January 25, 2004

• Hartleylands Farm Fishery. Nick’s Lake.

  Hawthorne AC

  AT Supercup match.
  

  

  So off down to Harleylands for our Supercup match this morning.
  On the way down in the car and the outside temp is reading -2°C, and the fields are so white with frost that it looks as if it had snowed.
  On arriving at the fishery the temp has risen to a stunning 0°C but there doesn’t appear to be any signs of frost! There’s a bright blue sky and just a gentle breeze. The water temp is 4°C.
  
  Into the draw, and I find myself making my way to peg 20, with a leasurely 1½hrs till the start of the match.
  
  

  Peg 20,Looks lovely doesn’t it?……
  

  Well I’ve been told that feeder (either maggot or groundbait) with a ·08 hooklength and a 22 with single red maggot is the way to go dropped about a metre away from the island, so that gets set up 1st.
  Can’t resist setting up the pole as well and the main line of attack will be at 13mtrs where I’ve got 5ft,using a ·6grm Drennan Lake with a ·07 hooklength and a 22 again.Through the top2 I’ve got the new Drennan green dual core (6-8) set soft,as I’m expecting stockies no bigger than 12ozs max.
  
  All in,and after cupping in a few micro pellets and a small amount of dry groundbait on the pole line,it’s out on the feeder.
  Well it wasn’t happening for me but the lad to my left on peg 21 is catching steadily from the off while I can’t buy a bite,but all the time I’ve been feeding 2-3 maggots every couple of minutes on the pole line.
  
  After ½hr it’s out onto the pole line and after 10mins the float dips,and I’m into a Carp at last,not huge at about 6ozs but at least it’s a fish. Another 20mins and not another bite,so back onto the feeder and manage another couple and that’s the way it went nearly all match for me. Even a pep talk from Red Leader had no effect other than to lighten the mood.
  
  Well with about ¾hr to go I’m being battered by the next peg, I reckon he must have 20+lbs while I’ve got abour 6lbs if I’m lucky.
  Back out on the pole once more and they’re there and in the last 45 minutes I manage a fish a chuck. Why couldn’t they have turned up earlier?
  Come the weigh-in and the lad to my left puts 22lbs 2ozs on the scales which easily eclipses my 13lbs 9ozs.
  The match is won by Medway Tackle (blue) by 14pts to 10pts, so that’s us knocked out for another season .
  
  Overall the 16 of us weighed in 235lbs 6 ozs, an average of over 14½lbs per man, which I feel given the conditions just goes to show what a good fishery Harleylands is to produce those sort of weights on a hard January day .

  

  

   

  • 11:07 am
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