The weather is such a tease, even in May...

 

Peg 8, Crow, Sat, May 13
What a difference a wind makes! During the week I'd had 90 minutes fishing Crow lake, at Rookery Farm Fishery, Pidley, just a 20-minute ride from my house, and had had fish after fish on peg 16, on four different rigs and three different baits, practicing for this Fenland Rods match. But that was in a warm Southerly wind, blowing towards the high numbers, while for this match the wind was Northerly and COLD. So cold at one time I had trouble putting a pellet in the band, even with a bander.

IF I HAD REMEMBERED TO TAKE A PICTURE OF MY SWIM IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE

Bad start
I'd started on  pole and 6mm banded pellet at 11.5 metres because with a slight back wind the best ripple was well out. But after an hour I'd not had a fish, while Martin Parker on my left had had three feedering to the far bank with a big old Method feeder. However I had had a lot of touches, so I was sure that the fish were coming to the few 6mm pellets I had been introducing with a small cad pot.

I carried on for a little longer, while the wind swung so it was straight down the lake, left to right, towards the low numbers, and in fact I managed three small F1s, but Martin had had a couple more better fish, so I put on a hybrid feeder and a wafter. Casting short of the far bank brought nothing at all, but getting to within a foot or so, right on the mudline, brought liner after liner, but no fish. I couldn't see anyone to my left catching anything, and in fact Dick Warrener on 11 told me that he hadn't had a single fish.

Fish close in

Great to see Matthew Lutkin, who used to fish all our
matches until he went to university and then became a solicitor.

So it was back on the pole, and after three hours I was languishing with just five small F1s.A look on the edge of the shelf, on roughly 2+1, with luncheon meat, brought a 2 lb mirror first drop, but then nothing. A switch to the left on a top two, about 18 inches deep, also brought a fish first drop, about 4 lb, but then nothing. I was surprised that the fish were so close in, considering the temperature, but I alternated between the two, and with 90 minutes to go I had probably12 fish, mainly F1s, while Martin had a similar number, but I thought they were considerably bigger than mine.

The last 90 minutes saw me also try close in to the right, about 18 inches deep, and suddenly I found that if I could JUST touch bottom I would get a bite by lifting the rig two inches and allowing the bait to drop. Martin was catching more than me, however, and I estimated he had at least 20 fish.

My fish get bigger
My fish, however, started to get bigger - not the ones in my net (!) but the ones I was catching. A five-pounder than a six-pounder, and others slightly smaller, all on two 4mm cubes of luncheon meat. Corn didn't seem right. With a minutes to go I had 18 fish, and was flying, and then hooked a better one. The match ended and Dick called out, about five minutes later, that I should stop fishing. I was grateful for the advice, because I don't always hear the start and end of matches, but it was difficult for me as a ten-pounder was still stretching my elastic...

My last fish, landed five minutes after the match ended.

It was a happy ending, though, as it eventually ended in my net - a lovely common. But Martin had absolutely slaughtered me and said he had also ended on luncheon meat, and I kicked myself because I had actually swapped the band on my feeder rig for a quickstop, intending to do the same. I then wished I had done so.

 I estimated I had 40 lb-plus, while Martin must have had at least double that on his feeder.

The weigh-in
Peter Spriggs, on peg 3, who had 85 lb 8 oz, mainly on cat meat on a pole on 2+2 on the the edge of the marginal shelf, before the water dropped down another couple of feet. Dave Garner on 5, fishing his usual waggler, ended with 73 lb 6 oz, and my fish went 65 lb 7 oz, much more than I had estimated. But we used the fishery-required three nets, splitting the fish, so I didn't have to click them. and I had been concentrating on just catching 'em.

Dave Garner - second with 73 lb 6 oz. on a waggler.

A surprise

Then - a massive surprise. Martin did, indeed, have more fish than me, but they were much smaller than I had assumed, and he weighed in just 47 lb 9 oz. From then on everyone had struggled, down to Callum judge on end peg 24, who had tried casting to the end bank, but had not had a bite there. His fish came mainly from the far bank. So the windy end of the lake fished best, and I ended third. That last-minute fish didn't actually help me, but I enjoyed catching it, as the fish had just started to really feed. 

I felt I had scrapped around OK, but should definitely have tried the meat, and tried close-in, earlier, and should have had more confidence in cat meat, even in the cold. Next match Thursday on Oak at Decoy, My choice would be on the Eastern bank, which has more shallow areas, around peg 21, thank you very much.

Callum was top in a line of 11 anglers from end peg 24.

THE RESULT