Round 8 Lindholme bonsai 4.3.2023

[Leo Martin]

Winter league round 8 Messingham Grange Park 4.03.2023

With the weather on the turn again and a cold spell looming, the Bashers return to their spiritual home of Lindholme and the challenge of Bonsai Lake. It has recently been stocked with loads of smallish F1s to hopefully stimulate the larger fish back for their springtime feed. A cold night and as daylight broke it was to be a cloudy day with cool breeze blowing off the moors and across Lindholme. Generously donated 34 pegs for 15 anglers, we were on the outer of Bonsai so no long walks either.

We also welcomed back our LORAC angling friends of Paul Abbey and Dave Dobbs, also Lindholme regulars Steve Carter and Tracey Benson for their first time Bash experience with us to give us 3 sections of 5 anglers.

Friday night draw and Jasper spun the wheel of fortune to hand me peg 21 with John Utting to my left and Gav Cooper to my right.

Peg 21 has the first island directly in front, reasonably wide and depth down the track was around 5 feet. The margins on plumbing up were about 9 inch in the side however 3 feet from the bank they started to slope down, Bankside veg still yet to start growing so fairly bare and some signs of erosion on the new banks. I set up a couple margin rigs but these would only be used if desperate. I set up a pellet line at top 2 +4 at 11 o'clock and maggot line 2 o'clock. Bomb and method rods also so plenty of options, some may say too many but previous visits to Bonsai have been very hard.

All in whistle from timekeeper Glen and method with fishery micros & 3mm yellow waster chucked to left hand side of island resulted in 2 fish for 2 chucks so I thought here we go. Then back in the real world saw me wait an hour for the next fish. I had 2 small F1's and one about a lb and going nowhere fast. I had tried the method with rainbow of washters, bomb on corn and pellet for a single tap round but no fish, I had also tried the pellet line several times for no indication at all.

Around me Gav, John, Tracey and end peg Indian were all catching of various rates and sizes on either rods or pole lines so I needed to change things up a little or do something different. I had hoped that the bomb or method to the island would work out but nothing showing at all.

I set about feeding about 20 maggots via pole pot every put in and went below with red and white maggot on an 18 hook at dead depth. After about 20 minutes the float dipped and a small, nay tiny carp was the result. Back out to 2 + 4 same again, it was going to be a busy day. The small ones kept coming however every now and then a surprise would appear with a larger F1 and I even had 3 proper skimmers to about 2lb as well.  I went on this line around 12:00 and was busy till around 14:15 when they suddenly went and left me. I went back on rods and had 3 indications on my bomb rod with corn but none resulted in a fish. Back on maggot line with 20 minutes to go for 4 more small ones before Glens whistle sounded in the background. I don't know how many fish I caught but they went to 19.2.

Everyone around me seem to experience similar stages during the match, fish then nothing so all were swapping lines, rotating and working hard to locate bites and fish.  I think John had the most of his success on his pole lines, Tracey mixed between Pole and rods. Gav had a good late run on his rods and Indian seemed to have most of his success on his rod lines. I must mention Kev was a little upset being on end peg he had fed a corn line for later on in the match and low and behold a group from one of the lodges emerged after their dinner to start fishing and chucked straight over his primed line. Unlucky my friend.

Section 1 winner peg 14 Indian 33.0, second in section Tracey Benson peg 16 29.3
Section 2 winner peg 35 Keith Tackle tart Smith 32.9, Second in section Paul Abbey peg 29 24.4
Section 3 winner peg 40 Joe Martin 40.12, Second in section Steve Carter peg 45 39.11

Match winner Steve Curtis who throughout the match kept expressing his love affair with the lake so all could hear and he managed to bag 49.4 from fancied peg 41, well done Steve. Already with the league sewn up he continues to dominate the results, Fishfinder his nickname, fish catcher and match winner he is.

Massive sympathy to Gav who on weigh in was found to have sat on the wrong peg so his section winning 35.13 did not count.
The match results show very close weights in the sections and some real peg to peg battles. The small stamp of fish can only change for the better as they continue to feed. All things considered everyone had bites today and caught a few and unusually for the Bashers the weather whilst cold was kind.
Massive thanks as always to Jasper for running another faultless show again, Steve for his weighing in duties and Glen for timekeeping.

We go again in 2 weeks time on March 18th for the final winner league match of our season. Whilst Steve has sewn the league up, other places are up for grabs so plenty to fish for.
Lodge Farm is the venue and the prolific Sandmartin the lake for the winter league to be completed. Confirmations and payments required please (including yours truly). We also have 2 guests booked on as well so if any more want to join us, please let us know as ASAP so extra pegs can be requested if available.

Also April 1st our 2023 summer league commences, spaces still available to join us, please be in touch if interested in joining the club.

[fishfinder]

Peg 41 for me .middle of 3rd island,jasper and joe either side ,only set feeder and bomb rod up.started on feeder to end of island ,very shallow ,had a few very small fish whilst joe was getting some better fish,fed corn from the start straight in front 3 quarters across to the island,very slow on feeder just picking odd one up from either end of island,half way through was getting well beaten from joe on my right,jasper was struggling ,then got a 7lb carp on feeder but was going nowhere.with an hour and half to go went on bomb and corn and to my surprise started to catch a few,had a good last hour and just managed to overtake joe by the final whistle.all had a few at wiegh in and over all fish quite well.

[jasper31]

Match results attached