In 65 years of matchfishing I had never gone to my peg and not fished...until Monday's first Spratts match of the season.
I fancied peg 13, and even more I fancied the fish would feed after 24 hours of a strong warm South-Westerly wind had warmed the water. Actually 'strong' was not the word to describe Monday's breeze. 'Howling' would have been better - certainly one of the strongest winds I have ever been out in. In fact when I was at work I often used to arrange a day off work in gale-force winds like that, and take myself to the Great Ouse Relief Channel at Downham Market where. with a bit of luck, if there were white horses on the water, the big roach and bream would line up to take my bait. I've had many happy hours on the banks there in a gale.
On Monday I took my main holdall containing landing net handle, feeder arm etc, plus my rod holdall, and a bait bag down to Peg 13. But after walking past the first three or four pegs I was suddenly almost taken off my feet. That happened three times, and I dropped my gear to the ground to consider what I should do. The back wind was over our right shoulders.
The platforms here are over the water (and none too big) so normally to get off your box in a wind like that you would swivel round so you could step off the back of the box, straight on to the bank. But I have to have a seat on my box, so I have to stand up and shuffle round between the box and the edge of the platform.
I thought there was a real chance I could be knocked off balance by these massive gusts, so decided to head off home (discretion being the better part of valour), though not before watching a hat being pushed into the middle of the lake and eventually sinking. I had to hope there was not a Spratts angler hanging beneath it.
The other ten anglers stayed, though, and had some cracking sport, especially considering the problems that wind must have caused. Peter Harrison continued the great run he is having on peg 7, winning with 124 lb 14 oz of carp to double-figures fishing bomb and bread, the bread being fished just on or just off bottom. And he was a total of 11 lb over the club's 50 lb limit in two of his three nets!
Runner-up was Neil Pass next door on 6 with 108 lb 13 oz, taken on The Method with corn, his best carp being 9 lb. John Garner was third, fishing the same way on peg 11, taking fish to 8 lb in his 81 lb 13 oz.
I spoke to Shaun Buddle next day, who had 70 lb 8 oz for fourth from peg 8, and he said that it was definitely a bit hairy at times in the wind, and admitted that he had been in danger of falling in once. So I probably made the right decision. Next match is Sunday with JV on Beastie, then Tuesday with Spratts on Cedar.
THE RESULT
3 Trevor Cousins 57 lb 14 oz
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