Saturday 16 March 2024

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 


 

Wet, Wet, Wet, on Cedar

 Peg 7, Cedar, Sunday, March 11
Very late in posting this, as it took me days to dry everything out. It was raining when I went out to the van to drive to the JV match, raining all the way to Decoy, raining at the start, raining all day, raining at the end, raining while weighing in, and raining on the return journey home. As I drove through Ramsey St Mary I saw a light on in a garage, and as I drove by I could see in the main door. There was someone inside obviously working, on something that looked suspiciously like an ark. Them old Fen Boys have an instinct for this sort of thing!

I was pretty chinkered after the draw - for the umpteenth match in a row I managed to end up with the wind in my face on Cedar while half the others, on Elm, had it behind them. How do I do it? Anyway, I managed to get my umbrella up, in a fashion, but the North-Easterly was cold and the rain was,err, wet.

Too wet to get my phone out to take a picture of my swim. It was mainly water anyway, but with a bush fairly close to me on the right which meant I had not a lot of margin on that side.

The match itself was forgettable. I couldn't be bothered to get a rod out of the bag, because at the start fishing at 13 metres was definitely on, because the wind wasn't too strong. One foulhooked carp of 5 lb taken at 11.5 metres on corn started me off. Then followed a couple of fishless hours during which I had a look in the left margin and the right margin. But soon the wind blew harder and beat upon that umbrella, but it fell not!

However the left margin was now out for me, as it meant facing the wind, so the right margin prevailed and with an hour to go I had added two more carp and two bream. I was difficult, because the only place I could get a bite was under the bush, which I managed to hook only once. Meanwhile, behind me facing West, Pete Molesworth had found carp on corn in his margin, and to his left I saw Ivy Tilsley netting a fish or two towards the end.

An umbrellaless Ian Frith - winner on peg 1 with 115 lb 5 oz.
With 30 minutes left I started a new swim at 2+3 and first drop a 3 lb bream came in. I was certain more would follow, but they had gone (if they had ever arrived)! I never had another bite, and by the end I was hoping that I would soon feel I'd had enough. To my right three anglers had sat all day with no umbrella...and they all beat me.

The weigh in
Wet! And there was now an inch or two of water lying on much of the bank. Ian Frith on 1 had 115 lb 15 oz to win the lake, with several taken on feeder early on and most of the rest of long pole dotted around in front of him. On 3 Ron Cuthbert was second with 98 lb 12 oz on a pole. I had a measly 23 lb 6 oz - last on the lake, but I was successful, at least, in surviving that horrible, horrible day. And some consolation is that I was in the middle of the bottom three on the lake.
Pete Molesworth - second on Elm 19 with 82 lb 11 oz.


Ivy (Sorry - Steve) Tilsley had a good finish on Elm on the pole mainly on maggot, to win with 114 lb 7 oz. And I give myself 7/10 for not making any reall gaffes. I thought I fished a tidy match...in the circumstances. 

Next match Six-Island with Spratts, on Friday, where I hope there's not as much mud, though I know that from 23 down to 16 can be really muddy even in a normal Winter. Looking forward to that, hoping I get in the main bowl, round the corner. 

PS I checked my rod bag on Thursday, ready for the Spratts match, only to find an inch of water in the bottom. How did that get there?  I never even unzipped it for the Cedar match...

THE RESULT

Cedar
Elm (they had back wind!)


Friday 8 March 2024

Has my luck partly turned for the better on Yew?

Peg 20, Yew, Decoy
Just call me Goldenballs Campbell – first of all peg 20 was drawn for me in the first Spratts match of the year. It’s probably the most consistent peg on Yew, and had provided the lake winner in the Winter League final two weeks previously. THEN Trevor went and drew the Golden Peg – Number 20! My luck has obviously turned (!)

We were fishing the East bank of Yew, sheltered from the light but biting easterly wind. But that meant that we all had flat calm water at the start, though later some ripple appeared in the higher numbers at the car park end. Like all the banks, there was mud, but nothing like as bad as that either side of Oak, which has been sheeted along the banks to prevent any further erosion. The poor sods who were pegged there in the Winter League final had found the mud up to the tops of their trolley wheels.

