The Southern Intersite Match.
Well today saw me making the relatively short trip down to Willow Park Fishery at Ash Vale for the Southern Intersite match and within an hour of leaving home I was pulling into the car park to see many of the participants already there, ready and eager for hopefully a good days fishing, despite the fact that it was obviously going to be a scorchingly hot day.
A quick phone call meanwhile revealed that unfortunately Dai Thomas wouldn’t be joining us as an electrical problem with his car had forced him to return home to Wales. However a local stepped in to make up the numbers for us ensuring that we would not be short on the day.
Vince’s team meeting was short and to the point, with just 1 instruction…….DON’T WIN!!!!!!!!.
I should probably explain at this point that Maggotdrowning.com team members don’t take the Intersite Team matches too seriously, indeed when the series started, it was designed to be light hearted, and an opportunity for anglers from other sites to meet each other, put faces to names and have a bit of fun. We have just carried on with that ethos despite a competitive edge creeping in for some other teams.
So with the draw over it was time to make our way to our pegs. I already knew that I would be fishing the Big Lake and peg 73 on the culvert bank was going to be “home” for the next 5 hours.
Groundbait was the new Bait-Tech Special’G’ Green with Casters and chopped worm added and worm, caster or a combination of both as hookbaits. I did set up a pole for a line at 8mtrs but this was very much a get out of jail option as I wanted to concentrate on the feeder.
All set up with 25 minutes to go I took a stroll round to see Vince who was on peg 59 over on the Bungalow Bank in what can be a good Bream swim with the wind blowing into it, though todays bright sunshine rather negated that. He had Perry Stone, one of the local experts for company on end peg 57 but seemed relaxed enough when I left him to get back for the start.
So 11am and the Klaxon signalled the start of the match. A whole Dendra was selected as bait and the feeder punched out and within 30 secs of the feeder settling the tip pulled round and a 8oz Skimmer found it’s way to the safety of the net “Happy Days” a point guaranteed for the team, job done.
2½ hours later and I hadn't had another touch, despite a phone call offering encouragement from Dave (RedLeader) trying various combinations of hook lengths etc, not even a liner. Reluctantly I opted for the pole, balling in 3 big balls containing chopped worm & caster and offering either half a Dendra or double caster on the hook. A couple of small indications early on, but it was not till Geoff P phoned me from Scotland to see how it was going that I finally managed a Perch quickly followed by a Skimmer and a net Roach. Sport was never fast and furious but at least I was putting a few bits into the net on a regular basis including a nice Crucian of around the pound.
With around an hour to go something took a liking to my offering of double caster and as the float slid away my strike was met with a very solid resistance. Vince phoned at this point and we had a quick chat as to just how far Black Hydro could stretch, as I was obviously attached to a large lump of a Carp I told him that I'd phone him back.
Thankfully the fish seemed to be more of a plodder than a torpedo and after 10 anxious minutes it was finally in the landing net. Adrenalin probably made it look bigger in the net than it really was and I could have sworn it was a ”Twenty” however the scales later confirmed it at 17lbs.
Back in after re-balling with another 3 balls of groundbait brought me a few more perch and roach, when with 15 minutes to go I was attached to what was obviously another double figure Carp which while not quite as large as the 1st was more of the turbo charged variety!!!!! Once again the Hydro received a full workout, but just as I began to feel that I had the beating of it, it surfaced and rolled across the line parting it like cotton.
5 minutes later the klaxon sounded and that was it match over.
Round came the scales and my 7lbs odd of bits added to the Carp gave me 24lbs 10ozs which was good enough for 2nd in section, edged out by Martin Harper aka The Runner on peg 75 who had the Bream and Crucians turn up on his pole line with an hour to go enabling him to put 29lbs 2ozs on the scales, a good result from the lake on the day.
