30/03/2014 Todber

I was invited to take part in the Todber Series that was being run by Mark Poppleton as my mate Tony had other commitments that would see him unable to attend this match, I didn’t need too much in persuasion as I have some big matches coming up and I thought that a few hours bagging here would set me up well.

I even popped down on the Friday before for a cheeky practice that saw me catching on paste down the track and getting a few fish out from the margins in peg 17, so I was well impressed when I drew peg 17 on the day.

I decided to fish pellet across, and I also set up a method rod in case the wind picked up, I set up a corn rig and a paste rig for down the track at 2+2 and finally I set up a paste rig and a margin rig again both for the same swims as there was the same depth next to a tree to my left and also some reeds 10m to my right.

I was ready for the all in and straight away fed half a pot of hemp, pellet and corn down the track before shipping across the far side with a 6X11 MW pear on 0.14mm mainline to a 0.1omm bottom, the hook was a T808 in an 18 and I started with a 4mm expender feeding micros and groundbait through the pole mounted pot. It did not take long and after a roach I soon had a carp of about 3lb stretching the pink reflex elastic to the max, but I persevered on the same rig as it was not feeling too light for the fish that I was catching, I managed a few F1’s with the odd carp mixed in but I was hardly setting the world on fire, so with the sun out and a few carp cruising I set up a shallow rig consisting of a MW pea on 0.18-0.14 and an 18 PR36 hook with a bait band. I quickly bagged a bigger carp, but then spent too long trying to get the next, I had a look down the track and didn’t get a touch.

By this time I was quite perplexed and started to rotate the shallow and the paste line, I even started feeding the edge line to my right too early with groundbait and naffed that up. I foul hooked one carp on paste, didn’t get a bite down either edge and when I went back onto my deck across rig that I had changed to fish hard pellet I managed around 15lb of fish in the last half hour on it.

I was quite frustrated at the end although I had not really taken the day seriously, I spent too long trying to get paste working and the shallow fishing was not the way ahead either, maybe in a couple of weeks. I had managed to weigh 48lb for second from last in section, with Mark Brennan on my left taking 80lb and showing me the way and to his left Frank managed 150lb plus for a convincing match win.

Just one thing left…. How do I explain this to Tony??