Highfield Fisheries Beech Pool 12/06/11

I've never laid eyes on the place before but heard and read nice things about the fishery. After a couple of wrong turnings me and me Dad arrived to be greeted by the rest of the lads. In all seventeen of us had turned up. I went to the cafe / bait shop and bought some 6mm pellets (which I didn't use) as you have to use their pellets. The owner told me 80 odd pound had won the day before but with wind and rain forecast I knew we wouldn't get close to that.
 Our club had the first twenty pegs and I drew peg eight. I had Alf Beckett for company on peg nine and an empty peg on seven so was pretty happy although when I arrived Alf's peg looked the dogs!

Peg 1 Onwards, Beech Pool, Highfield Fisheries

My peg had a fishery keepnet waiting for me (good rule) and was about 15-16 metres wide to the rushes across and I made up four rigs, the first for the bottom of the near shelf, then two up in the water rigs (caster rig and pellet rig) and one for on the deck at 13 metres. I had two pints of casters with me and was hoping to catch all day on them with pellet being the back up if I was falling behind.

On the all in I fired in two pouches and went straight out on the caster rig at 11 metres (Preston PB1 float to 0.12 to 18's PR36 set a foot deep), after only a couple of minutes I was playing my first fish an ide which was the best part of a pound. Good start! Alf next door soon got in on the action and was playing his first carp caught on the meat. Soon I was playing my second fish a carp of a couple of pounds which gave me the runneraround on the white hydro. After an hour I had a about 10lb in the net and was setting the pace from the anglers around me. It could have been more but a great big ide over 2lbs slipped the hook at the net and I threw a 10 ounce ide back into the water instead of my net! Aghh. The second hour was getting even better untill the rain moved in and the wind picked up. This was making my presentation a lot more difficult but I was still getting bites and was still in front of the lads around me so carried on with the caster. At the all out I was piss wet through and reckoned I might just have forty pounds. Highfield Fisheries does all the weighing in (another nice touch) and I wasn't far off, I weighed 41lbs 4oz and thought that might be enough to win but big Dave Brown who was around the bend is white hot at the moment caught close in on corn for 57lbs. Thats the third win on the spin for Dave and is looking a shoe in for the league title. Alf next peg was 3rd with over 24lbs. He'd lost a lot of fish foulhooking and was bothered with bits believe it or not on meat. Considering the weather it had been a cracking day putting over 40lbs in the net on caster(my fave method). Must mention Highfield Fisheries is a cracking fishery and look forward to our next match there next year.

Gary