends is how it went for the rest of the match. apart from one 4lb Carp, one 10oz Golden tench it was silvers all the way.

The sun comes out for the weigh in and the scales show me what I already know, that silvers are not enough at this venue. You need the F1s or the munters to frame here.  I didn't enjoy today.  Not because I came no where, but because of the realisation that I had ignored my simple plan got fixated on fish that were clearly spawning and not feeding, and wasted half the match.

 

"What a Tit"

 

This game takes no prisoners.  My gut was telling me, I was doing it wrong but I ignored and carried on sleep walking toward disaster.  I should have changed and didn't.

 I finished 7 - not even mid section blues (4 team points) in a ten man section with nearly 16.180 kilo ( so 30+ silvers and a carp) just above me were 2 x 17 kilo weights and a 18 kilo, and Brian and Mike took the honours with 35+kilo and 32+kilo respectively. Clearly the wind had blown the feeding carp to that end; and a couple of good anglers took advantage.

Dave Docs knocked me out of the commercial cup,with 22 kilo mixed bag. B section was won with 32+kilo by Dave Brettle. Orphans (Carl finished 7 and 6 team points) catching loads of lightweight F1s  for 16.760.

The big weights came from White posts lake and C section.

 

Mick Craddock winning with 65 kilo 310.  End peg Daz Mayers 61 kilo 600, Dave Griffiths, 48 + kilo and the man on a hot run at the moment Craig Micalef 40+kilo.  Orphans (Dave Critcher finished 6 and 4 team points) didn't have the best of pegs, stuck between two guys emptying it; but held in there with a respectable 31.660

 Total 14 points and not a good day for the Orphans.  Hoping for a warm windless, dry day on Sunday and for once a good draw in the Toyota league. (Witherington Farm)