Match five of the season was the Hall Cup – held for as long as I can remember on a Friday evening – and for the last few years on the smallest pond at Dromonby Farm Fishery. The same venue also plays host to out three match evening series and after the first two rounds it couldn’t be closer at the top – both George and Juliet having five points, George leading by virtue of catching just one ounce more. This is a standalone match and not part of the series, the final round being on June 22nd.
I’d lost a couple of entrants earlier in the week but with a seven strong field it did mean we could spread out a bit. After a couple of sharp showers as we were unloading it ended up being more or less dry and sunny for the remainder of the day. I pulled out peg eight which is in the far corner of the pond from the entrance. I drew the same peg in an evening match in 2004 – when the pond looked very different
2004
Catches have varied wildly over the last couple of evening matches – 35lb being needed to win the first round and just 4lb 10oz the second, so I planned to drop some cat food under the large bush to my left and fish maggot and corn at top-kit range and 10m. I also had a small method feeder rigged up to fish tight to the bushes along the left-hand side of the peg – the fence that I fished against all those years ago is still present but inaccessible due to undergrowth.
I dropped some Coshida and well-soaked micro pellets under the tree, some corn and 4mm pellet out at 10m and then flicked out a light top-kit rig for the lakes hordes of voracious rudd. It didn’t take long to get a response from them and with single maggot hookbait I was soon catching at two or three fish a minute – problem was many of them were tiny. After fifteen minutes and probably a couple of dozen fish in the net I had a look over my other lines – neither appeared to contain any carp. Under the tree I was getting the usual knocks and taps with Coshida on the hook that indicated that small fish were playing football with the bait.
Elsewhere I could only see Ian who I hadn’t spotted being attached to anything substantial, Rob was hidden behind the bush opposite, but I could see the tip of his pole. I believe he lost this one.
After seeing Rob successfully land a couple of fish I stopped fishing for the small rudd – they weren’t large enough to do a weight of them – certainly not enough to beat a
couple of carp.
Another look under the bush to my left saw the float remain stationary – usually an indication that the small fish had scarpered due to the presence of a carp or two. Sure enough the float buried and I found myself attached to what appeared to be a sizeable carp – sadly after a couple of minutes the hook pulled – the scale I retrieved indicated where I’d hooked it.
Dropping back into the same spot there was still no movement of the float, so I was confident there was possibly still a carp about. I went through the various hook baits I had with me without provoking any response until I dropped the single maggot I had attached to my light rudd catching rig into the same spot. Float flew straight under and after a short scrap I landed a small carp of a couple of pounds or so. Sadly that was the only one and next drop I got a little rudd which kind of indicated they’d gone. I dumped a big pot of feed in and had a look on the method feeder, flicked over towards the bushes to my left. Three changes of bait and thirty minutes later I hadn’t added to my total so I went back under the tree but succeeded only in picking up odd rudd until I shouted time at 9pm.
I was pretty sure Rob would be top weight but had no idea what else had been caught. Starting the weigh in at George on peg 1 he had 1lb 3oz
Ian on peg 3 had 1lb 7oz
Rob had four carp and weighed 15lb 2oz to pick up the trophy by a big margin.
Mine was the only other carp caught and helped me along to 3lb 12oz
Juliet pipped partner Ian by just an ounce
Steve weighed 4lb 12oz for third spot
And Peter clinched second with 6lb dead from end peg 12
We’re back here for our late start match this Sunday – draw at 12.15, fish 1.30-7.30pm – currently we’ve got room for a guest.
Final round of this years evening series is 22nd July – room for a guest on this one too.
And ending the month we’re back at Rising Sun on 24th July for our Annual Cup in conjunction with Guisborough AC – this one’s fully booked though.
Simon