The Runner
Well-known member
Well, fished club match on our lake at Wraysbury which was its usual match conditions hard work even with a holiday-depleted turnout of a dozen. Humid conditions meant that the lake's population of eels might be worth targeting in some areas (they're nearly all 1-12 and upwards so don't need many) and had decided before I got there that would go for them if I was on the deep bank, 5 or 6m chop and dead maggot. As it was, ended up on one of the swims on the front of the Island, drawn it twice before and won each time, but its the Willows swims on the shallow side that are fishing best at the moment. Set up usual method and cage feeder rods and also waggler as can be tench about 2 rods out in this area but very weedy close in.Exploratory chucks pre start with a bomb found a big bank of pondweed almost up to the top about 25 yards out as well as the masses of it that could see coming off the shallow water to my left. Blanket weed seemed to get worse the further out you went so opted for a clearish line at about 40 yards and started on cage feeder with a few dampened pellets in a bit of groundbait and lots of chopped worm . Nothing happened for 45 minutes or so then an odd sort of bite with the tip just shaking a bit back and forward, hit it and had the smallest eel I've ever seen here at about 8oz. Half an hour later, slow pull round and had the second smallest eel etc etc, about 12 oz this time . Not much happening anywhere apart from a bream from the reeds on the shallow side, so had a look on waggler without success. Back on tip, a couple of small fish knocks on maggot, had a look with pellet and corn , no joy, and more confidence in worm and maggot at present as that's what all the bream have been coming out on. Another look on waggler found two microscopic perch, then a couple of ounce roach and then bitten off by a bigger eel that I couldn't get up above the weed. Back on tip as four people now with single bream and needed to join them. One more perch on feeder and worm, Andrew at the next peg saved his blank with a 5 lb bream and finally with an hour to go tip went round properly again and a decent bream on. Which kited off left behind the big bank of pondweed and pulled out as I gave it stick trying to get it up and over. Ho hum. A couple more little knocks, probably liners , and that was my lot, 1-12 and nowhere.
17-11 won from the willows, one carp and one bream, two bream for 11-7 next to him second , then 8-9 and 7 -11 heading a string of "one bream and a few bits" weights.
Only beat two people I think, including the days only blank in the "monstercorner" who lost a carp from his only bite of the day which would have won on its own by some distance.
Frustrating place, but I do like it.
Ps sorry no pics, postimg seems to be playing up
17-11 won from the willows, one carp and one bream, two bream for 11-7 next to him second , then 8-9 and 7 -11 heading a string of "one bream and a few bits" weights.
Only beat two people I think, including the days only blank in the "monstercorner" who lost a carp from his only bite of the day which would have won on its own by some distance.
Frustrating place, but I do like it.
Ps sorry no pics, postimg seems to be playing up