Final Fenland Rods Championship table, 2023

 Here is the final listing for 2023

1 Kev Lee                279 pts

2 Callum Judge        275

3 Peter Spriggs        272

4 Mac Campbell      262

5 Allan Golightly    207

6 Shaun Buddle      190

7 Dave Hobbs         182

8 Dave Garner        176

9 Mel Lutkin           174

10 Dick Warrener   142

11 John Smith        133

12 Mike Rawson    128

13 Martin Parker      85

14 Joe Bedford        20

15 Wendy Bedford  14

16 James Garner      10            

My Golden Peg cock-up on Yew

Peg 18, Yew, Sunday, Apr 14
Fenland Rods' first match of the year, and I get Golden Peg. Just nine of us were fishing - there will be more next week. I trekked down the lake to peg 18 knowing that the fish were likely to be big, and that that end is often favourite. But my recent results have not been encouraging, and I wasn't confident.

Martin Parker was on end peg 16, and a newcomer Roy Whitwell was also with us - I hadn't pointed out to him that winning is not really the done thing on your first match with us. But would he have listened?

The wind was much lighter than it has been lately, though a little cool, and it was roughly Westerly, right in our faces. But at the start a few fish were showing, so I started with a banded caster, about a foot deep, at 11.5 metres, catapulting casters over the top. I was pleased to see them land roughly where I was fishing. I'd re-read my blog for last year at the same time and noted that busing a catapult with a flexible handle was much the best for me. So I'd found that one in my bag.

What a start!
No more than two minutes after dropping my bait in, my pole was pulled violently sideways - a fish was on. The 8-10 elastic stretched out and I just hoped it would hold the fish's first run. It did, but that carp put up a terrific fight before eventually finishing in my landing net. I always take two - an 18-inch and a 20-inch, and I was glad I'd chosen the larger one, as this fish was at least 12 lb.

Back in, and I had another two or three touches which might have been liners, so I shallowed up to the minimum 8 inches. Nothing. Then I realised that tyhe wind had died away, and the water was almost flat calm, while the higher numbers had ripple in front of them.

Wind...
Then the wind came back, but it seemed cooler, and it was swinging about from right to left. I fished shallow for another 45 minutes without a single touch, and I hardly saw a fish near the surface - they don't like that sudden change, I am sure. Probably should have given it up earlier. The next plan was 13 metres with corn or pellet, and over the next hour or so I managed three big F1s and a carp about 4 lb, while Callum, on my left, had not had a single fish. I had about 23 lb on my clicker.

Callum, on my left, had to wait more than two hours to hook his first fish.
Later the sun made it difficult for me to fish towards him.

Then, two hours and 20 minutes after the start Callum hooked his first fish, on a pole, and it was a good'un. On his left Mel Lutkin had had a fish or two on feeder, so I tried it - a hybrid with an orange wafter cast several metres short of the far bank. Ten minutes later The tip dropped back and a good carp was on. That was about 9 lb, but I decided to have a quick look in the margin with cat meat, as I fully expected that was how the match would be won.

Fish in the side
First drop into the deep water a metre from the bank and a big carp was on - that one was about 10 lb.And I prepared to really bag up. But the carp gods had other ideas, and although I had lots of touches the rest of the match saw me land only about four or five more, with about four foulhooked and lost. I know that because most left a scale on the hook.

I should have rested that swim properly - I have this theory that fish know when there's a rig in the water and eventually it scares them. But take it out and they soon regain their confidence. The left margin wasn't easy to fish because the sun was glinting on the water, and I spent only a short time there.

Snagged
I seem to be attracted to snags at Decoy. I've lost two fish on snags in open water lately and this time I dropped my rig in while I filled the cad pot before going out, and lo and behold I was snagged. A prod around with the hook saw the rig rise in the water, and it felt like a keepnet there. But it wouldn't come up, and I had to twist the hook round the hooklength and pull for a break. No Snags Please, We're Fishing!

A handsome-looking specimen...and the carp was nice-looking as well!

Callum had about three more carp on the feeder and another one or two close-in on the pole. Mussel had taken two of my fish, and I'd tried a bunch of maggots, which can be deadly for big carp, but I had only liners on them. Yet on Oak  one angler with 200 lb-plus had potted in a gallon of maggots, and caught on a big bunch. Not sure I have the nerve to do that.

Just before the end I put on cat meat again and hit a fish which I was playing on the whistle - a tench about 2 lb. Good to see tench at Decoy - there used to be lots 20 years ago, but like the barbel I expect most have died. A new stocking is perhaps called for.

I estimated I had 35 lb in one net and 38 lb in the other - 73 lb. But I know I tend to understimate.

