Another 'Thanks for coming' on Damson

 Peg 11, Monday, Aug 8
I've had some pretty average results lately, and peg 11 on Damson didn't fill me with any thoughts of suddenly emerging as a gold medal winner. (Obviously I've been watching too much of the Commonwealth Games!) But the end pegs on this East bank of Damson were pretty calm, and in any case the early swims tend to produce slightly better weights a lot of the time. Peter Harrison was on Peg 1 (which I admit was also calm) but he's so consistent it seemed inconceivable that he wouldn't feature somewhere in the results.

Trevor did the draw - a leftover from Covid which I quite like as it means I know where everybody is before they disperse to their pegs. And he welcomed Mick Rawson back to the fold. Mick had decided, at 6.30 in the morning, to fish the match, so he must be feeling OK. The water was greenish, but some extra had been pumped in so the level was well up.

A nice-looking swim, but the tree area yielded very few fish.

The swim looked good

Peg 11 looks nice, with a tree to the left and reeds to the right. And I felt that I would catch at least something. To my left was Wendy, fully recovered from breaking her shoulder in February, when she had been getting ready to come fishing and fell over her trolley. She had her usual smile for us all, which gave us all a lift, and she would be feedering. 

Wendy is back, smiling and still catching fish.

I was confident that caster would catch fish in the shallow margins at the start, because although there are roach in the lake there are millions of carp around 2 lb, which can go mad in the first few minutes. And sure enough, first drop with a banded caster saw me hook a good fish...which came off. To my right Trevor had an early fish, on his favourite banded pellet. But then things slowed down.

A slow start for Trevor and me
Trevor had, I think, in the first 40 or 50 minutes, about five fish for 10 lb, which is much less than he would normally expect on this lake, while I had about one. Plenty of knocks and bites, but the fish weren't feeding properly. At that point I ditched the casters shallow, and tried corn on the bottom, among the reeds to my right. Immediately a 2 lb carp took the bait, and in the next hour I got another half-dozen. Trevor had still not gone on his usual rampage, though.

We could see John Smith catching on Peg 15 on the
end bank, but he lost some fish, in snags,
 which would have propelled him up the list.

A switch to mussel brought another few fish, and then a switch to the left margin brought another few and I had a really good 30-minute spell with the best fish around 5 lb. But with about two hours to go I could hardly get a bite. I had earlier heard several splashings from Wendy's swim, and wondered if I should have put up my feeder rod, but I couldn't be bothered in the heat, still thinking I should be able to catch. On the end bank to my right, on pegs 14 and 15, Shaun Buddle and John Smith had been catching quite well in the deep water, so that's when I made a change.

I should have gone deep earlier
First drop on a 2+1 in about eight feet of water and I had a fish on corn. But it took me another 30 minutes to catch two more. By now Trevor was virtually biteless, taking just the very occasional fish, and Dick in the corner on 13 told me later had had had just three fish in the last three-and-a-half hours. One more fish on the last hour on mussel completed my catch. I should definitely have tried the deep water earlier.

I'm always taking pictures of Peter Spriggs, 'cos
he catches so much. So here's a snap of his net!

I had kept dropping into the lefthand margin, and in one particular spot about 12 inches deep the float never stopped moving. I am certain this was carp playing with the bait (I foulhooked just one which came off). There were hardly any liners - just the float pulling down to the surface, then up , then down again, and this was repeated time after time. If I  moved the rig just a couple of feet out, or towards me, there were no indications at all. The fish must have been all cooped up in that one spot under the tree, but with no intention of feeding..

The weigh-in
Peter Harrison did win, with 132 lb 6 oz , all from the margins, in Peg 1. Second was Bob Barrett, who fished his favourite method, which does so well - feedering in the margins. I should really try this some time - he ALWAYS catches fish that way, and has won on Damson before doing it. He weighed 118 lb 8 oz, using a banded pellet.

John Garner - a true mate who will always help me
after the match if I'm in trouble (but he still beat me).

Shaun on the end bank was third, with Peter Spriggs framing yet again, on Peg 7. Wendy finished with 35 lb 11 oz, all taken early on, and on my right Trevor had 51 lb 6 oz, and I was chuffed to beat him with my 61 lb 11 oz which was actually ninth out of 14, which could have earned the proverbial "Thanks for Coming" but didn't!

Next match on Cedar, which is thankfully after the weekend, when temperatures are forecast to be high; then a week Saturday on Crow at Pidley. My plan (such as it is) is to feeder across with pellet (to avoid the really small carp) and then come in on a pole, always keeping an eye on the near very shallow, margin.

                                                                                                       RESULT

                                         

Bob Barrett always catches on a feeder
dropped right into the margin!

                                1 Peter Harrison      132 lb 6 oz     1st
                                2 Joe Bedford              8 lb 5 oz
                                3 Martin Parker         69 lb 9 oz

                                4 Bob Barrett           118 lb 8 oz    2nd

                                5 Mick Rawson         27 lb 9 oz

                                7 Peter Spriggs        115 lb 12 oz  4th

                                8 Bob Allen              100 lb 1 oz

                                9 John Garner             83 lb 2 oz

                              10 Wendy Bedford        35 lb 11 oz

                              11 Mac Campbell          61 lb 11 oz

                              12 Trevor Cousins         51 lb 6 oz
                              13 Dick Warrener         34 lb 6 oz
                              14 Shaun Buddle        116 lb 13 oz   3rd
                              15 John Smith              108 lb