I must be deteriorating. I wrote last year about remembering Alan Scotthorne's advice to: "Don't just think it - do it!" Well, in this match not only did I not do it - I didn't even think it. But in the end I probably got what I didn't deserve...
Illness and the Call of the Wild (in the form of the Old Codgers Open on Beastie Lake) reduced this Spratts entry to eight. I wasn't unhappy with peg 9 on Oak, as it was close to the 10 or 11 I had fancied. Dave Hobbs was on my other favoured peg 1, with Steve Engledow on 11 (we fished odd-numbered swims from 1 to 15). Bob Allen was first out of the hat, with 15, which would have been my next peg to fancy. And Neil Paas was drawn out as Golden Peg.
 |
| My left margin - four feet in front of the reeds, but only inches next to the bank. |
I had read a lot of my reports around this time of year on Oak, and decided to start on the feeder, as this has brought occasional fish. I used a full Method, with a red wafter. It's a long time since I used a proper Method feeder - recently my first choice has been a banjo, but within a few minutes, with the bait cast about three-quarters of the way across, the rod whipped round and I had my first fish on.
 |
| The right margin - unfishable for half the match because of the sun shining on the water. |
That was disconcerting, of course, but I realised what had happened. Adjustments were needed, and I soon cottoned on to the fact that the fish had come in more quickly than on my other rods, and had more fight in it. So I had to be a little patient before the fish was netted. It was a common about 7 lb.
A cast nearer to the middle brought nothing, and the next cast flew uneeringly into a reed bed on the opposite bank. Rather than pull for a break I took my long hook round to the opposite bank, and managed to extricate the whole rig. So ten minutes wasted, but the next cast a few metres from the far bank saw another fish about the same size.
When I had a slow spell I tried the pole in three swims - hard pellet at 13 metres, where I foulhooked a fish which came off. Then corn in the deep water to my left where I foulhooked another with the same result. And finally in the shallow cut-back to my left, where I never had a touch. So it was back out on the feeder.
Others were casting right across, but when I did that the feeder hit bottom in a split second, and although I gave it 15 minutes, I never had even a liner. So other casts were several metres from the bank, in the deeper water. By half time I had five fish, best around 10 lb.
The first fish saw the hair-rigged band come off the hook, so I took a leaf out of Andy Finlay's book and hooked a band directly on to the hook. I still have some old ones that have a little pimple on the band specifically for putting the hook through, anbd that acounted for the final four fish, with an 8mm Robin Red pellet. The band stayed on and is still on the hook.
Behind me on Cedar lake Peter Maskell, who introduced me to mussels as a bait, was catching well, and he shouted out that he had ten carp. I was already thinking about going on to the pole, and when I saw others catching the occasional fish on the pole I felt I had to have a look. First drop with corn next to the reeds to my left, in about four feet of water, saw another double-figure fish come out.
 |
| To my left on 11 Steve Engledow had an occasional fish early on, but more towards the last hour. |
A change to mussel was next, but it took ages to get a bite and I should probably have gone back onto the feeder. But I persevered and slowly I found fish - good ones, with the best probably 13 lb. Just one came from a two-foot swim near the keepnet on my left, where I had put just a few grains of corn, then suddenly all hell broke loose.
 |
| Steve made hay in the sun for the last hour. |
Yet on 11 I could plainly see Steve Engledow now netting fish obviously hooked right in the side, and I could see his rig was only about 18 inches deep. I must have been doing something wrong, but I plodded on using mussel and VERY occasionally would catch another nice carp. Steve was definitely catching better than me, though, and I thought he had probably overhauled me..
With five minutes to go I had 12 fish, from 5 lb upwards, and then hooked another. It came quickly towards the net, but I couldn't quite get it in first time, and it went walkabout. The match ended and I shouted "Fish On." Two minutes later I shouted: "Fish Off" as the hook pulled out. By then I had realised it was foulhooked. Neil Paas on my right had also started catching better than me in the last 90 minutes, so I feared I had been overtaken after what had been a reasonable start on the feeder.
 |
| Dave Hobbs on peg 1 carefully empties his fish into the bag. |
Trevor weighed in 49 lb 9 oz, so it must have been hard in that area, as he is so consistent. Next to me Neil Paas, using hard pellet, had 75 lb 3 oz. I thought he had more fish than me, so they must have been snaller.
My two fish weighed 15 lb; four in one net went 42 lb; and six smaller fish in the third net went 48 lb - total 105 lb 3 oz, so I had done Dave by exactly 1 lb, and that last lost fish hadn't cost me anything. On my left Steve Engledow must have wished for another half-hour catching in the shallows, as he ended with 92 lb 11 oz for third spot, and I ended the winner.
 |
| Dave was the early leader (obviously) with 104 lb 3 oz. |
Honestly, I am worth only 4. The sun was shining bright, and low, from the right, so I couldn't fish to my right for the first half of the match. But afterwards I realised I had virtually ignored the right margin. I had had a couple of drops in there, but I hadn't plumbed up properly, and under the surface it must have been like the Himalayas - peaks and troughs everwhere , where the bank has fallen in. I should have looked for a flat piece to fish towards the end, or just fished the deep water next to the reeds properly.
Also I never tried maggot, even though I had taken the trouble to put a handfull in a small container on my try, so I only had to dip into it. Worms stayed in the maggot box, and I put on just one piece of cat meat all day. I stayed mainly in that one swim for the last three hours, but everybody knows that on some days just hooking a fish causes others nearby to scatter, and you have to look elsewhere. But I didn't.
 |
| Neil Paas, who was Golden Peg - 75 lb 3 oz. |
Also I ignored that famous 2+1 line where almost everyone else catches fish, and I never thought about putting in the dead reds I had, which might have snared at least one of those shallow-feeding giants. So I was lucky. As I said at the start, an undeserved win, but they all count...
Next match Sunday on Six-Island where the forecast is for SW wind during the day, blowing into peg 9. So I'd like from 6 to 9, or 11 on the opposite bank, which has a lovely bed of irises.
 |
| Bob Barrett - 56 lb 3 oz on a feeder. |
 |
| Bob Allen didn't want his phote taken, so Trevor showed us Bob's best fish! |
 |
| How cruel! Bob Allen wrote that comment on the board before we even started!! THE RESULT 1 Dave Hobbs 104 lb 3 oz 2nd 3 John Smith 44 lb 2 oz 5 Trevor Cousins 49 lb 9 oz 7 Neil Paas 75 lb 3 oz 9 Mac Campbell 105 lb 3 oz 1st 11 Steve Engledow 92 lb 11 oz 3rd 13 Bob Barrett 56 lb 3 oz 15 Bob Allen 50 lb |
No comments:
Post a Comment