Guru White Acres Festival preview!

It won’t be long until the Guru Festival at White Acres kicks off, and here Paul Holland gives a great insight into the venue and how to approach it.

The Guru Festival commences on Saturday April 23 at the top fishing holiday complex, near Newquay, Cornwall, and takes place over five days, and it is the first festival of the year where pellets and the Method are allowed!

Guru match ace Paul Holland has been fishing the complex for a few years now and has a good idea how to tackle each of the waters, plus which pegs tend to produce.

Paul revealed: “I think the biggest tip that I can give is to do what you think is right and fish how you like to. There are so many anglers with so many different opinions that if you listened to them all and tried what everyone said then your head would explode!

“For far too long I tried to fish using advice given to me, but every day is different and we all go about it differently, so it is important to fish to your strengths and do what you think is right on the day. Worst case scenario is that you get it wrong, but at least you can go home knowing it didn’t work and learn for the next time.

“One of the biggest problems, and advantages at the same time, is everything and anything can work on it’s day. If you can be putting fish in the net all day you are going to be a hard man to beat!

“With so many viable methods, bait selection is something that needs consideration and your allowance is eight 1.1pt bait boxes. There are limits of how much of any bait you’re allowed – and also special rules for Bolingey. Nearly 9 pints per day sounds like a lot of bait, but when you break it down into a few different sizes of pellets – such as 2mm, 4mm, 6mm and 8mm pellets plus meat and some corn or caster – it doesn’t go far, so give it some serious thought. You’re also allowed a kilo of worms, 2kg of groundbait, some bread and a small tub of boilies for hookbaits.

“To try and give you a guide on what you are fishing for and the standard methods on each of the lakes, here is a rundown.”

POLLAWYN
The high bank is mainly carp and skimmers, on both the long and short pole, plus a Method to the island, and bomb and waggler can also work. In the arms the fishing is generally harder and you’re only fishing to win your section – it’s mainly pole fishing for carp to the island early and late, as well as fishing for silvers to score some good points.

BOLINGEY AKA CARP CENTRAL
Here there are two arms where it is mainly pole fishing – long, short and in the edges all work – and it’s mainly carp with some big brown goldfish and grass carp. At the back there is a little lake with an island so rod and line tactics will also play a part as well as the pole.

TREWATERS
There are two lakes here, both with islands, so a little Method or pellet feeder can work well. You’re fishing for carp and F1s, with some skimmers, so again long and short pole, plus the margins, are all worth targeting.

TRELAWNEY
Very similar to Trewaters, and again there is an island to target on the small feeder, and carp, F1s, skimmers and roach are the target species, so pole also works well.

TWIN OAKS
The left hand arm (pegs 1-18) is mainly carp, but there are also lots of silver sand some F1s, and everyone had a far bank margin to target. The right hand arm (pegs 19-35) again features carp, but there are also lots of big F1s and these will make up most of the winning weights. Both arms can be fished on either the feeder or pole.

PORTH
This is a natural venue that is split into four sections and the short pole at 4-6m can work for roach; the long pole at 13m for roach and skimmers, plus the odd proper bream if you’re lucky; the short feeder at 20m, again for skimmers and roach with the chance of a bream, and the waggler also works; the Method at 40m for skimmers and bream.
It is hard to predict how it will fish as the weather can play a big part, and pegs 16 and 17 can be brilliant for bream on the Method, but there is a chance on every peg in this section (16 to 24) and 9-12lb can win if no one catches bream.
Pegs 32-40 is the shallowest section and the fairest as there are not normally many bream caught. The target weight is 10lb-plus, depending on how it fishes, and there are plenty of small skimmers and roach.
Pegs 71-79 can be the hardest or easiest section, as it can throw up big weights of bream (especially 71-75) but you could also not get a single bite from one sometimes! Roach and skimmers are the target for a safe match, but if the bream feed that won’t be enough so keep your eyes peeled to see if anyone is getting proper bream!
In this section (pegs 81-89), pegs 81 and 82 are shallower than the rest and are normally good small fish pegs, with 83-89 throwing up the odd bream but generally better for skimmers on the long pole. Like the pegs in the 70s, double-figures are normally needed to win your section.