Round 1 Lindholme Bonsai April 1st

[Leo Martin]

2023 Summer League round 1 Lindholme Bonsai 1.4.2023

Well how time flies, we are back on the Summer League with the Big Bash Angling Club and true to form, someone forgot to inform the weather man. Overnight temperature's of less than 6 degrees, cloudy and overcast and a cold wind which Lindholme is famous for and all following heavy rain fall on the days leading up to the weekend. Things were not looking good.

The 2023 season for the Big Bash AC has 21 members enrolled again, 4 newbies, a seasoned Basher returning and then there are the ever faithful returning members, thanks for your support. The newbies will I am sure enjoy the matches, venues, banter, fun, games and laughs along the way. We are a competitive bunch but also have a fun side to things and to quote one of our elder statesmen, "there is more to fishing than catching fish".
Lindholme Bonsai was our first venue and it was pegs 14 to 50 on the outer. We had fished these across the winter league a couple of times with mixed results. One match had 6 inch of ice to crack and shift but today we were hopeful that signs of Spring was going to adjust things slightly with regard to catch rates.

10 o'clock start whistle from Glen and the match starts, and Steve Curtis our reigning champion sets off as he ended with a fish on his feeder rod, quickly followed by a few more. John Utting also had one and it looked already like Spring was in the air and the fish were feeding.

I started on the method and pursued this approach for about an hour putting the bomb out as well but it was slow, very slow. I think I had 3 fish on 6mm hard fishery pellet on micros having tried washters and wafters for no joy. I had been feeding a pellet line at 1am top 2+2 and a maggot line at 2+2 12 o'clock and the maggot line was next port of call.
10 minutes later and the float dips and a small F1 was landed quickly followed by another. The maggot line was my best and most rewarding line throughout the match. The fish came and went as they do with some decent skimmers showing and liking my groundbait and maggots being fed. So the main mixture of fish was the smaller stock of F1's and quite a few skimmers to around a pound. I did try the pellet line for no bites all time so quickly went back on double maggots for the most rewards. I also tried the feeder rods several times for a couple of more fish but the bites were far and few between. On my maggot line,  I did find that after topping up with groundbait the line had to be rested before the skimmers came back on again to push the smaller F1s away.
An enjoyable days fishing for 36-10 however it was still thanks for coming.

To my left was Basher newbie and venue expert Steve Carter. He started on feeder rod to his island for a couple before going to his pole. It's nice to watch a new club member fish and their approach. Steve worked his peg really hard, I cant remember how many lines he primed, fished, rested and then revisited. Top 2 +4 I think for the full radius, top 2 +3 and top 2 + 2. Out in front and in the side both sides of his peg. Small amounts of feed, leave a little and then go over and fish. I think Steve's main approach was corn over micros, he had good spells but also long lean spells for a second in section of 43-14 pipped by Andy Waite to his left for 49-15 section win who had a good second half of the match.

To my right on peg 44 was big Glen who ended up with 34-6 and to Glens right was John Utting on peg 46 who weighed in 48-13 for a second in section. Glen and John fished method, bomb and pole lines and also rotated numerous times. John had a couple of larger carp grace his net. Both were also rotating baits of pellets, maggots and expanders for their quarry. The fish also came and went numerous times, much to Glens annoyance and he did manage to moan one or two on his hook at times, whilst John was loosing and landing foul hookers. A good chatter and loads banter as expected throughout the match with these guys. Thank you.

Steve Curtis on peg 48 showed his love of Lindholme starting as he means to carry on with a match winning 82-6 caught on his trusty feeder and short pole lines. Well done Steve. Banished to the corner Keith TT smith on fancied Peg 50 78-3 for a section win on maggots over a very varied mixed ground bait approach.

Section one winner was newbie Tracey Benson on peg 14 with 81-5 and second in section Indian on peg 15 with 54-11, well done guys.

Section two  winner was Jasper on peg 23 with 55-5 and second in section off peg 27 our winter league man Paul Whitehouse with 39-2 well done gents.
Everyone caught a few and had lots of bites which is better than we expected if honest and Bonsai has not yet switched on like some of the other lakes.

