JustPlainSHARK
Sealiner
Our March club comp was booked in advance at Draaifontein, Vaaldam, but that did not prevent the farm owner to book three other clubs there as well. With two clubs insisting that they want the stretch where we were already pegged. We sat right below the farmhouse to the left of the long fence that runs into the water. In the end everything was settled (it is after all a large venue) but we only got to our pegs at just before 7 because due to the hassle. I drew peg 12, slap bang in the middle. When the hooter sounded, me and my boet (also a Sealiner - waldok) were still pitching up our gear and waiting for the second bucket of groundfeed to settle (I make a portion at home with boiling water just before we leave).
The talk about clove oil/naeltjie olie on another thread made me decide to start of with Perdeby and FX (both Supercast) on one of my rods which I cast in at 40m. On the other rod I was still undecided. Boet stuck to the combo that worked on previous outings to various Vaaldam venues nl. Ebony (we use Dawie from MrMUTI) and Devilsfork (Supercast) and also cast out to about 45-50m. My decision on the 2nd rod fell between Dawie, Biddulphs or 2007 (a strawberry/ musk compilation - an unmarketed dip I got from a well known supplier). I eventually chose the 2007 and cast the trace to 60m. Within a matter of 10min my 60m rod took off and when I lifted the rod I felt that it was a good fish that eventually kept me busy in the shallows before I could net a pb grasscarp of 2,9kg. Meanwhile, I had a drop on my other rod which yielded a non-weigher carp. My boet initially struggled to get going but soon got into the nick of things. I did not get any other fish on the FX-Perdeby combo and switched to a selfmade mixture of Ebony and Duiwelsdrek which I labeled Daredevil. I then got a few fish on it on the 40m mark, but it soon became evident for both of us that the fish (more small fish than weighers I might add) left the shallows (a fairly shallow water section that the club pegged). My Boet then wanted to change boldips because he didnt get anymore bites, but I taught him that he should rather change distance before he changed dips. He has not mastered the art of casting far yet and I gave him a few pointers. He soon got his baits out further and got back into the fish although he sacrificed accuracy. I also took my 40m rod and cast it out further to about 80m and kept my clipped rod on 60m. Vernon, my pegmate for leagues and commissoner cups arrived about then and I had five fish in the net. He was a bit ill during the week and was undecided in attending the comp. He however made the effort to drive through, but forgot his landing nets and the legs for his tripod stand, which made him fairly upset that he almost went back home. He eventualy got started but wandered the length of the bank chatting to everybody and did not focus on the fishing at all (I think he ended on 5 or 6 fish for the trip).
So I then had Daredevil on the 80m rod and 2007 on the 60m rod. The fish was also notebly bigger or at least weighers. My kol worked so well, that I caught two doubles during the session. To up the tempo I later just added a tiny bit of Devilsfork with the 2007 and Tjop-tjop (Supercast) with the Daredevil now and then.
Lines-up was at 15:00 and at the weigh-in I realised that I might stand a chance of winning the day when Boet Zeelie our club chairman was leading with 14 fish for 8,3kg for a while. When our turn came, I took my brothers net to the scale and he had 15 fish (and 3 non-weighers) for 11,8kg giving him 2nd place for the day. I indeed won the day with 26 fish (and 8 non-weighers) for 16,9kg - a blessing that a few of our club members were at the bank angling nationals at Allemanskraal and Bloemhof
The bag was made up of 14 grasscarp and 12 carp.
It was a very pleasant day and it was warm very early on. Throughout the day only a slight breeze was blowing. I kept with the above combination throughout the day. My boet had the one rod on the Dawie-DFork combination, and on the other rod he changed from FX, TAC and FX, FX and Cina1, Stuttafords, Honey Glow, to Banjo and Stuttafords. The last combo of Banjo and Stuttafords, were the better combo of the lot according to him. Only grasscarp, carp and three small barbel came out for the club.
With fishing this good, I am not looking forward to the winter.
The talk about clove oil/naeltjie olie on another thread made me decide to start of with Perdeby and FX (both Supercast) on one of my rods which I cast in at 40m. On the other rod I was still undecided. Boet stuck to the combo that worked on previous outings to various Vaaldam venues nl. Ebony (we use Dawie from MrMUTI) and Devilsfork (Supercast) and also cast out to about 45-50m. My decision on the 2nd rod fell between Dawie, Biddulphs or 2007 (a strawberry/ musk compilation - an unmarketed dip I got from a well known supplier). I eventually chose the 2007 and cast the trace to 60m. Within a matter of 10min my 60m rod took off and when I lifted the rod I felt that it was a good fish that eventually kept me busy in the shallows before I could net a pb grasscarp of 2,9kg. Meanwhile, I had a drop on my other rod which yielded a non-weigher carp. My boet initially struggled to get going but soon got into the nick of things. I did not get any other fish on the FX-Perdeby combo and switched to a selfmade mixture of Ebony and Duiwelsdrek which I labeled Daredevil. I then got a few fish on it on the 40m mark, but it soon became evident for both of us that the fish (more small fish than weighers I might add) left the shallows (a fairly shallow water section that the club pegged). My Boet then wanted to change boldips because he didnt get anymore bites, but I taught him that he should rather change distance before he changed dips. He has not mastered the art of casting far yet and I gave him a few pointers. He soon got his baits out further and got back into the fish although he sacrificed accuracy. I also took my 40m rod and cast it out further to about 80m and kept my clipped rod on 60m. Vernon, my pegmate for leagues and commissoner cups arrived about then and I had five fish in the net. He was a bit ill during the week and was undecided in attending the comp. He however made the effort to drive through, but forgot his landing nets and the legs for his tripod stand, which made him fairly upset that he almost went back home. He eventualy got started but wandered the length of the bank chatting to everybody and did not focus on the fishing at all (I think he ended on 5 or 6 fish for the trip).
So I then had Daredevil on the 80m rod and 2007 on the 60m rod. The fish was also notebly bigger or at least weighers. My kol worked so well, that I caught two doubles during the session. To up the tempo I later just added a tiny bit of Devilsfork with the 2007 and Tjop-tjop (Supercast) with the Daredevil now and then.
Lines-up was at 15:00 and at the weigh-in I realised that I might stand a chance of winning the day when Boet Zeelie our club chairman was leading with 14 fish for 8,3kg for a while. When our turn came, I took my brothers net to the scale and he had 15 fish (and 3 non-weighers) for 11,8kg giving him 2nd place for the day. I indeed won the day with 26 fish (and 8 non-weighers) for 16,9kg - a blessing that a few of our club members were at the bank angling nationals at Allemanskraal and Bloemhof
The bag was made up of 14 grasscarp and 12 carp.It was a very pleasant day and it was warm very early on. Throughout the day only a slight breeze was blowing. I kept with the above combination throughout the day. My boet had the one rod on the Dawie-DFork combination, and on the other rod he changed from FX, TAC and FX, FX and Cina1, Stuttafords, Honey Glow, to Banjo and Stuttafords. The last combo of Banjo and Stuttafords, were the better combo of the lot according to him. Only grasscarp, carp and three small barbel came out for the club.
With fishing this good, I am not looking forward to the winter.
