Did brilliant ,you caught shallow aswell yes ?Well done mate , what peg was you? I was pines 4 -90lb ,46lb of that was skimmers![]()
Did brilliant ,you caught shallow aswell yes ?Well done mate , what peg was you? I was pines 4 -90lb ,46lb of that was skimmers![]()
Certainly was Dave, it's booked in Wednesday for some TLC.Bet that was relief to get home without breakdown Peter
Great stuff Peter,take care mateCertainly was Dave, it's booked in Wednesday for some TLC.![]()
I only had 3 carp shallow, the rest all came on the worm/caster skimmer lineDid brilliant ,you caught shallow aswell yes ?
cracking net of fish mateI only had 3 carp shallow, the rest all came on the worm/caster skimmer lineI thoroughly enjoyed catching them skimmers, made a nice change
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What a weekend mate, and what a brilliant write up, I’m still laughing nowIt’s taken me a couple of days to recover sufficiently to give an account of my series of disasters.
Disaster 1) I could not come down on Friday as I got a last minute call up for a hospital appointment.
Drove down Saturday morning, leaving home at 4.30AM having not slept a wink. Arrived as the gates opened at 7.30 and proceeded to make my way straight to the tent field. The lane was an absolute quagmire and I needed to swing quite wide to get through the gate.
Disaster 2) Got completely stuck on the slope with wheels spinning everywhere. Set off cap in hand to find @Dave and his trusty Hilux. Dave was very obliging and efficiently pulled me out backwards onto the lane.
So I reversed down the lane and seeing a car parked at the car park end of the dam I pulled up behind it. Unfortunately I was about a foot further over than I thought I was.
Disaster 3) I slid into the ditch with my van leaning over at 45 degrees. A small group gathered and assured me that my situation was a lot worse than it looked from inside the van. Put your handbrake on hard and get out veeeery carefully was the advice. One kind guy ran to get help whilst I cautiously dismounted. The situation was indeed as bad as they had suggested. One wheel was on the path but the back wheel on the same side was in the air. The two nearside wheels were on the slope at the edge of the precipice. I was advised not to fart near the van or it would be in the lake. At that point help arrived in the form of a man in the Alders Mule. I can’t describe how anxious I felt whilst they towed me very slowly back onto the track. Gratitude does not do justice to what I felt towards the Alders man who had got me out. Park over there was all he said.
So I parked over there and got my tent out. I found a lovely spot fairly close to @John Step on Oaks and not far from the van.
Disaster 4) Took the tent out of the bag, a nice new Khyam quick errect job which cost me a bob or two. I am no newcomer to Khyam tents and am completely familiar with how you erect them in two minutes. Something was definitely amis with this one. The poles were sticking out at completely the wrong angles and the top hub from which everything is supposed to position itself was upside down. After about twenty minutes of wrestling hopelessly with it John Step came over to assist. There followed a further twenty minutes, this time with two of us wrestling with it and we had to admit defeat. At least John assured me it was the tent that was wrong and not just me being an idiot and many thanks to him for his efforts. So I was sleeping in the van. Decision made.
By this point I realised I was quite late for breakfast. Off to the caf I went looking forward to getting filled with a full english
Disaster 5) I was too late. They had run out of everything. They had eggs left. Right I said I’ll have eggs. Any beans? Yes beans and tinned tomatoes. So I had a rather compromised breakfast that I’d prepayed £7 for.
Really enjoyed the match and the barbecue on the Saturday. Maggotdrowners are without exception top lads and I really enjoyed to banter. And thanks go to my long suffering pairs partner @Knight of the round pond and to @chefster and @crayfishtraps who were unfortunate enough to draw next to me and who provided some good advice and banter on the Saturday. I managed 50lb on the best peg on the lake which had provided the winning weight of getting on for 300lb on the Friday. I‘m sure I caught 200lb or more, my peg was rammed with big carp, but I just kept getting broken off in the reeds and undergrowth. I had to have my clutch wound down completely and then I was failing to back it off quickly enough when I’d got them out into the lake. I should probably have backwound but I didn’t.
