Hi, Gang. I've been away for a week, and couldn't update this blog on my tablet. To the Cotswolds, since you ask, and we visited Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water, both described as gems of the Cotswolds, and yes, they look amazing, even with hundreds of tourists milling round. Here's a picture of Arlington Row, Bibury, described as one of the most-photographed row of houses in the UK, and I can see why.
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| Arlington Row, Bibury, Glos. The river is the Coln. |
I'm no longer a virgin
I also hit a personal milestone - I had my first burger. When I was young I couldn't afford one, and when I could afford them I didn't fancy them - cheese that looked like a sheet of plastic, and beef bits shaped into a round burger that was ultra-processed, with all the attendant bad publicity. And they always looked to me to be bread-heavy. So how did my first taste go?
I also hit a personal milestone - I had my first burger. When I was young I couldn't afford one, and when I could afford them I didn't fancy them - cheese that looked like a sheet of plastic, and beef bits shaped into a round burger that was ultra-processed, with all the attendant bad publicity. And they always looked to me to be bread-heavy. So how did my first taste go?
I chose a crispy mushroom burger, which the waiter in the restuarant brought with great ceremony, after my daughter told him that I was a burger virgin. When it was finished he asked how I liked it. I had to be honest, didn't I? "I won't be having another in a hurry," I replied.
It didn't help that the bun thing had to be non-gluten (because I am coeliac), because non-gluten bread often tastes like sawdust (and that's if you're lucky). This was heated, so even dryer than normal, and tasted like - err, dry sawdust. The middle stuff was completely overwhelmed by the bread, as I had always suspected, because the single mushroom was flat as a pancake, and I was glad when it all ended. I hope to forget the whole unfortunate affair.
Peg 30, Yew, Sunday, Aug 18
Another event to forget (if I can). I fancied this corner peg 30 in the Fenland Rods match - 14 of us, from 16 to 30 with 21 not drawn. My gut feeling at the start was that fish wouldn't feed, so I went out to 13 metres to the end bank, with a grain of corn, without putting in any loosefeed at all. The odd liner was caused by fish near the surface hitting the line, and it took 55 minutes for me to hook my first fish.
Another event to forget (if I can). I fancied this corner peg 30 in the Fenland Rods match - 14 of us, from 16 to 30 with 21 not drawn. My gut feeling at the start was that fish wouldn't feed, so I went out to 13 metres to the end bank, with a grain of corn, without putting in any loosefeed at all. The odd liner was caused by fish near the surface hitting the line, and it took 55 minutes for me to hook my first fish.
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| Lovely! But I never had a touch in that nice-looking bay. I could get a bite only next to the reeds sticking out at 13 metres. |
That first fish turned out to be a common of around 9 lb, and 20 minutes later the second fish was a 1 lb carassio. At that point I had a word with Callum next door on 29, who had lost a fish on feeder, but had nothing else. So back to the swim and after putting in just a few grains of corn another carassio came in. I kept looking along the bank, right into the corner, but only ever had bites as far as I could reach along the bank.
A good wind
By now the wind had moved round so it was blowing straight into my corner - it couldn't have ben better for me.
A couple of foulhookers then came adrift before I went out to the aerator with a bomb, and then a feeder, without getting even a liner. A long look in the margins didn't produce anything, but now Callum had a fish or two out on the pole at 2+3. Instead of following suit I went back to my original swim and eventually had another carp about 10 lb, on corn.
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| Callum had a good spell halfway through the match. |
I stick with the margins
Callum now had another fish or two on the pole at 2+3 but STILL I didn't go out there, instead coming back into the left margin where I started getting liners. The bank dropped straight down to five feet here - no shallow margin at all that I could find. With about two hours left a big piece of cat meat lured another double-figure carp, and then I lost two more fish after playing them for some time. Perhaps they were foulhooked, but I had still expected to net them.
Another big carp around 12 lb came from the lefthand margin, in the deep water and then the nightmare started. In the next hour, using my special method, I hooked no fewer than eight big fish, and landed just ONE. I played all of them for some time, and while I know two were foulhooked, because I had a scale, I again fully expected to land them. One, foulhooked in the tail (you can tell those by the way the line jags from side to side) came almost to the net before the hook pulled. Usually if you can get them that close, you will eventually land them.
Just 15 minutes to go and in desperation I put in a couple of big pots of dead, manky maggots into the right margin and immediately had a carp on a bunch of about eight deads. Back in and straight away the float buried and another big carp was on...and then off. I think I might have said a naughty word. End of match.
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| Me - that fish does have a head and a tail. Thanks for grabbing my camera, James - you get more marks for the picture than I got for the match! |
I was first to weigh - six carp and those two small crassio for 70 lb 15 oz. Callum had 91 lb 11 oz and said he never had a fish in the margins; Peter Spriggs next door had 89 lb 5 oz on a pole at 2+2 and said he couldn't catch anything in the margins. Then Kev Lee weighed in just five fish for 36 lb 2 oz and said he didn't have a bite in the margins!
All along the line the story was the same - Mel Lutkin 101 lb 15 oz and had to catch all his fish well out; then in the far corner, 15 pegs away from me, Roy Whitwell did eventually manage to catch some fish late just out from his left margin and won with 113 lb 12 oz. I finished fifth.
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| Mel Lutkin - second with 101 lb 15 oz. That big fish weighed 15 lb. |
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| Callum soon overtook me once he started catching on the pole. |
Marks out of ten
Honestly I was worth 3/10, and that was just because I started cautiously and had a fish or two before most of the others. I'm convinced that if I could catch (or at least get fish interested and hook them) close-in when nobody near me could, I could have caught out on 2+2 or 2+3. Talk about a cock-up. Still, I've just watched a Premier League goalkeeper give the ball away to an opposing forward (who scored) which was probably even worse than me. All part of life's rich pattern!
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| Roy Whitwell included two tench and some barbel in his wining 113 lb 12 oz from peg 16. |
Next match Friday on Damson, at Decoy. I don't look forward to fishing Damson, but I nearly always do OK. It's a Funny Old Game.
THE RESULT
And so to the Spratts match on Oak, which I missed. Eleven fished, and a lot of big fish were caught in the high winds - biggest was the 16 lb 4 oz carp they weighed, caught by Mike Rawson. But he didn't win - that honour went to Neil Paas on peg 11, who was also Golden Peg and took home enough money to buy lots and lots of burgers! (Rather him than me).
THE RESULT
5 John Garner 39 lb 13 oz
6 Trevor Cousins 96 lb
7 Peter Harrison 85 lb 10 oz
8 Martin Parker DNW
9 Peter Spriggs 159 lb 9 oz 3rd
10 Mike Rawson 50 lb
11 Neil Paas 179 lb 8 oz 1st
12 Dave Hobbs 99 lb 13 oz
13 Roy Whitwell 164 lb 12 oz 2nd
14 John Smith 36 lb 5 oz
15 Shaun Buddle 148 lb 4 oz 4th
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