I set a record! – Six-Islands, Decoy

It wasn’t a record I wanted to hold, but for the THIRD time in a row I finished last in the match. However, there were what I believe to be extenuating circumstances...

I drew Peg 1 on Six-Island, with Chris Barley on my immediate left on peg 3. There was a cold wind, with incessant rain which didn’t stop until halfway though the match, and we were both facing it – it was right into our faces. I don’t think I’ve been as cold since I fished the old Angling Times Winter League matches for the last time in the 1980s. Six-Island is the most Western lake on the complex, and our bank took the full force of the wind and rain, which came from WNW.

A good start

Things started brightly – I hooked a big fish within a minute of dropping in with a 4mm expander at 11.5 metres, which was on the edge of the sunken island slightly to my right. Unfortunately it came off after 30 seconds – probably foulhooked. I went out again, and had two or three more bites – probably liners – so I shallowed up, expecting to find carp ten inches off bottom.  But not a touch.

I was surprised to find that what had once been a tall island, well above the surface, has apparently been whittled down to no more than a foot above the bottom. I fished right on the edge, so could lay on the bottom or, moving a metres to the left, could fish just off bottom.

I persevered here for another hour, as the wind got slowly stronger and the rain harder, without another sign of fish. Eventually a roach took the expander, and I changed to maggot, but I couldn’t keep the roach coming. I tried out at four sections of pole, and had a few more, and even one in the margin. The problem in my swim was that near the margin the wind was creating a tow out to the open water, so I had no idea where my loosefeed was finishing up.

It gets even colder

I had tried out near the aerator to my right, and beyond it, but with the wind then at 90 degrees to the pole, even with resting the pole on the aerator it was in danger of breaking, so I had to give that up. After the rain stopped things were tolerable for half an hour, but then the wind became bitterly cold again, and I could not stop shivering, even though I had eight layers of clothing on.

My sorry result. John Arthur on peg 7 seems to have changed his name!

With 15 minutes to go, after consistently trying pellet, corn and maggot,  I had about 15 roach, and suddenly hit a lump in the margin on double maggot. Five minutes later that lump was in my landing net, and on close inspection turned out to be a 10 lb mirror carp. It was my last fish, and I weighed 12 lb 9 oz for plumb last. HOWEVER I can’t be too despondent, as the bottom three weights in the match came from Six-Island.

Six-Island winner Billy Marlow,
on peg 22, with 80 lb 13 oz.

Chris, to my left, had a reed-fringed island in front, and took about eight or nine carp for 50 lb, I suspect from different areas of his swim, as like me he seemed to be trying several spots in rotation. I should probably have used a bait dropper to put in maggots near the margin, in the hope that they would remain in roughly the same place on the bottom, rather than being swept about in the current. But the cold numbed my brain as well as my hands!!

Opposite, Pegs 22 and 24 caught carp early on, while the angler on Peg 22 then had odd fish steadily during the day, to win the lake. They had back wind, and 24 had a side wind – much, much easier conditions than Chris and I had. I doubt I shall get quite as uncomfortable peg again, so I am still looking forward to the fifth match on Sunday.