Our Fenland Rods Pairs match, and as chairman I decided to try a suggestion made at our AGM - some sort of seeding system. Accordingly I designated the top six in last year's Championship table as Seeds (like tennis), and they were paired with the other six fishing. It should have been seven pairs, but 93-year-old Joe Bedford was confined to bed with a really nasty cough and his fishing partner, sister-in-law Wendy, wasn't 100% and was keeping an eye on Joe. Get better soon, Joe!
As for the draw, I have never fancied pegs 1- to 12, as they are deepish and have no nice margins, so of course I drew 12, right next to Kev Lee on 13, which has always been one of the prime pegs on the whole complex. And today it gave a backish wind, while alost everyone else had it in their faces or a side wind. And it was quite strong. I tossed to see where each of the sections would be placed, and the top seeds were 9-15 (14 is crammed with lillies), and the second seeds 1-6.
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| A cool, dull day greeted us. That tree looks nice. Never had even a bite there! |
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| Kevin's carp were all good 'uns, take from the margin round to his left. |
Two hours to go and I saw some fish come right into the side next to Kevin's platform. so I had a look in the deep margin, which was horrible - all sloping and bobbly. I missed the firsts bite on cat meat, but the second brought an 8 lb carp. A long time later a four-pounder came in but the last hour, spent looking in botgh margins, in front, and back at 10 metres, saw not a single fish. However Callum, to my right on peg 11 (which I didn't fancy, either) had had a good short spell, on feeder and pole.
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| ...and there's another one. At the end Kevin said the fish had come off bottom, and he certainly lost the last three, all presumably foulhooked. |
All-in-all a cold, horrible frustrating day being walloped on my left, with Trevor Cousins (guesting to keep the numbers even) on peg 15 and I expected he would also catch fish.
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| One of Kevin Lee's three nets of beautiful, hard-fighting carp. |
My partner Martin Parker had about 14 lb, so I knew we wouldn't win as I was bound to be well down in my section of six. Top weight in the first section was Shaun Buddle, who had a good first hour until the wind blew harder, but did enough after that to total 80 lb 6 oz, with Dick Warrener second.
First to weigh in, in my section, was Peter Spriggs on 9 who, with an hour to go, had caught just two bream, both foulhooked. Then he found fish coming to paste on 2+1 and ended with 67 lb 15 oz. Some going!
Callum had 37 lb 13 oz, pipping my 35 lb 7 oz, leaving me 5th in my section. But top on the day, as I had expected, was Kevin Lee with 131 lb 1 oz from that lovely peg 13, with Trevor Cousins second on the day on 15 with 85 lb 5 oz.
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| Kev with one of his biggest fish, on cat meat |
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| Last to weigh - Trevor, who finished second. |
THE WINNERS
2 Mel Lutkin/Kevin Lee 8
3 Dick Warrener/Callum Judge 8
4 John Smith/Peter Spriggs 5
5 Martin Parker/Mac Campbell 5
6 Mike Rawson/Allan Golightly 5
Disappointed. I tried mussel in the side, but never tried worm or hard pellet. However I did put a load of dead maggots out in front and under the tree to my right in that last hour, and had absolutely nothing - not even a touch. Perhaps should have gone back out to 10 metres with a heavier rig at the end. Should certainly have gone out to an easy 2+1 with cat meat or mussel in that last hour. Probably worth 4/10. Next match Friday on Yew, followed by Lous on Sunday, where peg 6 is my obvious choice. I've fished it only once, in the Winter, and won a low-weight affair on the pole.
DECOY'S FLIERS
There are several well-known pegs on Decoy which always give you a chance of winning. On Willows you have 25, which used to dominate years ago, but which is now still good, but not as dominant. I think it may be because the average carp is now bigger, and doesn't feel the need to hang around the islands on 25. Peg 29 has been the one to draw recently.
On Six-Island 18 used to dominate, but peg 11 has been really good for years, with a big bunch of irises to the right. On Lou's is the famous peg 6, which can be terrific, expecially in Winter, but it often needs a 50-years chuck to the reeds in the corner, and you need to be pretty accurate. On Beastie peg 30 can be good in Summer (not not dominant in Winter), while Phil Ringer once said that peg 29 was the best feeder peg in the county. However peg 18 against the bridge can produce huge weights, while peg 22 has won lots of matches this Winter..
On the strips peg 8 on Elm is noted in Winter; and peg 26, in the corner on Cedar, especially in Winter; while on Oak pegs 10 and 11 and opposite on 20 and 21 always seem to hold feeding carp; and next door on Yew the same numbered pegs can be good, and also 16 in the far corner. On Damson the two end pegs, 1 and 25, are often the ones to draw.
On Horseshoe that peg 13 is the one, offering some lillies, a nice margin, and a cast to the far corner, though that lake is perhaps the least peggy of all, and big weights have come from every peg (peg 20 won a match recently with a big weight, while Jon Arthur topped the lake from 10 in the recent Feeder Masters).
THE RESULT
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