19/05/2024
A Change of Feeder Created a Match Win for the Auckland Underdog.
Date: Sunday, May 19
Venue: Mangawara River
Anglers gathered for the final Auckland Coarse Fishing Club summer league match at the crack of dawn, with the draw taking place at 8 a.m. sharp. The recent cold snap left everyone uncertain about the fishing conditions and expecting a challenging day by the river
Tim Dave Garrett, who was on peg 5, gives us a breakdown of his eventful day fishing. "My approach today was to fish 13 metres on the pole and fish the feeder if fishing was bad. I felt that with the recent cold snap, it would fish hard," he explained
Tim began the match by cupping a tiny ball of ground bait at thirteen metres. The initial results were less than promising. "I started off at the 13-metre line and managed a half-ounce rudd in the first half hour. It was clear from the start that things were not going according to Tim's fishing plan," he admitted
Tim fed a small top-up ball but only managed a couple more bites. Even with a size 18 hook and a single white pinky, the bites were elusive. "I realised it was going to be hard, but I did not realise it was going to be this hard," he said
Tim adopted a more aggressive approach, feeding the far bank with corn and tiny balls of ground bait. "It's funny that I was only a few pegs away from where I was pegged in the New Zealand Federation Of Coarse Anglers - NZFOCA silvers competition. During that match, I hooked ten carp, lost eight, and successfully landed only two of them," he recalled. This time, he was prepared with stronger hook lengths to handle any carp that he hooked
After two and a half hours, Tim had still not received a single bite on the far bank. A change was necessary. Switching from a method feeder to a cage feeder proved to be a game-changer. "Literally within the first 5 minutes of casting it across, the tip flew around, and I landed a nice 5-pound ghosty," he recounted
In the next 40 minutes, Tim experienced a couple of liners. Another strong pull round came after that, and it resulted in the netting of a stunning orange Koi carp. Then, with an hour to go, Tim intensified his feeding, making quicker casts every five minutes. This aggressive tactic paid off, as he ended up landing six carp, totaling 20 lb. 12 oz
As Tim reflected on the day's events, he expressed his amazement at how a slight change in feeder pattern could drastically impact the catch. "It really blows my mind how just such a tiny little change in a feeder pattern can make that much difference in what you catch. CRAZY! It's definitely a lesson learned for me," he remarked
While puzzled by the mechanics behind the fish's behavioural shift, Tim will definitely employ the successful tactic more frequently in future matches
His winning bait consisted of sweet corn on the hook, with a groundbait mix of Pro Carp, Super Rudd, white crumb, and Bagger Strawberry from Masterclass Baits. The wet mix, coupled with frequent feeder casts, proved to be the game-changer
The final results of the match were as follows:
Tim (Peg 5): 20 lb., 12 oz.
Paul Smith (Peg 1): 17 lb., 4 oz.
Nigel Beadle (Peg 2): 11 lb. 12 oz.
Gary Bourne (Peg 4): 3 lb 12 oz
Paul Harris (Peg 3): 3 lb 8 oz
