Commercial Matchman: Probably should have done better on Six-Island

Peg 6, Sunday, March 16
This is very late - been away for a week. Peg 6 on Six-Island was fine for me, even though the rain for the first four hours rain was in my face, from the left, but the fish have been down at that end of the lake for weeks. I had Pete Molesworth to my right in this JV match, and Peter Harrison on 7 to my left. There were also some pegs on Lou's Lake.

By the end of the match the rain had stopped and the sun came out!

There are nice margins on my bank, but I started on a bomb and corn cast towards the island, without even a liner. Then out to about 8 metres with expander, still with no fish. Pete found an F1 right in the side, fishing ti his left (ie towards me) so I came in to the deep water just off the margin. Immediately an 8 lb carp took my dorn, but I spent a long time there withoutfurther result. Then two F1s came in two drops from the very shallow water against the bank, I had cracked it! But Nope...

Pete had his brolly up for the first four hours, and started to get better
fish towards the end of the six-hour match, after the rain.

In the margins, eventually

So out to 8 metres again and occasionally an F1 would come in, plus another nice carp.Pete, meanwhile, was catching just the odd fish down the side, while Peter Harrison started taking fish well out. Then he came into the side, at the same time as I did. I found a nice flat spot on a top two to my left and first drop took another F1. Some liners came then, and I suddenly reaslised that Peter, who was back out, away from the margin, was using cat meat.

So in the last hour I gave cat meat a try, taking one carp, the another on mussel, from the deep water just off the margin, and two or three more F1s. The mussels had been frozen and thawed ou several times and, to be honest, were a bi manky. In the last half hour Peter suddenly had a good spell, with some carp around 5 lb. Meanwhile Peter had a grandstand finish on the cat meat.

Peter Harrison on Peg 8 had a good spell on cat meat fished
in the deeper water. You can see how good the
margins look along this bank.

The weigh in
Weights down to me were not good. I thought I had around 50 lb and Pete Molesworth said he had, also. In fact he weighed 49lb 12 oz, thanks to that late run, and I had 47 lb 12 oz. To my left Peter weighed in 93 lb 7 oz, and said that actually he had not had a touch of any kind in the margin. To his left Eddie McIlroy on 8 ws just behind with 86 lb 9 oz.

But the star performance came from Steve Tilsley opposite on 10, using mainly corn, who totalled 168 lb 2 oz for the win, on a pole, leaving Peter second and Eddie third. Dan Pettigrew on 18 was the best of the rest - fourth with 76 lb 13 oz. I came 7th, missing my four-peg section win by double default by just that 2 lb.

Shaun Buddle won Lous lake from peg 1 on the pole, with 63 lb, with most taken close to the end bank, against the reeds..

Marks out of 10
I give myself 6. I should have tried the meat earlier, and even though I had a feeling that the better carp were in the slightly deeper water I stayed too long in the shallow margins. Next match was Monday, March 25 on Cedar, where I will have cat meat and decent musell ready. I lost a couple of nice carp, probably foulhooked, but it's still annoying.