13.06.12

Andy Pell at Whiteacres - Day Three

I was desperate for a good draw from Pollawyn lake after the disappointment of Bolingey, but my heart sank as I pulled out peg four.
I drew peg six in a previous festival and it’s hard to say which one is worse, but they are definitely two of the worst pegs you can draw on this lake.
Any chance of a high finish in the section had gone and it was a damage-limitation exercise now.
I set up the method and three silver fish rigs, plus a long margin rig to my right, much to the angler’s annoyance on peg six.
He wasn’t happy that I had gone past the platform on peg five, but I’d been to the shop to check the rules and I was allowed to fish up to halfway between us, so I was well in the limit, but he wasn’t happy.
I fed meat and casters at 5m and 14.5m and had a silvers line at 4m down the edge, which I would feed with casters, hoping to catch big silvers from later in the match.
I started on the method with banded pellet and was pleased to see the tip bend round after 15 minutes.
I doubted it would go round again as I think the fish swim out of the arms soon after the match starts and feeders go in, so I fed a big pot of hemp and meat on my long margin before I cast back out with the feeder.
With no more bites on the tip after 15 minutes, I decided to go against the grain and look in the margins early in the match.
With double meat on the hook, I shipped out at 14.5m down my right-hand margin and got a bite straight away. A carp was hooked and I could see the lad on peg six wasn’t happy again but I soon netted a five pounder to go with the 6lb fish I had on the method.
Another one followed next put in, but as I suspected that was to be the last bite I would get down there.
With nearly 45 minutes gone and no more signs of carp I decided to get on the silvers. I had enjoyed a good start with three carp in the net, but I had to back it up with around 30lb of silvers for good section points.
I found it hard going all day really trying to catch skimmers on meat. I just couldn’t line up more than a couple of bites at a time, and it wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the match that I began catching quickly.
I suspected I hadn’t got things quite right with the skimmers and when I weighed in with 28lb and there were two 30lb weights in my section I walked away knowing I should have beat both those weights really.
I finished 5th, which wasn’t bad from peg four but I knew I could have had 35lb had I fished a bit lighter for the skimmers.

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