The first of two fish-filled days on Cedar

 Peg 14, Sunday, Oct 8
I was driving round the corner, past the entrance to the Raveley drain at Ramsey Heights, when I had a first - a deer actually coming out of the undergrowth beside the road. Of course I've seen the occasional deer locally before, and several on the concrete road from Warboys to the Forty Foot drain, feeding in the fields early morning. That's the short cut I have to take when roadworks divert me from my usual route - but if there's a better suspension-breaking road  anywhere nearby I'd like to know about it.

Not only does that concrete road contain good potholes, and gaps between the concrete slabs, but in places it's single-track, so you can find yourself having to pull in to the side to wait while someone roars towards you from the Benwick end; then it passes by, and before you can move off there's another bugger coming towards you. It's OK going home towards Warboys, as the pull-ins are on the right-hand side.

Anway, I consulted my fellow anglers when I got to Decoy, and they said it was probably a muntjac. In fact Chinese Water deer are larger than Muntjacs, but as their rear legs are longer than the front ones, and this little deer seemed to be on an even keel, I guess we came to the right conclusion. And from then on everything went well on this glorious, near-windless Autumn day. 

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness and spiders webs floating over the car park - my name was first out of the old cocoa tin, and 14 came next, which I have never fished before. Of course I would have chosen 26 in the other corner, or a high number, but Allan Golightly had had a bagful on 14 recently, coming second with 160 lb-plus. So I was a happy bunny, and I was drawn out as the £100 Golden peg.

Peg 14's left margin - I started on the hybrid feeder.

The match
Sorry to digress - now down to the nitty gritty. I started on a hybrid Method feeder while I put a few grains of corn in to my right, in the deep water just over the ledge which is a few feet from the bank, a few feet from the pipes. Soon Mike Rawson next door had a fish on the pole, and the Call Of The Pole took over and I went out to 2+2 with cat meat. This brought one carp about 6 lb quite quickly, but the expected run of  fish didn't materialise. So it was into the baited swim.

One fish came from there, and another from the left margin, but after an hour and 15 minutes that was all I had. From then on I worked hard with corn to the right, and every now and then I'd get a bite, and sometimes hook something, and sometimes land it! And they were all good fish, mainly 8 lb-plus, with a couple in double-figures I lost a couple, obviously foulhooked.

The right margin - I finished in that little cut-out at the
 end of the pipes. The main swim was about two metres
 out from the bank and two metres this side of the pipes.

I do an Ivan Marks

After a couple of hours I had about six for nearly 50 lb, and wandered (as Ivan used to do) up to Mike, who said he had only small fish, while Allan Golightly on 17 said he had three and later Kev Lee said he had about 40 lb at that time. Callum Judge was in the fancied peg 26, and I knew he was capable of getting a big catch, so I guessed he would probably win it, and told Mike Rawson that before the match. (Spoiler - what do I know?)

Back to my swim and I changed to my special method in an attempt to cut out the foulhookers, and it worked. But now bites had eased off a bit. Then in came green algae and scum. It didn't look thick, but a mussel would not go through it, and if the shot took it through the surface the bait was covered with slimy strands. I tried cat meat, which went through the surface OK, but then the scum drifted over the float, and  it was all a bit of a nightmare. It extended right over where I had been catching fish, so for a time I had to move to one side, and that wasn't as good.

Into the shallows

Then the scum vanished. Very strange, but bites didn't seem quick enough, so I put in some dead reds right next to the bank, in about three feet of water,  to rest the main swim.  A bunch of deads brought several bites, which I guessed were from roach, as some of the maggots were stripped off the hook. Then I hooked a roach, which confirmed it. so left the swim alone for a time, and went back into the deeper water.

Mussel now started working really well - I would put in a pot of corn, micros and hemp, cut a mussel in half and put it on the hook, and put in the other half, and another couple of halves, over the top. Then I'd have a cup of coffee and then put in the rig, after all the bait had sunk, hoping that would avoid liners.