Dave Hobbs, who brought Roy Whitwell with him, was third.

The weigh in
In a recent big feeder match Yew produced weights of 100 lb all down the line, with a weight of 200 lb-plus on end peg 30. Today Allan Golightly had 71 lb, which he must have been pretty pleased with, but the next three pegs all had 135 lb-plus, including newcomer Roy Whitwell with 162 lb 10 oz mainly on a feeder - at least he had the grace not to win (😀). The win went to Kev Lee on the next peg with 167 lb 3 oz mainly on cat meat and pole, with Dave Hobbs, friend of Roy, third on 135 lb 6 oz.

Then weights fell away. My first net weighed in at 36 lb and the other one 47 lb - and my 84 lb 9 oz was fourth until Martin Parker weighed in 89 lb 14 oz on the last peg, 16. This was the first time we paid out sections, so Martin, Allan and Mel Lutkin won their sections, the last two by default. Good to see Martin so perky after his tumour operation.

Winner Kevin Lee included some good barbel in his 167 lb 3 oz. His best bait was
double cat meat, and he took some out on the pole, with others from the margin.

My last fish, landed after the whistle, turned out to be a 2 lb tench.

Marks out of ten
I have little doubt that the fish were not feeding just in those three best pegs - it was down to the class of angler fishing them. A good angler on my peg would probably have won, because there were big fish there. And looking back I made so many mistakes in not moving about, that I give myself 2/10. As my headmaster used to write - "Could do better!"

Next match Thursday on Elm, Decoy. The strips all look similar but the fish are a different size (not so many lumps on Elm) and you can never tell which method will be best. There are some reasonable margin swims on Elm, but I must certainly look to put out a feeder more often. I had one cast on it in this match and had a 9 lb fish! Will I never learn? But when you know that there are big fish near the side the challenge is to catch them...and I fall prey to temptation.

THE RESULT

Beastie 2 - Me 0

Now back home after ten days away looking after our daughter's dogs. But at least I managed to get a bit of gardening done - two lines of different types of beetroot, and the first courgettes planted, while the second-early potatoes 'Charlotte' are chitting and ready to be planted. Last year I planted them on the compost from my wormery and they did reaslly well.

Some tiny plugs I ordered turned up, and I managed to pot all 120 of them. The Bizzy Lizzies are fine, but somehow slugs or snails have had a go at the petunias and nibbled off the first leaves. How do they do that? The pots are well off the ground in our nice new summerhouse/shed. There's no trace of those silvery trails that they leave behind. Daren't put them in the cold frame so I've had to leave them overnight in our other, dark shed, where so far nothing seems to have tried to gobble them up (though there are still mice in there). I hate those slugs and snails and mieces to pieces.

Beastie peg 24 was my home for the Sunday JV match - my bogey peg. The wind was awful but, as always, deceptive at the start and stupidly I put out some bait at 10 metres before going on to a feeder with wafter, cast almost to the island. That produced a quick 8 lb mirror, and a move to the pole saw four or five F1s. But I couldn't resist trying in the side for better fish.

Ernie Lowbridge, to my left, with a 15 lb 14 oz mirror.

It took a long while before another carp came in on a top three, by which time it was impossible to fish the long pole line. Then calamity! Halfway though the match I turned round to add the number 4 and 5 sections, to fish farther along the margins, and there they were...Gone! Just vanished. Never saw them slide in, though the wind must have lifted them off the bank and slid them down between my nets. 

I felt around the swim with my 12-foot hook, but never found them.  I wasn't the only one to lose sections, because the wind was now horrendous, and occasionally I could feel it getting under the box and lifting it.

The annoying thing on our bank was that although the wind was so fierce, our margins had a little shelter from it, and there wasn't much of a ripple - just a horrible swell.

Two more good carp came in, to my special method and cat meat, plus another F1 or two and a bream, and I weighed 50 lb 4 oz for nowhere in the match, but I wasn't anywhere near last. Rob Goodson, who lost his Number 4 section, had to fish the margins on peg 6, and won with 132 lb 2 oz. The fish tended to be in the windiest pegs. Chris Saunders was second on 20, fishing cat meat in the margins.

Pete Molesworth was on 26, which had some shelter,
and included this 14 lb 11 oz common in his 95 lb 6 oz.

I reckon I was worth 6/10, and would undoubtedly have done better if I had been able to fish more than the top three in the second half of the match. It's always unsettling when that happens. My next match also was on Beastie and Mike Rawson always has his rake in his van, so I would try to recocer the sections then.

Of course by the time we had weighed in the wind had dropped and conditions were near-perfect.