Rain, Rain, go away…
That was not the fault of Decoy, who had intended to start the work in October, but who were continually hampered by the rain – hardly a day has passed since Mid-October when rain has not fallen. Sean the owner can’t do anything with that mud until it has hardened a bit. As I write we’ve had two days without rain, which is the first time I can remember, for months. Anyway, I carry a length of polythene in my trolley bag, so I put my bags on it behind the platform.

Bob Barrett, next to me, had this fish on within a few minutes. The water was calm,
but out of the shelter of the trees the wind was a biting Easterly.
Give it time
I used to be a semi-pro stand-up comedian, but sometimes I would sing at concerts, and having a bass voice one of my songs was Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud (The Hippopotamus Song). So far I have refrained from belting out as we walk down the bank (but watch this space).

A good start for some
On end peg 27 Peter Harrison started on 16 metres (according to Trevor who was next door), and soon had fish. That caused Trevor to cast his bomb or feeder halfway across, and he, too, started to catch fish.

On the next peg along Steve Engledow put a piece of corn on a margin pole rig, dropped it down, without putting in any loosefeed, and soon had his first carp. Meanwhile, towards the other end, I started on a bomb and corn, and sat sitting there without even a liner while Bob Barrett, to my left, had two early fish on a feeder. Then Shaun Buddle, on my right, had a fish on pole, and John Garner, on his right wound a fish in on his rod.

A switch to pole saw my fish still AWOL, but then the float dipped, at 11.5 metres, and a 2 lb F1 came in, hooked on corn. At least I would weigh in. But it took ages before I had another bite, and that came off after one second, definitely foulhooked, as I thought I had missed it, and had  then hit it nearer the surface.

Shaun Buddle carefully plays a fish on his brand-new short Daiwa top!
Shaun had another fish or two before I managed a good one – a 7 lb mirror. Much later another came in, and then I hit a really big fish which eventually snagged me about three metres out from the bank, in open water. That rarely happens at Decoy, so it was a massive surprise to me…and it cost me dear.

Suddenly, in the afternoon, the sun came out, and I looked up to see Shaun and John both playing fish, as was Bob Barrett, and while they were doing that I had my next carp, about 5 lb. I expected to see more elastics stretching out after that, but that five-minute purple patch was never repeated, except that John Garner kept winkling in the odd fish.

A bust float
However, I did hit another fish. For the first few seconds it hardly moved, then it shot off like a bullet from a gun and back came the rig, complete except for the fact that the Tuff Eye float tip had broken off. These are not made for carp fishing, but I have used them, and their predecessors the Tipo, for years, because there are four different-coloured tips and they can be interchanged. However, once the tip has broken off at the body it’s impossible to get another in, so that float is already in the dustbin.

I had been looking in the margins every now and again, but had just the odd liner from fish passing  by (which was annoying, as John Garner was taking his fish from the margins). But then a new long-swim rig, still baited with corn, tempted a carp about 8 lb.  I played it carefully, as I had seen Shaun ping out of about three fish, but it ended in my net, and with 15 minutes left another fish was on.

A good 'un
This fish quickly launched itself clear of the water twice, and it looked to be a good ‘un. It took me a couple of minutes to think that perhaps it was foulhooked, and another ten minutes to see that it was hooked in the tail. It came to the net about eight times – tail-first of course – before it was close enough for me to get the net right underneath it. Thankfully the water was clear, and yes! As I lifted the pole the fish dived down, straight into the landing net. And yes, it was at least 10 lb. But there was no time to catch another. Match over….

I had six fish, but Bob had eight or nine, as did Shaun, and John Garner must have had more than a dozen.

Peter Spriggs - 39 lb 8 oz from peg 22. You can see that
the bank here was still in reasonable order, despite all the rain.
 

The weigh in
I was surprised to see the best weights down to be had come from from the first three pegs at the car park end, but I don’t believe that there were any more fish up there – it was down to the quality of the anglers. Peter Harrison had taken 70 lb 7 oz, with Trevor Cousins not far behind, followed by Steve Engledow. 