2½ hours later and I hadn't had another touch, despite a phone call offering encouragement from Dave (RedLeader) trying various combinations of hook lengths etc, not even a liner. Reluctantly I opted for the pole, balling in 3 big balls containing chopped worm & caster and offering either half a Dendra or double caster on the hook. A couple of small indications early on, but it was not till Geoff P phoned me from Scotland to see how it was going that I finally managed a Perch quickly followed by a Skimmer and a net Roach. Sport was never fast and furious but at least I was putting a few bits into the net on a regular basis including a nice Crucian of around the pound.
With around an hour to go something took a liking to my offering of double caster and as the float slid away my strike was met with a very solid resistance. Vince phoned at this point and we had a quick chat as to just how far Black Hydro could stretch, as I was obviously attached to a large lump of a Carp I told him that I'd phone him back.
Thankfully the fish seemed to be more of a plodder than a torpedo and after 10 anxious minutes it was finally in the landing net. Adrenalin probably made it look bigger in the net than it really was and I could have sworn it was a ”Twenty” however the scales later confirmed it at 17lbs.
Back in after re-balling with another 3 balls of groundbait brought me a few more perch and roach, when with 15 minutes to go I was attached to what was obviously another double figure Carp which while not quite as large as the 1st was more of the turbo charged variety!!!!! Once again the Hydro received a full workout, but just as I began to feel that I had the beating of it, it surfaced and rolled across the line parting it like cotton.
5 minutes later the klaxon sounded and that was it match over.
Round came the scales and my 7lbs odd of bits added to the Carp gave me 24lbs 10ozs which was good enough for 2nd in section, edged out by Martin Harper aka The Runner on peg 75 who had the Bream and Crucians turn up on his pole line with an hour to go enabling him to put 29lbs 2ozs on the scales, a good result from the lake on the day.
Back to the car-park for the results and it was soon apparent that The Maggotdrowners had stuck to the team instructions with Vince’s 3lbs+ just being edged out by Perry Stone’s 87lbs 14ozs for the Individual win on the day.
Middle Lake had by popular consent been exceptionally hard on the day Clive had managed a creditable 14 ozs but was edged out of worst place by Paul (NoMoreLongWalks) with 13ozs.
Small lake had produced some more consistent weights but not to the expected level.
Thankfully none of the MD’s won their sections though Fred(Milo) and I nearly blew it finishing 2nd in ours, allowing us to take our customary last place on the day with 19points.
I’d like to say a word of thanks to Dave(Pikey)Pearson for his efforts organising the match, superbly done as always, it’s not his fault that we always seem to have heat wave conditions on the day of the Southern Intersite. Nice to put some names to yet more faces, we’ll have to do it again next year, though hopefully not at Willow Park.
I’d like to say a word of thanks to Dave(Pikey)Pearson for his efforts organising the match, superbly done as always, it’s not his fault that we always seem to have heat wave conditions on the day of the Southern Intersite. Nice to put some names to yet more faces, we’ll have to do it again next year, though hopefully not at Willow Park.
OFFICIAL INTERSITE RESULT
| Angling Forums | 30 points |
| Total Fishing | 28 points |
| Talk Angling | 23 points |
| Maggotdrowning | 19 points |
| Section Winners | ||
| Small Lake | ||
| Giles Cochrane | Total Fishing | 46lbs 07ozs |
| Dave Baptist | Angling Forums | 29lbs 08ozs |
| John Holt | Total Fishing | 53lbs 02ozs |
| Mark Harrington | Talk Angling | 79lbs 15ozs |
| Middle Lake | ||
| Hillbilly | Total Fishing | 18lbs 08ozs |
| Paul Fillmore | Total Fishing | 11lbs 07ozs |
| Mark Nevins | Total Fishing | 16lbs 13ozs |
| Dougie Graves | Angling Forums | 12lbs 06ozs |
| Big Lake | ||
| Perry Stone | Talk Angling | 87lbs 14ozs |
| Martin Harper | Total Fishing | 29lbs 02ozs |
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