An experimental session
The purpose of today’s evening session was to see if I could get them going on the method feeder and, especially, the Robin Red pellets. I hadn’t had success with these on Saturday where corn was the best bait.
Arrival
I arrived around 4pm and decided on peg 21. The intention being to fish the method to the tree around the corner and just before peg 22. However, when I got to the peg I decided that the tree was too close so would fish out into open water.
Quiet first half hour
I fished on corn for the 1st 30 minutes, re-casting every 5 minutes to build the swim. I had a couple of small indications that could have been liners so came in a little bit closer to try and avoid the liners. I was also catapulting 5 or 6 Robin Red pellets (8mm ones) at each cast. By the end of the first 30 minutes I had not had a bite.
Time for the pellet
I then switched to the pellet and immediately started to get bites. I hit into Carp that shot off and when I tried to slow it, my hooklink broke. I then had a Bream of about 1.5lb. I then hooked another Carp that tried to get to tree snags but I turned it and thought I had it beat, then my hook pulled out. I then got a skimmer of about a pound. I then had a Mirror Carp of 5lb 8oz.
After that fish I went around an hour before my next proper bite. I got the occasional twitch but nothing positive.
Here they come
As it had been slow for an hour I tried corn, to no avail and then luncheon meat. I did get a fish on meat, another 5lb 8oz Mirror Carp
By now I was casting every 6 minutes as I noticed that twitches often began at around the 4 minute mark so wanted to give them time to develop. The meat bite had come right at the end of the 6 minutes so I decided to go back on pellet. This was immediately rewarded with a lovely Common Carp of 10lb 12oz
This fish has only one eye and may be the fish that was caught in yesterday’s match as it had one eye and weighed about the same!
Over the next hour I had 3 more Mirror Carp (all on pellet) of 5lb 3oz, 5lb 8oz and 4lb 8oz
Summary
I ended up with approx 40lb of fish. If only some of these had shown in yesterday’s match. I also managed to get them feeding on pellet as intended. My next experiment will be to try and catch during the day on the method feeder. I think I will try pegs 11, 12 or 13 and cast toward the island as I suspect that open water will be less successful during the day.