THE RESULT

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Next was the Spratts club match, and I was drawn peg 23 - at least I knew exactly where it was!

I have a spare Xitan, so was able to extract the Numbers 4 and 5 sections, leaving me fully equipped, pole-wise. But i will have to try to get another two, as mine have been repaired and after a few years it seems to me that sections become brittle. Such a pitty that those I lost had hardly been used!

Yet again it was windy, but not too bad at the start, and after a fishless half-hour on the feeder I was able to go out to 10 metres, fishing with corn. Over the next 90 minutes I managed half-a-dozen F1s, and at 12 o'clock I hd a word with Shaun Buddle, on 24, who said he had 6 lb. I had 10 lb at that stage. 

Then the wind invcreased and I had a look, shallow, in the left margin, where I had been flicking casters, and that brought some small bites, which I thought were probbaly from F1s but may have been roach. Eventually, dropping the bait down to three feet brought a single F1, and I didn't even see a bite for that one!

Two disasters
Back out and another F1 came in, but then the wind increased again and I decided to have a look on cat meat in the margin. First drop, and within seconds I had hit a big fish. It surged along the ,argins towards Shaun, and to be honest I hadn;t got enough sections ready to add on, and the line was now cutting across the reeds.

I hung on, and felt that the fish wasn't buried in the reeds, but was coming back slowly towards me...when suddenly everything went slack. The line had broken just below the float. I wouldn't have expected a weak spot there, so I think it must have caught on a sharp reed or a snag. Nothing for it but to pick up another rig I had ready, and drop that back in. Seconds later I was into another carp, and played this one for bout 30 seconds before the hook pulled.

I think that one was foulhooked, although I didn't feel that when I first hooked it. But when a fish stops running and the elastic slowly pulls it back it's usual for the fish to slide back fairly easily. In this case, however, it felt like a sack of spuds - the fish hardly moved at all. Unfortunately I wasted the next couple of hours trying for another on cat meat or mussel. The right margin was more difficult to fish, as it meant facing the wind, but I should have been more positive there.

Bream to the rescue
I should also have gone back out when the wind died momentarily, feeding with the big pot and following it up with corn...but I didn't! However, cat meat eventually brought in about five nice bream from the left margin, all of which were covered in the breeding tubercles. Then, five minutes before the finish I hooked another big fish which also came off, probably foulhooked. All-in-all not a good performance.

To my left John Garner on peg 23 managed to fish long for most of
the match, ending with 40 lb.

A lost cause
Afterwards I tried to find my lost sections in Shaun's swim, using the rake Mike Rawson lent me. I've seen him recover several sections with it, for other anglers. But today I couldn't make it work, and Shaun had a look, using his own rake. Nope. Four-hundred pounds worth of Xitan sections are resting in a watery grave.

The weigh in
The raking took up all my spare time (hence only one catch picture) and by the time the scales got to my bank I could see I would be well down the list. Peter Spriggs was leading with 77 lb 10 oz from peg 5. Next to me, John Garner had 40 lb, almost all taken out at abouit 10 metres on the pole. He was managing to fish there when my pole was being blown all over the place - perhaps 22 is a little sheltered.

My fish went 24 lb 6 oz, which was ninth overall, while on 24 Shaun had found fish late on and totalled 51 lb for fourth. He found that lifting the bait  was the way to induce a bite

Marks out of ten
I give myself 3. The oldest lesson in match fishing is to not come off a swim where you are atching fish, except to perhaps rest it for a time. I left the 10-metre swim and 'rested' it for the next two fishless hours!

I can't blame myself for two of the lost fish, but I didn't have everything ready for hooking the first big carp. If I had I think I would have had a chance of landing it, even if it was foulhooked. Next match is Fenland Rods Club Cup on Yew. I am running a section pool this season, for the first time. My experience is that all match anglers are spurred on to try for the section if they are having a rough time (as (I am at the moment) and know they can't possibly frame. Let's hope the anglers are happy.

THE RESULT

2 Bob Barrett           11 lb 12 oz
3 Dave Hobbs          28 lb 2 oz
4 Bob Allen             17 lb 6 oz
5 Peter Spriggs        77 lb 10 oz     1st
14 Joe Bedford        20 lb 6 oz
15 Dick Warrener    25 lb 7 oz
17 Mike Rawson        DNW
18 Neil Paas            69 lb 12 oz      2nd
21 Steve Engledow        DNW
22 John Garner        40 lb
23 Mac Campbell    24 lb 6 oz
24 Shaun Buddle     51 lb                4th
26 Trevor Cousins   38 lb 14 oz
30 Peter Harrison     59 lb 9 oz    3rd

The sweetest feeling - John with a golden coin, courtesy of Bob Allen.

