Devon called...
An unforgettable holiday in Ilfracombe was my next expedition. It reminded me of my birth town of Wisbech - full of nail bars, kebab houses, fish and chip shops, tattoo parlours and charity shops, plus hills, wind and rain! Nearly eight hours to get there and 11 hours to come back, thanks to the M5 being closed in both directions and being directed up mile after mile of single-track roads where the residents of at least one village had given up trying to drive out of their own village. Chaos. Gridlocked.
An unforgettable holiday in Ilfracombe was my next expedition. It reminded me of my birth town of Wisbech - full of nail bars, kebab houses, fish and chip shops, tattoo parlours and charity shops, plus hills, wind and rain! Nearly eight hours to get there and 11 hours to come back, thanks to the M5 being closed in both directions and being directed up mile after mile of single-track roads where the residents of at least one village had given up trying to drive out of their own village. Chaos. Gridlocked.
Then we were able to view Bridgwater from the comfort of our barely-moving car...for nearly three hours; only escaping when my 16-year-old grand-daughter who was navigating directed us round a left turn, and past a notice saying that there were major roadworks ahead which everyone should avoid. That took us straight to the M5, (someone must have nicked the roadworks) where the first service station was apparent by the queue of cars snaking all the way along the slip road and out onto the Motorway.
I guess they all wanted the toilets or Electrical charging points, or perhaps both. If ever I had considered obtaining an electric car that put the kybosh on it!
Otherwise the highlight was a visit to a honey farm, where three of us donned the space suits before smoking the bees and handling the newly-formed honeycombs, where we even saw bees hatching out. Half an hour later, with no problems from the bees, we bought teas from the cafe and drank them outside...where I was stung by a bloody wasp!
Back home and the results of the Spratts match on Six-Island were on my phone. Yet again, because I was not fishing it, Dick Warrener had a shedload, and would have won it with his 137 lb 1 oz from peg 4, taken at about six metres on mussel, if he hadn't lost a double-figure fish at the net. In the event Neil, Pass won on 25 with 140 lb 15 oz on hard pellet fishing in the margins, with Dave Hobbs third on 8, also taken on mussel.
Result
2 Mick Ramm 29 lb 2 oz
4 Dick Warrener 137 lb 1 oz 2nd
6 John Smith 90 lb 8 oz 5th
8 Dave Hobbs 121 lb 1 oz 3rd
10 Joe Bedford 10 lb 10 oz
12 Bob Barrett 72 lb 15 oz
14 Martin Parker 18 lb 4 oz
16 Trevor Cousins 68 lb 10 oz
18 John Garner 47 lb 13 oz
20 Wendy Bedford 30 lb 7 oz
22 Peter Spriggs 104 lb 1 oz 4th
25 Neil Paas 140 lb 15 oz
4 Dick Warrener 137 lb 1 oz 2nd
6 John Smith 90 lb 8 oz 5th
8 Dave Hobbs 121 lb 1 oz 3rd
10 Joe Bedford 10 lb 10 oz
12 Bob Barrett 72 lb 15 oz
14 Martin Parker 18 lb 4 oz
16 Trevor Cousins 68 lb 10 oz
18 John Garner 47 lb 13 oz
20 Wendy Bedford 30 lb 7 oz
22 Peter Spriggs 104 lb 1 oz 4th
25 Neil Paas 140 lb 15 oz
Saturday, Aug 11
And so to Crow Lake at Pidley, where I hoped the strong wind would clear my head and blow away memories of that horrific journey. In fact it blew my pole sections around my swim all day!
This was the Fenland Rods Handicap match, with the pools paid out on the Handicap result, and medals for the first three. The handicap is based on last season's championship result with the champ, Kevin Lee, on Scratch ; second man Callum on +10%; me on third +20% etc.
Peg 10 was my home for the day, and I had intended to start on The Method and pellet, cast right across to the far bank; indeed I had it all made up ready for the start. But when I picked up the rod to cast out the band must have been caught in the grass and it had pulled off. Instead of putting on another banded hooklength I cut off the loop and stuck on some dead maggots. Probably a wrong decision.
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| Peg 10. Literally seconds before the match ended the wind died largely away! |
Liners on feeder and maggot
However I had liners and soon had a 2 lb common in the net. A fair while later another came in, and then two unaccountable pulled off while they were halfway to the net. After an hour I had a quick look on the pole on 2+1, to my left, fishing with the wind, using luncheon meat, and soon had three tiny F1s which wouldn't have weighed 1 lb between them. So it was back out on the feeder for another small carp and another pulled off right at the net.
