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Neil ofthe nene
Life Member
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Northamptonshire
United Kingdom
Member Since
04 May 2009
Posts: 7704
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 Posted - 09 July 2012 : 06:50:43 AM
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Club match, drew peg 3.
I have a very simple approach to Horseshoe, fish the margins. My records show that my club matches over the last five years have been won with 80lb or less. I have framed on the last three matches and was only beaten by the 80lb weight last year to my 74. Before that winning weights ranged from 33 to 69lb. I am confident of getting at least 60 from the margins so this is my chosen line of attack and hoped to get between 70 and 80lb by fishing it all day.
Started the match fishing top 5 in front to let the fish start feeding in the margin. Started by potting in a handful of soaked 4mm pellets and had a fish, 1lb carp, first put in on 4mm expender. A couple more and some skimmers followed but by 30 minutes the line appeared to have dried up. Meanwhile Ray to my right on peg 2 had started on the pellet waggler and was easily heading me. At that point I wasn't concerned because I expected to catch in the margin and quicker.
On this peg there is really only one spot you can fish the margin and that is to the left, to the right is a bed of lillies. Immediately I put a float in I had indications and soon had a few fish. Thing was that all my fish were carp of around the pound mark and were not coming as quickly as I had hoped. Fished meat, 4 & 6 mm expander, corn and paste. Ray meanwhile was getting the fish in a frenzy and was steadily building a weight.
After about two hours it was obvious I was falling well behind. Went back to the car and got my feeder rods and set up a pellet waggler. Thing is that this is not a method I (need to) use much and so I wasn't really geared up for it. Didn't have the right catapult or feed pellets. But gave it a go anyway. Needless to say I was not successful. Couple of fish but not really larger than those I was getting on the pole.
Back to the margin and had a few more. Despite there being fish in the swim they were not taking a bait quickly and I was struggling to sort out how they wanted feeding. Spent the middle two hours of the match trying waggler and margin and generally messing about, not settling to one or other. Took off the waggler and set up a Banjo only to cast that into the one tree opposite me. Threw the rod up the bank and decided to go back to the top 5 line.
Potted in a full pot of 4mm pellets and immediately had a run of fish, but tstill all in the 1lb bracket. This line again slowed after 30 minutes so switched back to the margin. Finally settled on feeding a handful of micros to get a bed of feed with a few 4mm pellets on top. First put in I had a carp of 3 1/2lb. First time in the day I had seen anything bigger than 1lb in my swim. The next hour saw me put near 30lb in the net as the larger fish had moved into the margins. Biggest probably 5lb. Caught most of these on paste.
With 30 minutes to go I estimated my weight at 66lb. Didn't have another fish 
Weighed just over 70 so target achieved. That put me 10th out of 13. Suddenly the lake had fished well and for the first time since my records began the match was won with over 100lb (Ray, peg 2, pellet waggler - 105lb), second 92, third low 80 and I think fourth was 78. There were lots of weights in the mid to high 70s.
A couple of the larger fish from the margin in the last half hour would have seen me frame I think and had I stuck with it all day as planned and not spent time messing around with PW and feeder I should have had 80+.
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Average club angler who seems to get the right methods sorted halfway through a match, just in time to say "if only" |
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Decoy, Horseshoe
