Ivan's Angle: Saturday 30th December - Clevedon FWAC Blind Pairs, Paddock Lake Acorn Fishery, Kingston Seymour

Sunday 31 December 2017

Saturday 30th December - Clevedon FWAC Blind Pairs, Paddock Lake Acorn Fishery, Kingston Seymour

So it was on to the last match of the year and one I always look forward to .... my Clubs ''blind pairs'' match. In years gone by it used to be held on Boxing Day but recently its been held on the first weekend after Christmas usually Sunday but as the first Sunday was New Years Eve Adie scheduled it for the Saturday. Not sure if this affected the numbers but only 10 attended.

Draw was 08:30 at the Fishery and Adie was able to put pegs in which were less affected by the strong winds although they did reduce during the day from an initial 45 mph.

We had to draw our pegs first and I was well pleased with 34, a bridge peg which usually produces. Then we had to dip into another tin and draw out a peg with a number on it. Two No.1's, two No. 2's up to 5. So both anglers who drew the same number would form a pair.
I was teamed up with all round nice guy Mike Pickering who drew peg 21, another bridge peg. Well pleased with that.

My peg 34 and sheltered from the wind.

On the other side of my bridge was Matt Roden on 35 who was paired up with Mark Walsh who more or less lives on the venue.....and does very well.

Three rigs today, one for dobbing bread along the middle of the bridge with the option to also fish full depth if required against the bridge or down the track in front of me, bottom of the far shelf full depth or shallower with bread and finally a right hand margin rig for the end of the bridge.

We were fishing 10:00 - 15:00 and on the all in I started on the bread 6'' off the bottom in the middle of the bridge, I fed nothing anywhere else to see how it went.

Lifting the 6mm punched bread up and down slowly after a few minutes produced no indications at all until 20 minutes in when the float shot under and I missed the bite. The tow was taking me away from the bridge so not ideal. I think Matt also missed a few small bites and we both concluded it was going to be hard. A short spell went by and this time when the float shot under I connected with a 8oz carp. I persevered with the bread along the bridge at different depths but no bites whatsoever. Matt was now on the maggot or pinkie and had the odd blade silver fish.

Going across to the bottom of the far shelf 6'' off the bottom with bread produced nothing. Looking around I had not seen anyone catch a carp.

I fed my right hand margin with a few micro's for later and also fed some micro's and dead pinkies at the bottom of the far shelf and went over it with a dead red at full depth. Roach and a few small skimmers came on this line now and then but there were long periods of inactivity.

It was the same all around the lake. We couldn't understand it as it had been mild for a couple of days.

It was around 13:30 when I saw Mark Walsh on peg 2 latch into a carp, he seemed to play it for ages and i thought it was foul hooked, but no it was a lump. Shortly afterwards next to Mark on peg 4 Mike Owens was also into one.

Five minutes passed and blow me I had one but only about 3lbs at most. Mark and Mike went on to put a few more in the net before the all out.

I just added a few more silvers from all lines, Matt did not have a single carp neither did 5 other anglers.

At the weigh in it was tight between Mark and Mike with Mark weighing 23lb 7oz and Mike 23lb 12oz so it would be tight as neither of their partners had carp.

It was tight but Mike Owens and Mark Bromsgrove ended victorious....