Great Danes – Evening Shield match 1
We arrived at 5:40pm in fairly heavy rain, ready for the draw at 6pm. A very low turn out of 9 compared to those due to attend. Ryan draws peg 17, the end peg by the small gate, which should be good for the carp if the cold and rain have not put them off.
The match starts at 6:30, and decide to fish the margin right in to the corner with the pole using an NG 0.2g Margin float, on 0.19 powerline to a size 14 Drennan wide gape hook on 0.15 link. Baited up initially with 2x6mm krilled luncheon meat, and loose feeding sweetcorn.
Nothing happening in the margin Ryan starts fishing straight out at around 15ft, but still no signs of a bite. He is going to have another go in the margin, before trying further out on the waggler. After a quick bite, he re-baits and as soon as the float settles, he hooks in to his first fish, a carp of around 2lb. He continues to fish the margin for about 20 mins, but nothing biting so decides to fish out at 25ft on the waggler with 2 dead red maggots.
I go to stretch my legs, and shake off a bit of the water as the rain stops for a few minutes. Chatting with a few others, they say that on the opposite side where John/Mick are fishing, they have been catching quite a few carp, but being up in the corner we can’t see anything that is happening.
As I get back to Ryan, he has had a small roach and a few bites further out. It is now 8:00 and Jim next to us has his first carp. Soon after, Ryan hooks in to a nice carp, but as it shoots off, the 4lb line snaps just below the float. As I set everything back up for him, he tries a pellet on the pole out at about 15ft.
All set up again and he tries some sweetcorn out a on the waggler, but no bites. It’s now about 8:30, and only 30 mins left to go, so I suggest he has one last try in the margin with the luncheon meat.
Almost straight away he hooks another carp around 2 1/2lb, and once it is is the net, he is straight back out, and feeding with sweetcorn. Again he hooks in to another fish, and it takes the elastic right out in to the lake. It looks like a good fish as the rain starts to get really heavy again. As the fish comes in closer, I can see by the size of the tail that it is big and tell him to take it carefully. Just as I say this, the pole slips out of his hands due to the rain, but fortunately it is fitted with a puller bung and he has hold of the end of the elastic, and manages to grab hold of the pole. Eventually it comes in and with a lunge, it is in the net ( only just fits). A lovely common carp which is certainly his best fish from here and looks to be around 8lb.
Only a few minutes left now, and as I start packing up, he hooks in to another decent carp which is putting up a stronger fight that the last one. As the whistle goes, he is still no where near landing it, but does eventually net it and it looks to be around 6lb.
First to weigh in, the large carp hits 8lb 10oz on the scales, and he has an overall weight of 21lb 2oz. As he heads of round with the scales on our side of the lake, I pack up in the torrential rain, but I don’t think he has even noticed how wet he is, as he is so excited.
Sorry, but forgot to get any photo’s due to the heavy rain.
Results report by Mick Roberts:
Wet Wet Wet!
Nine hardy souls braved persistant rain for the first of this years Evening Shield matches at the Great Danes.
Fishing was patchy, with some catching early, some late and others very little or not at all.
Once again the pegs nearest the wooded area on the right took the first three places with John Overton fishing a method feeder to the point of the island to land Carp totaling 28lb 15oz. Young Ryan Kennison had a late surge to nick second place from me and Tom Holloway completed the money places from the far bank behind the island.
Full Result:
John Overton 28lb 15oz (12 points) £17
Ryan Kennison (Junior) 21lb 2oz (11) £5 Nicks tackle voucher.
Mick Roberts 18lb 3oz (10) £12
Tom Holloway 9lb 8oz (9) £6
Jim Randell 7lb 12oz (8)
Max Goodwin (Junior) 7lb 8oz (7)
DNW: Mick Wright, Keith Dacey, Dave Bertram.