Bob Barrett on my left had just 34 lb 11 oz - much less than I had assumed. My six fish went 44 lb, and Shaun's eight or nine only just beat me - 46 lb 3 oz. 

The another surprise - about eight of John Garner's fish were barbel, which of course are smaller than the average carp on Yew, and he weighed 48 lb 2 oz for fourth place, the first three pegs taking the first three spots. I finished sixth out of the 12. That one fish which snagged me must have been approaching double-figures, and would in fact have put me third - it needed to have weighed only  5 lb 2 oz to have overtaken Shaun, John and Steve Engledow.

Great to see Martin Parker back on the bank after
an operation on a tumour pressing on his brain.
 (The surgeon confirmed he has got one!)
Marks out of ten
I give myself 5, because I had intended to hand-feed a maggot swim, which could easily have attracted barbel, but I never thought about it! On the plus side I spent some time getting the float very sensitive in the calm water, and every fish came to a tiny dip which I would never have seen if I hadn't got the float dotted down to a pimple. I did try maggot and soft pellet on the hook, and was surprised not to get a touch. 

Carp were showing occasionally on the surface, and I wondered whether dobbing maggot or pellet shallow would have taken any, but I had no confidence because of the clear water, with no ripple. And bread is (so I found out), not now allowed - the closing date was Feb 29, not March 31 as I had understood, so mine stayed in its bag.

Next match is Sunday with JV, currently on Elm and Cedar, but with the East bank of Cedar so muddy it looks as if we may be facing that East wind, which I do not fancy.




Look at those lovel barbel in John Garner's net. They must have
been in Decoy for 15 years and are still doing well.

THE RESULT
27 Steve Engledow           49 lb 1 oz       3rd
26 Trevor Cousins            66 lb 14 oz     2nd
25 Peter Harrison             70 lb 7 oz       1st  
24 Dick Warrener             38 lb 8 oz
23 Bob Allen                    25 lb 9 oz
22 Peter Spriggs               39 lb 8 oz
21 Bob Barrett                  34 lb 11 oz
20 Mac Campbell             44 lb
19 Shaun Buddle              46 lb 3 oz
18 John Garner                 48 lb 2 oz       4th
17 Mike Rawson              13 lb 13 oz
16 Martin Parker              34 lb 1 oz


Monday 26 February 2024

Two days in the wind at Magpie and on Beastie

 Peg 2, Magpie, Wed, Feb 21
With rain forecasted for the first few hours, I was one of the lucky (!) ones (again) to get it in my face in this Pidley Pensioners match on Elm Magpie and Raven. The wind was into me from the left, and as it grew stronger the rain kept falling. It was bitterly cold, as well. It didn't help that the battery on my trolley, which I hadn't charged for  couple of weeks, was flat!

On my right, no-one was on peg 1, but after the match I saw it had been drawn by Paul Abbott. As I had been unloading my van before the start I had noticed that a white van which was near me suddenly drove away, and I wondered why. Now I realised - Paul had parked, walked down to peg 1, seen the conditions, and decided not to fish...and I can't blame him!

Peter picked out wet and windy peg 2 for me!

A decision
At my peg I had a decision to make - put on my side tray, or put up the umbrella?  I wouldn't normally put up an umbrella, as I have perfectly good waterproofs, but this was exceptional. The umbrella won. It didn't shelter me completely from the stinging rain, but it kept some off my face, and kept most of my gear dry. I had to utilise one of the storm guides, by screwing an extending bankstick into the ground, and fixing the other end to the umbrella. Then I started fishing.



Lots of umbrellas were put up, and later the gusts became really fierce.

This won't take long - two hours after the start I had caught two carp about 2 lb each, on a bomb, one on bread and one on corn, cast across to the far side or to the bridge. At this point I walked up to Allan Golightly on 5, who had one tiny perch. He had now taken down his umbrella, because the wind was so strong. And back at my peg I had a problem - I have an extending umbrella arm on the box, and the wind had loosened this, and was pulling the extension out, so the umbrella now leaned well over.

