Saturday saw myself and Dan on the Fendrod for the 24 hour carp match, it was a sunny day with a little wind, just enough to cause an inviting ripple on the surface, conditions were great and when our names came out of the draw bag 1st it meant we had the pick of the lake, but true to form Dan was running a little late (in truth the draw was early) so it was down to me to pick, I had walked one bank of the lake before the draw and on checking the peg numbers on the map of the lake thought it best to g for the same pegs I caught my 10lb bream from a month or so ago. What I did not know was the map was slightly out so on picking begs 15 to 17 I had put us further down the lake then I had wanted.
Dan arrived and we went to our pegs (I was living in the hope it might be a blessing) and started to set up.
An hour in and we watched the first carp of the day being caught, from the peg we came 3rd from last year, and at 13lb 8oz it was a great start.
About 6.30pm I had a slow pull on my left hand rod, the drop back lifted and fell back, but no run was forth coming.
The temperature dropped and by 9pm we got into our sleeping bags and lay there waiting and praying for a take. Dan came for a chat at around midnight, and while we talked his left hand rod was away, with a burst of short sharp beeps. Dan got to the rod and lifted into the fish, a healthy bend formed in the rod, but after a couple of small thumps and bream came to the surface and into the waiting net. Not our target fish but a start. At 8lb it was yet another great looking fish, but on this occasion not what we came for.
2.20am I was pulled from me slumber by Dans voice out side my tent, got another bream he said, come and photo it for me. I duly obliged and watched as his next prize was returned, all 8lb 8oz of it.
The rest of the night past with out action, and as the first frost of the year was settling on the ground I slept through till the morning.
9am, the sun was winning the battle and warming the air quickly, on chatting with other anglers we learned that one carp was caught all night, an 8lb fish again on the opposite bank to us, this time at the other end of the lake.
So it was still all to play for, and when I had a slow steady run mid morning I thought it might be my turn to be the hero and catch a carp, that would by default put us in the top three, even if it was only a small stocky.
It was not to be, and a small bream of about 3lb was soon netted and put back with a minimum of fuss.
With only and hour left we both started thinking it was not to be, then with out warning a couple of beeps on Dans left hand rod again, lifted our hopes, we both watched as the drop back lifted to the rod and line started to pull from the free spool reel.
Dan hit the fish and with a confused look on his face said, "I don't know", it stayed deep and plodded for a while, and I was just starting to think he had hooked the carp we needed another bream came to the net.
This one looked massive and I thought It would be a new P.B for him, His best is a fine fish of 10lb 14oz.
We weighed the fish, and I was shocked to see the needle stop and 8lb 10oz.
That was it for the action and with only two carp being caught in the whole 24 hours you could say we came 3rd, but then so did everyone Else.
If this had been one of our pleasure sessions we could not have moaned, but we packed up at for a little gutted, this was a good chance to have snatched a placing, it was not to be.
We both talked about what we did and didn't do and agreed we did little wrong, sometime you have to admit that the fish are the winners, that's what keeps us going back for more.
Oh and in case you were wondering, the pegs I meant to pick Drew a complete blank, so at least I managed to pick a peg with fish in it.
Hope you join me next time as I have my first real try for a 4lb perch. Then it's time to have a look at the pike, October is nearly here and it's time to get the wire traces sorted again.
till the next time.
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