This was an Over-60s match which took place the day following the gale-force winds and constant heavy rain which we endured in the Peterborough area. And it was obvious it would have affected the fish in some way. The day itself was very windy, though with no rain, and though the forecast was for Westerlies all day while we were setting up it moved round from West to almost Northerly. So instead of me having a wind over my left shoulder it was almost a side wind, from left to right.
Peg 33 has no features which can be reached with a pole, except the margin, and to the right this was a row of boards round to peg 35, where Will Hadley was situated. I was pleased to be able to see another angler clearly, so I could judge how I was faring – so often it’s impossible to see the next-door angler. Ron Clark was to my left and he was set up, in the strong wind, to fish just the margins.
I asked Kevin Peacock before the match how he would fish it, and he said simply: “Out in front of you.” And in the absence of any other obvious tactic that is what I did. Five sections, with the pole wedged on my Octbox bump bar was the farthest I could fish properly, and when I started, on expander pellet after putting in a quarter-pot of corn and pellets, all I got was a couple of line bites.
I then saw Will catch three fish fairly quickly, while fishing a long pole – he had more of a back wind. So I was a bit deflated, and had a look in the left margin, near some reeds, without result. Then back to the long line, with a 1gm float, and I caught just one 2 lb carp on a 4mm expander. An hour gone, and I felt I was really struggling because the wind was not cold, and it felt as if fish should feed.
After 90 minutes I decided to put out a bait-dropper with dead maggots, and while it was sinking the pole was almost wrenched out of my hands – presumably a line by a big fish, or something actually attacking the bait-dropper! I left it a few minutes and came back inside, after putting in a few cubes of luncheon meat, then I moved from the shallow margin down the shelf into about four feet of water, and suddenly I got a bite – from a 4 lb carp. Game on!
Around this time I saw Will get another fish, and guessed that as I had seen him land four, he’d probably got eight. In fact he told me afterwards that it was just the four. I also considered going shallow, as odd fish were turning on the surface, but saw Will try it a couple of times and he didn’t stick at it long so I assumed it hadn’t worked for him.
So with two fish I went back out on the long line after putting some dead maggots and luncheon meat in the side. Corn on the long line brought two more fish, and I started alternating both lines, catching perhaps one fish every ten minutes, almost all from 3 lb to 5 lb. And I found I had to put bait in before every fish to have the best chance of a bite.
That went on for the rest of the match with me concentrating more on the margin until, with an hour to go bites slowed. I hadn’t put any feed in the right margin, where it was about two-and-a-half feet against the boards, so I put in a pot of dead maggots and within three minutes was playing a five-pounder whish took a bunch of ten deads. At this point I saw Will taking several fish, and I assumed he was still ahead of me.
Last few minutes and I winkled out two more fish from the left margin, after inducing a bite by just lifting the bait an inch or so. I find this almost invariably better than lifting it higher – the fish respond immediately if they are going to respond at all.
I’d no idea what anyone else had caught, but Will reckoned he had 60 lb (I thought it must be 80 lb from what I had seen and guessed) and I thought I might have 70lb. I always think the other angler has more than they actually have – I think this applies to almost everyone. It’s more difficult to estimate weight at Pidley than other waters as the rule is you have three nets and split the fish as evenly as you can – so no need to click.
The scales showed me to have 92 lb 12 oz, top weight round to me – I had just over 30 lb in each net. Will weighed 77 lb 15 oz, and I was mighty pleased to beat him, as he is a class act locally. And the good news was that I ended as the winner. That’s two firsts and a second in the last three Over 60s matches, and they are almost all former National Championship team men who know what they are doing. So a boost for my confidence.
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