Rob's day

Hall Farm today for an Inter club match with Abbey Cross – some good weights recently coming from here so should be a good day with hopefully all catching well. This is the second of four matches scheduled within 8 days on this lake.

Drew peg 23 today with Alan Fox to the right of me on peg 25 – no peg 26 in today. Decided on mainly fishing shallow today – then into the margins – also had a short pole rig set up for 6 meters in around 4 ½ foot.

Started shallow – although a fair wind blowing down the lake into peg 26 today causing a few problems. Not a sign on this after 45 minutes so tried to short line. Had a couple of carp and a roach – then lost one (foul hooked). Had fed a few pellets down the edge and after a couple of hours the carp had started to come in really close – had several good size fish rooting around my keepnets. Couldn’t ignore these so a quick look on paste brought a decent carp, but no more on paste the rest of the match despite trying a few times.

No more bites out on the short line or shallow so concentrated on the margin fish. Feeding a small amount of groundbait and fishing just a top kit being patient brough a few bites but also a few foulhooked fish lost. At times about a dozen fish close in feeding so a bit frustrating I wasn’t catching more – I have to work out a better way of getting more clean bites.

Not sure how my bank was fishing although heard a few splashes from either side, Alan and Bob on 21. On the other side after a slow start could see Jeff, Phil and Peter all catching well going into the last couple of hours, and Fred was getting one a cast fishing the feeder to his left.

A couple of more carp to finish and one on the whistle, (some better size fish today – two or three around 7-8lb) and that was it.

At the weigh in, close on both banks – my 66lb just beating Alan’s 61lb and Bob’s 58lb. The low bank mainly fished well – with the exception of the higher numbered pegs, Fred winning with 76lb with Peter second with 74lb 11oz and Graham third with 55lb 2oz. It was a Bishop's Stortford win today with 42 points to Abbey Cross's 36 - a tight match

Thanks to Alan Fox for his help with the scoresheet and Ray for giving me some water after I left all my drinks in the fridge.