I walked up to Kevin Lee on my right, who said he had had nine on the feeder, while Callum on his right had 12. He was using an orange wafter, so when I went back I put on something similar and had a 2 lb carp first cast. Two more followed, but also another three which came off. Afterwards every angler I spoke to said they had lost a lot of fish, also.
The wind gets worse
There followed a long fishless spell, when the wind became stronger and quite cold, and I saw Kevin take a couple of fish well out, which was difficult in that wind. But I went out to eight metres, into the deepest water, and had two fish on luncheon meat. When the wind spun me right round to the left, threatening to break my pole, I admitted defeat and went to 2+1 again.
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| To my left Dave Garner had some nice fish on his waggler gear, and I thought he had me well beaten. |
Two or three 2 lb carp came in and when I saw a fish turn in the margin, where I had been dropping corn, I came in closer.
Three nice carp
I couldn't catch the fish showing in about 18 inches of water, so went to my right margin, on a top two, where I put in a load of dead maggots, into water that was about two feet deep. That brought three carp around 6 lb each, all on a bunch of six deads, and I turned back to the left margin.
Going into the slight;y deeper water brought two more 5 lb carp, but three or four more pulled off. I just don't know why, though a couple of the better fish were hooked on the outside of the lips. All the time here I was getting fish hitting the bait on the way down, and giving liners. A change to mussel was no better. Then I hooked another big fish which skimmed along the surface and I could see it must have been around 10 lb. Two seconds later that also came off. One more stuck, around 7 lb, and the match ended.
I thought I had 45 lb-plus, and was pretty despondent, assuming I was way down the field, especially since Kevin and Callum had had such a lead on me after two hours. Fish had been in the margin pretty much the whole time since I had started fishing there, and I was really frustrated I had caught only six.
The weigh-in
On peg 2 Peter Spriggs had most of his 57 lb 11 oz catch in the second half of the match in the margins, and said he had lost about ten. Like me, he assumed the fish were just not feeding properly. Next to him Martin Parker fished a bomb and pellet all day for 71 lb 3 oz, and then Callum had 80 lb 8 oz, having added to his early feeder fish by fishing a long pole. Already I was looking well down the list.
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| Down on peg 25 Wendy sneaked out 43 lb 10 oz on a feeder, which was enough to give her the silver medal. |
But then, a surprise! Kevin Lee had had fish in his margin for the last couple of hours, but said he just couldn't catch them, and he had just 33 lb 15 oz. Then I weighed 60 lb 10 oz, to my eternal surprise, and was now in third spot. To my left Dave Garner, who I had seen land some decent fish, had 55 lb 1 oz, so I was still third. And crazily that held right to the end, as everyone else had struggled!
I was busy working out the handicap results as the scales went along, so took very few pictures.
The Handicap Result
But it was the Handicap result which really mattered, and this went to Martin, fishing on +70% with 128 lb. Then we were all delighted to see that Wendy, with 43 lb 10 oz from peg 24, fishing on +140%, was in second place. Allan Golightly with 52 lb 9 oz and +80% took the bronze medal position, with Callum, who won the main match, fourth.
Marks out of 10
I give myself 2/10. I should have put the band and pellet on at the start, and afterwards I wondered why I hadn't tried cat meat, worm, paste or hard pellet for those margin fish. Sometimes a change of bait will take just one fish - and I didn't need many of those 5 lb-plus fish to win. I lost several, but I don't think that was my fault, otherwise I would have given myself just 1/10!
Frankly (and not for the first time) I should have won.
Next match is Friday on Beastie at Decoy. I have no plan, having been so busy since the 'holiday', which is also why this write-up is late. If I get there, fish, and get back in one piece, that will be success for me!
THE RESULT
Handicap possn
2 Peter Spriggs 57 lb 11 oz 4th 7th
4 Martin Parker 71 lb 3 oz 2nd 1st
6 Callum Judge 80 lb 8 oz 1st 4th
8 Kevin Lee 33 lb 15 oz 10th 12th
10 Mac Campbell 60 lb 10 oz 3rd 8th
12 Dave Garner 55 lb 8 oz 5th 5th
14 Joe Bedford 23 lb 12th 10th
16 Allan Golightly 52 lb 9 oz 6th 3rd
18 Dick Warrener 30 lb 5 oz 11th 9th
20 Mel Lutkin 51 lb 15 oz 7th 6th
22 Dave Hobbs 41 lb 4 oz 9th 11th
24 Wendy Bedford 43 lb 10 oz 8th 2nd
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