A Big Carp Festival
Just been on a May Festival all week, expertly ran and organised by Wayne Sharman over three venues. A real mixed bag of weather, but some great weights if you were lucky enough to be on a few. Big 11-peg sections too, which I always prefer.
Monday I started off on peg 20 at a surprisingly cold and nippy Barston. The fish were clearly at range and sulking on the day. Managed eight carp on the PVA bag 65-70m and one late on the feeder over my boshing line. My nine carp went 78lb for second on my bank and 4th in the big section. Neil Carless won the day with 110lb. Used my 12ft Horizon X Ultra Pro Distance rod for chucking with a 5000 HX Pro reel. Great combo. Caught best on a yellow Sonubaits Fluoro Bandum Wafter.
Tuesday I was on peg 52 at Meadowlands on Lambsdown far bank, which was one of the four end pegs in the section. Really windy today. Two carp on the bomb and seven down the edge for 94lb and another 4th in section. Foul-hooked and lost several down the edge though which was really frustrating. Brad won the section with 175lb from the middle of the pump bank and 250lb won the lake from the middle of the deeps.
Wednesday I drew peg 24 on Big Gearys at Packington. The same peg I did OK on last week. It’s all by itself, up the far end of the lake and a real feast-or-famine draw. With the wind hacking down the opposite end I feared the worst, but there were a few cruisers knocking about in the flat-calm water as I tackled up. Typically, as soon as the match began a mini storm whipped up, scuppering any chances of mugging! Up-n-down weather all day including hail. Only place I caught was chucking a method into the corner, plus one late mugger. Not a single bite down the edge this week. My seven carp went 65lb for a disappointing fifth in section. James Evans won with 138lb from peg 18.
Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention the flippin’ ducks and geese. I normally quite like ducks, but would happily blunderbuss the b******* that live at Packington! It was absolute carnage down my margins and feeder line and impossible to scare them off. Once again they had someone’s top kit too. Next time I go I’m packing my daughter’s aqua blaster…
Day Four the poor draws continued as I was on peg 19 on Warren, which was definitely not where anyone wanted to be! It took two and a half hours to catch my first carp, which was a 6lb ghostie on a mugging waggler and yellow Bandum wafter. Nice to christen my Horizon X Ultra Pro Pellet Waggler rod with that. Mugged one ghostie on the pole at 16m, then three carp and 10lb of skimmers on meat and two late carp close in. Again no carp down the edge, which often happens by the fourth day of a festival. My 66lb was 5th in section, beaten by the fancied pegs with Brad winning with 140lb from the in-form point peg 27.
Final Day and another feast-or-famine draw, which was end peg 32 at Lambsdown. Great peg ‘if’ they’re up that end. Our very generously pegged section went all the way down to peg 1 and the carp had been sat in the middle pegs all week with massive weights up to 350lb recorded there! I had a great first hour using my XTR700 at 16m to mug four carp for 40lb. Then, just as I feared, the second and third hour were totally lifeless. One out of the blue on the bomb, one more late mugger and, finally, one down the edge on my very last drop. Not a bite on the feeder down to the aerator. and with Grant on 36 opposite not catching it was obvious they weren’t about. My seven carp weighed 71lb for 7th in section. Definitely the wrong end of the lake on the day as just 29lb won the pump bank. Brandon George won that section with 159lb from end peg 62 on the shallows and opposite him James Evans won our section with 278lb from peg 8 with 247lb off peg 6. Amazing fishing if you’re on ‘em!
So not the greatest of draws or results all week, but still nice to catch the occasional big carp or two and felt I’d still learnt quite a bit. Certainly appreciated how strong my XTR700 is for fish averaging 10lb! Overall the three venues have fished pretty good with some exceptional winning weights. Very well done Brandon George on winning the festival and the top eight. Must start drawing better soon!
