Open Match, The Grange (Caravan Park). Scunthorpe

So folks,

I decided to attend this match after having some really good success with my practice session 500lb plus bags! So it hard to be worth a shot.

The night before i organised my lines and what lines i would concentrate on. I opten for a 6m Paste line and 2 marginal lines in with the pole method fishing with paste on the method and between 5 and 10 dead reds on the hook. Although i did take a little insurance policy in fetching 10 dog biscuits!:p i didnt fetch alot as i didnt want to waste my time on trying to get them going on 'em. As i know the big weights come of the deck during the day. Its a waste of time until the end of the day.

I arrived and the weather looked good. A good turn out at around 20 anglers. 20 anglers fill the venue! I was eager to draw a good peg. I picked out 6! Peg six looked pretty good. It was only 2 pegs down from where i had the 500lb bag. I also really fancied this margin...

I decided to start of with just the paste line out at 6m. Its after a drop off from 1-2ft to 4ft but before the big drop to 7ft. I had mixed succes on this line. The lake has a huge head of roach stocked with size able shoals and nice specimens if you can get them, but once they are on your bait. They'll stay and you wont be able to feed them off. So i decided to put only small peices of paste in, and due to the size of the fish i was targeting it would prove to be a good change.

Soon had my first fish an average size fish for the lake, Maybe 3/4lb but a nice common anyway. I managed to get around 10 or so in the net for the first hour, but i needed to change as i new my catch rate wasnt enough, or at least wasnt as good as it could/should be. I decided to call it a day on the 6m lines and switch the the method line. All that read this blog will no that i support filling the margins in no matter what the season and time of year and its exactly what i did today. For the dead reds to work effectively and at its most. I kill 2 pint of red maggots and put upto a pint of maggots in with my sloppy g/bait mix for the method (Now, i dont normally do much with my paste. I stiffen it up a tiny bit just so its able to swing and not drip off but i want it to form a cloud as soon as it hits the water, especially as i am only fishing in 1-2ft of water MAX).

Within seconds i was in to this nice one. Doesnt take long to get a weight built in with these. I was averaging a fish every 2 minutes for over 2 hours. I couldnt get it in quick enough.

Was fishing really close in by the 4th hour. I was really happy with what i had managed to get. It did start to slow slightly. But i had more or less demolished all features in the peg. It was a slight pain in that i did keep getting a visual of a 20lb+ mirror below my feet that just wouldnt fall for my bait! With it slowing i decided to give it a go on my right hand side. The margin which i really fancied, again it wasnt long before i was into one. Better ones this time 8lb plus.

With the last 10 minutes of the match looming i was fishing extremely close to the feature on the right...

Managed to captures this picture just as a fish decided to run!:)

That was it. Time was blown, I estimated about 250lbs of fish, but i have been majorly off before. I hadnt noticed many people catch at the same rate as me. Though i was still nervous.

The top 3 was.

1. Nathan Johnson 356lb 11oz

2. Peter Jackson 153lb

3. Clive Dorkins 151lb 6oz

The better catches of the day. But netherless it was all good sport and great result!