Well it has been a strange end of month but we will get to that later. First the trip up to Yorkshire was okay until we hit traffic on the A1 and the car started to play up in that it was refusing to get into gear. We managed to get to the hotel, park up and RAC attended and managed to fix the problem – low brake fluid. On return without mishap managed to call in garage and arranged for them to check it over when in for MOT at end of June.

So Tuesday 21st sees me head of back to Monkhall to run the MFS festival. What you don’t get a notion of from the aerial photo is that the lakes are on a steep hillside with Lark at the top and Owl at the base. Day 1 we were on Owl and Swallow – so I was left with peg 6 Swallow, this meant on day 3 I would be on Owl as we always do a swap around if we have the same lake twice. Anyway with all the organising and setting up I forgot to take any photos! I set up similar to Owl with an 8m line a top2+1 line and the margins all on 0.16mm line and 14 hooks but with one rig on 0.18mm.From my previous experience I decided not to pot in micros, instead opting to toss pot along with my paste on the 8m line to start and drip feed some micros and corn into the margins and short line.

Third put in and I had my first carp and after an hour I had clicked 17lb but then it slowed! The 2+1 line produced a solitary F1 so it was the margins I turned to as unlike other venues the margins at Monkhall can be productive throughout. Corn on the hook was the answer and when bites slowed 6mm expander, by swapping between the two margins and baits I clicked 48lb in the first net before starting on the second and reckoned I had about 11lb in that at the end. I tend to stop once I get past 45lb in a net as although the net limit is 60lb, I have to lift it out! The landing nets and keepnets are supplied by the fishery so it makes life a lot easier. At the weigh in my first net went 48-10 and the second 12lb for a 60-10 total and last in section of 5 (5pts).

Day 2 and I am left with Hawk peg 8 rather than being on the preferred Buzzard lake. The previous night the weather had changed and we had a heavy downpour all night and all through the match so everything was soaked and the phone stayed tucked away so again no photos. Setting up in similar fashion it was again the margins that produced the most bites on corn. The weather was so bad with an our to go I was shivering so much it took me two minutes to put a piece of corn on the hook! I was glad when I called the all out with net 1 weighing 38-01 and net 2 18-03 for a 56-04 total and 4pts. I had started the second net early as I was feeling that rough!

Day 3 and I am on Owl 5, a fine breezy day so things were spread out to dry! Same approach starting on paste but this time a carp on first put in, then an F1,then a run of 10 missed bites before a tench came to the net. I decided that the fizzing and missed bites were probably tench so looked at the margins and by alternating corn and expander in both margins managed to put 51-14 in the first net and 12-09 in second for a 64-07 total and 4pts. Unfortunately in my haste to get packed up and sort the results, photos got missed again! I ended up with 13points and 16/20.

Since returning I have not been able to get out with me either being hampered by heavy rain or with a stomach bug! Still 16 days to Bowood.