Commercial Matchman: Wendy hands out a walloping on Yew

Firstly, I have to report that my expected contribution to the enhanced pollination of British plants has taken place. I was able to release hundred of bluebottles into the countryside merely by opening my shed door, and how delightful it was to see them immediately settling on my petunias and geraniums before buzzing off into the surrounding fields to do their part in producing food for the masses. I hope the electrician who switched off my maggot fridge last week appreciates the honour which has befallen him.

And now to the mundane subject of my matchfishing...and mundane is am appropriate term to apply to my most recent performance(s).

Peg 3, Yew, Wednesday, Sept 13
Happy with peg 3 as the wind was blowing down to that end of Yew in this 16-entry Spratts match. Trouble was it was a North-easterly, and after the unsettled weather of the previous couple of days the odds were against big catches all-round, as experience has shown that the little rhyme which begins: "When the wind is in the East then it is the fish bite least" tend to be correct. But poems have been known to be wrong, and hope beat eternal in Mac Campbell's breast as I settled into my office for the day.

Bright, but the North-East wind was cool - not ideal conditions.

A good start for Peter

It was a good blow, with bright sunlight, but to be honest it was quite cold as it was slightly into our faces on the West bank. To my right Peter Harrison on peg 1, pole fishing against the reeds to his right at about 11.5 metres, had a big fish early on, and minutes later I saw him lose another. Then on my left there came splashing from Peter Spriggs' peg, and he was obviously underway. I was fishing the pole at 2+2 because there was a small slope onto which my rig would drift, using expander and then banded pellet, then it was back to expander, and after about two hours I had a carassio of about 6 oz.

This was all I could see of Peter Harrison, fishing long to the end bank.

Believe it or not, but that gave me a bit of heart, as it was already obvious that everyone I could see was struggling. So I put on maggots and had a 1 oz perch. That was followed by six more, and I changed to a worm (I had brought them, as promised) hoping that if there were carp there it might sort one out. That only brought a slightly bigger perch, and cut my losses and felt I had to have a look closer in.

I had trickled corn into a spot right on the corner of the reeds, where the water was about three feet deep, and fully expected some sort of touch there, but it never happened. Around this time I saw Peter Harrison also fishing in the side and opposite, both Dick Warrener and Trevor Cousins changed about the same time. On peg 30, on the opposite bank in the corner, Mike Rawson had three fish on a feeder quite quickly and I thought I really ought to put one out...but I didn't!

Peter didn't have many fish - but they were good 'uns.

At last a 'proper' carp
Back out on corn, and at last a proper carp came in, about 3 lb, and I also lost a big fish obviously foulhooked. But the next two hours were fishless both on that line and near the reeds to my right,. where I tried corn, expander, cat meat and musell with just a couple of tiny liners.. Meanwhile I heard Peter Spiggs landing two or three more fish.

Ninety minutes to go and I started a new line on 2+1, in the deepest water, trickling in expanders, and although I had had liners on the other lines, I got none on this line. Then I started to see fish swimming into the side, which is often a sign that they are starting to think about feeding. Sure enough after I had got the bait just touching bottom I lifted it an inch, dropped it back, and the float zoomed under straight away. That was a carp about 7 lb.

More foulhookers
A few minutes later I had another about 8 lb, before playing another for a long time before losing it - also foulhooked as a scale came winging its way back to me.

Half an hour to go and I hit another fish on the deepwater line which came slowly in, just flapping its tail occasionally - I could see it was over 10 lb. But I couldn't get it over the net as it wouldn't face the right way! Frustratingly that happened twice more - almost in the net but it kept slipping sideways.

That corner on the reeds looked good, but produced nothing.
Then, about two minutes before the end, I saw a fish move
in the shallow margin only a foot from the bank. I dropped in for a
few seconds (of course) but nothing happened. 😔

Then that fish came alive and started off along the margin, and I realised it was foulhooked. It made several runs up to the next platform and I had to put on extra sections to pull it away from the side. Eight minutes later the inevitable happened, and the hook pulled. I know it was eight minutes because I looked at my watch.

Final fish
Two minutes later I hooked, and landed, my third nice carp, around 8 lb, on a 6mm expander.

Back in and almost immediatelyI hit another, which was also obviously foulhooked. This fish shot off immediately, lit the after-burners, and 'snap' it broke the hooklength. I dropped the top down, picked up another which was set at the same depth, and dropped it in. But there was no miracle finish - just a whistle to end the match. Didn't know we had a whistle!

Dave Hobbs, with 60 lb 1 oz was only ounces short
of being top weight on our Western bank.

The weigh in

Peter Harrison had seven fish for 53 lb while my five (plus the itchy perch) went 26 lb. Then Peter Spriggs weighed in his seven for 52 lb 5 oz, taken on cat meat. Those catches were fairly typical as we went along, with Shaun Buddle on 60 lb 11 oz being top weight on our bank. Everybody said that they had their best spells in the last couple of hours.

Over to the East bank the highlight was Wendy Bedford on 20, who had some very big fish. I think she had seven fish for 81 lb 8 oz, all on feeder and mussel, and that catch won the match. It was certainly the most popular result this season. Wendy has a bad shoulder and always fishes feeder. Congratulations came fromn all sides. As an aside her 93-year-old brother-in-law Joe, opposite on 11, had 47 lb 13 oz.

A beautiful golden common for Joe Bedford.

On the next peg to Wendy John Garner fished pole for 72 lb 4 oz and second place, but the rest was a bit of an anti-climax, especially for Bob Allen on 24, who never had a bite all day! It really was that hard.

Marks out of ten
I can't beat myself up about not catching three or four more fish, which would have put me in the frame, because the fishing was definitely difficult. But I should have tried the left margin more aggressively, and I had a bomb rod ready - why did I not give it 15 minutes on mussel during the hours I couldn't get a fish? I should also have come into that near corn line on the right in the last half hour, giving it just five minutes, because if the fish are near the margins you'll usually get an indication in that time.

But when the fish are nearly all between 8 lb and 14 lb just three will make the difference between framing and coming nowhere. So taking into account the fact that I never stopped concentrating at any time I give myself 5/10. I'm having a poor spell at the moment; next match next week on Willows, which can be peggy, so I'm half expecting another grueller. On the other hand I like Willows - perhaps it will like me!