Firstly I must refute the monstrous allegations that I moaned about having peg 22 drawn for me. Fourteen of us were fishing this Spratts match, on both banks of Oak, using alternate swims, and I simply said that I would have preferred a swim towards the Northern end of the lake - 11, 13 or 15 on the West bank or 16, 18 or 20 on the East bank, cos that's where the best weights came from on Sunday. I may have used choice and unprintable language, but me moan? Never (well hardly ever).
But peg 22, which I had fished on Sunday when I came fourth, was where I was imprisoned for the day, with a big bunch of irises preventing me from fishing the margins to the left. Not that I'm moaning, of course. Afterwards some anglerrs said they had fish spawning in their margins, but although there were a lot of swirls in mine I doubt if they were actually spawning there.
 |
| Peg 22 and those irises are still there. But the wind (and rain and hail) was in our faces. |
When I fished on Sunday Allan Golightly was on 21 to my right, and although we are allowed to fish halfway to the next platform when there's an angler there, it would have been stupid for us both to do that, as we would have been fishing the same spot, so I fished about a quarter of the way along. Today Peg 21 was unoccupied so I could fish right up to the platform if I wished. However with the facing Westerly wind, and rain forecast, I plumbed up just halfway along and found a lovely flat area about two feet deep.
Two feet is always a good depth to fish in Summer if you can find it, so that was my first option, and with the top weights on Sunday taken fishing up to four sections, that would be my second swim. And it started well - I baited a swim at 2+2 out with micros and hemp, and then had a drop in the margin, also on 2+2, with corn. First drop I had a liner, so I knew there were fish there. But although attracted by bait, would they feed?
 |
| To my right on 20 Dick Warrener shows me a big mirror, while he is dreaming of the fight he had with it. |
The answer came quickly - Yes. First fish, a common carp, was about 3 lb, the smallest of the day, and soon afterwards another came in at 8 lb. Then more liners so I went out to the long swim where a small piece of meat brought in another eight-pounder, followed by two lost fish on corn, which made me wary of going out there again immediately.
Micros and a little hemp went in the margin swim, and I followed it by cupping in a couple of cups of water from a height to make a splash, and that brought two more good carp. I was surprised how warm they were - they felt lovely when I unhooked them, as the wind was quite cold. Dick Warrener from 20 came up after about an hour, and said he had three fish, while I had five.
A little while after he went back he had a really bad spell for about two hours, while I started catching well - he said he should have come up to me for advice, and as it's a club match that would have been fine. I think the key was to bait with the big pot, then follow it up with about six grains of corn in the small cup, followed by my lowering the bait - a single grain of corn, straight down on top of it - not laying the rig out in a line.
The Middy blue 18-22 elastic was perfect for these fish, which were mainly around 8 lb, and I was landing them fairly quickly. They kept biting, even when a hailstorm hit us. When that happened I couldn't see far, so started another margin swim nearer the platform, (which I had always intended to do) on a top two, using the same rig. First drop in the hailstorm a fish nearing double-figures came in, and I kept dropping in here to rest the longer margin swim. I had a fair number of liners, but resisted the temptation to strike unless the float went straight down and stayed there.
 |
| John Garner, on 26, had 131 lb and didn't even frame! |
Then the weather altered, and we had our first glimpse of the sun, which came out to mock us with just minutes left.
I hang a watch in my Nu-Fish side tray, and with it showing about ten minutes left I had another good carp, which left me with about six minutes on the clock to get another, which I duly did. One minute left on the watch and I dropped in again, and within seconds the pole was nearly wrenched out of my hand as a fish hooked itself. I thought it was probably foulhooked and would come off. I sighed, dropped the top two down to the surface, and gritted my teeth as I looked around, to see Martin Parker, opposite, did not have his pole out.
 |
| Peter Spriggs, top on the West bank with 172 lb 15 oz. Notice how the sun came out especially for him! |
Bob Allen did a superb job on Peg 3, on the opposite bank, taking 166 lb 2 oz, with every fish on paste. On Peg 5 my mate John Smith couldn't catch, so asked himself: "What would Mac do?" (I used to ask myself 'what would Ivan do?'). That led to him using mussel for the first time, (which I had introduced him to) and to his delight it worked to the tune of 95 lb 8 oz, with every fish falling to mussel, a bait I didn't need to use today, though I had some with me. Top weight on that bank was Pete The Meat on 13 with 172 lb 15 oz, but on 16, the corner peg on my bank, Shaun Buddle said he might have 200 lb.
 |
| Shaun Buddle - 191 lb 13 oz using a whole mussel on the hook. He ended second. |
 |
| Me with 199 lb 14 oz, all except one fish taken on corn. |
Playing those big fish made my back ache...but it was worth it. Next match is John Garner's invitation on Six Islands at Decoy. This L-shaped lake is likely to fish better in one arm than the other according to where the wind is. But I'm on a roll, and promise not to moan at my peg (at least not out loud).
THE RESULT
26 John Garner 131 lb 5 John Smith 95 lb 8 oz
20 Dick Warrener 81 lb 4 oz 11 Martin Parker 39 lb 8 oz
18 Peter Harrison 116 lb 12 oz 13 Peter Spriggs 172 lb 15 oz 3rd
16 Shaun Buddle 191 lb 13 oz 2nd 15 Bob Barrett 65 lb 13 oz
No comments:
Post a Comment