For years Peg 25 on Willows was the biggest flier on the complex, winning more matches than any other swim. But over the years it has lost some of its dominance, and I have a theory that as the fish have got bigger they no longer feel the need to hang round the two islands which adjoin this attractive swim. In the Winter, of course, fish can hole up anywhere, and often in different areas to where they hang out in the Summer. Even so, I was happy to draw it in this ten-entry JV match.
The wind was cool, from the North, and I started putting a maggot feeder over to the main island 30 years away, where there's a noted hole cut into the bank. Liners came immediately, but it took about an hour before I hooked a fish, which turned out to be foulhooked. However, it was about 5 lb and ended up in my keepnet.
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| The famous Willows 25. The hole to cast to is right above my side tray. The channel on the right is where I saw several big fish pass through. |
I had also seen some very big fish cruise round to my right, in the narrow channel surrounding the small island, but when I flicked a maggot towards them they just ignored it. I had put a rig out, and was intrigued to see that as they cruised by they gently drifted to one side to avoid my line. I decided that they wouldn't take a bait...but I kept trying anyway, as they came past for a third time.
When the pod of about eight had gone past I lifted out my rig...only to find a fish attached. That, too, was foulhooked, but it, too, ended up in my keepnet - about 7 lb.
Back on the feeder, another drop-back 'bite' saw yet another fish foulhooked, and it was on four about five minutes, during which time I would gain a yard of line only to lose it again. Obviously a very big fish, as I saw it once, when it splashed on the surtface about 35 yards away. Then it came off. In the meantime Ernie Lowbridge, on my left on 24, had not had a bite on pole or waggler or feeder.
Then I had a proper bite, and in came another fish of about 6 lb, hooked in the mouth, and I was so surprised I asked Ernie if it counted! A change to a straight bomb and pop-up brought a bite which turned out to be a 1 lb F1 hooked in the dorsal fin. Then the wind moved round towards the East, and became colder.
Soon after, Ernie caught a fish of about 2 lb on a pole at about six metres, hooked in the mouth, and a little later had another bite which he missed. Today that was the equivalent of bagging (!) But my pole lines resolutely refused to give me a single bite.
With 45 minutes left I emptied some dead maggots into the narrow channel, and 30 minutes later saw clouds of mud coming up there. In went a bunch of live maggots, laying on about 12 inches, in the hope that the big fish would not be scared off by a vertical line down to the bait. But the float never moved. I changed to a bunch of deads (which I should have used in the first place, to match the maggots in the swim), but by then I think the fish had moved on.
Round to my left Carl White had caught two or three on a feeder, and Barry Webb on 19 had started to find fish on a pole, despite the fact that the accumulation of leaves in his swim must have made things very difficult. Then, when the match had only just finished, I saw Smug wheeling his gear up from Peg 29 to weigh in, and by the time I had half packed up the scales were round to me, so no catch pictures.
THE RESULT
The result sheet was faint and rain-spattered, so here are the weights as recorded:
5 Steve Tilsley 25 lb 12 oz section
7 Jim Reagan 42 lb 1b oz 1st
15 Roy Whincup 28 lb 6 oz 2nd
19 Barry Webb 23 lb 14 oz
22 Carl White 13 lb 14 oz
24 Ernie Lowbridge DNW
25 Mac Campbell 21 lb 14 oz section
29 Smug Whiting DNW
33 C Baldwin 13 lb 6 oz
Peg 5 produced 25 lb 12 oz to Steve Tilsley, with Jim Reagan winning on Peg 7 with 42 lb 10 oz. He took most of his fish on a pole at about eight metres on maggot, catching a 2 lb bream, a carp about 6 lb, and all the rest being big F1s of 3 lb-plus.
I ended with 21 lb 14 oz, which was fifth in the match, but it won my five-peg section. So, as has happened quite frequently in the last few months, the pegs at the 'back' of Willows, from 27 to 25, did not fish as well as the early pegs. To my left Ernie didn't bother to weigh his single fish.
I had landed four fish, with three foulhooked, but my comment is the same as I would give if it had happened to someone else - You still have to land 'em.
held on Beastie on the same day:
My next match is Wednesday on Pidley, with the Over 60s match on crow and Magpie. I'm not expecting many fish to be caught, as the wind at the moment (on Tuesday) is bitter. Then Sunday is the JV event on Lou's and Four-Islands, at Decoy.
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