Peg 12, Wed, Oct 6
You can have too much of a good thing, you know! Everyone knows I like a good Raspberry Ripple, but this was ridiculous, with a howling wind from the South West - the remains of Hurricane Ian - for the first four hours, before it died a little. With just 15 Spratts anglers entered, we fished pegs 1-15, where the wind was from the right but slightly behind us, because some rain was forecast. That was fine with me, and the wind was really warm at that point.
You can have too much of a good thing, you know! Everyone knows I like a good Raspberry Ripple, but this was ridiculous, with a howling wind from the South West - the remains of Hurricane Ian - for the first four hours, before it died a little. With just 15 Spratts anglers entered, we fished pegs 1-15, where the wind was from the right but slightly behind us, because some rain was forecast. That was fine with me, and the wind was really warm at that point.
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| My peg 12 -- I had to wait until the heavy gusts had passed before taking this picture. |
Most laid their trollies on their sides, to prevent them being blown along the bank, though mine has a battery so I stood it upright and laid the pole holdall across it, to hold it down; and of course pole roosts were out of the question - tops had to be laid in the grass, protected by any holdalls or bags not required during the match.
A good area, I reckoned
I was happy with my Peg 12, as that's usually a good area on Oak, and with the roughest weather at our end of the lake I started on a hybrid feeder, with hair-rigged sweetcorn on a bed of micros, cast across to the far bank. A good choice, as a 5 lb mirror took the bait just ten minutes after the start. Another came 20 minutes later, and then a third just after the hour. After two hours I had about six for 50 lb, and had lost one, which came off, and I haad put in a second net. By now the sun had gone in and it was much cooler.
I was happy with my Peg 12, as that's usually a good area on Oak, and with the roughest weather at our end of the lake I started on a hybrid feeder, with hair-rigged sweetcorn on a bed of micros, cast across to the far bank. A good choice, as a 5 lb mirror took the bait just ten minutes after the start. Another came 20 minutes later, and then a third just after the hour. After two hours I had about six for 50 lb, and had lost one, which came off, and I haad put in a second net. By now the sun had gone in and it was much cooler.
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| Joe Bedford prepares to put an early carp into his net. |
To my left Joe Bedford had had around the same number of fish as me, on a feeder cast to around the middle, and to his left Trevor Cousins was also catching on a feeder cast right across. On my right Alan Porter, after a slower start, was now also catching the occasional fish on a feeder, cast short of the far bank. There seemed to be fish on all lines.
Playing on a feeder rod
The far bank on the strips is at least 40 yards away, while the platforms are around 12 yards apart, so if a big carp hooked right across decides to kite to one side when it's hooked, you are in trouble. My fish all seemed to want to run to the right, and I am sure that two or three of the biggest ones must have shot through Alan Porter's swim on my right...but somehow they never fouled his line.
The far bank on the strips is at least 40 yards away, while the platforms are around 12 yards apart, so if a big carp hooked right across decides to kite to one side when it's hooked, you are in trouble. My fish all seemed to want to run to the right, and I am sure that two or three of the biggest ones must have shot through Alan Porter's swim on my right...but somehow they never fouled his line.
It may be that a more powerful rod would have been better at controlling those fish - my Matrix Method feeder rods are nice to handle, but are several years old, and not really made to handle double-figure carp at distance, so I will have to up grade them. It's not fair on other anglers if I do allow my fish to foul their lines. More expense!!
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| Alan Porter, on Peg 11, plays a fish on feeder under a threatening sky. |
A break
During the really big gusts of wind I could feel the box almost being lifted up, with me on it, but luckily nothing was blown into the water, though I had to keep the lid of my side tray firmly closed after opening it.
During the really big gusts of wind I could feel the box almost being lifted up, with me on it, but luckily nothing was blown into the water, though I had to keep the lid of my side tray firmly closed after opening it.
