Venue: Lindholme Lakes
Lake / Peg: Bonsai, peg 82
Match: Sunday Open
Time: 10:30 – 16:00
Weight: 28lb 10oz
Result: 8th on the lake
Baits
Micros, corn, 4mm pellets, 6mm pellets, selection of wafters.
Tactics
-
Method feeder to the islands
-
Bomb and pellet to the islands
-
Pellet waggler
The Session
I started the match on the method feeder, casting to the point of the island. Alongside that, I was pinging 6mm pellets to a separate area that I’d earmarked for bomb and pellet and pellet waggler later in the session.
The start was encouraging. I had an early F1 after around five minutes, followed by a steady run of bites. After roughly two hours I’d caught around 11 F1s, putting me in a comfortable position and giving me the confidence to have a look on the bomb and pellet line.
That change didn’t work. I fished 6mm pellets on the bomb and feeder for about an hour without so much as a liner. With nothing happening, I made the decision to abandon it and go back on the method feeder.
Back on the method, I deliberately slowed my casting frequency to around ten minutes. For the next hour there were no bites or indications at all, but I stuck with it, kept recasting, and kept putting bait in. Eventually, I connected with an F1, and from that point bites started to come at five- to seven-minute intervals.
With around 45 minutes to go, I hooked a quality fish but made the mistake of trying to muscle it in. It pulled back hard, found some freedom, and came off. That was a costly error.
The peg then went quiet for around 20 minutes, but I managed to catch two more F1s towards the end, taking my total to 32lb on the clicker.
At the scales, that reduced to a final weight of 28lb 10oz, which was good enough for 8th place on the lake.
What I’d Do Differently
Losing that fish late on was entirely down to impatience.
Trying to rush it cost me a fish that could easily have pushed me into the money. The reminder here is simple but important:
give fish some slack when they’re pulling. It’s better to take an extra minute getting them in than lose them altogether.
They only count when they’re in the net.
Lesson learnt.