At least I wasn’t last! - Raven and Magpie, Pidley

Twenty-nine of us fished the Winter Qualifier at Rookery Farm Fishery, Pidley, which was fished on Raven and Magpie – it was to have been Raven and Jay but the wind was so bad on Jay that Magpie was used. Results onj these  matches over two lakes are Continental style – top weight wins; top weight on the other lake is second; next weight is third and second on the other lake is fourth overall.

My lake - Raven

I hadn’t taken my trolley, as you don’t need it on Jay or Raven, and luckily I drew Raven – peg  22, where the wind was from the left but in to our faces, but still fishable at 14 metres. The wind was coolish, but bearable.  I hung bread off bottom over the far side for an hour, with no result at all. A change to a single maggot brought a carp over 2 lb first drop in, then nothing. I pushed the float up so the bait was on bottom, and immediately another two-pounder came in. Then nothing for an hour.

A look in the deep water on a top two brought some little perch and one decent fish lost. And the next hour-and-a-half wo hours I spent alternating  from the inside line to right across, where I eventually foulhooked a two-pounder in the dorsal fin. Then the wind got up and I was in danger of the pole breaking, so I concentrated inside, and over the final 90 minutes managed to catch four F1s on maggot.

A little white lie?

The angler on my left said he had ten fish for about 10 lb, all from the inside line  – strange that he then weighed in 19 lb!! My fish weighed 11 lb 12 oz while Bob Coulson to my right had 11 lb 4 oz, with only two from the far shallows. Top weight on Raven was 31 lb 2 oz to Tom Edwards, on the other side, who had back wind, with second on the end peg a few swims to my right.

Magpie fished better

Magpie fished better, with their top two weights opposite each other on 32 and 5, presumably fishing to the reeds down the centre, Simon Skelton taking the overall win and £200 Golden Peg money,

With some very good anglers not weighing I was happy, at least beating the angler one side of me, and look forward to the Over 60s Christmas match on Magpie on Wednesday. Like almost everyone else I will be starting on bread hung off bottom, if the wind allows it. With cold water being heavier than warm water, and sinking to the depths, it’s hardly surprising that fish tend to be out of the deep water at this time of year, and cruising around mid-water, especially if there’s a warmish wind.

Alex does a brilliant jop of organising matches on this fishery, and provides prizes - last year I won one without catching a fish!