Hallcroft, Reed Pool - Peg 33.

Hi Folks,

So i attended the little Champion of Champions match today. It was just a little knock up of "Veterans" at Hallcroft on the Reed pool. Its my favourite pool on the complex and its also known as one of the hardest! I wasnt really feeling up to it this morning, i'd had a poor nights sleep and was just not feeling my self. So i didnt hold out much confidence.

Well anyway, i drew peg 33. One of my favourite pegs on the Reed pool as it is sort of on a little point and has a fairly large and deep margin to the right considering the rest of the pegs. Although i didnt really fancy that end of the lake today. As the wind was blowing in the bottom corner. I also dont really rate this side of the pool during the colder months. As the other bank (Which wasnt matched up) has the sun on it first, so normally the fish come on the feed earlier throughout the day.

I knew which lines i would set up as soon as i drew but i got the added bonus of a spare peg to my left so i decided to add another.

Lines were as follows:

1. 6m Line. Paste line - based just after the last ledge. My overal approach doesnt change for paste much as you have noticed. Basically decided to come down a fraction and opted for .13 Powerline with a .7g PB22 float this time tied down to a 12 B911, which as usual a bulk of shot centred between the float and hook. More or less dead depth. Fished in around 5 1/2 ft of water. Connected to 13H.
2. Margin Left. My left margin was an empty peg. I planned to fish this pretty negatively with just a cup full of bait at 1pm and just see how it went. Paste again. Exactly as Line 1 other than a .5g Pb22. Connected to 13H.
3. Margin Right. Exactly as above. How ever decided to fish this line fairly positively as i wanted to fish two lines with this swim. Connected to 13H
4. As i mention above. I opted to set up an additional rig for Dead red on a paste line. Sometimes as i have found on this particular peg you can get some very productive chub going if need. So fishing a smaller bait over existing would be a good get out clause. I also prepared some casters for this line just in case. I planned to hand pellets in every 15 mins or so. As i usually do. The rig its self is a .2g Colmic goldie put to .11 Powerline tied up to an 18 B911. This would generally be fished with 2 - 5 dead reds. Connected to 11H
5. 11m Line. I always set this line up. But i have never had to resort to it. On most pegs on the reed you will find a slightly different depth either slightly deeper or shallower at 11-13m so i found it could be a good insurance policy! Connected to 13H.

All set and ready to go!

So as the whistle was blown i put a good hand full of pellets into my right hand margin and went straight out onto the 6m line. The wind was starting to get up and as usual it was towing like a train, but the paste was holding the deck for me. I decided to pop a no.8 off the rig as the tow was pulling the float under to much and this then just added a little more bouyancy to my rig.

After around 20 minutes i hadnt had a touch! I was getting worried so i then decided to leave the 6m line for a while and go on to my right margin - Something which i wouldnt normally of done so early on in the day.

This margin is normally fairly productive but i hadnt tried it so early on in the day let alone in the morning, it was worth a shot though. I shipped it out and rolled the pole to my left to empty the cup. I was fishing bang in the middle of my bed of pellets. I had a few indications and thought it was a good sign! Thats the best thing about paste you more than likely get a little knock at the door before they come in! Well my float shot down. Dragged my pole to the left and the fish was very lively! As usual when playing fish from the margins i also feed the margin which i just disturbed by either paste balls or pellets. At first i thought i may have got into the average lump in here (10 - 15lb) but unfortunately when i got it in the net i was shocked to see which must of been the smallest carp i haver ever caught from the Reed Pool.

Not very ordinary for the Reed Pool:P!

Well i continued with the right margin and soon had another 4 similar sized carp in my net. I didnt really care what size they were. My ethos is keep fish going in your net what ever the size and your still moving forward instead of backwards. After an hour or so fishing the margin it did predictably go dead. I went straight back on the 6m Line while still feeding the right. This time seemed to go better. I immediately had indications and all of a sudden my float went straight down. Sadly, not a carp.

But again, still a fish and a decent bream at that:).

After i landed that i went straight back out and literally nothing else for another half an hour. It was being a very funny day. With nothing really showing at all apart from the odd seagul coming down for dinner. I decided to put another cup full of Pellets and paste on my left hand margin to the spare peg. If i needed a miracle i new this is where i would get it! I tried all 3 lines to front and right for the next two hours with nothing massive of any size showing, i did however manager to get 4 or 5 chub out on the dead red. But i started to get my right hand rig going on the paste again and i was slowly but surely getting the little 1-3lb carp out.

Well it went slow for ten minutes so i figured i would try my spare peg.

It was the last hour after all and i had noticed cookie to my right getting a few chub on the chopped worm, so i thought i should up the pace a little. I shipped it out, dumped the paste and left it. It went over the 2 minute mark. Another thing i do normally is to take it back out and try another line. But as no other lines were proving productive i was going to sit and wait for the rest of the match. I was thinking about the Evesham fest qualifiers when the float shot under. Pulled it to my right and it felt like a better one. It was putting up a very good fight for the time of year as did the others! Which i thought was very strange!

Well i got it in and it turned out at the end to go 14lb

Well i managed to get that one in, dropped another freebie out and was straight back into another one as soon as my paste hit the deck. Another one slightly smaller than the above at around 10lb mark.

The whistle blew! I wasnt even watching the time and i thought i may have struggled to keep my winning runs which i recently built up.

Well the Top 3 went:

1. S Cooke 65lb 7oz

2. N Johnson 62lb 2oz

3. Kieran Crampton 39lb 8oz

Well...I was happy the way i fished. Maybe going to the Left margin ealier could of paid of but who knows. Cookie had a free bank and caught using Choppy, Paste and Pellet on the feeder.

Nathan

@Fish4Thought