Five hours for two rudd – Magpie, Pidley

This was the annual Over 60s Christmas match, and as often happens in the Winter, especially after a cold, cloudless night, when temperatures plummeted,  the fish hung around the lillies, and were caught mainly hanging bread or maggot off the bottom.

 

The aerator was about 18 metres away, and the obvious place to fish.

Conditions were not bad for fishing - the cold wind was not strong, though the bright sun didn't help, and I fished most of the day at 15 metres towards the aerator on peg 31. Two rudd for 10 oz came in the space of five minutes halfway through the match, and 40 minutes from the end I hooked my sole carp, which came adrift after a few seconds, leaving me with a scale the size of a 50-pence piece. To rest that swim, and my arms, I fished maggot at eight metres from time to time, putting in just a pinch of micros and about four maggots at a time, and never had a bite. Alan, to my right, foulhooked one ten minutes from the end and lost it...

Top weights were from 24, 2, 28, 25, 1, 34 and 36.

Top weights came from 24, fishing towards the lillies with bread, and pegs 2, and almost opposite on 28, where Mick Curtis told me that he in fact caught his fish away from the lillies, and that he had fish showing in his swim from time to time. I never saw the sign of a fish all day.

Best part of the day was the presentation in the cafe, where tea and home-made mince pies and sausage rolls awaited us, plus a bottle (we all took one to the match) and prizes donated by the fishery. A good day all-round, even though most struggled. Oh, and I wasn’t last.

I've wimped out of this Saturday's Open after seeing the local forecast - down to minus 5 degrees with rain and wind!