Two matches just out of the frame - Cedar and Damson

Peg 10, Cedar, Sun, Mar 31
Access to my main computer is limited at the moment, so these reports are brief. Happy with peg 10 in this JV match held on Cedar and Elm, as Peter Spriggs had a big weight off it on Monday, though today a stiff NE wind made it difficult to fish to the left margin, where Peter had had most of his fish, at times. But I had Lee Kendall to my right on 9, so at least I would probably be able to see some fish, even if I couldn't catch them.

Nice to see a brief period or two of Spring sunshine.

Oh me of little faith! Within two minutes I was playing an 8 lb mirror carp, taken on an orange wafter and a hybrid feeder, cast a bit short of the far bank. Next cast right over saw the bait come back with weed on it, and a cast a little shorter ended with a bream in the landing net, and soon after that another carp. And I don't think Lee had had a fish at that point. But then he had a great run on the feeder, followed by a couple out at 8 metres, more on the feeder, and finally lots of carp on maggot in his right margin, under the bush.

This happened quite a lot once Lee started motoring on the feeder!

Meanwhile I struggled with an occasional carp from the left margin when the wind moved round, then two or three out at 8 metres, another on the feeder, and finally one on maggot to the right, which I landed after the whistle, hooked in the snout! In the corner peg 13 Shaun Coaten had a good start - I could see the splashing as he landed fish, and I assumd he would have a bagful by the end. 

The weigh in

Shaun Coaten was third from corner peg 13, a swim which
has featured in match results several times recently.

Surpisingly the pegs towards the car park did not dominate. Lee dominated with a winning  158 lb 11 oz, while I had 77 lb 8 oz for fourth out of the ten on this lake. Shaun said he had 40 lb in the last half-hour, so he must have had a lean time in the middle - he totalled 87 lb 9 oz for third. Pete Molesworth was runner-up on peg 5 with 109 lb 3 oz.

Marks out of ten

I give myself a generous 7, as I don't know what I did wrong, though clearly there were more fish in my area than in the lower-numbered pegs. I learned afterwards that Lee, who tends to use a lot of bait, started his right margin swim with three big pots full of dead maggots. So perhaps I simply didn't feed enough. But it was an enjoyable day.

Watching Lee fish was a bit of a revelation - as soon as he seemed
to be waiting for a bite he would change swims. 

THE RESULTS

Cedar

Elm

Next match was on Damson, Tuesday. Will write it up ASAP.

Peg 4, Damson, Tues, Apr 2

A terrible start for me on peg 4 in this Spratts match. The wind was pretty strong, from the right, so I started to the left, in the shallow water, and after 45 minutes I had hooked one fish on a banded pellet fished shallow, and lost it (the fish, not the pellet), and did not have another. Trevor on 7 had 10 lb in the first 30 minutes fishing the shallow margin, and then went on to the feeder, while on my immeduiate right Shaun Buddle had half-a-dozen F1s around 1 lb 8 oz. And I sat sitting there, fishless.

Nice before the start, but the wind picked up, and then started blowing from all directions!

Changing to my special method, which was difficult in the wind, I managed to pick up a very slow stream of F1s on corn clkose to the bank, and by halfway I probably had 30 lb. Then there was a long fishless spell, and Shaun, who had been struggling while I was catching, got up and had a word with some other anglers from Wisbech who were fishing the stock pond, to extract some of the big fish placed there from Oak. he cam back after about an hour, during which time I had managed to catch one fish!

Trevor Cousins. Those 'proper' carp would probably 
have come on the feeder.

Then we both went out long, into the deep water, though thsi can be fished on a top two, and he had seven or eight carp fairly quickly, while I had five on cat meat, best 5 lb. Then, suddenly, both of us couldn't get a bite - just as if a hooter had gone to call the fish back to work.

Yet every now and then I could see fish coming into the shallow water, only a foot from the bank. I managed to catch one more of these before the end - about 2 lb.  I was disappointed, especially at those fish taking the p*** out of me by continually showing themselves.

The weigh in

On Peg 1 Peter Spriggs had 88lb 9 oz. That swim hasn't been fishing particularly well - it's the far end pegs which have been producing the weights, so I thought that was a very good performance, though I noticed that it was much calmer there than on our swims.

Dave Hobbs pipped me by just 15 oz.


Below - Neil Paas was way out in front.

On peg 2 sat Peter Harrison, who could catch fish in concrete. He had 39 lb 13 oz (unfortunately there wasn't any concrete in front of him), and John Garner, who I thought had done very well on the feeder, had just 33 lb 13 oz. I must have seen him land every fish, because I thought he had doubled my weight.

