After spending a fair time equipping three feeder rods with different systems, in case I drew the famous Peg 6 on Lou's Lake in this JV match, I went and drew Peg 6 on Four-Islands, which would obviously be mainly pole. Five of us fished in this section with ten on Lou's.
It's been many years since I fished on Four-Islands, and Peg 6 (which has been the best peg recently) presented me with two nice islands at about 11 metres, one a little to the left and the other a little to the right, with open water between them. The water was almost as clear as tap water, and the wind, though described as 'mild' by all the weather forecasters, was on my back, but cold enough to make me put on my thick, padded Imax jacket after an hour.
At this point there would normally be a picture of my swim, surrounded with what often looks like a building site, but since I forget to take my phone you will have to use your imagination.
The match was simple - I started on 2mm expanders against the righthand island, switched to maggots in the open water for two roach which promptly fell off, and then moved to the lefthand island, where I hit a better fish on maggot which came off after about two seconds. A look into the margin where I had been flicking maggots proved fruitless.
Eventually two roach came to hand, followed by a 2 lb F1 from the righthand island, but it took another hour before three more came quickly to maggot. Meanwhile Chris Saunders, round to my left, had definitely had some roach and a better fish or two fishing long against some reeds.
At one point Chris saw me land a fish and then go straight back and within seconds my elastic was showing again as I struck. Chris shouted out: "Mac's catching" but in fact although I had had a bite there was a bunch of twigs on the hook, and no fish. How do they do that?
A couple more F1s and two carp about 3 lb came in the next 90 minutes, all on three maggots after I had dumped in some dead reds. Then a better fish came broke my hooklength, which surprised me as, after a tangle, I had only just put that hook on - a Guru ready-tied, which I find brilliant, and much better than I can tie myself. Two more fish came off, almost certainly foulhooked.
Into the last hour, and I took just one slightly better carp. Chris then started hitting fish and I couldn't get a bite. In that last hour I am sure he overtook me.
Chris won the lake with 37 lb 10 oz, all taken on maggot; I weighed 23 lb 13 oz; and Barry Webb on 3 took 31 lb 11 oz for second. So I was third on the lake. Barry told me he had had some fish from the margins, and I kicked myself for not having a look there in the last hour. The fact that the water was so clear had put me off, but I should have tried. Also, I tried the open water swim only once after the first hour. If the media football pundits had been rating my performance I would probably have squeezed a 4!
Lou's was won on 7 by Lee Kendall, casting a feeder to within a yard of the far bank for 46 lb 7 oz, with Jim Regan second on 5 with 28 lb 10 oz.
My next match is at Pidley on Wednesday, when a draw won Raven would be nice, as the battery on my trolley had given out, and if I get a peg on Magpie I will have to push it. I will have bread with me, as it's allowed at Pidley, and is the default starting method for a lot of the anglers if they can reach lillies or the far bank..
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