A second erection
It took me probably 20 minutes to take everything down, including the three guy ropes, and erect it all  again. The wind had also broken the thick, strong wire holding the storm guide in, but I found some wire and did a hasty repair. I was feeling decidedly chinkered, but had a look, on a pole,  in the right margin, where to my surprise I quickly had three F1s on corn.

Across from me on peg 36 Vic German had found fish very early on, and was catching steadily on a pole fished right across to his far bank, near the bridge. 

Fish close in
When bites dried up in my swim, and the wind kept blowing the pole over the bank, I went to the left margin on a top two. This was now facing the wind, and I could get much better presentation, though my wet hands were very cold. Here, fishing first corn and then maggot, off the bottom, I found about 15 F1s. If I tried fishing on the bottom against the reeds I often picked up weed or twigs - and in any case the fish needed the bait off bottom. The fish were messing about with the bait and many times the float dipped slightly, and if I struck at that I missed. So I had to leave the float to go under and stay under.

 Although the rain stopped an hour or two before the finish the wind picked up, and several times I had to lean out and hold the umbrella pole steady. And when the match finished the wind, of course, started to die right away! I believe that is The Law Of Sod.

The weigh in 
I was first to weigh - 36 lb 2 oz, which I was happy with when Allan didn't weigh. But later I saw that a lot had weighed in more than that, which tempered my enthusiasm somewhat! But most didn't have that nasty wind. I didn't fancy taking any photographs, as I just wanted to pack up and get in the warm.

Magpie was won on peg 25 - Pat Neale with 105 lb 12 oz - which looked to me as if it was facing right into the wind, but Ron Clark, on 24 had told me, before the match, that it seemed to be a backish wind there. So perhaps things weren't absolutely wicked there, after all; the wind does funny things. Raven was won with 69 lb 6 oz on peg 12, which I would hve thought was also facing the wind.

I finished 11th out of 16 on my lake.

Marks out of  ten
I actually enjoyed the second half of the match, and wished I had started on the pole earlier. But the rain and wind picked up before the start and I couldn't have fished far out, and I hadn't expected to find fish so close to the bank.Still, I give myself 7/10 because I thought I fished it OK once I went on to the pole. Next match the following Sunday on Beastie, the ay after the Winter League final, on Decoy.

THE RESULTS


Magpie 1-22

Magpie 23-36


Raven 1-22


Raven 23-28

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Peg 8, Beastie, Sun, Feb 25
The ice on my windscreen was so hard I couldn't scrape it off, and had to use de-icer (which I dislike doing). Then I was lucky enough (again!) to have the wind in my face at the start of this JV club match...but my swim, somehow, was calm, with the nearest ripple far out of reach with a pole. However, later the wind  moved round to where it was forecast to come - ENE over my right shoulder, and it was biting, even though my swim was still calm most of the time. Those poor souls Carl White and Eddie McIlroy, who I could see on the back of the spit, now facing the wind on pegs 13 and 9, must have been frizzed to the bone.

To be honest nobody, including me, fancied these swims anyway. For weeks the best weights on Beastie have been in the main basin, and mainly from 14 round to about 23. But after the wind had moved, at least the high bank behind me gave plenty of shelter, although it was biting. This peg used to be a brilliant tench peg, but I haven't caught a tench from the lake for years. Where do they go to?

No ripple at the start, and even when the wind swung round I still got hardly any!

A hazard
The steps are a hazard if you're my age, so I took my time. But I was mighty glad we weren't fishing on Oak, where work has just finished sheeting the margins to prevent bank erosion, and where new platforms have been put in. I've seen a picture of the mud that the Winter League Final anglers had to negotiate there, and it was HORRENDOUS - almost up to the tops of the trolley wheels, and it's fair bet that some anglers left their wellie boots sticking in the mud as they fell over.

I'm surprised the Angling Trust didn't move that section, at least, on to Willows, or even to another fishery. It really was unbelievable - not the fault of the fishery, who tried to start the work in October, but who were handicapped by the weather from the start. At least it's now finished, with new platforms all the way along. But nobody will want to fish from those banks for months. Sean, the fishery owner is considering putting down bark to make it navigable, but will have to wait until the weather hardens it. Rather his decision than mine.