I had a gratifying 58 lb 8 oz, with Shaun 20 lb behind me. 

The winner was Neil Paas on corner peg 13, with 125 lb 14 oz, so he had been pretty busy on those smallish fish. Peter Spriggs on the other end peg 1 ended second, with Trevor third, having all his fish, after that first half-hour, on a tiny feeder with a wafter, and totalling 81 lb 1 oz.

Dave Hobbs beat me by ounces, so my 58 lb 8 oz was fifth.

Marks out of 10

I'm not sure what I did wrong - probably not going out into the deep water, with cat meat, before I did. But in the wind I thought I did OK to get those F1s, worth 6/10. Usually I get a flying start in the shallow margins, and if I had I could easily have finished second. Next two matches are on Beastie, where I expect the windiest pegs to fish best.

                THE RESULT 

1 Peter Spriggs         88 lb 9 oz     2nd

2 Peter Harrison       39 lb 13 oz

3 John Garner           33 lb 13 oz

4 Mac Campbell       58 lb 8 0oz

5 Shaun Buddle        36 lb 6 oz

6 Mick Ramm           17 lb

7 Trevor Cousins       81 lb 1 oz    3rd

8 Bob Barrett             29 lb 10 oz

9 Joe Bedford            23 lb 6 oz

10 Dave Hobbs          59 lb 7 oz    4th

11 Mike Rawson        DNW

12 Steve Engledow    22 lb 10 oz

13 Neil Paas             125 lb 14 oz   1st

                    

Lots of fish down our end on Cedar

 Peg 12, Cedar, Monday, Mar 25
You know when life gets annoyed at you - it keeps slinging stuff in your way, making sure nothing goes to plan. For instance, my wife and I spent a few days at the famous Potters bowling center in Norfolk. We entered the four-man team competition, which meant we would be paired with two people we didn't know. Fair enough, that happened to a few other couples. Looking forward to meeting our partners.

First day there and we go to check what team we're in, only to be told that one team of the 115 entered had pulled out, and that was our first-round opponents. So while we would get a walkover it mean we wouldn't get the minimum four games expected. Just our luck.

Then we met the other two members of our team. A lovely couple...who play only short-mat bowls and had played on a full-sized mat only once in their lives. A bit like throwing someone used to  pitch-and-putt course onto a full-sized 18-hole golf course. definitely the two least-expeienced bowlers in the event.

A win!
Somehow we managed to win one of the remaining three matches, but were thrashed in the other two (in one of which our opponents turned out to be the overall winners of the competiton in the last two years). No chance with two such inexperienced bowlers in our team. Which was a pity because both my wife and myself are capable of giving even very good bowlers a game. 

Home, and I saw that flowers in our pots were wilting through lack of water. How can that be so? After all that rain? It must have been the wind drying out the soil, and the sun was now beating down from a cloudless sky. I've got outside taps, but had turned the water off and drained the whole system when we had the heavy frosts at Christmas. So I  changed into my mucky gardening clothes, turned all the outside taps off again, screwed the drain tap back in, turned on the water under the sink and spent 20 minutes watering the outside pots. 

A hour later it started to b****y rain! Now that really is life taking the p**s.

The great Cedar of Lebanaon Whittlesey
So on to Monday's Spratts match, on Cedar, where the West bank was in surprisingly good condition for the 12 of us, which was a blessing. Trevor Cousins was on 2, and since Cedar traditionally fishes best at that end I made him odds-on favourite to win. What do I know?

Peg 12, next to the corner. The weather was mainly overcast with a strong, cool SSE wind.

I was on 12, started on a feeder and pop-up, and within 90 seconds Bob Allen on my right was playing a big carp hooked on a pole in the margin. Seconds later Dave Hobbs on my left in the corner was playing a carp on his feeder rod. Minutes later he had another...then another. Fifteen minutes gone and I was 25 lb behind!

Hardly had the match started before Bob Allen on my right
was playing a big carp, hooked in the deep margin.

I had a good look and saw Dave was fishing an orange wafter, so I changed. First cast over to the platform opposite saw the tip pull round and I hit a big fish that thumped a bit. Then it all went solid on me. Snagged! Nothing for it but to wind my hook round the line and pull for a break; luckily all I lost was the hooklength.

In the next hour I landed three nice carp myself, but in the meantime Dave had had several more on the feeder, casting only three-quarters of the way across, and had then changed to pole fishing dead maggot in his left margin, where he hit three or four more big fish quite quickly.

