Stoneham Championship no progress made despite 50 fish

First , what a wally after posting the last blog "playing catch up" I realised I was wishing my time away and was one week premature.  I was at Stonehams (Eastleigh) today not at Pewsey.

You will know from previous blogs I am not keen on the venue; but I will keep plugging away one day I will suss the place.  I wanted to draw the bottom lake but once again drew on the big lake at the top.  Peg 74.  Not a bad peg, high bank behind covered in sharp holly and brambles , not easy for shipping the pole.

Some would say why bother with pole, as the tip long with method / mini boilie / pellet or cage feeder sweetcorn or maggot is the local attack of choice.  

On this beautiful day, the woodland surrounding is full of azalea's. I had the golden peg to my left and Rich Penney to my right.

 I banged out the tip with a method feeder on and a semi buoyant pellet.  There was about 50 nice size bream and carp circling half way across just under the surface. Should I try for them?  I am reliably informed half an hour of casting every five minutes is enough time to put in enough bait to get them going.  It never has worked for me yet.  A bite less hour later, nobody is catching apart from Dave Moody and Tappy across on Trojans bank, racing each other  with roach.  Rumours are drifting down the bank from the dam wall shallow end peg and the muddy bank that some carp have been caught.

Fifteen minutes with the pellet waggler chasing the surface fish and not a touch.  You could see the fish swim up to your float, get around 18 inches away then spook away.  So off the method and fishing cage feeder with dead maggot.  Another bite less hour.  Long pole now with ground bait in ten feet of water.  No bites on the bottom but I am getting knocks on the drop.  Take the deep rig off and stick on a mid water rig.  Fix a toss pot and start sprinkling caster.

  Rich Penney to my right (not in my section) has just had his skimmer after nearly three hours on the tip.  This was followed with similar size skimmers x 5 every 20 minutes or so finishing with around 26lb. Me I had a a reasonable final hour and a half with fish after fish in mid and shallow water.  Problem was they were all small; I couldn't buy a skimmer or even a fish over 4oz.  Surely one day I will catch a pound + fish in this lake!!!  Did try last 15 minutes on pellet wagg again trying to hook a big surface fish; but ended up with 50 fish for 6 lb 12 oz. Midsectionblues again 4th out of ten.

  The section had three DNW including two blanks to my left.  As normal the end peg in the narrow shallows one the section with Carp.  Rich Allen had a 7 1b of silvers and a couple of bigger fish.  Maurice Townsend had a few big fish.  Peg 59 had a late Carp.  Perhaps I should fish, float only or Silvers on this venue.

Our section was probably the lowest scoring, other sections fared better with 40 lb weights taking the section.  I think 50 lb + of Carp won it but I am not sure, as DM had, had enough and wanted to go home.  He was puffing well and didn't look at his most healthy.

And yes it is Pewsey next week followed by a mid week Army match at Withy; then back to Stoneham for the late afternoon evening BBQ match.