The last round of the Sensas CIPS league had mixed emotions for me, the practice match arranged for the Wednesday before was very enjoyable, I drew on Spring lake, which is by far the best lake for 'silvers', I was on peg 24. For company at the next peg, I had Tony Rixon, I rate Tony as probably the best angler around here on the 'local circuit' and he had just won the Viaduct Silverfish Series without dropping a point, so I was expecting a real 'tussle'.

I started my match by feeding 8 balls of 'Thatchers' with 250ml of casters in them at 14.5m, split between 2 lines at 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock, this was for skimmers which you need to win. I then loose fed and started fishing at top 6 for roach and it didn't take long to start catching well, by constantly varying the depth as the fish moved up and down in the water I had a very good first couple of hours.

In that time I probably caught 15-17lb of roach, there was a lot of small ones, but in amongst them was a number of fish around the pound mark, then suddenly they were gone and I had to pick up the long pole and try for the skimmers. For the first hour it was a bit slow, then the swim came to life and I had a really good spell, catching 1lb+ skimmers, by regularly topping up with groundbait and caster I was able to keep the swim alive until the last 30 minutes when they moved off.

Tony had fished a similar match to me, but with a bush in-between us I wasn't sure just how much he had caught, so when the scales came along I was pleased to weigh 35lb to his 25lb, I must remember to collect my quid off him next time I see him, I finished second in the match, beaten by Ads Palmer who caught 39lb from peg 37, this has been the form peg recently. It is the nearest peg to where the water runs into the lake, the water temperature entering the lake is 9.5 degrees, while the rest of the lake is only 6 degrees.

Spring lake is awesome for silvers, you usually need skimmers to win the lake, although a lot of pegs are capable of producing 20lb+ nets of roach when the weather is right, they don't like bright days.
Viaduct is running a number of silver fish matches during the winter, every other wednesday, and I shall be fishing some of them.

After such a great days fishing I was really looking forward to Saturdays match, although I wanted to draw Spring lake again, so when I drew Campbell, which is as far away from Spring as you can get, I wasn't quite to keen.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was at the wrong end of my section, I was the only person in the section not to get a bonus tench, bream or perch, and I weighed in 4lb 4oz for last in my section. I was not happy.

I have fished for Dorking for nearly ten years and in all that time this was the first time I have ever finished last in my section.

Spring Lake