I am a Club/occasional open match angler, picking up the odd section win and even rarer top 3 money this is my 2nd White Acres festival finishing much nearer the bottom than the top in the first one.
I was drawn in E section which put me on Bolingey first day, Pollawyn on the Tuesday, Jenny’s/Python Wednesday, Gwinear Thursday and Porth Friday.
In E section there was the Named stars Harry Billing, Giles Cochrane, Steve and Phil Ringer and Will Raison along with a few local anglers that fish the venues regularly, if anyone from this section was too win the festival they would be doing well.
Monday Bolingey
What a great place to start the festival, after the Monday morning formalities from Clint its time to draw, hand in the bag and out comes peg 27, for those that know Bolingey there is only one word to describe this peg… FLYER. On arrival at the lake I had a nose around the other pegs in this section and find Will, Harry and Phil are all in it, all the best pegs get put in the same section so I am looking at a fourth in section as my target as I don’t care what anyone says a normal club angler/occasional open match angler should not beat these guys on similar pegs.
I only set up 2 rigs, one at 7mts to my right under the bridge in the deepest water about 3ft deep a 4x12 Carpa Raisor on 0.18 G line to a size 4 Tubertini 175 hook, the other rig was for fishing 14.5mt over to the edge of the island I plumbed up and came down the slope a little and fished it about 2 ft deep a 4x10 Carpa 2 again on 0.18 G line and a size 4 Tubertini 175 hook this rig I also used to fish at 7mts to my left down the edge. At the all in I cupped in a big pot of hemp, meat and corn under the bridge and catapulted some meat over to the end of the island, first put in under the bridge about 15 seconds later the float dips and were in to the first fish, it was solid under the bridge I caught constantly there for the first couple of hours throwing in a mixture of meat and corn after every fish before it started to slow a bit, in went another pot full of meat corn and Hemp. I had a look on the long line up the island but came back with a tench about a pound so I kept feeding it with the catty, big pot of meat and corn went in down the edge to the left. I kept alternating all 3 lines for the last hour and half picking up odd fish.
The scales came round Harry had weighed in 193lb fishing 18mts of pole all day up the island, Will had 223lb on the tip up the island and down the edge late and Phil had 155lb on the pole mostly late down the edge, after all the weighs my total was 156lb superb third in section one place better than hoped for and fourth overall on the lake picking up the section money by double default.
Tuesday Pollawyn
After yesterdays flyer I was dreading pulling a bad one down one of the arms, the lucky hand pulls out peg 13, end of the first arm by the café with a chuck to the island a good section winning peg. Looking at Mondays result the angler on it had 33lb for a seventh in section it was not looking good.
The wind was blowing I plumbed up a 13mt line and a 6mt line but my main line was a meat feeder up towards the end of the island. At the all in I fed meat and hemp on the 13mt line and worm and caster on the short line, then tried to chuck the feeder near the end of the island, with the wind blowing right to left sometimes the feeder was nearer the aerator than the island. I had 3 carp in the first hour on the feeder before it dried up, I came in on the short pole line as I could not hold the pole at 13mt and had a few skimmers then another carp, the wind was now getting pretty strong so for the rest of the match I chucked the feeder somewhere in between the island and the aerator and finished up with 11 carp and a few bits for 61lb and a section win, 2 days 2 envelopes and 16 points on the board great start.
Phil Ringer was a few pegs along on 17 he had a longish chuck to the island under some overhanging trees and all day he landed it on a sixpence right up tight to the island for a superb weight of 190lb and a lake win. Much deserved after watching him chuck the feeder as he did.
Wednesday Jenny’s and Python
A split section with 18 going on Jenny’s and 18 on Python, I did not want to go on Python as I have only pleasure fished it once before and didn’t do too well, in goes the lucky hand and out comes 24 Python.
On arrival at the peg its 14.5mts wide to the island and don’t look that bad, then the day gets worse as Steve Ringer turns up on peg 26 saying what a pit this bit of the lake is and if you can get 20 odd lb your doing well, then to make things worse his brother Phil turns up on peg 22, Oh Shit this could be a painful day! Were at the wrong end and I got 2 of the top 20 White Acres festival anglers either side. We wont go into the match too much as I fished like a twat, had 10lb something and got a double Ringer slapping finishing 7th in my section while Steve won it and Phil was 3rd. There were skimmers fizzing in my peg all day, I tried touching bottom, lying on the bottom and fishing off the bottom all to no avail.
