MEMBERSHIP REMINDER! Please remember to renew your membership subscription before the Junior Match on Saturday. If you arrive at the match without a valid membership, you will not be able to participate for insurance purposes. Get a membership online from www.d-das.com and go to the membership page, or through one of our affiliated tackle shops.
As if I do not give myself enough to do on the Junior events, I will be doing a demonstration of how I would fish on White post Lake BEFORE we start proceedings for the match.
After talking to the other coaches, it was mentioned (by Jerry) that I can say or write anything I like, but some juniors would benefit by being shown what to do instead. So, I will endeavour to demonstrate how I would tackle the inhabitants in Whitepost Lake.
If you wish to observe the demo, then I would advise getting to Todber early, go in the shop if you need to, and then make your way to Whitepost Lake. If you do not know where the Lakes are (because they are not on the main site) I will include a map at the bottom of this report, or you can ask the staff at the shop, and they will no doubt give you some direction. The demo will finish at approximately 10:15am to give me time to get ready for the match draw at 10:30am. PLEASE BE AWARE, the fee for this event is £11.00 due to a small rise in the pegging fee. It would help me enormously if you could bring the correct amount, please…
Saturday is also our junior trophy presentation day for the 2021 season. This will take place after the results of the match, along with other presentations that I need to dish out.
Itinerary: Whenever I get there to 10:15am - Demo. Get there early, go to the shop, and come to the lake. 10:30 - Draw at the lake. 11:30 - Start whistle 16:00 - Finish whistle 16:15 - 16:30 packing up time 16:30 weigh-in then, Results, Certificates, 2021 Trophy presentations, and Photographs. Then home for gentle rocking in a dark room, weeping, and a small nervous break down...
Without trying to suck the fun out of junior matches, there will be some changes to make them fairer, and more skill dependent. To better see the progression of the junior’s ability to fish independently, the junior match rules will be applied a little more firmly than before. The rules state that juniors can receive assistance in playing, landing, and the unhooking of the fish that they catch. Obviously, with such a broad spread of ability, these rules will be applied on an individual basis according to skill levels. I do not want to have to disqualify anyone from a junior event but if I or my coaches feel that a participant has received an unfair or unreasonable amount of assistance from a parent, then this will be a consideration. If you are in doubt as to what you may or may not do to help your junior, then ask a coach. Juniors on level 4 (or above) of the coaching program will be further required to do more for themselves once the match has started. Junior match rules will apply to them especially.
ALL juniors will be required to help parents pack away their equipment at the end of the match and there will be a fifteen-minute period before the weigh in begins to allow for this.
We are visitors to Todber Manor, and there will be senior matches taking place at the main site. It will be busy. When on the lake and at the shop, please represent the club well by behaving well. Ok, enough with the finger wagging. Some of you may have fished at Whitepost Lakes before and some may not. Like most of the lakes at Todber (although they may be not quite as productive as the main three), they can offer you a day to remember. If you get it right.
I am praying that the fish will have got the spawning season out of their system and will be ready to get some proper feeding done. If they do ‘go on the munch’, then you might find that the float disappears or the tip of your rod whips round before the bait has even reached the bottom!
What you will need in brief, more detailed descriptions below. Equipment: Elasticated pole (If you have one). Do not use a whip. Pellet Waggler (?) Method Feeder
Bait: Micros and/or ground bait for the feeder. 4mm, 6mm Pellets for feeding. (You may have to Flash soak the 4mm’s. See booklet) 8mm Pellets or ‘Wafters’ for hook baits Luncheon meat and Sweetcorn.
Alternative baits: Maggots. I have put maggots here because the target is really Carp and maggots may attract too many smaller fish. But take some if you wish. Bread.
Fishing in more detail:
I would advise that you do not even bring a whip. An elasticated pole is fine, but you will get smashed to bits by Carp if you tie your rig direct to the pole.
I am hoping that a Pellet Waggler will be worth setting up for the fish if they come close to the surface.
As always, it will be worth setting up a Method feeder.
Pole: Strong rigs. 7 to 9lb line. Size 14 or 12 hooks with AND without bait bands. I would recommend at least a 12 elastic, preferably a 14. If possible, set up a rig for top kit (TK) plus two sections, and one for top kit only. Feed a line to the side of your keep nets for the top kit with 4 or 6mm pellets/Luncheon meat/sweetcorn. Feed two lines with the TK + 2, one down the edge in the margin, and the other out in front of you. Hopefully you can fish both these lines shallow.
Feeder: Usual feeder set up. I would go for just micros on the feeder and start with an 8mm pellet as a hook bait. Try other hook baits throughout match if you want. There are plenty of features along the lake to cast to but remember, cast too close and you will give the fish a chance to snag you before you have even got your hand on the rod. Be accurate and the fish will find your feed area and stay there.
Straight lead: You may find that the fish do not want to come to the feeder. In those situations, you can use a lead weight (they’re not actually lead, but that’s what they are still known as) with a longer hook link. You will need to feed pellets with a catapult, again trying to stay as accurate as you can. Fish the same areas as you would with a feeder.
Pellet Waggler: If the conditions are right, the fish may be shallow enough for the pellet wag to work. If it is, you will have to work hard at it to make it work well. But the rewards are worth it! Check the Coarse Fishing booklet (Online or hardcopy) for details on how to fish it. Hopefully I can show you at the demo if it is working.
Feeding: As I always say, you can put the feed in, but you can’t take it out again.
Be careful how and where you feed. Use the watercraft you learned at the last coaching session (MR SOIL), Bonus ‘Atta-boy’ points if you can remember the ‘Mr Soil’ acronym? If the fish will not come shallow, and are not feeding on the bottom, then you must either adjust your rig to find the fish at whatever depth they are sitting at. Alternatively, you can ‘double feed’ to drive them down to the bottom. Double feeding is when you feed the same number of pellets twice, quickly in a row, then leave it longer before you repeat this. This will make the fish follow the pellets down to where you want them, and where your hook bait is. The crucial thing is the gap between feeds. It needs to be long enough for the fish to realise that there is nothing else coming in, and that ‘shallow’ isn’t where the food is.
If you find the fish are shallow, then you need to feed less pellets more often to keep them higher in the water.
In both cases you are trying to create competition amongst the fish, so they take your bait easily and with enthusiasm/desperation.
WARNING! Believe it or not there is such a thing as ‘having too many fish in your swim’. If you draw too many fish into your swim, then they will drive themselves into a frenzy trying to fight for something to eat. This is when you will foul hook fish which is neither good for you, nor the fish. If this happens, back off your feed a bit, or even stop for a short while. This will allow a few fish to swim away to search somewhere else for food. You then have to work out how much and how often you need to feed to prevent this from happening again.
Weather: The weather is looking good so far for Saturday, so bring your sun cream and a hat. Sunglasses too if you have them.
Get everything sorted the night/day before because, Failure to prepare means that you are prepared for nothing but failure.
Map from the shop:
Directions: From the shop, turn right. Then turn right onto Shave Lane. At the end of Shave Lane turn right onto B3092.
After approximately half a mile, turn left onto Trill Bridge Lane. After 100 metres turn left through gate into Whitepost Lakes. There will be DDAS juniors signs.
See you there!
Juniors Sec....
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