I couldn't see the other anglers in my match, so took the opportunity to
get an action shot by swivelling round and shooting the angler on Oak 15!

A set-back

There was a bit of a set-back when one rig I had been catching well on had the top ring pulled out by an angry foulhooker (I lifted the bait half an inch and the float shot under immediately, looking for all the world like a proper bite), and I had to discard it for a new rig. That actually worked well, but in the time taken top change it over I could probably have hooked another fish. I find it unsettling when your rhythm is broken like that, but it happens to everyone I suppose. The new rig was again set up for my special method, but with a smaller float, and to my surprise it actually worked just as well with mussel.

Mel Lutkin had a comparatively poor day, with 30 lb 7 oz.

Allan Golightly then came along to see a man about a dog, and helpfully told me had had had a lot of his previous big catch in that shallow area. I put in some corn and hemp, and soon sent back to that swim with mussel, and indeed the carp had now come in, and I had some more near double-figures. To rest the swim I had a look in the left margin, but that brought only two decent F1s and a couple of tiny carp.

I beat the scum

The special method I use worked well, and I foulhooked only two more, one of which I landed. But then more scum came in, and with the light wind which was now blowing, it was pushed into the bay where I was catching. So I put in a put of corn and hemp, dropped in from above the water, and in the hole that made I would drop in my rig. Success! 

I missed Callum weighing in, but managed to get Peter Spriggs.
His fish, on peg 25, were much smaller than mine were.

The fish were feeding quite well, and were taking the bait quickly, before the scum moved the rig about. I guess I was landing a fish every ten minutes, which doesn't seem much, but when they are all approaching 10 lb, it soon adds up.

Fish on!

When the match ended I was playing a fish about 12 lb, and shouted "Fish On" really quite loudly. A second later Mike Rawson on 16, bless his heart, shouted to me, to tell me the match was finished. I shouted at the top of my voice:"I've shouted Fish On," and turned to the angler from Sheffield behind me on Oak 15, and said: "He must be as deaf as a post, like me."

He said: "Thaa's had a good daaay," in that funny voice that Yorkshiremen speak, and I had indeed.  I estimated I had 40 lb in each of my four nets, with the last one started with about 40 minutes to go.

The weigh in

As I walked back to the end, someone told me that several had got four nets out, so a lot of fish had been caught. On peg 26 Callum set a good target with his 147 lb 6 oz, with Peter Spriggs next door on 136 lb 2 oz. Then Shaun Buddle overtook them with 162 lb 7 oz - it had already been some match!

Yes! Shaun Buddle (centre) took the lead with 162 lb 7 oz.

But then the weighers-in told me that Kevin Lee's four nets probably each held 50 lb! They were nearly correct - 199 lb 1 oz and I insisted that I couldn't beat that, though there were some sceptical remarks murmered, because I have so often gone over my estimate. No - my etimates had been reasonable - my total was 173 lb 3 oz for second spot behind Kevin. And Calum with 147 lb 6 oz ended fourth, while Peter Spriggs' 136 lb didn't even frame! And my Golden peg money remains to be won.

Winner Kevin Lee's best fish weighed in at 15 lb 12 oz.

Marks out of ten

I think I was worth eight. I went into the shallows at the right time, and had managed to avoid foulhooking many - one angler told me afterwards that he had lost no end, I think I would have done better if I had been able to use the short tops all the time - but I havd just six, and two of them are set up with light relastics which were unrealistic to use today.

I definitely got the fish in more quickly using the short top and short Number Three than using the normal, longer top twos. But the elastics in the other short tops were just a little light for the size of fish I was catching - best must have been 14 lb. So I was happy with my compromise, but really must get more short tops. But I should have baited the laft margin swim properly, because I had some longing spells without fish in the main swim.

The next day I was on Cedar again, hoping for a peg at the car park end (low numbers or high numbers), or peg 14 would be OK...

THE RESULT