Disaster 6) Slept through my alarm and woke up at 10.00 on Sunday when the all-in was 11.00. By the time I’d struggled to get my trolley up the hill to Pines and through the mud and found out what peg I was on, peg 3, I had half an hour to get set up so I was a bit flustered.
This time I was next to @chefster again (poor bloke) and @Nickp69 the venue expert. Tried down my right hand edge and had two, of which I landed one. At the end of an hour I had one fish. At the end of four hours I had one fish. I had tried everywhere in my swim, down both edges and out in the lake, same distance as @chefster was catching carp and a constant stream of skimmers (ok they weren’t skimmers they were bream, Gaz called them skimmers though. Due to my casting technique which I call ’random’ I fished in @Nickp69 s swim quite a bit of the time. He was very gracious about it but probably thought I was a bloody idiot.
With an hour to go I found fish at 5m. Method feeder with maggot. I was bagging for the last hour and got my weight from 4lb to 34lb so I managed to save face a bit even though I think I came last on the lake.
Disaster 7) Loaded my trolley up and rolled it six feet at which point a wheel came off. Not just the wheel but the bracket. Completely broken it was. Once the weigh in was completed the mule arrived to see if anyone was struggling. I don’t know the name of the guy but he works at Alders and he is a big strong lad. He wheeled my trolley on three wheels all the way to my van. I owe him a huge debt. I couldn’t even hold it upright on three wheels. It must have taken a lot of muscle to do what he did.
Despite my 7 disasters I had a terrific time. I’ve decided there might be something to this match angling lark. I think only MDs would be willing to put up with me but I will certainly be fishing more MD events.
It was great meeting all these guys, I have only mentioned a few but they are, without exception, top blokes.
A good way to catch when there is loads in the margin is put a bomb or feeder down the edge and also lower the tip of the rod right down to the bottom, your line is the flat on the bottomMy 34lb haul on Pines. Not much compared to others on the lake but I’m proud of it all the same. All caught in the last hour. Wish I’d found the fish earlier but there you go. Thoroughly enjoyed myself
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@Markywhizz Im sorry you were struggling a bit. I walked by by you on Saturday morning on the way back from getting some bait and saw you rummaging with your tent, but you looked in complete control. Same again Sunday morning. I forgot something and went back to get it, I saw you and asked if you were fishing today. You only have to ask for some help if you need it, I would of gladly pushed your trolly up to pines for you.It’s taken me a couple of days to recover sufficiently to give an account of my series of disasters.
Disaster 1) I could not come down on Friday as I got a last minute call up for a hospital appointment.
Drove down Saturday morning, leaving home at 4.30AM having not slept a wink. Arrived as the gates opened at 7.30 and proceeded to make my way straight to the tent field. The lane was an absolute quagmire and I needed to swing quite wide to get through the gate.
Disaster 2) Got completely stuck on the slope with wheels spinning everywhere. Set off cap in hand to find @Dave and his trusty Hilux. Dave was very obliging and efficiently pulled me out backwards onto the lane.
So I reversed down the lane and seeing a car parked at the car park end of the dam I pulled up behind it. Unfortunately I was about a foot further over than I thought I was.
Disaster 3) I slid into the ditch with my van leaning over at 45 degrees. A small group gathered and assured me that my situation was a lot worse than it looked from inside the van. Put your handbrake on hard and get out veeeery carefully was the advice. One kind guy ran to get help whilst I cautiously dismounted. The situation was indeed as bad as they had suggested. One wheel was on the path but the back wheel on the same side was in the air. The two nearside wheels were on the slope at the edge of the precipice. I was advised not to fart near the van or it would be in the lake. At that point help arrived in the form of a man in the Alders Mule. I can’t describe how anxious I felt whilst they towed me very slowly back onto the track. Gratitude does not do justice to what I felt towards the Alders man who had got me out. Park over there was all he said.
So I parked over there and got my tent out. I found a lovely spot fairly close to @John Step on Oaks and not far from the van.
