Seventeen fished this JV match, with 12 on Six-Island and six on Lou's. I was surprised how low the water level was on Lou's, considering the amount of rain we've had...and how clear it was. I could see the bottom in 18 inches of water, a metre from the bank, and if the day hadn't been so dull, I suspect I could have seen a lot farther out. I had forgotten my phone, so no pictures.
Gus Gausden was round the corner to my left, on peg 9, and Ian Frith was on my right on 13. Rain came just before the start of the match, but it held off all day, though we never saw the sun. I found a small hole at eight metres, about three feet deep, and started there on a 6mm expander, catching a small roach, then a gudgeon, and then a tiny bream. Meanwhile Ian Frith had caught two carp on a bomb cast to the far bank. A long while later I realised he had been using bread, which is allowed here from November to March.
A switch to a bomb and a yellow wafter brought me a good pull very quickly, and a big fish hooked, but after 30 seconds the 10 lb line I had added, to make the drop longer, broke at the bomb end. I can't work out how that happened - I had caught two fish on that set-up last week. Next cast a 3 lb carp came in but then I went 45 minutes without a pull and had a quick look with corn on the pole on a 2+1.
Nothing there, so I followed Ian and had a look with maggot - Ian was now catching roach fast, fairly close in, and I followed suit, getting four or five very quickly on maggot before they suddenly disappeared. Ian was now catching roach farther out, but I couldn't find any. Next thing I know Ian is out on 14.5 or 16 metres of pole, and bagging occasional carp.
At that moment I saw four or five carp come in and circle the spot, five metres out, where I had been feeding corn, and saw some others out towards the far bank. Of course I went straight in on the corn swin, but surprisingly I never had a touch. Some time after that I realised Ian was using banded pellet, so I did that at 13 metres and had three small carp in the first three drops before they disappeared, as did the fish which had been showing themselves.
The rest of the match saw another carp on banded pellet and one more on the bomb. I should have probably started on the bomb, soon changed to banded pellet, and had at least two swims on the go, as the fish were spooking in the cool, clear water...
Gus won the lake on 9 with 63 lb 8 oz taken on a 2+2 on expander and corn. Behind me on 5, Barry Webb fished over the reeds towards platform 6 for 60 lb 5 oz and second place. Ian had 52 lb 2 oz, saying afterwards: "Bites were few and far between." I had 25 lb for plumb last.
Over on Six-Island Lee Kndall had a superb 224 lb 15 oz from peg 9, in the corner, fishing 16 metres along the end bank, He put in a big pot of maggots at the start, and another partway through the match, but fed maggots every drop in a tosspot on his pole, which saw him getting through six pints. He included ten big barbel, and fished mainly bunches of three maggots on the hook.
My next match is with JV on Willows on Sunday. I have been making up some extra-long hooklengths, which will (theoretically) give me a longer fall of bait on a bomb hopefully enticing the fish which are hanging off the bottom.
THE RESULT
3 Dave Parsons 33 lb 12 oz
5 Barry Webb 60 lb 5 oz 2nd
7 John Savage 43 lb 7 oz
9 Gus Gausden 63 lb 8 oz 1st
11 Mac Campbell 25 lb
13 Ian Frith 52 lb 2 oz
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