Luck keeps me in the mix on Willows

 Peg 29, Willows, Sun, Oct 29
That blessed Winter sun was such a nuisance (I know I should be gratefull). It wasn't right in the eyes of the five of us pegged round the back of Willows in this JV match, but it was so bright and low at the beginning that I began to wonder how peg 29 has such a reputation, if you can't fish to the island cos of that sun. But a little after the match began it moved behind a tree, and I was able to get to the island with 13 metres plus a half butt - which was just as well because I had left my 14-metre section behind, knowing I couldn't possibly draw that one peg where it could be useful. But of course I did!

I had a chat with Gus Gausden before the match and he reminded me that peg 29  has probably won as many matches in the mast few years as the famous peg 25. So no pressure, then! There was a cold wind, but the surface was pretty calm at the start, witrh a small ripple later. Gus also told me, in an unhappy voice, that the previous night saw a full moon...and we all know what that meant! 

Lots of sun, lots of leaves, and no wind at the start round the back of Willows.

A cracking start

I went out to the island straight away, trying to avoid the hook fouling one of the thousands of leaves on the surface, and immediately had liners. Five minutes later I was playing a double-figure carp to the net, taken on corn, Or was it? When I came to unhook the fish the hook was in its pectoral fin. I hadn't thought it was foulhooked, so perhaps the hook and come out in the net and re-attached itself.

A small bream followed, and then came a frustrating spell when hardly anything moved the float, and I found that there are three long stands of bramble or willow overhanging the water by several feet which you can't easily see. I discovered that when I struck up into them, but mercifully nothing actually tangled. I looked into the deeper water away from the island, but eventually had to come back onto a 2+2 line. 

Fish on banded pellet
I had plumbed up and found the slightly shallower area was to my left, but that was into the sun, so I had to move round to the deeper spot to the right. Starting on banded pellet, I hooked a 1 lb bream and a small F1 before swapping to corn, which brought a 4 lb carp and another couple of F1s. Beside me, on my right on peg 30, Andy Bull, fishing expander (I found out later) took occasional carp, but we both found sport was very slow. My float was dotted down to a pimple, but the leaves floating back and forth across our swims were a nightmare, and often I couldn't see the float properly.

Andy with one of his better fish, taken towards the end of the match.

I carried on fishing that line, getting the tiniest of bites, most of which I missed, but a  6 lb lb carp obliged me by committing suicide. With two hours to go I had probably 25 lb, with Andy the same. Then into the margins. I had had a look to the right earlier, with no signs of fish. Now I tried again and saw a slight movement of the float, telling me that the carp were probably willing to come into the side. So into the left margin with corn, and a carp of 8 lb came in!

Two fish on maggot
But that was the only fish I had there. Back out on the 2+2 line with maggot and first cast a 2 lb F1 obliged, Then a roach. Then nothing. At this point Andy had a bit of a purple patch, with three or four nice carp one after the other. He also lost one, hooked in the margin on maggot, which he said was at least 15 lb. We had both lost another four or five, all probably foulhooked. 

Andy Bull with his section-winning catch of 52 lb 4 oz.

Half an hour nefore the end I put some dead maggots into the right margin. With fifteen minutes to go I dropped in there with a bunch of deads, got a bite, and foulhooked an eight-pounder in the tail! There followed a performance of which Fred Karno would have been proud. But eventually, splashing and flapping, it ended in my net on about the sixth attempt, with about two minutes left. Unfortunately my luck ended there and the hoped-for last-minute miracle carp didn't materialise.

The weigh-in

Andy said I had beaten him, but I was sure that wasn't the case. I had seen Gus Gausden on 33 and Jim Regan, farther round on 35, both net a few fish, and they had 43 lb 7 oz and 33 lb 3 oz respectively. But Andy went into our five-peg section lead with 52 lb 4 oz and  my 46 lb 11 oz couldn't match that. With Kevin Bell on 50 weighing 50 lb 5 oz, Andy won that section and I was third,  but nowhere in the match because weights in the other part of the lake were better, Rob Goodson taking the honours with 91 lb 8 oz on peg 22.

Andy took my phone and repaid the compliment!

Disaster!

Rob had BIG trouble afterwards. He had loaded most of his tackle into his Mercedes only to find that the doors had locked themselves, with his keys on the passenger seat. It's one of those which unlocks itself when it detects the key, so it should not have locked. Rob thought the car battery may have gone - I assume that if either the key battery or the car battery died it could happen. Last I knew was that Lee Kendall  was running him home to get the spare key, but there was no guarantee that it would work if the car bettery was dead.

Marks out of 10
I was happy that I sort of was in the mix - only one fish from taking the section, but I needed a bit of luck. Afterwards I was annoyed with myself, because Andy had taken all his carp on a 4mm expander, and I had tried a 6mm expander just once. I had a bite which I missed, and because the pellet was damaged I assumed the perpetrator was a roach, and I never tried it again. Nor did I go back onto the banded pellet rig, which had taken a fish or two. And I should have at least tried cat meat.

Nor did I have a look, towards the end when it seemed that the carp might be feeding, towards the island again. I was pleased, however, that my special method had, at least, shown me that carp were moving in the margins towards the end. And while a lot of the other competitors had open water to fish in, those leaves were a real nuisance round the back of the lake, ands I am sure they cost both Andy and myself (and probably Gus and Jim) fish.

Next match is Thursday on Damson, where it's either a top two at an angle in the shallows or top two or three out in front in the deeps. Not my fvourite lake, but after winning there last week I'm looking forward to it.

THE RESULT

The early pegs on Willows.

The other half, where luck kept me within catching distance
of winning the section, but fate (or stupidity) kept me out!