A fish in the margin

A switch to corn in the deep margin saw a bite immediately. I was on 13 hollo elastic, which is a nice all-round elastic, but it stretches a bit. I'd been playing this fish for a couple of minutes when it moved slowly towards Dave, on my left. I looked up to see he was now fishing the margin, towards me. In an effort to stop the fish fouling his line I held it hard, but it yomped inexorably towards Dave, who suddenly struck, and his elastic shot out. 

Dave's first good carp, taken on peg 13 in the corner on a feeder with orange wafter.

I had fouled him...or had I? No. He was now attached to an angry carp and I came back minus a hook. Not a good start in the margin. But the fish were there from time to time, as I kept getting occasional liners. A change to dead maggot saw me lose five foulhooked fish in a row. I was not a happy Easter Bunny. Dave kept striking, and was now missing some, and foulhooking and losing some, but also landing more than I was, including a couple more on the feeder.

...and eventually it is in the landing net and ready to be hauled up.

The rain had held off except for a few spots, but the wind was considerable and halfway through,  I looked down the lake and could see nothing except feeder rods out with no-one on the pole. However towards the end I guess almost everyone came in to their margins on the pole.

 

A whopper
A  big fish hooked in the snout on dead maggot, on a stronger elastic, took me ages to land. That, and the tail, are the worst places to foulhook fish - but it showed me that the fish were attacking the bait without actually taking it in. Cat meat and mussel accounted for about four more, including one whopper of about 15 lb! And when the match ended I had just hooked a fish about 9 lb on mussel, using a version of my special method, which did eventually end up in my net.

Got to include a picture of Joe Bedford - 49 lb 4 oz
at the age of 92.

In the last 15 minutes Bob Allen, who had not had many more fish, went back on to the feeder and landed two more carp. But I had been thoroughly thrashed by Dave in the corner, who told me he had found a nice ledge, only inches wide, to his left, and had had most of his margin fish there, all on dead maggot.

The weigh in
I was surpised to see Trevor with just 33 lb 13 oz, and the weights getting better towards my end. Peter Harrison on six took the lead with 89 lb 1 oz, and then Peter Spriggs on 10 had 160 lb 10 oz, though he was 2 lb 12 oz over in one net. He took most of his fish on cat meat in the margins n the second half of the match.

Peter Spriggs almost won with his 160 lb 10 oz.

Down to me and I weighed 81 lb 1 oz, and Peter Harrison took my picture with that lump. Finally to Dave Hobbs,who, like Pete The Meat, had four nets in. As the last net was being weighed I wondered whether that 2 lb 12 oz that Peter Spriggs had forfeited would cost him the match, as this was going to be tight.

Bob Allen added the weights, checked them, and announced that Dave Hobbs was the winner with 164 lb 9 oz, and I took a picture of his with a lump like mine - it's not the same fish, honestly! Turns out that Peter's 2 lb 12 oz did not cost him the match after all. 

Me with estimated 15 lb lump.

Dave Hobbs with a different lump.

Marks out of ten
I ended fourth, and should not have come off the feeder when I did. But when Dave started to haul in fish from the margin I fell prey to temptation. And finding that fish were in the swim on that first drop (even though I lost it) meant I stayed on the pole from then on. I did rest that swim by going to the right margin, even though it was difficult into the wind, and in fact had two big bream there. My bare margins were a bit bumpy - I would have liked reeds to fish against. But I should have tried the feeder again occasionally, and I give myself just 5/10.

Nor sure when my next match is, but Tuesday Spratts are on Damson, and I expect to be there. 

THE RESULT

2    Trevor Cousins             33 lb 13 oz
3    Wendy Bedford            15 lb 8 oz
4    Steve Engledow           41 lb 15 oz
5    Bob Barrett                  71 lb 13 oz
6    Peter Harrison              89 lb 1 oz      3rd
7    Neil Paas                      69 lb 4 oz
8    Mike Rawson               26 lb 14 oz
9    Joe Bedford                  49 lb 4 oz
10    Peter Spriggs            160 lb 10 oz    2nd 
11    Bob Allen                   56 lb 4 oz
12    Mac Campbell `         81 lb 1 oz      4th
13    Dave Hobbs              164 lb 9 oz     1st

       

Probably should have done better on Six-Island

 Peg 6, Sunday, March 16
This is very late - been away for a week. Peg 6 on Six-Island was fine for me, even though the rain for the first four hours rain was in my face, from the left, but the fish have been down at that end of the lake for weeks. I had Pete Molesworth to my right in this JV match, and Peter Harrison on 7 to my left. There were also some pegs on Lou's Lake.

By the end of the match the rain had stopped and the sun came out!

