Billy's Fishing Blog » Billys Fishing Blog April 16th

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Welcome to my fishing blog… April 2023

April 16th – Ivy House Fisheries – Invitation Match – Hi Ho Silvers To The Rescue

Ivy House is not one of my favourite commercials, not that I really have any favourites but as favourites go, it’s well down the list. Bitterwell Lake probably being nearer the top and Acorn Fisheries nailed to the bottom. So, 12 of us turned out for this one, consisting of 8 Kingswood Legionnaires, 3 guest Airsprung AC members and 1 guest Alcove AC member. Everyone arrived on time and naff fishery pellets were compulsorily purchased.

We had booked the old match lake, on which there had been an open match the day before. The final weights included a 90lb win then a couple of 40lb weights, a couple of thirties and then they fizzled out to include 4 DNWs. Could we expect something similar? We would soon find out. Meanwhile, Jason and Paul legged it around the lake to peg it as it’s not permanently pegged.

I didn’t really mind where I was going to be drawn, which is just as well because I drew peg number 3. I had a gap between the islands opposite me but there was no cover down the edges so I had to think about how I was going to approach this peg today. My first choice was to fish a method feeder in the gap. Next, a 12-metre line out in front and finally, the edges would have to come into play at some stage during the match.

So, on the all-in, I cupped out a ball of Supercrush Method & Paste Natural to my 12-metre line. Both edges got the same helping plus a smattering of corn, micros and fishery pellets to both sides. I would leave these swims alone for the first hour and totally focus on the feeder approach. Well, apart from a few liners I didn’t get a bite, either on corn, pellet or wafters. Meanwhile Steve Martin, (no not the comedy actor… at least I don’t think so), on peg one certainly had a spring in his step and his rod. He was quickly off the mark and had 3 carp in the net during the first hour, while Kev Swanston, who was opposite, had one.

Glynn to my left hadn’t had a bite and neither had Ian to my right, so it wasn’t looking too promising for us. So, into the second hour and it was now time to have a go on the long line. I started fishing hard on the deck with corn but there was no interest shown so next, I decided to give the pellet a good workout. Nothing on that either. I then tried worm, paste, maggot and even pinkie but nothing. Not a sniff! Steve on peg 1 was still catching and Glynn now had one carp. Ian had caught one too but it was a case of ‘old mother Hubbard’ for me.

So, onto plan C and a look down the edges. First, I fed a few more grains of corn to my right-hand margin and then went straight over it with corn on the hook. I got a bite right away and a small almost 2lb carp was netted. A look on my right-hand margin proved fruitless as all I got was a few little knocks but nothing serious. I then spent the rest of the third hour fishing both edges with a variety of baits but nothing, nothing, nothing!

Apart from peg 1, everyone else seemed to be struggling although Ian began finding a few on the method feeder. So, I had a cup of tea and a pasty and thought about plan D, which was a cunning plan I didn’t really have. I took out a top kit loaded with 7 Duraslip from my holdall and found a light rig in my box drawer. I had now decided to go for silvers for the rest of the session to see if I could salvage something from this match. So, it was time for the maggles to show what they could do.

I started loose feeding at about 6 metres and I set the float to half depth, which was a little over 2 feet. Within a few minutes, I had a roach of about 4 ounces. I continued with this haphazard approach, adjusting the float between half depth and full depth to try and stay in touch with the fish. I then began catching skimmers up in the water. A few of them were around the pound mark so well worth targeting. When bites tailed off I would move up or down in the water catching both skimmers and roach.

Then I hooked into a carp, which I messed about with for about 3 or 4 minutes before he broke me. I couldn’t get one when I was fishing for them but when I started fishing for silvers I hook one. Oh what if… So, when the skimmers disappeared I would put another pole section on and try again at all depths until I found them. This kept me busy right up until the end of the match. I went through a pint of maggles and I was so glad I had them with me. I reckoned I had netted about 10lbs and now the silvers prize was in sight.

At the weigh-in, which we were allowed to do ourselves, Steve on peg 1 had 79lb 2oz and without anyone else being weighed, was, without doubt, the clear winner. Glynn ended up with a couple of carp for 13 lbs. My carp was only 1lb 11oz but my silvers net went 13lb 4oz, which I was quite content with. Ian on my right had 19lb. Jason was on the end peg of my section and had a nice net totalling 32lb 5oz of carp, which was worth a section win. Kev Murch on peg 9 had a nice net of carp too for 41lb 10oz and second place.

The last man to weigh in was Kev Swanston, who had caught some nice silvers but his silvers net only weighed 10lb. However, together with his carp, he had 22lb 2oz, which was enough to take section 2. For me, it was a wise decision to abandon the carp and concentrate on silvers, picking up some handy beer tokens and more importantly, ending up with my self-esteem and reputation intact.

Many thanks to Clive Purshouse for helping with the running of the match and to Jason and Paul for the pegging and weighing. Everyone caught fish, which was a better result than the previous day, so well done to everyone for taking part. My next match is at Whitehouse Farm next Saturday for the ‘Saturday Shield’. If enough anglers attend it will be held over both lakes. Keep you posted on that one.

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