Hard going with fish sunning themselves in the sun on Damson, Decoy

 Peg 2, Damson, Decoy, Friday, Mar 25
A Spratts match, with Peg 1 the one we all wanted, and it went to Peter Harrison. The main draw over, we always draw for the Golden Peg, and Trevor invited Peter to do the honours...which he did, promptly drawing out Peg One! Embarrassed? Not a bit of it...

So off the 15 of us drove down to Damson. Well 14 actually, as Mick Linnell made the executive decision to drive to Six Island lake, where he unloaded his trolley and tackle from his car, and loaded the trolley up before he realised that the last of our cars were driving down to the strips and he'd been looking at last year's venue list. So he had to re-stack everything in the car, drive down to Damson, and repeat the whole operation. Joking apart, it was really hard for Mick, who is not in the best of health, as his swim 15 was just about the furthest from the car park.

By the end, we had a ripple. Peg 1 is to the left, with the aerator in front.

Excitement over...
That was the sum total of excitement for the day for most of us - the fish, mainly up to 2 lb, were lazing about under the flat-calm surface and it was hard going. Trevor on 8 started fishing a banded pellet shallow and added 15 lb in the first quarter of an hour before he started to struggle. At our end of the lake we all struggled for a bite. I had one early 2 lb F1 on maggot in the margins, where I concentrated at the start, assuming that the deep water would probably not yet hold many feeding fish. 

Peter Harrison's fish were a better average weight than mine.

A load of roach followed, plus about three more F1s, all on maggot, until I decided to abandon that bait as I could see fish turning up their noses at it. Two hours gone and I had about 8 lb, with Callum on Peg 3 having about two fish on a bomb, and Peter on Peg 1 just starting to find fish against his end bank. A worm brought me a four-pounder, and another two quick F1s, and I had a look in the deep water - seven-foot-plus, where I didn't even get a bite. So back to the margins, where I could see black shapes moving, and halfway through the match when Shaun Buddlle came down and said he had 15 carp. I had eight.

My special method saves me
Peter then had a good run, hitting some fish which looked to be around 3 lb, on corn from a swim against the reeds on the end bank. I decided to use my special method, which I haven't used for some weeks as the conditions haven't been ideal, and it worked, partly thanks to a little ripple which appeared late on. Gradually, with constant feeding of a few grains, I started to get fish from the margins on corn, then to rest the swim I went out to the deep water on a top two, and had four fish in four drops.

Trevor Cousins - the winner with 71 lb 5 oz.

Back to the margin, and while Peter's swim slowed down I had a good last hour, taking about 13 or 14 chunky little F1s for 20 lb, on corn, with Callum just getting the very occasional fish. I could have done with another half-hour as I had the fish lining up at the end.

The weigh in
Mike Rawson told  me, while I was packing up, that the four anglers who appeared to have done best were Peter, Trevor, me and John Garner. That proved to absolutely spot on. Peter was first to weigh - 63 lb 4 oz while I had 54 lb 7 oz. Weights dropped down to Trevor, who won with 71 lb 5 oz, all on banded pallet, with his spending the latter half of the match targetting cruising fish, which went down to two feet to take the bait.

Shaun Buddle caught just three fish in the second half of the match, after having 15 in the first half, which shows how difficult it was; and John Garner weighed in 46 lb 10 oz from the end bank, Peg 17, leaving me in third place. My feeding mid-match, when the fish started moving about, had let me down - they wanted it every 30 seconds or they moved away.

Peter Spriggs had the biggest fish in the match.

Next match Sunday - my wife informs me it is Mothering Sunday, but I simply cannot recognise it as important because my mother told me, when I was little,  never to get her anything as it was introduced from America after the War as a money-making exercise.  Funny how much influence she still has with me - I still use a lot of her sayings and even at the age of 79 I miss her a lot.

THE RESULT:

1 Peter Harrison         63 lb 4 oz        2nd
2 Mac Campbell         54 lb 7 oz        3rd

3 Callum Judge          18 lb 8 oz

4 Martin Parker          38 lb 8 oz

5 Peter Barnes              2 lb 15 oz

6 Dick Warrener         10 lb 2 oz

8 Trevor Cousins        71 lb 5 oz         1st

9 Mike Rawson           17 lb 12 oz

10 Bob Allen                9 lb 8 oz

11 Shaun Buddle         29 lb 3 oz

12 Joe Bedford             2 lb 6 oz

13 Alan Porter            26 lb 12 oz

15 Mick Linnell            18 lb 8 oz

16 Peter Spriggs         32 lb 4 oz

17 John Garner            46 lb 10 oz        4th