The water is clearing
Back to my match, and  the water was clearer than it has been recently, and when the sun shone I thought I would be able to see any carp moving near the surface, but in fact saw only two all day. In the Winter League final Horseshoe was won by John Arthur, who said he could see carp moving three feet down!

On my corner peg 8 I started dobbing around with bread, but moved to maggots fished deeper when I had no touches, and eventually a small roach came from the swim out to my left. After taking a few more roach, and some gudgeon - all just off bottom - I started a second swim to the right. Then a 1 lb bream came from the lefthand swim, and another from the right. If I laid on the bottom (my rig, not me) I'd almost always bring back a twig or leaf, so I fished most of the time just off bottom, or up to eight inches above it.

Dave Parson won my section with 18 lb 1 oz, with the help
 of that big ole mirror carp.
That brought another bream and three F1s, plus a few more 'bits'. But at no time did I feel that I was going to catch a load, or even two fish in successive casts. The first big carp that swam through, was moving a bit too quickly for me to grab my mugging rig. But the second one obligingly drifted around for a minute or two, and I was able to drop a piece of slowly-sinking frozen corn in front of it three times. And three times that fish completely ignored it! That's been the story of my life.

I'd not see Carl or Eddie catch much, and I bet they were even more pleased to hear the match end that I was.

The weigh in
These anglers are all better than I am, so I was pleased that my 10 lb 12 oz was not last in the first four weighs. In fact if Dave Parsons hadn't had a near-10 lb carp in his 18 lb 1 oz (which won the section) I would have been second. 

Rob Goodson won the last section with 21 lb 2 oz from peg
29, managing to find some fish on the bomb cast to the aerator
and then on a pole in his right margin. 
As we all rather expected, the best weights (top six came from these seven swims) came from 15 to 23. The exception was poor Ivy Tilsley, on 18, which is a bit of a specialist swim - can be brilliant in Summer, but dodgy in Winter. He was so cold he packed up early, but still stayed and weighed. Lee Kendall won peg 17. taking mainly F1s on pole no more than about five metres out, and maggot ,for his 56 lb 12 oz. I understand he fed the best part of four pints (which I suppose you can do, even in Winter, if you're getting bites). I got through about half a pint. Sean Buddle, third on peg 22, took all his fish on bomb and bread cast to the island.

Marks out of ten
As so often happens you needed to be in the wind to have the best chance of catching fish,  and I wasn't. But I thought I fished a tidy match in the circumstances, making changes when I needed to make something happen, and not just sitting there hoping the fish would start feeding. So I give myself 9/10, as I don't think I could have done any better.

Next match Wednesday on Jay and Raven at Pidley. I'm not bothered where I get so long as I have a good wave or ripple. In Summer you often need to fish long on both lakes, but at this time of year that far bank (even if you can reach it) is often non-productive, even for the best anglers, and fishing down the track or in the margin is often your best chance. I will just concentrate on presentation, with maggots my probably banker bait, but with 4mm expanders if I start catching the odd carp.

THE RESULT


Thursday 22 February 2024

A late spurt on Elm, Decoy.

 Peg 15, Elm, Sun, Feb 18
With rain forecasted for the first few hours, I was one of the lucky (!) ones to get it in my face in this JV club match on Elm, Decoy. Not a bad draw, but anyone would have preferred peg 8, or opposite on 17, which can be hot pegs on this lake...however neither was in the draw. I had Tom Wilson on my left and Chris Saunders opposite on 10. All of us had lots of mud to trek through - more than I can remember ever seeing at Decoy.
I earmarked that bush for my barbel swim (but nobody told the barbel).

With a bush a few feet to each side it left me with very little margin to play with but I started on the pole on corn to the left bush. Soon Tom was playing a fish taken at about 11.5 metres out. Having had no bites I also went out, on corn, but try as I might I couldn't get a bite, while Tom was landing or losing several. Opposite, Chris Saunders had earlier played a fish for a long time and I soon realised it was foulhooked. But eventually he had it almost in his net.

