The following is Nash Baits backed Joe Millers account of his incredible fishing adventures on the famous Yateley Match Lake. If you want to read how the story began, you can do so by picking up a copy of 'A History Of Yateley, Volume 4'.
Match Lake adventure continued…
It was late September before I decided to make the long
drive back to Yateley, although things didn’t start to happen for me until a
couple trips in, and I found myself plotted up in the 'Left Hand Birches' swim, whilst
my mate Chris, went in the right side. At least it would be social if the
fishing was slow. In my absence, the 'Redmire' had been caught from there, along
with a few others and gentle bubbling over what looked to be a nice clear spot
out in the weed, was enough for me to give it a go, for at least one night. It
was gone mid-day by the time the fish had done the off and the leading rod
revealed they had been feeding on what was, for me, the perfect spot - smooth
silt with the odd tap of gravel transmitted down the rod. There was also a
clear channel all the way to the spot, which saved me having to make one for
line lay. Given the vast football pitch of weed out in front of me, I didn’t
have many options spot wise but felt the spot was just big enough to fit two rods on. My favourite mix of flaked Key Cray boilie, hemp and tigers was soon
spombed out to the spot, followed by the rigs, and I settled down for the
evening.
“Everything looked perfect”
Both rigs were still in position come morning after the dreaded
catfish failed to make an appearance. Everything looked perfect and the wait
for the first bubbles over the spot began. Eventually they did and it felt
like it was only a matter of time.
It was just the way it happened at Yateley. The first couple bubbles, then a few more, then nothing. Then they would start again and your confidence would rise - its only a matter of time. Then as they continued to fizz and no bite materialised, you would begin to question everything “Surely both didn’t tangle?, Point must have gone over?, rig cant be sat right".
Nine times out of 10 though, nothing was wrong at all and the Neville would sing its tune as the bobbin cracked into the rod. This morning proved to be no different and after a short fight, a 33lb 4oz mirror lay beaten in the net. With it being late in the morning, and the other rod still sitting pretty on the spot, I opted not to redo the rod I had just caught on.
Bigger fish can often move in after a fish has been caught on the spot so I hoped this ploy could pay dividends. It wasn’t to be though and the day faded out with nothing of note really happening. Both rods were reset, bait topped up, and Indian takeaway ordered. I went to bed super confident that night. I had found that if the fish were willing to visit a spot one morning, they would often return the following morning too.
It was just the way it happened at Yateley. The first couple bubbles, then a few more, then nothing. Then they would start again and your confidence would rise - its only a matter of time. Then as they continued to fizz and no bite materialised, you would begin to question everything “Surely both didn’t tangle?, Point must have gone over?, rig cant be sat right".
Nine times out of 10 though, nothing was wrong at all and the Neville would sing its tune as the bobbin cracked into the rod. This morning proved to be no different and after a short fight, a 33lb 4oz mirror lay beaten in the net. With it being late in the morning, and the other rod still sitting pretty on the spot, I opted not to redo the rod I had just caught on.
Bigger fish can often move in after a fish has been caught on the spot so I hoped this ploy could pay dividends. It wasn’t to be though and the day faded out with nothing of note really happening. Both rods were reset, bait topped up, and Indian takeaway ordered. I went to bed super confident that night. I had found that if the fish were willing to visit a spot one morning, they would often return the following morning too.
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| “A 33lbs 40z mirror lay beaten in the net (September 2017)” |
Return they did and given my confidence of another, I text
Jordan, telling him he would be needed on camera duty soon. I then set the camera on the tripod, set it to video, focused
on the rods and hit record. It didn’t take long before the bobbin lifted
slightly before flying to the top as the fish moved up in the water against the
solid clutch.The culprit turned out to be the leathery character known as 'White Stripe' and after closer inspection, was a repeat of the mirror I caught
from the 'Right Hand Parties' the previous autumn. With Jordan behind the lens I
managed to get much better pictures this time around and she was soon slipped
back.
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| “With Jordan on the lens, I managed to get much better pictures (White Stripe, September 2017)” |
With two more captures under my belt, obviously I was keen
to get back down there. Unfortunately, things took a turn for a worse and a
bout of tonsillitis and a delay in getting the right medication kept me away
for a couple of weeks. By the time I felt better, it was late October. By now, the weed was beginning to drop and the lake was beginning
to slow down. The spot I had fished in the 'Left Birches' had been opened
right up, and now the fish were reluctant to visit it. Thankfully though, they
still fed on the spot in the 'Right Birches' and I manged to bag a repeat in
the shape of the mirror I caught from the 'Stumps' earlier in the spring. Bites
were becoming harder and harder to come by but I did
manage one more before calling it time for another year; a pristine common
of 31lb from the 'Golf Tees'.
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| “The weed was beginning to drop and the lake was beginning to slow down (October 2017)” |
 |
“I did manage one more before calling it time for another
year (October 2017)”
|
As with previous years, I had booked to do a long session in
October, but with the lake seemingly shut down early, four nights spent in the 'Right-hand Parties', yielded nothing for my efforts. I did get to meet Oz
Holness though and his two night blank next door in the 'Left Parties' told me all
I needed to know. I did have two nights left of my session though and had my
syndicate lake to fall back to, so the car was loaded and I headed back closer
to home, down to see the rest of the year out on there. Fair
to say it went rather well, but that’s for another time…
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| “Fair to say it went rather well, but that’s for another time” |
The 2018 season brought with it the usual renewed enthusiasm
that a tough winter brings. I had spent the whole winter plotting my spring
attack and when March came, I couldn’t get back fast enough. This spring though, nature seemed behind compared to the
previous. Whereas, the same week last year, there were tiny frogs
everywhere on the 'Copse Bank', this year there was hard frosts with thick snow
forecast for the end of the week.
 |
| “This spring though, nature seemed behind compared to the previous” |
As a result, the Match Lake just seemed to take forever to
wake up. It turned out, all thoughts of the Match Lake were soon forgotten when I got a phone call from Chris saying there
was a ticket for the legendary Car Park Lake available - if I paid immediately.
Needless to say within the hour, and with a dent in my bank balance, I was on
“the other side of the road” and shaking hands with Martin Gardener. The ticket began in April and it couldn’t come soon enough…
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| “All thoughts of the Match Lake were soon forgotten” |
Until next time
Be lucky.
Joe
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