Acorn slip up

Back on the Tuesday affordable at Acorn, I was drawn on peg 34 which was a good draw given recent form.

I decided to start top kit and 2 bottom of near slope to my left, fed a ball of liquidised bread. The idea was to catch a few bits watch how others were fairing and let some fish settle on my undisturbed long lines.

It took 15mins to get a bite over the liquidised bread, but a string of roach was soon my reward. A rogue carp put in an appearance but I think it was foul hooked we will never know.

I could see peg 31 catching over early and a couple of fish coming off the island pegs, but no one was setting the place on fire.

The bread line faded, this was my queue to have a go dobbing over. I hooked and lost a fish first put in, again foul hooked I suspect? This was to prove a false dawn and after an hour of trying I decided some bait was needed.

So I repurposed the dobbing rig and plumbed up against the steep slope over at about 11m. I fed dead maggots, which had been soaked in pellet soak. A couple of early signs, then another lost foul hooker had me a little frustrated.

I tried a new line same rig same depth to the left, fed with micros, no bites or signs on this line.

I had a rig plumbed up to fish in slightly deeper water against the bridge, but some surface scum had gathered against the bridge, making it impossible to get the rig down and settled.

I tried over my bread line again, I had been hand feeding with maggot since I had come off it, this produced nothing. I tried a short line in deeper water next to the bridge, no signs.

I had a look over on a line I had setup to the next platform, it had been fed hourly with corn via a big pot, again fruitless.

Finally the scum moved and I could fish against the bridge, started with dead maggots being fed through a small pot on the pole, I had one first put in. This was to be the first of a couple but I was losing as many as I landed and the landed fish weren't hooked right?

I tried shallowing up on maggot but they didn't seem interested, I tried with bread and this got me more indications. I noticed that when I fed i got more indications, I needed to make this work, time was running out, and it was the only spot I could get bites.

I fed all my lines as we moved into the last 45mins, I decided to try something on my bridge line, I fed dry loose liquidised bread through my pole mounted cup, this changed everything and it was obvious the fish loved it.

I was now getting indications quickly and hooking more fish, I found that I needed to come even shallower to ensure I didn't get foul hookers. I was catching steady and I was now playing catch up.

I definitely should have been doing this earlier, I landed a 9lb carp on the whistle.

I finished in third place with 38lb 11oz a couple more carp would have won it for me. I think I only had about 10lb going into the final 30mins.

I can't help thinking I blew a good chance as I finished so strongly. On the plus side I have learnt something that I might be able to take into my up coming winter league?