Thank you for Jasper for the faultless organisation, Steve for weighing in duties and Glen for puffing his whistle.

Although it's the summer league everyone was well wrapped up with woolly winter hats on and looking to keep warm. No factor 30 sunscreen out or need for Indian to check our male bikini lines.
 
Our next match is in 2 weeks time at an old favourite haunt of the club, Holmedale lake at Sherwood fisheries. Please confirm and pay on in a timely manner.

Finally on a sad note, prior to the start of our match a minutes handclap was held in respect of Big Basher Mally Bowler who sadly passed away last week. Mally only joined our club a few years ago but quickly settled in and befriended everyone with his infectious character and sense of humour. RIP sir and tight lines on the great lake up above.

[fishfinder]

Peg 48 for me,right end i thought but with kieth on peg 50 was up against it for section,started on feeder to the island and was stead most of the match,top 4 maggot line could only catch small 2oz fish.alternated 2 lines on feeder for 6 carp and f1s to weigh 83lb which to my surprise won the match and was shocked to beat kieth who i thought had 10 to 15lb more than i did,he fish a good match,reasonable weights alround on a miserable cold day.

[jasper31]

Peg 23......oh no oh no oh no no no no no

after a terrible match on peg 21 last weekend i was fearing the worst....

Got to peg and with a lot less wind i knew i could fish long pole - so out come the 16m section and i could manage to reach side of the island and found a nice flat area about 2ft away and around 3ft of water. So plan was to feed 4mm and fish a 4mm on hook - start of match all went well and from the off was catching fish, a couple of 1lb fish and a few smaller ones - after an hour it went funny and the small fish had moved in and i couldn't get a better stamp of fish. Decide to to fish a 6mm pellet in the middle of the gap and first chuck it went round with a nice big F1, stayed on this for a bit catching anything really and was looking for a bonus carp - but that never materialised. Tried corn and nothing so went back on 16m for a few fish. i swapped between these 2 until an hour left when i went down left hand edge after feeding quiet heavy for this time of year, basically i was trying to feed off the bits.
I had 6 decent F1's a 2 decent bream in last hour to boost my weight, not a bad match really and everyone had a fair few bites during the day.

[steelcowboy]

Peg 17 ! This and peg 18 must be the tightest / worst pegs on the complex .

I knew Friday night I was looking at 3rd in section at best and no suprise that's what I got .

From the off I feed a full cup of GB micros and dead maggs at 10oclock two plus 3 as far to the left as I could but was restricted by the sliver birch . I fed a full cup every two minutes while I fished hard 4mm pellet at 11mt this was terrible and only had 4 small F1s . Did try chucking a bomb out but this was a side cast due to over hanging tree above my head ! . At 1:30 I had probably 4lb at best Scott to my right was catching nearly every drop in but 90% of his fish was goldfish size or smaller with only maybe 5 x 1lb fish  all day but was still well ahead .peg 14 as expected was flying and peg 15 not far behind .
If it had started to rain as forecast I would have been off but luckily we all stayed dry .

Went on the short line around 1:30 with a full worm and after catching two tiny gold fish started to catch a few nice F1s with a couple of proper units . Managed to edge just in front of Scott but no way was I catching peg 14 but I thought I might just have a chance of catching peg 15 until he chucked the bomb out in the last hour and it didn't stop going round and with a couple of big fish I knew my match was done but was only 8lb behind 2nd in section.
Enjoyed use the Map green elastic seemed perfect for the small bits and decent F1s and in the end enjoyed the match and felt I did all I could so couldn't really ask for much more .

Feed 2kilo of GB , 1/2 bag of micros and 2 pints of dead maggots all on my short line weighed 46lb

Couldn't understand why I kept getting it on the head with branches falling out of the tree didn't think it was that windy until I looked up and there was this big bloody Crow chucking them on me Scott next peg couldn't believe it and the bloody thing kept going and coming all match 😏


I went on the short line around