Drama
Actually the fish appeared to have the wrong half in Chris' net - the back half. Chris stood there, unable to shuffle the fish into any farther in, and I had time to bring my pole in, park it, pick up my camera, and focus on the drama in front of me. But as I looked up the picture had changed - Chris was now playing the fish again. the fish was now playing Chris again.

I watched as the elastic stretched out, then retracted and Chris managed, somehow to coax the fish into the net again and this time he managed, very slowly, to pull it in. As he bent down and lifted it I could see it was a big 'un - probably near the 15 lb mark. Well done, Chris. 

Second attempt and Chris has most of the fish in the net (headfirst this time)...

...and up, up, up she comes.

Phew - that was the only excitement I had in the first three hours, because a change to maggot had brought just a few roach and perch from the righthand bush - not IN the bush, you understand, but from the water nearby. I had been hoping for barbel, and after Eddie McIlroy on my right had four I kept fishing there, expecting a barbel any minute, on a size 14.

A tackle change
But those pesky barbel never came and when I found a huge area of snags there I sat back and decided something had to change. All I could think of was to cut off the size 14 hook I had on, tied direct to 0.22 nylon, and substitute a size 16 to 5 lb line. The result was incredible. And first drop back at 10 metres, more than three hours after the match had started, I had my first carp, 5 lb.

I made Shaun turn into the sun so I could
see those lovely barbel he took on peg 18.
Live maggot brought roach - the barbel wanted only
dead ones!
By now the rain had stopped, and the wind was quite strong, but at 10 metres, fishing directly into the wind (which is almost always better than taking it on sideways) I could get reasonable presentation. And ten minutes later in came another carp. Then there was a long lull, with some liners, but fishing off bottom brought nothing. Tom had been taking the occasional fish, though, and I was in for a beating.

A late spurt
With 90 minutes left the fish decided to start biting and four came in in a period of about 30 minutes, best around 10 lb. Perhaps I could catch Tom yet. Then another lull, and with just 15 minutes left I put the rig out in front of me and more in hope than expectation potted in some maggots. Result! Two more carp in the last 15 minutes on the 'barbel' rig was the result, and I was unhooking the second one when the match finished. So I ended with eight carp after fearing, at the three-hour mark, that I would be absolutely hammered.

Tom Wilson, next to me, started taking barbel on maggot, 
but had too many roach among them. So he changed to
 a banded pellet to take the rest of his second-placed 75 lb 9 oz.
The weigh in
Tom was, as I had expected, top weight down to 16 (from 24), with 75 lb 9 oz. I was happy to weeigh in 49 lb 5 oz, and with Eddie McIlroy on 14 having packed up a couple of hours before the end, I was second on my bank. However, there were four weights to beat mine on the opposite bank, including Peter Molseworth's winning 86 lb 7 from peg 5, and Chris Saunders had ended with nine arp, beating me with 56 lb 14 oz, and winning my section by default. So I ended sixth.

Marks out of 10
I obviously should have changed my hook earlier, but with double-figure fish around, and always the chance of foulhooking one, I tend to favour strong gear...though I have been told many times that it's essential on Decoy to go lighter in Winter, even if the water is heavily coloured, as it currently is. But I still give myself 7/10, having had those six fish in the last 90 minutes, which was more than I could see anyone else catching at that stage. Next match the Pidley Pensioners on Magpie and Raven. 

PS I was busy taking as the results were read out and two minuteds later realised Carl had gone home, before I had photographed them...luckily Sir Christopher Saunders was more on the ball as I was, and had taken his picture. So I lift the result from his Facebook page. Thanks, Chris. But I did manage to photograph the Decoy Winter League and the Open results, though Karen at Decoy now puts all the Open results up on the Decoy Facebook page.