Watching Steve at close quarters makes you realise how hard these top guys work the peg for the full 5 hours catching a few fish from different lines all match, lesson learnt must try harder.
Thursday Gwinear
Still nursing my sore arse from yesterdays beating its back up the club for another days draw, will the lucky hand return? In the bag and out comes peg 24 again, same number as the day before but one difference its in the section all the fish have been caught all week and it’s a FLYER.
I spoke to a couple of people about it and was told to fish it shallow on meat and down the right edge.
On arrival at the peg there are fish topping all over in the area, I set up a few Carpa shallow rigs at different depths and a 4x10 Carpa 2 on 0.18 string for down the edge with a size 4 Tubertini 175 hook. At the all in I threw in a big handful of meat and corn down the edge and shipped out to 14.5mt and started twanging meat, it only took a couple of minutes to get the first fish things were looking good, after about half an hour I had a few carp in the nets, a glance at the edge swim and it was alive, big tail swirls and lots of mud being churned up. Too good an offer not to miss in went the edge rig and 6 carp safely in the net before the bites slow, I re-fed the edge peg and went back out on the shallow line, swapping depths all day I managed to keep some fish coming to the net, I pulled out of a few as I knew the guy on peg 20 was in front and I was trying to rush them in as the shallow line was solid towards the end. I wasted 10 minutes down the edge late on and only foul hooked 2 carp losing both of them, back out on the shallow line and I managed 2 more before the all out. The scales came round peg 19 had 106lb and was leading the section up to that point, peg 20 weighed 136lb 8oz, I put 135lb 4oz on the scales for a lake and section 2nd, I was a little disappointed as I had had plenty on the hook to win the match but hey this is only my 2nd ever festival and I have a section win, a 2nd and a 3rd with a blow out 7th in section and have put enough beer tokens in the pocket to cover the weeks costs.
My target at the start of the week was to finish in the top 50 thus getting an invite for the Preston Festival and a chance although very slim to get in the top 24 and the 25K Parkdean Masters fish off. I needed a section 5th at worst I thought on the last day to achieve this.
Friday Porth
I have only fished Porth once before and hated it! Drawing peg 23 in the first meadow. You’re targeting small skimmers on the tip and pole subject to the wind and hoping for a few bigger ones to arrive.
In goes the hand and low and behold out comes peg 22 yuck is my instant thought. On arrival at the peg after taking the wrong path and having to unload the barrow climb some steps and reload I eventually get to my peg, 20minutes recovery time and its time to set up. Will Raison is on peg 23 and Steve Ringer is also in the section. I set up a 13mt pole line, a 6mt line and the feeder at 23 turns. Will needs a section win to guarantee a festival win and his set the same lines up. At the all in I cup in 6 balls of ground bait at 13mts with about a pint of chopped worms in, a couple of balls at 6mt with castors loose fed over the top, I launched the feeder out for the first 15 mins getting a bed of feed out, I get 3 small skimmers on the feeder early on before the tip goes static, Will fished the tip at the start then went on the long pole line and caught constantly working his peg for a section winning weight of 9lb and more importantly the festival win, I did the cardinal sin and swapped between pole and feeder all day hoping to pick a few fish up off each line and get the 5th in section. I put 3lb 5oz on the scales with 3lb 6oz tying for section 5th and 6th, 2oz, 2 small measly oz off of a section 5th place. I finish 7th in the section in the end.
I finished the festival in 55th place on 27 points dropping 3 points, 5 places off my target of a top 50 finish, hopefully Kirsty the Admin Lady at White Acres thinks this will get an invite for the biggy later in the year, fingers crossed.
Many thanks to Clint and all his team for a great week, congratulations to Will on his win and many many thanks to Tim, Grant, Steve, Gary and Paul for all the tips and advise over the week.
Hope you enjoyed reading.
Cheers
Jay