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| A strong gust of wind threatens to blow Joe's landing net out of his hand. |
A long wait for fish Number Seven resulted in my deciding to have a look on the pole, but just at that moment the tip went round again, and when the fish came to the surface I could see it was around 10 lb. But suddenly the line went slack - the hooklength had broken, and I am afraid I said a naughty word. The Quickstops were ones I had tied myself two or three years ago, probably on the 5.5 lb line I used to use; but the fish are bigger now, especially on Oak, and I decided to put on a commercially-tied hook length.
But the wind was so fierce that I had terrible trouble getting the hooks out of my box without other stuff being blown away. It must have taken me two or three minutes holding bits and pieces in the box while finding the hooks and taking them out. However, eventually the new hook was on and a couple more fish came, around 8 lb, the last one landed while heavy rain pelted down.
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| Is Joe England's oldest regular matchman? |
I look on the pole
Then I saw Peter Harrison, two to my right, catching fish from the margins on a pole and decided I simply had to look there. The water was still very rough so I took out a bigger rig than usual - a 3 gm float, which I have always found works better than lighter ones in rough water. The wind was from the right, and there was a terrific undertow left to right in the deep channel just a few feet from the bank. First drop in the left margin with corn saw the float dive down, but it must have been a liner.
Then I saw Peter Harrison, two to my right, catching fish from the margins on a pole and decided I simply had to look there. The water was still very rough so I took out a bigger rig than usual - a 3 gm float, which I have always found works better than lighter ones in rough water. The wind was from the right, and there was a terrific undertow left to right in the deep channel just a few feet from the bank. First drop in the left margin with corn saw the float dive down, but it must have been a liner.
My new short top
I was using my new short Browning top for the first time, with 16-18 Matrix Slik elastic, and felt very comfortable with that. I was soon to find that using the short top (1.9 metres long against the usual 2.6 metres for a typical top two) was an advantage in the high wind when landing fish.
I was using my new short Browning top for the first time, with 16-18 Matrix Slik elastic, and felt very comfortable with that. I was soon to find that using the short top (1.9 metres long against the usual 2.6 metres for a typical top two) was an advantage in the high wind when landing fish.
Soon after that I changed to mussel over hemp, with small pieces of mussel also dropped in,. and a 10 lb mirror obliged. I spent the next hour here for about four more, best 10 lb, and then a speculative drop out in front of me, on 2+1, brought a 2 lb F1 and, later another good carp or two.
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| Alan Porter - 70 lb 1 oz in his two nets, on a feeder. |
A mistake
On the pole three fish came off and one broke me - that was because the rig, complete with olivette and two 2AAA shot, was on the usual straight-through 5 lb line I was using a couple of years ago. Now I make all my rigs up on 10 lb line. When the fish broke me I put on a size 12 hook to 7 lb hooklength, , but I was still nervous playing fish on that 5 lb main line, and took took too much time, although no others broke me.
On the pole three fish came off and one broke me - that was because the rig, complete with olivette and two 2AAA shot, was on the usual straight-through 5 lb line I was using a couple of years ago. Now I make all my rigs up on 10 lb line. When the fish broke me I put on a size 12 hook to 7 lb hooklength, , but I was still nervous playing fish on that 5 lb main line, and took took too much time, although no others broke me.
Eventually I got up and went to my holdall and took out a lighter rig on 10 lb line. By now the wind had died down a lot, and this new rig, on Preston 17 hollow elastic, worked fine. I managed to snick another three or four fish on that rig, on mussel, alternating between the margin and the 1+2 line, and was playing a seven-pounder when the match ended. That went onto the third net I had started with 45 minutes to go.
I estimated I had about 130 lb, and I determined to make re-make that 3gm rig on 10 lb line, as it looked so good in the rough water.
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| Martin Parker - these two fish weighed around 24 lb. |
The weigh-in
With only the two pole tops and the single feeder rod to pack away I was back at the van earlier than usual, in time to see the start of the weigh-in. Mike Rawson was on peg 1, which was sheltered from the high winds by bushes on the end bank. When I saw how sheltered it was I would have been very happy there. He once won from the peg, but had a disappointing 36 lb 11 oz on a feeder on this occasion.
