Todber Manor Open 3 Dec 22

This was my first open in a while, but I was supposed to be on the venue for 3 matches in just over a week and a competition I dearly want to win is on there later this year, so this was my first recce.  I decided to work largely on tactics that I know would give me a bite so I had been out in the week and bought a new, short bomb rod and some maggots as I thought it may be tricky due to the rapidly descending temperatures.

On the day I was there nice and early to get any last-minute bits from the shop and then it was time for the draw, there was 111 of us and we were all on Homeground, a lake that I had only ever fished once before with floaters for a giggle as we came out of lockdown.  My had went into the bag of dreams and I pulled out peg 90….. apparently, the best peg in Europe, we would see.

It was a short distance from the car to the peg but peg 91 was a landing net away to my left which confused me, then it transpired that peg 91 had been put in to stop peg 90 being so dominant, well at least I was on a few fish.  The plan was to start on the wag and bomb then find somewhere in open water to fish the pole and possibly something down the edge. It was a very loose plan as all I really wanted to do was catch a few fish and see what all the locals did before but being out of practice I was just about ready early enough to take the micky out of Greg for feeling fragile and forgetting his flask of tea.

At the all in I cupped a small amount of 4mm pellet and maggot towards the stand pipe at 14m and then cast the waggler baited with maggot at about 3ft deep towards the island, I hadn’t bothered plumbing the waggler because when I was plumbing up the pole line I was bumping fish with the rig. I had a couple of quick indications and carp number 1 was soon in the landing net, but the waggler wasn’t right due to a strengthening breeze so I swapped to the bomb. I was getting the odd fish on double 8mm meat and topped up my long pole regularly with pellet and maggots and after about an hour I decided to have a look.

I got a steady runs of fish but never set the word on fire, I spent more time trying to watch the anglers around me and judging what tactics were working and what were not, my best spell of the match was in the last 10 minutes when I had 4 fish in 4 casts on the bomb.  It had been a good day and I was admitting to 120-150lb (a bit vague as I was out of practice clicking).

 As we can see I ended up with 128lb, so not last but not far off and properly "Harried", but I did learn a hell of a lot. 

What would I do different:

I should have set up a short line that I actually fished.

Rigs used:

Pole long:
Elastic: White Hydro
Line: 0.17mm Powerline to 0.13mm Stream
Hook: 16 B 911
Float: 0.6g Drennan AS5

Pole Short:
Elastic: Preston 13H
Line: 0.17mm Powerline to 0.13mm Colmic Stream
Hook: 16 B911
Float: 0.4g  Drennan AS4
 
Feeder:
Rod: 9ft Matrix Aquos C Class feeder, 1oz tip.
Reel: Cadence CS5 4000 loaded with 8lb Sensor
Rig: 10 or 20g ICM bomb with 6-12” 0.19mm hooklength to a size 12 QM1 and bait stop.
 
Waggler:
Rod: 11ft Cadfence number 1 wag
Reel: TDR 2508 loaded 3lb Maxima
Rig: 2AAA insert waggler with only a small QC swivel at the top of a 0.12mm hooklength to size 16 hook.