This was my first foray to this stretch of the K&A and I have to say that my route from the satnav was interesting, but, I arrived at the Cross Keys with plenty of time before the draw so that we could sort out bait. This time also saw me being regaled with tails of regular double figure bags of prime roach and skimmers so I was more than a little excited when John my team captain came out and told me that I was drawn just off the marina in the village on B4.
As you can see I had a multitude of options but decided to feel my way into the match, my first line was at 4m for bread and consisted of a 0.6g Garbolino DS14H on a 0.11mm mainline to a 20B511 on 0.08mm hook length. This was shotted with a bulk 30cm from the hook and a single no.10 dropper and was set up on no5 Vespe solid through 3 sections. I decided to put a Squatt line in at around 11m and this had a 0.2g Preston Classic 6 on 0.09mm mainline with a 0.07mm hook length to a 22 B590, this was rigged on no.3 Vespe solid through 2 sections. Finally, I set up a chopped worm rig to be fished behind the boat on the far bank at 15m, this was a 4X14 KC Carpa Chimp on 0.15mm mainline and a 0.13mm hooklength to a 16 B611, this was rigged on green Vespe E2 hollow (just in case) and plumbed up in the depression where the prop had dug out the bottom.
So I was ready to go and as the all in sounded (the quietest one I have ever heard) I put a Satsuma sized ball of Liquidised bread at 4m, 3 balls of groundbait and squatt at 11m and about 10 chopped dendras on the long line. Then I slipped a 4mm punch on my hook and dropped it in at 4m expecting great things, after 30 mins and 5 fish it was apparent that it was not going to be the bagging session I had been promised, although, after I topped up with a thumbnail ball of bread after the first boat I had a quick run of 10 fish before the bread line died. So at an hour and a bit in I shipped a worm head out to 15m in the strengthening wind and started to count, I got to 5 before the float disappeared and the hefty strike saw a small Perch catapulted from the water. Next put in and the same happened but that was it so I topped up and tried my squatt line, and although it was not solid I was able to put a few fish into the net including two skimmers both of which I had to save from a marading pike that also seemed to kill off my squatt line. Another, look on the worm line gave me a small perch and a quick feed and look on the bread saw another roach in the net, so, I was sat there with 3 dead lines and needing to catch a few quick as the guy on the end peg to my right had taken a couple of decent fish on worm. I decided to go all out for a few roach for the last hour and a bit as there were a few topping in the area, so I set up a punch rig consisting of a 4X12 KC Carpa F1 float on 0.11mm mainline, a 20 B511 on a 0.08mm hooklength all hanging off Vespe solid no.2. The reason for the light elastic was to try and reduce the splash on the surface when I was striking in the now breezy conditions. So I fed a small ball of Licky across against the boat and shipped out straight on top, 3 seconds later Roach no.1 from the new line was on the way to the net and it continued like that until the end of the match with me only needing to top up twice.
I finished with 8lb dead and this was enough for second in my 16 man section and I beat the guys either side of me only to be done by a squatt weight of 11lb two pegs away. The lack of bonus fish in my section helped me no end although the main list was made up of mainly Perch weights from the other sections. My team of Vespe Army A finished joint 5th on the day with one of our guys blowing out from a poor area, but considering the competition we did well.
Interservices Championship at Heronbrook next so back to the commercials.
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