This winter league has been by far the most exciting and tense league I’ve ever taken part in. With the league being spread over three different venues it has ultimately been down to the draw as to whether a team comes home smiling or not. For the Ted Carter Southport Team it’s been a real roller coaster of a league with some anglers bringing home the smiles as others bring home the shrugged shoulders.

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For me this just shows how important the draw bag is, with the days getting shorter and the nights getting colder the fish defiantly know the weathers on the turn. The fish have already started balling up for winter as the results have shown over the last couple of weeks. It’s often been the case of you either catch or you don’t, it’s that cruel I’m afraid.

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Running into the last round at the ever great Cudmore Fisheries it was all to play for. The mighty Ted Carter Southport squad was lying joint second with St Helen’s Saints, so a tense atmosphere was amongst the lads in the café. After a full English breakfast and a few jokes about Mozzer’s Tash the draw was underway. The hopes were high and with the odd good peg being mentioned the team draw wasn’t looking to bad.

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Peg 9 on Arena would be my home for the day with Captain “Cod Eye” Gorrell who would be on the same lake but in another section. Once I’d found out what the script was off the lads in the car park, I went about dragging my tackle to my peg. On first impressions I didn’t really think I was in a very good area but the cold wind was coming in roughly over my right shoulder leaving my peg virtually flat calm. I just hoped the fish wanted to be on the back of the wind rather than following it around to the other bank.

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On tackling up my kit I came into a spot of bother, although the Arena Lake at Cudmore is excellent for fishing, the bank layout has a couple of faults. Steep banks behind most of the pegs make it very difficult to ship back without breaking down twice. This is a pain and makes life hard work when you’re trying to be smooth and efficient while shipping in and out with 14.5m/16m of sausage. Using only two small Daiwa pole rollers, I had to butcher something together to help me ship back to my power top two kit without breaking down twice.

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Check it out. I was rather proud of my creation so much so I’m going to patent my idea and sell it on to Preston Innovations. What do you reckon?

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After assembling my new creation it was nearly the “All In”. My last job was to have a quick look chuck with the bomb rod. Time to give the Matrix 10ft Carpmaster tip rod a go for the first time. The Carpmaster range from Matrix is set to take the short rod revolution apart. Designed for modern match methods on commercial waters, all models can be transported in a made-up state. The 8ft, 9ft and 10ft Carpmaster feeder rods have a unique design which eliminates the joint (fish-playing area of the rod). All feeder rods come with a revolutionary EVA transport holder block which holds the sections parallel and eliminates the use of rod bands.

This teamed up with a Daiwa TD-X 3012 is definitely the ultimate fishing playing set up. Daiwa have really pushed the boat out with this one. Featuring the new push button spool that still delivers that valued front drag performance or the addition of the high impact ‘HIP’ line clip, handed down from the Basiair? Give it a waterproof drag that was developed for the Certate and an exquisite machine cut spool, that’s how! The quartet of TD-x reel also operates on seven bearings, 4CRBB and 3BB. The precision made DIGIGEAR and Advanced Locomotive winding produces a remarkably high and smooth winding power match anglers now expect. Even the handle has been reconsidered with the creation of grips made from high density EVA. This hardened foam offers excellent grip even when wet and they continue to rotate freely even under loading.

Enough about that, back to the job in hand of catching the creatures that make all this possible.

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All in and the final round was underway. Starting on the bomb, loaded with a single punched piece of meat soaked in Marukyu SFA 430  just to help give it an extra kick. My plan of attack was to just chuck and chance for the first hour whilst building up the long pole line.

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Five minutes in and I start getting what looked like a very sky line bite with the tip moving back and forth slowly. Sitting on my hands waiting for a proper wrap round that didn’t happen. Then the tip moved round then stopped, having nothing to lose I picked the rod up only to be greeted with the rod arched round. A short but strong fight saw me slip the net under a 2lb Barbel, this had to be one of the strangest bites I’ve ever had. This just goes to show even Barbel can be shy at times, I loaded back up with another piece of meat to repeat the process. Terminal tackle consisted of the above rod and reel,  my main line was the reliable 8lb Daiwa Infinity Duo. A 1oz Prestons Gripper lead as the bottoms can slope on Arena specially when chucking close to the island. A size 7 Korum snap link swivel stopped with a Korum quick change bead. 0.19mm Guru N-gauge hook length to a PR36 size 16 with a bait band or quick stop to the hair.

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An hour and 15 minutes later and I’m flying high. I’ve put 6 Barbel and 1 Carp in the net. Unbelievable that I’ve have caught everything on a single piece of meat. I haven’t fed a thing on the bomb line, clearly there must be a few fish out there. Speaking to soon brought on a quiet spell. Time to give the long pole line a look.

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A big pot of Magic Krilled maggots kicked the peg off nicely. Looking for a Barbel, Skimmer or big Carp on the long line. My first chuck resulted in another Barbel, this was the start I was looking for. My second chuck was a waiting game resulting in nothing, with the water being cold and colour dropping out of it I felt the fish just didn’t want to be on the pole line. Forcing the peg with another big pot of Krilled maggot. Resting the swim I went back out on the bomb, a short while later another Barbel was safely in the net, followed then by another Carp. This was the quick burst of fish I was looking for as other anglers around me were starting to catch me up. Another quick look on the pole brought nothing so i added another section on and had a look passed my feed. This resulted in an acrobatic Skimmer then another Barbel. I started to get the feeling the fish didn’t want to settle over a big pile of bait but yet if you didn’t feed any kind of quantity you just wouldn’t get an indication.

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Back to the bomb line again to see if the fish have settled. It’s been strange really, how can I get a run of fish, then nothing for 20 minutes? Even though no feed has gone in, to draw the fish back to the swim, they always came back and settled. That’s where Captain Cod Eye was sat with the wind in his clock, god he must have been cold. The water temperature must be a touch warm in my swim, hence why the fish have settled there.

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The last hour brought me another great run of fish. Totalling 10 Barbel, 3 Carp and that daft Skimmer. Hopefully this should have been enough to get the section and possibly a framing position.

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The scales come round tipping 59lb into the weight sling. “Get in“ another section win but weights of 80 and 90lb have put me out of the frame being the first misser. Jimmy Hinges of The Saints was second in the section. Yes I’ve beat my man, but he has also got good points with a section second.

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Back to the café for a brew and a butty, while waiting for the results to come in. Sadly it was quite good enough. We got beat by a point for 2nd overall in the league, only to two teams go through. Obviously we’re all gutted not to get through to the semi-final’s but there’s always next year. The whole series has been full of if’s, but’s and maybes but it just wasn’t meant to be. Good luck to Drennan and The Saints for the Semi’s and I hope you do well and keep the reputation up for the class of anglers coming out of the North West.

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Tight line

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Phil Allton  |  Ted Carter  |  Marukyu.

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