Plans at home changed and I managed to wangle another, unexpected, match on the Friday - fourteen of us fished this Spratts club match at Decoy. After the pegs I fancied most (26, 24, 22) had gone I was happy enough with 1 as it's at the favoured end of Cedar, though it can't usually compete with 26, opposite. The cool North-easterly meant that no fish were moving on the surface in front of me, though when I walked along the bank before the start they were certainly moving a few pegs away. This end of the lake was pretty calm, even though the wind was blowing towards us. And all-round I felt the water was dead.
 |
| Peg 1, facing East, but the North-Easterly somehow gave us mainly calm water for the majority of the match at this end of Cedar |
Dave Hobbs on 26 took an early fish or two by picking them off from among the reeds to his left (the end bank), and though I saw the occasional fish moving, they were all on their own, swimming quickly towards the end bank. I started out at 13 metres beside reeds, with an expander, but never had even a liner. Then I went right up to the end bank, where there was only a foot of water, and then out in front of me on 2+3. After 90 minutes I had just one fish on a corn skin dropped in front of a five-pounder.
Trevor, down to my left on peg 5, towards the middle of the lake, was catching fish shallow, though, mainly by mugging them (targeting fish he could see), and said he now had about 60 lb! I could see the occasional fish under the surface in his swim, so I went back and eventually had another carp shallow on a small piece of cat meat from a sachet, also about 5 lb, the only two I had shallow. Two hours later, after looking everywhere, including my left margin, I had two carp around 8 lb in two drops in the deep margin to my right, near the scum, also on a small piece of cat meat.
 |
| Opposite me Dave Hobbs, on end peg 26, found a fish or two early on, |
It now started to get quite cold and I was about to put on a fleece when the wind died a little and it seemed warmer, so I didn't bother. Dave Hobbs now seemed to be catching fish from both his margins. I couldn't get a bite, and still the only fish I could see were swimming fast towards the end bank, mainly too fast to get a bait in front of them. It was as if they were hoping to spawn but the cold wind meant conditions weren't right.
Finally, with an hour to go I saw Mick Ramm, to my left, land a couple of fish from his margin, and I decided I had to start another swim. So in went some pieces of mussel ten metres to my left, with half a mussel on the hook, I dropped it well out and brought the float back to within a foot of the bank and let the bait sink slowly. First drop something hit the bait on the drop but didn't take it properly.
However, next drop and just after the bait had hit bottom a carp jagged the float under and I was playing another eight-pounder to the net. Using my newish short tops it took only half the time it would have done on the longer, bendy tops, even the Power tops. And next drop the same thing happened - a carp landed.
Six in the net and I guessed I was still well behind most of the others, even though I'd not seen much caught. A gap of 20 minutes, and then another two carp came along one after the other from the mussel swim, the best a good 10 lb. I had resigned myself to doing badly, but I particularly enjoy those days when you have to work hard for every fish, Like Winter Leagues in the Summer! One angler on the Maggot Drowners website once insisted he always catches at least 100 lb when he fishes a commercial. He should come to Decoy on days like this...
I was first to weigh, estimating I had 45 lb-ish, but they weighed 58 lb 3 oz, which I was satisfied with. Two pegs along Trevor had a magnificent 142 lb 14 oz, and I guessed that would win. Indeed it did, with only Dave Hobbs threatening that weight, with his 102 lb 13 oz. I thought he had a lot more - funny how everyone else always seems to be catching so fast!
 |
| Trevor, winner with 142 lb 14 oz, with his best carp, well over 10 lb. |
To my surprise every other angler had also struggled, even worse than me, and I ended a very surprised third. Two anglers told me that towards the other end of the match there were a lot more carp shallow, all day. I didn't feel so inadequate about my shallow fishing after that! I like to think that if I'd had a load I would have caught at least a few. But a very well done to Trevor, catching on a banded pellet on a day which foxed the rest of us.
Yet again he took almost all his fish by dropping the rig in front of more than one, which he thinks brings out the competitive instinct in the carp. He told me had had snared only two fish swimming on their own.
 |
| John Garner - 28 lb 2 oz from corner peg 13. I kept taking pictures, assuming someone other than Trevor would have a big weight... |
 |
| Mike Rawson, complete with sensible hat to keep the sun off his neck. He had 24 lb 1 oz from peg 20 on the Eastern bank. |
 |
| Dick Warrener took most of his 43 lb 12 oz shallow from peg 22, nearly opposite the winner. He ended fourth. |
 |
| Runner-up was Dave Hobbs with 102 lb 13 oz from corner peg 26. The lake behind him is Oak, the third of the strip lakes. |
Next match on Six-Island on Sunday, when (of course) I'd like to get in the wind, if it's warm, preferably from peg 4 round to 18 or so, with 10 to 15 plus 18 and 19 favourite because they have nice shallow margins.
THE RESULT
East bank West bank
24 Steve Engledow 25 lb 12 oz 3 Mick Ramm 40 lb 9 oz
22 Dick Warrener 43 lb 12 oz 4th 5 Trevor Cousins 142 lb 14 oz 1st
20 Mike Rawson 24 lb 1 oz 7 Neil Paas 37 lb 8 oz
18 Joe Bedford 24 lb 8 oz 9 Bob Barrett `15 lb 3 oz
16 Wendy Bedford 10 lb 12 oz 11 Bob Allen 17 lb 5 oz
14 John Smith 14 lb 10 oz 13 John Garner 28 lb 2 oz
No comments:
Post a Comment