Two good pre-match workouts - Cedar, Decoy

Sunday was blowing a cold hooley, but I didn't care - I was so full of adrenalin I could have crushed a grape...until I realised, while watching TV, that the time wasn't 8 am, it was 9 am; I had forgotten to put on my watch. Stupid Boy!

When I got to Decoy, Cedar Peg 3 was beckoning - a nice platform with backish wind. And as I took my tackle to the peg an angler behind me, on Elm Lake, was landing an 8 lb mirror. However, after I'd been fishing for half an hour and not seen him catch another fish, and I hadn't had a bite, I began to realise things were going to be difficult. He told me afterwards that he'd had several fish before I got there, but then they dried up.

I was fishing in the side, with maggot, hoping for some of those barbel which often hand about the bottom of the near shelf. but they were missing. It took an hour before I got one to the left, on maggot, and half an hour to my next bite, which was a 4 lb carp from the right on an expander over hard 4mm pellets.

But although it was hard I knew that there were fish around, as the special method I use can show that to me quite clearly. From then on it was a question of concentrating on perfect presentation, and slowly I started getting fish, on maggot or corn or expander It was that sort of perfect day I love - every fish had to be fished for hard. The barbel ran to 6 lb, and the carp to double-figures; not many, but every one was a minor success and I finished with perhaps 70 lb - I didn't bother to click.

For me it was one of the most enjoyable days I've had for a year or two.

Very happy for my mates

Two days later it was that hot Tuesday, and five of us arranged to meet at Decoy, none of the other four being matchmen. I hoped to fish facing the wind, but when we got to the strips there were people three quarters of the way down Elm, Oak and Yew, which was the area I fancied, all having back wind, and I didn't feel we could fish opposite them with so many other swims available.

Alan in action on Peg 2 on Cedar Lake. 

So I picked the early pegs on Cedar, in a back wind, where I fished two days previously, where there was a tiny bit of ripple. Alan was on Peg 2 (peg 1 was very calm with no ripple at all); Kurt (pronounced Cort) on Peg 3, Me on 4, Mel Russ (my former boss) on 6 (there was an angler opposite 5), and Brian on 7. My job was to ensure they all caught fish.

Experienced matchmen will understand that although many people assume that these commercial fish give themselves up to all and sundry, and that 100 lb is there for the taking, in fact a degree of sophistication is required that a lot of pleasure anglers do not possess. 

The proof
The proof that statement became clear when I was the last to start, after going to the others and suggesting they start close-in, but I had three fish before any of the others had caught. So I went along and tried to convince them that close-in didn't mean ten feet from the bank - it meant CLOSE in.

Kurt with one of the fish they were all hoping for - a good barbel.

Alan's float needed shotting down, and his plumbing had gone wrong somewhere - he was fishing off the bottom but didn't realise it. I remember when I first started fishing that for years I never bothered checking the depth properly - I just wanted to get fishing. In addition I didn't expect the four to grasp- what I was telling them immediately - our minds don't work like that. So I had expected I would have problems like that.

With Alan set on the right road (I hoped) I moved along the line. Kurt was fishing pretty well, but I doubt he fed enough or regularly enough - that was not something I could keep checking. I handed out corn to some, as that's easy to throw accurately.

I play schoolmaster
So two or three times I had a walk down the line, telling them to feed, and had to reprimand Mel for having about six feet of lash between his pole top and his float. He's bigger than me, and younger, but I knew he wouldn't hit me as he'd be worried he would kill me...so he obediently cut it down to a foot. 

Alan, who is from the same village as me, with a 5 lb mirror caught on waggler.

 I got him to drag the rig right in close to the bank, and after he'd starting catching regularly he said he couldn't believe that fish would be that close. But they were - including one fantastic barbel he weighed at 7 lb 12 oz!! Brian  started catching fish when he changed from a rod to a pole, and Alan also had several fish later in the afternoon. Kurt, for some unknown reason, had five nice bream but not so many carp and barbel. But he did  lose several, reason unknown.

Mel Russ, my old boss on Sea Angler magazine, landing a barbel on the pole.

My swim

Obviously my stopping putting in feed several times must have affected my overall catch, but in fact I had a super day - five or six barbel to about 6 lb, and about six double-figure carp. Alan and Kurt are used to weighing fish - they both have carp match and scales by their swims - and they persuaded me to weigh two of my carp. They went 15 lb and 16 lb 12 oz. One of the others was a cracking, chunky bright silver common that must have weighed at least 10 lb.

Highlight of the say was Mel landing this superb 7 lb 12 oz barbel.

A really good last half hour, by which time the wind had increased, probably saw me in the region of 100 lb for the day. But the real measure of success was the other four all having what they deemed to be a successful trip. And I think they understand the importance of keeping some bait going in when fish are moving about, and willing to feed, in warm weather.