My record in Winter matches on Decoy is, I admit, pretty dire. While people who read about the big weights taken in the warmer months think it's like an aquarium, they often don't realise that the anglers taking those catches are among the best in the country. And I was up against some of them in this JV Angling Club match.
Not only was I well beaten both sides of me, but on the way back to my van the battery connection came loose again, and while I looked at putting things right my trolley actually came apart. If Rob Goodsen hadn't asked if I needed help and come over to help me get it back together again, as well as re-loading it for me, I would still be there, stuck on the muddy bank!
To cap it all I later somehow managed to completely delete the picture of the results of other half of the match, on Oak lake, from my 'phone. 😕 It's not in the recycle bin, and must be floating about in the ether. If you come across it, please let me know.
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| A bright start to the match, though later it clouded over and became colder. In fact my float became quite difficult to see in the last hour - I must have some handy with thicker tips. |
On the way to the match I was accompanied by the most formidable thunderclouds I have ever seen - big, black, towering and glowering above me like mountains. Thankfully they had already emptied their water on our village (and on Decoy) before I left home, and were drifting away eastwards. A sight I will never forget.
About 20 of us fished on Peg 1-12 on Elm, and 1-15 on Oak, giving us all a little backwind from the South-Westerly. They were run as two separate matches. I had Tony Evans to my right on 4 (he actually drew 5 but there's no platform there). Tony is a regular to Whiteacres and fishes the big festivals and I was delighted to be able to watch him. To my left Roy Whincup didn't even put up his pole, sticking to feeder and waggler. The rain kept away all day until the very end when a light drizzle fell.
Tony had a barbel early on, on a feeder cast to the far bank about 40 yards away. But it took me some time to get one for myself, also on a maggot feeder cast to a platform opposite. I was using a four-inch hooklength, while Tony used one about 18 inches long. During the next three hours he took three or four more, while I sat fishless except for a 2 lb bream on the feeder and four small bream and a roach on the pole at 13 metres. I wondered whether that longer fall was the difference?
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| I had plenty of time, mid-match, to watch Tony Evans landing fish! |
Meanwhile after an equally slow start Roy to my left also started catching the occasional fish, and I think they were all on feeder, though his black-tipped waggler cast just over halfway looked absolutely superb, and I couldn't believe it wasn't catching anything.
In the higher numbers I could see the poles bending from time to time, so they were obviously taking fish, presumably carp, which often tend to gravitate towards Peg 9 area in the Winter. My maggot bait was icy cold to the touch, which suggested to me that the fish would not move far during the match.
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| Tony's 56 lb 15 oz catch, for fourth place, was mostly barbel, and included only one carp. |
With 45 minutes left, just as Tony was landing yet another fish on feeder, I hit a 4 lb common, and Tony immediately went back on to his pole line, which had produced some small fish. Instantly he started catching barbel again, while I managed just one more carp about 4 lb on the next drop, spending the last half hour fishless, despite putting out a feeder and trying the old 'soup from a flask' trick, which didn't work.
The angler on peg 3 apparently had about 12 lb in his net with half an hour to go, and added another 20 lb in that last 30 minutes. Tony's late sprint had given him a total of 56 lb 15 oz - nine barbel, just one carp, two nice bream and some smaller fish. From my point of view I thought that was a superb catch from that peg on that day. Tony told me that his hooklengths were of flourocarbon, but was unsure whether that made a difference. Well, something did!
I totalled 14 lb 13 oz while Roy on my left had 39 lb 3 oz - he always seems to winkle out fish no matter where he is drawn. Top weight on Elm (and top overall) was Chris Saunders' 90 lb 4 oz, which apparently included four big foulhooked carp. But you've still got to land 'em!
Next to him Rob Goodson, another topliner, was second with 76 lb 4 oz on Peg 11, while Smug in the corner, yet another angler who could catch fish in a bucket of concrete, struggled to 31 lb 7 oz, showing that the fish are still in pockets, despite the warm winds we've been having.
The result on Elm is here (the original was rain-spattered and faint):
3 Ray 32 lb 13 oz
4 Tony 56 lb 15 oz
6 Mac 14 lb 13 oz
7 Roy 39 lb 3 oz
8 Adam 87 lb 13 oz
9 ??? DNW
10 Chris 90 lb 4 oz
11 Rob 76 lb `4 oz
12 Smug 31 lb 7 oz
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