Disaster 4) Took the tent out of the bag, a nice new Khyam quick errect job which cost me a bob or two. I am no newcomer to Khyam tents and am completely familiar with how you erect them in two minutes. Something was definitely amis with this one. The poles were sticking out at completely the wrong angles and the top hub from which everything is supposed to position itself was upside down. After about twenty minutes of wrestling hopelessly with it John Step came over to assist. There followed a further twenty minutes, this time with two of us wrestling with it and we had to admit defeat. At least John assured me it was the tent that was wrong and not just me being an idiot and many thanks to him for his efforts. So I was sleeping in the van. Decision made.
By this point I realised I was quite late for breakfast. Off to the caf I went looking forward to getting filled with a full english
Disaster 5) I was too late. They had run out of everything. They had eggs left. Right I said I’ll have eggs. Any beans? Yes beans and tinned tomatoes. So I had a rather compromised breakfast that I’d prepayed £7 for.
Really enjoyed the match and the barbecue on the Saturday. Maggotdrowners are without exception top lads and I really enjoyed to banter. And thanks go to my long suffering pairs partner @Knight of the round pond and to @chefster and @crayfishtraps who were unfortunate enough to draw next to me and who provided some good advice and banter on the Saturday. I managed 50lb on the best peg on the lake which had provided the winning weight of getting on for 300lb on the Friday. I‘m sure I caught 200lb or more, my peg was rammed with big carp, but I just kept getting broken off in the reeds and undergrowth. I had to have my clutch wound down completely and then I was failing to back it off quickly enough when I’d got them out into the lake. I should probably have backwound but I didn’t.
Disaster 6) Slept through my alarm and woke up at 10.00 on Sunday when the all-in was 11.00. By the time I’d struggled to get my trolley up the hill to Pines and through the mud and found out what peg I was on, peg 3, I had half an hour to get set up so I was a bit flustered.
This time I was next to @chefster again (poor bloke) and @Nickp69 the venue expert. Tried down my right hand edge and had two, of which I landed one. At the end of an hour I had one fish. At the end of four hours I had one fish. I had tried everywhere in my swim, down both edges and out in the lake, same distance as @chefster was catching carp and a constant stream of skimmers (ok they weren’t skimmers they were bream, Gaz called them skimmers though. Due to my casting technique which I call ’random’ I fished in @Nickp69 s swim quite a bit of the time. He was very gracious about it but probably thought I was a bloody idiot.
With an hour to go I found fish at 5m. Method feeder with maggot. I was bagging for the last hour and got my weight from 4lb to 34lb so I managed to save face a bit even though I think I came last on the lake.
Disaster 7) Loaded my trolley up and rolled it six feet at which point a wheel came off. Not just the wheel but the bracket. Completely broken it was. Once the weigh in was completed the mule arrived to see if anyone was struggling. I don’t know the name of the guy but he works at Alders and he is a big strong lad. He wheeled my trolley on three wheels all the way to my van. I owe him a huge debt. I couldn’t even hold it upright on three wheels. It must have taken a lot of muscle to do what he did.
Despite my 7 disasters I had a terrific time. I’ve decided there might be something to this match angling lark. I think only MDs would be willing to put up with me but I will certainly be fishing more MD events.
It was great meeting all these guys, I have only mentioned a few but they are, without exception, top blokes.
Well, what can I say, the camera doesn't lie so there's no wriggling out of this one:Friday night was a quiet affair around Landlords car boot. A few jokes, a bit of pee taking(sorry TRFC2000) some of Fat Pikes excellent stories and a relatively early night.
Saturday night was a anything but a quiet affair. After an excellent bbq by Dave the serious business of getting blutered got started, an absolute Tsunami of jokes from Nomorelongwalks, banter, stories and STEAKS JACK DANIELS GROGGThe legendary Len Wade tok full advantage of Steaks very generous offer to 'gettit darn thees neck'......... What followed was one man carnage oh so perilously close to the roaring fire pit, Len Wade had turned into floppy rubber, his gyros had toppled, his cv joints had gone, his suspension had done a runner
Len had been possesed by the demon booze as shown
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What a man, what a laugh. A great night, eventually about 01:30 those that remained retired for the night, full bellies, full bladders, empty tins and sore sides. Fantastic night.![]()
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Great net of skimmers mate ,well doneI only had 3 carp shallow, the rest all came on the worm/caster skimmer lineI thoroughly enjoyed catching them skimmers, made a nice change
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