There are nice margins on my bank, but I started on a bomb and corn cast towards the island, without even a liner. Then out to about 8 metres with expander, still with no fish. Pete found an F1 right in the side, fishing ti his left (ie towards me) so I came in to the deep water just off the margin. Immediately an 8 lb carp took my dorn, but I spent a long time there withoutfurther result. Then two F1s came in two drops from the very shallow water against the bank, I had cracked it! But Nope...

Pete had his brolly up for the first four hours, and started to get better
fish towards the end of the six-hour match, after the rain.

In the margins, eventually

So out to 8 metres again and occasionally an F1 would come in, plus another nice carp.Pete, meanwhile, was catching just the odd fish down the side, while Peter Harrison started taking fish well out. Then he came into the side, at the same time as I did. I found a nice flat spot on a top two to my left and first drop took another F1. Some liners came then, and I suddenly reaslised that Peter, who was back out, away from the margin, was using cat meat.

So in the last hour I gave cat meat a try, taking one carp, the  another on mussel, from the deep water just off the margin, and two or three more F1s. The mussels had been frozen and thawed ou several times and, to be honest, were a bi manky.  In the last half hour Peter suddenly had a good spell, with some carp around 5 lb. Meanwhile Peter had a grandstand finish on the cat meat.

Peter Harrison on Peg 8 had a good spell on cat meat fished
in the deeper water. You can see how good the
margins look along this bank.

The weigh in
Weights down to me were not good. I thought I had around 50 lb and Pete Molesworth said he had, also. In fact he weighed 49lb 12 oz, thanks to that late run, and I had 47 lb 12 oz. To my left Peter weighed in 93 lb 7 oz, and said that actually he had not had a touch of any kind in the margin. To his left Eddie McIlroy on 8  ws just behind with 86 lb 9 oz.

But the star performance came from Steve Tilsley opposite on 10, using mainly corn, who totalled 168 lb 2 oz for the win, on a pole, leaving Peter second and Eddie third. Dan Pettigrew on 18 was the best of the rest - fourth with 76 lb 13 oz. I came 7th, missing my four-peg section win by double default  by just that 2 lb.

Shaun Buddle won Lous lake from peg 1 on the pole, with 63 lb, with most taken close to the end bank, against the reeds..

Marks out of 10
I give myself 6. I should have tried the meat earlier, and even though I had a feeling that the better carp were in the slightly deeper water I stayed too long in the shallow margins. Next match was Monday, March 25 on Cedar, where I will have cat meat and decent musell ready. I lost a couple of nice carp, probably foulhooked, but it's still annoying.

Eddie McIlroy - 3rd with 86 lb 9 oz.

Peter Harrison - 2nd with 93 lb 7 oz.

THE RESULT

Six-Island 1-9

Six-Island 10-25

Lou's

Wot, no rain? Back on Six-Island

Peg 14, Friday, Mar 15
There was good news...and not-so-good news at the Spratts club draw at Decoy. It was great to see Mick Ramm back on the bank, sporting his two bionic hips. As I have mentioned many times before, Mick and I were in the same class at St Peter's Shool, Wisbech, in the late 1940s, and no doubt we both quailed at, and suffered at, the hands of, Old Ma Thompson, a teacher I can only describe as wicked.

No-one who was ever in her class will ever forget the delight she displayed in caning poor little six-year-olds who didn't really know what was happening and who wouldn't have ever been rude to a grown-up, anywhere. But we both survived, though I suspect that many more had their chilhoods scarred by that hariden. Strange that her husband 'Rocky' Thompson, the headmaster, was a lovely man...

Then Trevor updated us on Peter Barnes, who has had a horrendous time with his chemotherapy, and has said he didn't expect to be able to fish with us this year. Peter said he keeps up to date with the club by reading this 'comedian's' blog. Blimey, he must be in a bad way...  Hasta las Vista, Baby! We really miss your smiling face, Peter, so I will have to put up with photographing these ugly buggers till you get back.

Peg 14, with another pesky bush peventing me fishing further along that margin.

Happy with my draw (!)
I was happy with peg 14, and as last week's (failed) Golden Peg, I drew for this one, and pulled out John Garner. Well, I pulled out his milk bottle top! Next decision was to wheel my trolley down by peg 2 and right round the lake, as the bank from peg 23 down to 16 was ankle-deep in mud in places (as it often is). I once had my best-ever match weight of about 176 lb on peg 14, mainly from the left margin, but on this occasion the wind, which was over my back from the left (how did I manage that?) was too strong to be able to fish that properly after the first hour. And I had a bush only a top-two away to the right.

