Another hard-earned second place - Horseshoe Decoy

Peg 6

The lure of exotic hotspots worldwide tempted some of the Spratts members to forsake this Wednesday match – I imagined them sunning themselves in places such as Las Vegas, The Seychelles, Cuba, The Maldives and Hunstanton. The result was that just ten of us competed on the most beautiful Autumn day you could imagine. 

After temperatures had dropped overnight to 5 Centigrade the sun blazed down incessantly with not a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind to disturb the surface of Horseshoe Lake. In other word pretty awful conditions for fishing, with every movement of a pole being shown as a moving shadow on the surface.

Season of mists and mellow fruitfullness...and blazing sun and no ripple!

So I approached it as I would a Winter match – fishing long, at 13 metres (actually twelve-and-three-quarters as I fished with my Number Four section telescoped after breaking it on Sunday). I plumbed up and found a small area a couple of inches deeper than the surrounding bottom, so decided to fish on the edge. This allows me to have a bait an inch on the bottom or, by moving the rig a couple of feet, to have it just touching.

I fed about ten 4mm expanders at a time with a small Toss Pot, and within five minutes had hit a welcome 5 lb common. Within another 25 minutes I had two more slightly smaller fish, and the only other person I had seen catch a fish was Wendy, who had netted some on a feeder from Peg 4. I considered putting out a feeder (I had one rigged up ready) but as I was putting fish in the net I carried on with the pole.

Nice fish for Mike from peg 11 on the end bank.

Couldn't get caster shallow to work

A change to corn brought half-a-dozen more carp and F1s in the next hour or so, and after taking two on the drop I adjusted the shot to give a slow fall, taking two or three more, I then had a go shallow, with caster. But just one carp and a roach came, so I went back to the bottom rig. After three hours I had about 35 lb, and bites had stopped. Everyone I could see seemed to be struggling at this point.

A look in the margin under the tree to my right saw a four-pounder come in, but roach were knocking the cat meat all the time. I got the odd liner from carp, but went back to 13 metres. This brought another fish and one I pulled out of. Now Mick Raby, on my left, had started to contact fish on a top two, the best two of which looked to be near 10 lb each, so I tried starting a swim in front of me on a top two, putting in a big pot of dead reds, which brought carp in – I could see them.

I was sure Mick had beaten me, but I was wrong!

I get a clue from Mick Raby, next peg

But they seemed to want to hang out from the dead maggots I put in, and I caught only two on a bunch of deads. Then I saw that Mick was able to fish about five feet deep on his top two, while I had only three feet of water there. So I went out another section where it was deeper, with 45 minutes left, and immediately found more fish. In that time I managed about six or seven fish to 6 lb, pulling out of one, but I was sure Mick was in front of me on weight. To my right Peter Baker had struggled all day, but landed two good fish on a pellet waggler.

With two minutes left I hooked a fish which shot off so quickly that within a second it had stretched my Purple Hydro to its limit, and the line snapped above the float. The fish continued to hurtle through the water and probably bored a hole through the bank to Four-Island Lake before it could stop. End of match.

Peter Spriggs, Peg 1, found the fish too late to get a framing weight.

The weigh-in

In the absence of John Garner, my mate Mick Rawson pushed my barrow up the slope back to the cars – thanks, Mike. That helped me no end and I was able to watch the weigh-in.

Peter's fish. Memo to self: Do
not take pictures into the sun!!

On Peg 1 Peter Spriggs, who had drawn the Golden Peg, had only one fish at 1 o’clock, and then found the bulk of his 55 lb 5 oz to his right against the first clump of marginal reeds. The next anglers struggled, and Ted Lloyd found just four carp and a roach. My first net, which I had clicked at 37 lb, weighed 37 lb 1 oz (!) and the second, which I had estimated at perhaps 30 lb went 36 lb 14 oz – total a surprising 73 lb 15 oz.

Ted had just four carp and a roach on Peg 2.
Aged 91, he could kneel down for the picture...but
would have the devil of a job getting up again!

Mick, on Peg 8, totalled 66 lb 4 oz – much less than I thought he had, and Terry Tribe – who is a threat on every match – beat that with 69 lb 6 oz, with three taken early on a feeder to the corner, then some on the pole at 11 metres, and finishing at seven  metres.

But we knew Trevor Cousins had beaten us all on Peg 13, which has a good reputation,  as he had three nets after a varied day’s fishing – some fish mugged, others taken shallow on a banded pellet, and others taken full depth near the lillies (some lost in the lillies). He totalled 117 lb 5 oz for the win, which left me a satisfactory second.

Terry Tribe - third with 69 lb 6 oz.

THE WINNER - Trevor with  117 lb 5 oz.

                                                            

Only ten fished ...but what quality!!

More Higlights

Two moments stand out during the day. First was a kingfisher flashing left to right next to the far-bank reeds in front of me, and then turning and zooming back again before diving into the trees opposite. I managed to definitely see its blue back and red markings. This bird, or perhaps a pair, hang around this spot, and I’ve twice seen it dive into the water in front of me on Peg 26 on Beastie, coming from Horseshoe and then flying back the way it came.

Later I watched a grass snake swimming into the bank to my right, head held proud of the water. I have seen one at Decoy just once previously. There’s a lot of wildlife here – a water vole swam next to my keepnet and a wood pigeon came down to the water no more than a foot from my platform, to drink – most unusual. I assume they get used to anglers. In the Winter a big flock of long-tailed tits hangs around Pegs 29 and 30 on Beastie, and I once had a wren – the most timid of birds – take maggots next to the platform, like a robin.

How’s that for service?

On Sunday at 5.30 pm, after breaking the Number Four section of my Browning pole, I called in at Decoy, who have a Browning account, to ask if they could order another for me.

On Thursday morning I had a call from John at the fishery to say it had arrived. What brilliant service.

Next match Sunday on Elm at Decoy, Any peg will do, but anywhere from 9 to 12 and back from 13 to 16 on the opposite might have an edge.