Two matches just out of the frame - Cedar and Damson

Peg 10, Cedar, Sun, Mar 31
Access to my main computer is limited at the moment, so these reports are brief. Happy with peg 10 in this JV match held on Cedar and Elm, as Peter Spriggs had a big weight off it on Monday, though today a stiff NE wind made it difficult to fish to the left margin, where Peter had had most of his fish, at times. But I had Lee Kendall to my right on 9, so at least I would probably be able to see some fish, even if I couldn't catch them.

Nice to see a brief period or two of Spring sunshine.

Oh me of little faith! Within two minutes I was playing an 8 lb mirror carp, taken on an orange wafter and a hybrid feeder, cast a bit short of the far bank. Next cast right over saw the bait come back with weed on it, and a cast a little shorter ended with a bream in the landing net, and soon after that another carp. And I don't think Lee had had a fish at that point. But then he had a great run on the feeder, followed by a couple out at 8 metres, more on the feeder, and finally lots of carp on maggot in his right margin, under the bush.

This happened quite a lot once Lee started motoring on the feeder!

Meanwhile I struggled with an occasional carp from the left margin when the wind moved round, then two or three out at 8 metres, another on the feeder, and finally one on maggot to the right, which I landed after the whistle, hooked in the snout! In the corner peg 13 Shaun Coaten had a good start - I could see the splashing as he landed fish, and I assumd he would have a bagful by the end. 

The weigh in

Shaun Coaten was third from corner peg 13, a swim which
has featured in match results several times recently.

Surpisingly the pegs towards the car park did not dominate. Lee dominated with a winning  158 lb 11 oz, while I had 77 lb 8 oz for fourth out of the ten on this lake. Shaun said he had 40 lb in the last half-hour, so he must have had a lean time in the middle - he totalled 87 lb 9 oz for third. Pete Molesworth was runner-up on peg 5 with 109 lb 3 oz.

Marks out of ten

I give myself a generous 7, as I don't know what I did wrong, though clearly there were more fish in my area than in the lower-numbered pegs. I learned afterwards that Lee, who tends to use a lot of bait, started his right margin swim with three big pots full of dead maggots. So perhaps I simply didn't feed enough. But it was an enjoyable day.

Watching Lee fish was a bit of a revelation - as soon as he seemed
to be waiting for a bite he would change swims. 

THE RESULTS

Cedar

Elm

Next match was on Damson, Tuesday. Will write it up ASAP.

Peg 4, Damson, Tues, Apr 2

A terrible start for me on peg 4 in this Spratts match. The wind was pretty strong, from the right, so I started to the left, in the shallow water, and after 45 minutes I had hooked one fish on a banded pellet fished shallow, and lost it (the fish, not the pellet), and did not have another. Trevor on 7 had 10 lb in the first 30 minutes fishing the shallow margin, and then went on to the feeder, while on my immeduiate right Shaun Buddle had half-a-dozen F1s around 1 lb 8 oz. And I sat sitting there, fishless.

Nice before the start, but the wind picked up, and then started blowing from all directions!

Changing to my special method, which was difficult in the wind, I managed to pick up a very slow stream of F1s on corn clkose to the bank, and by halfway I probably had 30 lb. Then there was a long fishless spell, and Shaun, who had been struggling while I was catching, got up and had a word with some other anglers from Wisbech who were fishing the stock pond, to extract some of the big fish placed there from Oak. he cam back after about an hour, during which time I had managed to catch one fish!

Trevor Cousins. Those 'proper' carp would probably 
have come on the feeder.

Then we both went out long, into the deep water, though thsi can be fished on a top two, and he had seven or eight carp fairly quickly, while I had five on cat meat, best 5 lb. Then, suddenly, both of us couldn't get a bite - just as if a hooter had gone to call the fish back to work.

Yet every now and then I could see fish coming into the shallow water, only a foot from the bank. I managed to catch one more of these before the end - about 2 lb.  I was disappointed, especially at those fish taking the p*** out of me by continually showing themselves.

The weigh in

On Peg 1 Peter Spriggs had 88lb 9 oz. That swim hasn't been fishing particularly well - it's the far end pegs which have been producing the weights, so I thought that was a very good performance, though I noticed that it was much calmer there than on our swims.

Dave Hobbs pipped me by just 15 oz.


Below - Neil Paas was way out in front.

On peg 2 sat Peter Harrison, who could catch fish in concrete. He had 39 lb 13 oz (unfortunately there wasn't any concrete in front of him), and John Garner, who I thought had done very well on the feeder, had just 33 lb 13 oz. I must have seen him land every fish, because I thought he had doubled my weight.

I had a gratifying 58 lb 8 oz, with Shaun 20 lb behind me. 

The winner was Neil Paas on corner peg 13, with 125 lb 14 oz, so he had been pretty busy on those smallish fish. Peter Spriggs on the other end peg 1 ended second, with Trevor third, having all his fish, after that first half-hour, on a tiny feeder with a wafter, and totalling 81 lb 1 oz.

Dave Hobbs beat me by ounces, so my 58 lb 8 oz was fifth.

Marks out of 10

I'm not sure what I did wrong - probably not going out into the deep water, with cat meat, before I did. But in the wind I thought I did OK to get those F1s, worth 6/10. Usually I get a flying start in the shallow margins, and if I had I could easily have finished second. Next two matches are on Beastie, where I expect the windiest pegs to fish best.

                THE RESULT 

1 Peter Spriggs         88 lb 9 oz     2nd

2 Peter Harrison       39 lb 13 oz

3 John Garner           33 lb 13 oz

4 Mac Campbell       58 lb 8 0oz

5 Shaun Buddle        36 lb 6 oz

6 Mick Ramm           17 lb

7 Trevor Cousins       81 lb 1 oz    3rd

8 Bob Barrett             29 lb 10 oz

9 Joe Bedford            23 lb 6 oz

10 Dave Hobbs          59 lb 7 oz    4th

11 Mike Rawson        DNW

12 Steve Engledow    22 lb 10 oz

13 Neil Paas             125 lb 14 oz   1st