The best margin spot (to be honest the only one) looked to be under that bush, but I started with a banjo feeder and a pink wafter cast to the middle. Before long I had an 8 lb common carp, and I was away. Bob Barrett on 13 was casting to the island and also had a quick start. An F1 came quickly but then I had a long period without any more bites so had a quick look on my 2+3 pole line. The 0.5 gm float sat there in the waves just beautifully, and I was certain that something would come along and pick up the 6mm expander. But NO. Not a sausage, not a touch. 

Bob Barrett, on the other side of the bush, kept putting occasional fish into his net, all on feeder and pellet.

A good spell
So it was into the margins, which were also blank, and then back on the feeder. That produced five F1s in about 40 minutes, but suddenly those bites dried up. So it was back inside, under the bush, with corn, and I thought the float was twitching as it settled. That happened several times and gradually the twitches became proper bites...except that when I struck there was nothing there. I became convinced that F1s were knocking and slapping the bait.

A change to maggot produced another 8 lb carp first drop in, but then I had just the dips and dive-unders. Then in came a 5 lb carp foulhooked in the pectoral; fin, and a 3 lb F1 hooked in the side of the head - a clear indication that they weren't taking the bait properly. The next hour saw another carp and a couple of F1s, and I cleverly changed from the bunch of four or five deads I had been using on a size 12, down to a size 16 with two maggots, assuming the F1s would perhaps take a smaller bait.

John Garner had 6 lb knocked off his weight. 😞
He took his fish on pole but lost a couple.

That change down to two maggots immediately brought a roach, another roach, and a perch. So I cleverly put four maggots on the hook, which would obviously attract the carp and F1s. Nope - roach took this bait, but they had never taken four maggots on a size 12! Doesn't make sense. 

A bad finish
With an hour to go a 5 lb carp took the maggots on a size 12, but the last hour saw just liner after liner, on maggot or corn, and not a single fish. I am sure there were lots of carp down there, but I wasn't clever enough to catch them. On peg 11 Mick Ramm eventually found carp close-in, right in front of him, and looked as if he had caught up Trevor Cousins opposite. Later I remembered that before the match Mick said he had had several fish splash in front of him, but I saw only two all day in front of me.

A triumphant return for Mick Ramm to the match scene...

The weigh in

As we had half-expected the top end pegs didn't fish as well as our end. John Garner started the ball rolling with 56 lb, knocked back to 50 lb, taken on the pole. Then came Trevor Cousins, who had started well on bomb and corn, capaulting corn out into the fierce wind, though he said: "I think most of that corn finished up in Horseshoe!' Five carp in the last half-hour from the margins on a pole catapulted his weight to 85 lb 1 oz, but he was sure that Mick Ramm's late burst had overtaken him.

In fact Mick had just 81 lb 14 oz, and Bob Barrett, to my right had 55 lb 12 oz for third, all on a feeder and pellet, which would have been fourth if John Garner hadn't gone overweight in his net. I managed 45 lb 12 oz, which nobody else could beat, and I ended fifth, with top honours to Trevor and Mick, followed by Bob and John.

Bob Barrett - third, with every fish taken on his usual feeder gear.

From then on weights gradually got lower as the scales went along the bank, with a grass carp of about 8 lb boosting Dave Hobbs to 28 lb 8 oz on peg 25. There are just a few left in the lakes, and must be at least 15 years old now. But they didn't do as well as the barbel, which were stocked around the same time.

Marks out of ten

I am determined to try to use more change baits this season. As Syd Meads told me once - better to try something that sit there doing nothing new; and I know that when he fished the first Woodbine final on Coombe Abbey (as I did) he actually took cockles! 

Tooday I tried mussel and red corn, but I think I should also have tried feeding expanders, as a change from corn, on a short line in front of me - that would possibly have brought in carp and F1s and avoided the roach. Still, you can't do everything, and just two or three more F1s (my best was over 3 lb) would have pushed me to third spotl. So I give myself 6/10.

Next match is back on Six-Island on Sunday with JV. It's my favourite lake at Decoy, and this was my first match there for months. I don't care about the wind or rain - just give me something between 7 and 11.

Dave Hobbs, with that big ole grass carp from peg 25.

THE RESULT

2 Dick Warrener        6 lb 13 oz
4 Mike Rawson        10 lb 4 oz

6 John Garner           50 lb            4th

8 Trevor Cousins      85 lb 1 oz     1st

11 Mick Ramm         81 lb 14 oz    2nd

13 Bob Barrett          55 lb 12 oz    3rd

14 Mac Campbell     45 lb 12 oz

17 Steve Engledow  34 lb 9 oz

18 Bob Allen            32 lb 3 oz

22 Neil Paas             13 lb 5 oz

25 Dave Hobbs        28 lb 8 oz