With only the two pole tops and the single feeder rod to pack away I was back at the van earlier than usual, in time to see the start of the weigh-in. Mike Rawson was on peg 1, which was sheltered from the high winds by bushes on the end bank. When I saw how sheltered it was I would have been very happy there. He once won from the peg, but had a disappointing 36 lb 11 oz on a feeder on this occasion.
On my walk back I had seen two or three platforms which had at least four nets pegged to the bank next to them - it looked like I would definitely finish out of the frame, even though from 2 to 5 all had just two nets, headed by John Smith on 4 with 78 lb 9 oz, some of which were taken on a waggler fished well out - the wind wasn't quite as bad here as it had been further down the lake.
Callum Judge on 7 was the first to break 100 lb, then John Garner on 8 totalled 86 lb 10 oz...which sent Bob Allen into paroxsyms of joy, as it meant he had won the £1 side bet with John. Peter Spriggs had four nets to weigh, and totalled 135 lb 5 oz - I thought he had beaten me.
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| The winner - Peter Harrison with a magnificent 250 lb. |
Then to Peter Harrison's swim...and he had used five nets. Every one of those was over the club's 50 lb limit, so he ended with 250 lb. taken on feeder to start, and then on pole, mainly in the margins, on cat ,meat. What a performance in those conditions!
A nice surprise for me
Alan on my right had 70 lb, and I was just over the 50 lb limit with my first net, but ended with 140 lb 6 oz, with the last 50-minute net holding 42 lb. I was very happy that I had beaten Peter, especially fiter seeing his four nets in use. So I was second up to now, but with Trevor still to weigh. Next door Joe, who as all the club members know, is nearly 93, totalled 80 lb 3 oz. Is he the oldest practicing and regular matchman in the country?
Then Trevor, who had feedered all day, topped my bag with 156 lb 14 oz, to come second, leaving me third. On the end corner peg Mick Linnell had had a torrid time, with not a single fish in the first two hours, but came back with a bang after that and weighed in 97 lb 9 oz for sixth place. The higher numbers had fished best, as they often do.
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| Callum - that fish in front was way over 10 lb, but we didn't weigh it. |
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| John Garner. I hadn't taken his picture for a while, so I thought: Why not? |
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| Shaun Buddle (left) and Mick Linnell watch as the team lift out Mick's nets and weigh them. |
Conclusions
I was very happy with how I fished in that wind, keeping everything simple and managing to not get blown over (which was a real danger) when I stood up to get something out of my box or holdall. 😀 I lost six fish, including those two breakages, so I had hooked enough properly to come second, as I don't think any of those lost fish were foulhooked - I took great trouble to wait until I was sure the bite was a 'proper' one. I have already tied up Quickstop hair rigs on 10 lb line, and my next job is to re-tie that big rig.
Next match on Beastie on Saturday, when we currently have pegs 2 to my favourite18. Then a day with Ben Townsend on Sunday, hoping to improve the time spent playing fish on the pole.
THE RESULT
1 Mick Rawson 36 lb 11 oz
2 Bob Barrett 70 lb 9 oz
3 Martin Parker 55 lb 8 oz
4 John Smith 78 lb 9 oz
5 Shaun Buddle 62 lb 3 oz
6 Bob Allen 97 lb oz
7 Callum Judge 116 lb 10 oz 5th
8 John Garner 86 lb 10 oz
9 Peter Spriggs 135 lb 5 oz 4th
10 Peter Harrison 250 lb 1st
11 Alan Porter 70 lb 1 oz
12 Mac Campbell 140 lb 8 oz 3rd
13 Joe Bedford 80 lb 3 oz
14 Trevor Cousins 156 lb 14 oz 2nd
15 Mick Linnell 97 lb 9 oz
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| Just so everybody knows! |
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