The result                                                                Sec

1 John Knight 16 2                 A
3 Carl White 11 5                A
5 Pete Molesworth 86 7 1st        A
7 J Haynes 66 3  Sec win B
9 D Pettigrew 54 2                B
10 Chris Saunders 56 14 Sect win C
12 Steve Tilsley 29 11                C
14 Eddie McIlroy DNW                     C
15 Mac Cambell 49 5                  C
16 Tom Wilson 75 9 2nd        C
18 Shaun Buddle 39 8                   B
20 Pete Harrison 13 2                 B
22 Ron Cuthbert 17 15               A
24 Earnie Lowbridge 18 7 Sect win A

OTHER RESULTS
Winter League Damson
Winter League Six-Island

Open Lous


Open Beastie
Open Willows

Open Horseshoe





Friday 16 February 2024

A slow start doesn't help me on Crow, Pidley

Peg 9, Wed, Feb 14
Back with the Pidley Pensioners, with me on Crow, and some of the others on Magpie.The wind soon picked up and made fishing a long pole difficult. I had intended to start on a feeder, but it wasn't cold, and I had a quick look on the pole, just over the margin in the dep water. The rig settled nicely, but I had to take off a No 13 shot because of the waves. That done I dropped back, fished for about a minute, and looked to my right to see Marcus Wareing on 7 aleaady reeling in a fish taken on a feeder.

Five minutes later I put out a maggot feeder to the far bank. In the next 40 minutes Marcus landed about 6 or 7 more fish, and I had not had even a liner. Half an hour later I switched to a small hybrid feeder (similar to what Marcus was using), trying maggots, an orange wafter, and a pink wafter, still without even a liner. 

The bank was squishy with water, but thanks to the artificial turf 
all the pegs at Pidley are virtually free of mud. The wind picked up
considerably after the match had started, and 14 metres was out of the question for me.

Maggot was best
To my left the angler on 11 had had a fish or two on a maggot feeder, cast about three-quarters of the way over, so I tried that. Nothing. Almost two hours had gone before I gave up and went back to the pole, trying expanders. Then a switch to maggot brought a bite and a fish...attached to about two feet of a broken pole rig. Somehow the l F1 ended in my landing net and I was at least not fishless.

The rest of the match saw me using a cad pot every other cast, putting in maggots, and every 15 minutes I would get an F1. However, I knew that there were fish in the swim beause I could see tiny jigs on the float as the bait sank. I had one fish well off bottom, but had to drag bottom to get a bite. Very strange. 

Of course between the big gusts I had a look well out at 10 metres with corn or maggot but never had a touch there, so stayed on a 2+2 or 2+1 line. A few minutes from the end, with about 12 F1s in the net I hit a better fish which proved to be a 5 lb mirror. At the same time Marcus, who had been switching between feeder and pole, was playing an eight-pounder. Two minutes later the match finished. He told me he had had taken fish on mainly expanders on the pole, with a switch to maggot closer in in the later stages. Well done on the win, Marcus. 

The weigh in

Will Hadley on 5 had 60 lb 8 oz, but Marcus, thanks to that late big carp, pipped him with 67 lb 14 oz to win the lake. I had a miserable 23 lb, beating only two, who were in the deeper water in the higher numbers. Interestingly  Marcus was on peg 21 last match, and had put on the same rig, set at the depth for peg 21, only to find that his swim on 7 was two feet shallower. We assumed that the better weights would be at the other end, but we were wrong.

Marks out of ten

I started on expanders, which I have a lot of faith in, but never had any sort of  touch. Then when eventually I went back on the pole with maggot I felt I was fishing OK. Why I never had a touch on the feeder is still a mystery. The pole rigs seemed to be working perfectly, though towards the end I lost about five fish, which I thought were probably foulkhooked. Then I realised that several of those I had landed were hooked very lightly in the lip - I was amazed they hadn't pulled off. So I have to assume that they weren't really feeding, and I give myself 6. I've fished much worse and caught much more in the past!

Magpie was won from favoured peg 36 by Rob Heath, who always seems to outfish his nearby competitors. Give him a flier and he's way out in front. Well done, Rob.

Next match is Sunday somewhere on Decoy, which means a change from 8 and 10 elastics to around 14, as the fish can be well into double figures, especially after this prolonged mild spell.

THE RESULTS

Crow 1-12


Crow 13-25

Magpie 1-22

Magpie 23-36