I miss a frame place by 1 oz on Oak, Decoy

Peg 30, Sunday, Oct 23
Been busy since this match visiting my two brothers (we meet up only occasionally since one lives and works in Africa). Thunderstorms were forecast for this Fenland Rods event, and there were a couple of spectacular lightning flashes as I drove to Decoy, though none during the match.

There was just a little light rain at the start, and I was lucky that it was forecasted to blow from the South-East later, which would be over my back. I had the shortest walk to peg 30, in the corner of Oak lake, and I managed to fix the umbrella so that it would keep my pole holdall and all my stuff dry, as well as me.

Shaun Buddle told me before the match that he had won here fishing to the corner, on the left, and that was the obvious place to fish, so I started there, at ten metres. The water here was sheltered a little by bushes, and was nearly calm at the start, while on the swims to my right there was a bit of ripple. The skies were dark and I picked out a newlymade rig with a float which had a really bright yellow top, which would show up well against the dark reflections of the reeds.

A dank, dark, day, with my swim sheltered from much of the wind (unfortunately) by
the bushes on the end bank. Most of the other swims had a good ripple (not that I'm moaning!)

The new float worked fine
The float tip was just visible - it seemed to sink lower than it had in my water butt at home. But I could see it well enough, and within 15 minutes I had hooked and landed a fish about 6 lb on corn, about a metre from the reeds, three feet deep. Next one came off, as did the one after that. 

That, unfortunately, was the pattern for much of the day. Within the next hour I had about three fish in the net and had lost six or seven, mostly after I had broken down to my new short top. After an hour, when the rain really started pelting down, I had to take off a small shot so I could see the float better in the melee caused by the raindrops smashing into the water. 

During that heavy rain I had my best spell, hooking about six more, to 8 lb, and landing every one. Most took the corn while I was dragging it along the bottom. Although the rain was, in technical terms, "chucking it down" I heard only one thunderclap.

In corner peg 16 on my bank Mel Lutkin
found just over 40 lb, admired by Joe Bedford!

More lost fish

Then the rain stopped, the water went calm, and I started losing fish again. I think it must have been because they could perhaps see the pole above them, although I had a longish lash. A switch to banded pellet in front of me at 2+1 brought a good carp first drop, then another on cat meat straight afterwards. I thought I had cracked it, but never had a touch for the next 20 minutes. At that point I should have tried the right margin, which I never looked at all day, but the rain must have blunted my brain.

Instead, I kept trying back towards the lefthand corner, with a very occasional fish, but got the impression that the fish were moving away from the bank. Eventually I  made the switch I should have done much earlier in that swim, and with only 30 minutes left I went into the deeper water and had a near-ten-pounder first drop. I the few minutes left I hooked two more, getting both right to the net before they pulled off.  Dave Garner told me (later) that he had won a match fishing the right hand margin this season, which really cheered me up!!!.

Kev Lee - 176 lb in the most atrocious conditions.

By the end I estimated I had 12 or 14 fish in the nets, but must have lost 20, of which only two were probably foulhooked. I then thought back to the start of the match, when an orange-coloured mud cloud was seeping towards me along the bank from the corner, possibly from a pipe somewhere. Later there was another trace of it, and I wondered whether that had been affecting the fish in some way? I'll never know.

The weigh-in
Kevin Lee, on the opposite bank on 12, had started fishing at about eight metres with banded pellet and found fish steadily, with his best spell, like me, being in the heavy rain. Then he came into his left margin with cat meat and ended with a magnificent 176 lb 4 oz , to win, having had the rain in his face. Next angler along, on 14, Dave Hobbs totalled 90 lb 9 oz. Former Club Champion Dave Garner had struggled in corner peg 15, also with the rain in his face.

Shaun Buddle's best fish must have been at least 15 lb.

Over to the Eastern bank and opposite Kevin. on 19, Shaun Buddle had 138 lb 4 oz, while on his left Callum Judge just pipped him by 1 lb 10 oz for second place. I was last to weigh, with 90 lb 8 oz, which was just 1 oz less than Dave Hobbbs, so I ended fifth.

End of the match, the sun has come out, and runner-up Callum shows a nice mirror carp.

Although the top weights were at the other end of this strip lake I felt I should have had more. Not because I lost so many (I didn't feel I did anything wrong ,playing them) but because I should have moved round the swims more quickly. Trouble was I couldn't see those who were catching, so I had no idea whether I was doing OK. Interestingly several others told me they had unaccountably lost fish properly hooked.

BUT I had had a most interesting day's sport, and on the way home I was treated to a lightning show so fierce that I had to lower the visor in the van to stop it blinding me. A day to remember, after all!

THE RESULT