round 13 Messingham Bowl 16.9.2023

[Leo Martin]

Aquatstim Big Bash Summer League round 13 Johnsons fishery Messingham Hollywood Bowl  16.9.2023

A long awaited revisit by the Aquastim Big Bash to this fishery lake and 18 anglers entered the Friday night wheel of fortune to see where they would be pegged. Two guests once again joined the ranks Mark and Bernie who seem to be getting an appetite for fishing with our club, thank you for your company.

Hollywood Bowl is the first of two side by side lakes of Johnsons fishery located behind Hollywood farm. (I've wrote this to help me in the future as I took a wrong turning trying to find the place). The bowl is a 30m wide canal type lake with a curve so the far bank has an island effect. Its deep, pegs decently spaced and park behind your pegs with good access. Vegetation bankside well established and also on the Island, some areas overhanging, some areas mud bank but there is variation to cast to. Recent weights have been very good from both lakes and one of our group tried to set up on strip, maybe he thought there would be less tightly pegged match on there. Hollywood Bowl was under pressure today with both the Big Bash and Open match on the lake it was going to be very cosy.
The Messingham Grange café is also another attraction of these fisheries in this location and well attended by the Big Bash breakfast club.

Anyhow back to the match and a fully clothed and respectable Jasper did the necessary on the wheel of fortune with Peg 48 being delivered to yours truly, pleased with this part of the draw and then it turns out to be a section of doom again five of of our top anglers for my company. Marvellous I thinks but I still enjoy my day regardless.

3 bags tomatoes dropped off driving to my peg and arrival on arrival there were numerous fish topping all the way along the far bank so this reaffirmed my approach with bomb rod top choice as plan A. Plan B method, C top 2 +2 and D & E margin each side. One 12 inch deep and the other 24 inch.

It was a lovely Autumnal day weather wise, Tee shirt weather and shorts under over trousers. Some sun, cloud, we did get a small shower around 2pm but very nice to sit outside inn. There was a slight breeze blowing low numbers to high creating some ripple however during the day there were periods of a flat calm surface.
Peg 48 home for the day, the centre of a Cowboy and Indian sandwich, Andy Waite on end peg 50 then Fish finder Steve Curtis on 46 and Joe (not on a corner peg) on 45. The open lads started their match from peg 51 onwards with a 09:30 start for those guys.

Whistle blown by Glen (now on right lake) and away we go. Bashers then started to pepper the far bank with rods of choice, some on Bombs and some on Methods. I  picked my rod off the roost to find somehow the lines were all tangled up and spent 5 minutes of knit one Pearl one untangling my Bomb rod from two top kits and the method rod. How does this happen?
Anyhow once untangled over it went, 8mm pellet and this was followed by catapulted pellets over the top. 15 minutes for my first wrap round and 1lb carp in net. Back over again and a long wait before pulling out 2 fish. Swap to method and one more fish after another long wait but it just wasn't happening. 8mmm pellet, 6mm pellet, various wafters but no joy. I did try numerous times during the match, went down fommr a 16 to 18 hook size, up to bank and away from far bank but not to be and very frustrating as all those around were catching on their rod lines very consistently
Around 1pm I chose to try paste on my pellet line at top 2+2 which was full top kit depth. After a long wait the float slid under and a 5lb carp graced my net. Back out and then a 4 ounce skimmer, doh. I persevered and there were carp there however I pulled out of several large fish but these fish did help me at least take something to the scales. 16lb dead on another frustrating day at the office for yours truly. Rods were tried and tried again but no bites all time. Both margins fed and tested but no bites all time as swims full of no shows.

Steve Curtis first cast resulted in yes a fish however it somehow escaped. Not to worry him, he chucked back across to far bank then proceeded to put fish after fish in his net as Steve does best. At times not even being allowed to put his rod on its rest. A Good first hour of the match set him up and although some lean spells he proceeded to weigh in 177lb for another match win. Well done Steve and I hope your Sunday at Barston in the super cup has the same result.
Max on 47 chucked over to far bank and was fish to fish with Steve for a good start to the day however there were long lean spells it's fair to say which affected his total. He did try short pole but had no joy although he did snare on out of his margin later on which I believe is the only margin fish at our end. 77lb 2 for 4th I section well done.
Chef Indian had a slow start however a strong middle and end match gave him first in the 3rd section with 87-1, I believe all on rods alternating method and bomb with bomb giving best results. We0 ll done Kev.
Andy Waite on favoured end peg 50 (till open lads rocked up) took 85-14 to the scales for second in 3rd section. Well done Andy, again I believe most of his fish came off rods.

First section winner was Jasper peg 31 (end peg) with 103-11. Second in first section was Big Glen fresh from his feeder session with Alex and putting learnings to good use returning 96-8 off peg 32. Well done gents.

Second section winner was Bernie Hook who took 63-9 to the scales off peg 39 and second in second section was Mark Bissel from peg 42 with 61-14. Both guests sharing the spoils of section 2, well done guys.

Overall there are a lot of decent weights down the line however a couple of disappointed angles joined myself in the lower weight regions. I was in great company of these two gentlemen.  Considering the tight pegging, cooler nights, amount of rainfall recently and amount of feed going in I think it has fished very well and would definitely look forward to a return visit. Weights also very comparable to the open gys as well. What are your views?

We are now moving to the business end of the summer league with several jostling for section points and weights to climb onto the podium for end of season awards. Three matches now left in order to claim bragging rights 

Next trip out 30th September is again in this area of North Lincolnshire, just up the road a few hundred yards on the mighty and temperamental Big Swan. Again a while since we have been on this lake. Please ensure your name is confirmed and fees paid on to help with the admin as if we book pegs we have to pay for them and currently there are 20 spaces booked.

Also as we progress through the year the Big Bash Winter league is taking bookings. 11 members to date and the membership of this particular group of anglers requires a special certificate as it involves long hours in the cold wind, rain, snow and what ever other elements can be thrown at then watching a stationary float or rod tip. I feel I have a full summer of practise this year getting ready for it.

We are also taking names for our Fur and Feather as well on the forum

[fishfinder]

Peg 46 for me,a decent area and i thought andy would be hard to beat on end peg 50 but an open lad on 51 made it a terrible end peg draw but still a decent area,main line of attack was method across and if that did not produce had a paste line top 2 and an edge rig,chucked across and caught from the off,lost a few as well though but had a cracking first hour putting 50lb in the net.slowed after this tried paste 1 skimmer,back on feeder and slowly ticked over tried paste again 1 small carp and a crucian so binned it,never saw a single fish in the edge apart from first hour so stuck on feeder for rest of the match for 177lb.