I manage to frame

Kingsland Large Carp Lake, Coates, Cambs

There were 12 of us in this club match, and were given (as matches here seem to be now) the Eastern bank of the lake. Our peg 1 was in the first corner, down to 5, where there was a pleasure angler, and then 6 round to 12, in the U-shaped end of the lake). This is a great water for fishing shallow, and I used to use a pellet waggler, but now we’re always on the Eastern bank we are always facing any prevailing wind with West in it, which can make float fishing difficult, and  if the wind is behind us, as it was on this day, it’s always an Easterly which is never ideal for fishing shallow.

The fishing can be great, with lots of double-figure carp, but the banks are awkward, and you can’t lay everything out within easy reach, so I just took my rods and main pole, leaving behind the margin pole I like to use for lumps and which usually take here. The wind was cool, but at least there was no rain. My swim was 7, with the usual reed beds extending a few feet out – though towards the right, the higher numbers, there are two or three swims where you can fish very close in. Unfortunately I never seem to draw these.

My swim, with reeds either side, which can make it
 difficult landing fish  in Summer.

I started on the Method, with yellow pop-up, and after about 45 minutes took a 5 lb carp. After another 30 minutes biteless I changed to a pole, where I had put in half a pot of pellet and corn, and took carp of 6 lb and 8 lb in the next hour, fishing five sections out with corn. Then a hour went by without a fish – but Trevor, to my right, started taking carp regularly about every 15 minutes, on a pole. The swim was about 8-9 feet deep from just past the reeds and seemed not to alter depth by more than an inch or two right out to where I fished.

But landing carp on a top two when fishing eight feet deep was quite difficult, particularly since they simply kept refusing to come up to the surface. I was glad I had a puller on my Preston 13 Hollo elastic, as without it I would have had to use at least three and possibly four sections. The water was still cold, so obviously held more oxygen than it does in Summer, and the fish took advantage of that, taking well over five minutes to land, though Trevor seemed to be having less trouble.

Eventually I managed to hook a three-pounder...in the tail! It scorched away into Trevor’s swim but eventually landed up in my net. Then, for the next two hours, I couldn’t get a fish. I tried cat meat over dead maggots near the side where John, to my left, had taken a fish which we later weighed at 16 lb 5 oz (one of only two fish he had all match), getting several obvious liners from fish near the surtface, and striking at just two bites. Both hooked fish, and both the fish came off after five seconds – the second was definitely foulhooked so I assume the first was. I also hooked two roach on a bunch of deads but they, also, both came off.

John played a big carp for around 15 minutes, eventually landing it. But he ended with just two fish.

 

John's 16 lb 5 oz common.

Last-hour sprint

With 45 minutes left and just four fish weiging about 19 lb I knew I was well behind Trevor, who had 14 or 15 fish. I was at a loss to know what to do and in fact at one time started to nod off on my basket because of the lack of action. Another cast on the Method brought not even a liner, so I decided to ‘start again’ – fishing as if the match had just started.

I added another section, brought my droppers down again to within ten inches of the hook, and put on a small pole cup, filling it with ten grains of corn and a topping of Micros. I had watched Trevor carefully and he seemed to be fishing like this. To all intents and purposes I was fishing a nerw swim.

Out it went, and almost before the bait had wafted down to the bottom the float shivered and jerked under. I struck, and hooked a 6 lb carp. A good five minutes was spent landing it . Out I went again, and hooked another carp, about 8 lb.

 I was letting the rig settle and then dropping the bait directly and holding the rig steady before, after a minute, letting it drift slowly to the left. Normally I would drop the bait in first, but with so little time left the accuracy of the baiting right over the float gave me confidence.

The next cast saw the float go under but I realised that it was the corn. Somehow during the last fight the shot under the float had slipped and the float had dropped down the line. I moved the float up half-an-inch, tightened the shot underneath it, and next time it sat perfectly and I had a bite as soon as I allowed the float to drift very slowly. This gives a tiny bit of movement to the bait. This fish was 6 lb and the next drop-in brought another of 8 lb, which I landed five minutes after the match finished. Adding a section had occasionally brought me fish before, but not as spectacularly as this. Four fish in the last 40 minutes, while Trevor had started to struggle.

The weigh-in

Ninety-year-old Ted on Peg 1 weighed 31 lb 15 – what a great bloke. I was told that a lot of the fish in the first few pegs came in the last hour. I had no idea whether they had been catching but I felt, all day, that no-one was likely to have a huge bag. I was top weight down to me, with 48 lb 3 oz. Then came Trevor – and I found out the reason he was landing fish more quickly than me – I had 8 fish for 48 lb, average 6 lb; Trevor had 17 fish for 61 lb 3 oz, average around 3.5 lb.

 

Terry Tribe - Mr Happy!

Bob Barrett - Mr Unlucky!!

A tie for 1st place

Two pegs farther down was Bob Barrett, who had taken some better fish close-in, on corn. He had about ten...and they also weighed exactly 61 lb 3 oz. Talk about unlucky – he was on the Golden Peg but because he wasn’t the outright winner the money couldn’t be paid out.

I ended third with Terry Tribe, former National winner, fourth, taking his fish nearly all close in. So all-round I was happy. And with my next match on Sunday on Cedar Lake at Decoy I’m likely to start the same way as I finished here – a soft approach at 13 metres (wind permitting),  a meat rig ready for the side, and another side rig for maggot if the barbel show.

I wouldn’t mind pegs 1 or 26, at the car park end, or around peg 6 or opposite on 21. But, as always, I’m happy just to be fishing, and with slightly milder weather (though the water will still be cold) there’s a chance of winning off any peg.

Hurry up and take the picture!!

The result