Things are now difficult on Beastie, but we still sally forth.

Peg 22, Beastie Lake, Decoy, Friday, Oct 11
We had to laugh. Mike Rawson doesn't like peg 24 on Beastie, and all of us in this Spratts match knew that. It doesn't treat Mike kindly, yet he keeps drawing it. So before the draw some of the cruellest in the club told Mike he would get it again. Actually even  that was a bit optimistic, because we didn't know whether our organiser Trevor had even put it in the bag.

So the draw commenced. Eleven of  us, and Mike's name wasn't out first; nor second. My name came out and then "Twenty-two". It wasn't one I would have picked. I would have preferred a peg facing the wind, because that far bank, where 22 was, would be calm in the back Westerly wind. And the draw went on until ten names had been plucked from the bag and only Mike was left. Sure enough - Mike Rawson - Twenty-Four! Lots of head shaking and unrestrained laughter - but to his great credit Mike just smiled ruefully, walked to his van, and drove round to his bogey peg. Life's not always very fair.

Bright sunshine
And yes - the water was calm, with bright sunshine, which threw a dark shadow on the water if you put out a pole. Plumbing up showed nearly five feet of water about 12 feet from the bank, and only a little more than three feet well out. I know that these pegs in the early 20s can produce big catches, usually on a long pole, so that was how I started.

Flat calm on our side of the lake - you can just see the beautiful
Raspberry Ripple in the background, in front of the spit.

Three hours later, having fished up to 13 metres out, and having tried a feeder from halfway to the island right across the full 50 yards, I had two F1s in the net, a small bream, plus half-a-dozen tiny roach, or a total of about 7 lb. On the spit to my left, where there was a beautiful big ripple, I had seen Mick Ramm playing a carp within two minutes of the start, while to my right Bob Barrett must have had well over 20 lb on a feeder with his usual banded pellet.

Actually, for an hour  after I put in some dead maggots, just off my platform, to the left, big swirls of mud kept coming up. Obviously fish were rooting around, but could I get a single bite? No. So frustrating. I tried live maggots, dead maggots, expander, cat meat and corn, but all were ignored. Then the mud stopped coming up and I had to think out my next move.

Getting desperate
Out went my feeder again while I had a coffee; the tip went round; a fish was on; seconds later it came off! Not my day. Now, with two-and-a-half hours left I had seen Mick get another fish or two, and he was fishing the margin. So into my margin I went, more it hope than expectation. I couldn't easily fish to the right - the sun was now in my eyes there, but the water was in deep shadow, so seeing a float was very difficult. No - I turned to my left, where there was vegetation overhanging the water.

There are no reeds along this bank, so as that vegetation  was the only cover I dropped in there with a grain of corn - it was a little over three feet deep. I used my special method, because if I can't catch in that I can't catch on anything. Second drop and plump, hard-fighting F1 came in - about 2 lb.Success. And for once it really was.

A nice bonus
Feeding with corn and hemp before every drop, and constantly working the bait, more F1s came in - about one every five minutes, provided I was within a foot of the overhanging stuff. Any farther and I couldn't get a bite. And there was an early bonus in the shape of an 8 lb mirror carp. 

To my right Bob seemed to be struggling, but my fish came slowly but steadily, though I had to increase the lash and try to keep the pole shadow from falling on the clear water. After about 12 or 15 fish, bites slowed up and I went out to about six metres, where I had put in a few grains of corn and some micros. 

First drop there, and another F1 came in. Then nothing, but the rest had helped, and occasionally I found more F1s in the margin swim, with a couple on a 6mm expander. One more carp took the bait - about 4 lb - before the match ended. I thought I had about 50 lb, possibly more. I never had a fish from the 11.5 meter or 13 metres lines, despite fishing them for a long time early on.

Then four minutes from the end, the wind changed and gave us on this bank a lovely ripple - far too late, of course!

The weigh in
I was first to weigh - 54 lb 12 oz, with Bob Barrett confirming that he had had  a terrible second half, after battering me early on,. He ended with 34 lb12 oz. As I packed away, the scales went round the lake, and I caught up with them as they went to the three pegs on the spit, which had had ripple all day.

Mick Ramm had a couple of really nice
carp in his 43 lb 13 oz from peg 17.

There, Trevor had really struggled, with just one carp in his 20 lb 7 oz catch, the rest being F1s. Then to Mick Ramm, who had two really good carp in his 43 lb 13 oz, and at that point I looked at he board and saw I was leading! The clearing water and bright sun had obviously really spooked catches. On peg 30 Dave Hobbs later told me that he didn't get a fish for the first three-and-a-half hours, but ended with 46 lb 4 oz.

Neil Paas brings his first net to the scales from peg 16.

Finally to Neil Paas - a good angler on a good peg, who did the business with 63 lb 6 oz, to win. Well done, Neil. Nowehere was easy today, so The Boy Done Good! And I ended second. Next match was the next day, on Horseshoe, where Bob Allen had found out that five anglers had been pleasure fishing there and had left without any of them having had a bite!

Neil had quite an assortment
of sizes in his net...

...but this beauty was the biggest,
on a difficult day.

Oh, and Mike Rawson had struggled, taking a carp about 3 lb but not weighing in.  So he wasn't laughing and, to be fair, neither were we,. It's rotten getting a peg you really don't fancy and coming back with nowt. I know - I've done it literally score of times on natural waters, which can be so unfair. On commercials at least you know there are fish there. Perhaps he would do better the next day.

Marks out of ten
Probably worth 8/10. At least I found some fish in the calm, clear water. But I'm still not sure why I couldn't catch one or two of those which were stirring up the mud earlier on. I still have a lot to learn! I must remember how close those fish stayed, all day, to the vegetation.

THE RESULT

3 Roy Whitwell        44 lb 13 oz        4th
4 Dick Warrener         5 lb 7 oz
5 Bob Walker            21 lb 3 oz
15 Trevor Cousins     20 lb 7 oz
17 Mick Ramm         43 lb 13 oz 
18 Neil Paas              63 lb 6 oz            1st 
22 Mac Campbell     54 lb 12 oz         2nd
23 Bob Barrett          34 lb 12 oz   
24 Mike Rawson        DNW  
29 Bob Allen            18 lb 11 oz (all bream)
30 Dave Hobbs         46 lb 4 oz        3rd

Warmer weather was just the tonic on Yew lake, Decoy

Peg 18, Yew, Sunday, Oct 6
Two weeks ago I sat shivering in a match on Willows, dressed in my normal Summer clothes. Blow me, this Sunday, complete with long Johns, thermal vest, thick lined shirt, sweat shirt, hoodie, smart new Decoy Lakes woolly hat, and Imax Winter jacket, when I'd got to my peg I had to take some of them off!

The weather at first looked like being coolish with not much wind (no Raspberry Ripple on my swim) but after about an hour it became almost perfect - overcast (and how!), but warm and windy (later very windy). The sort of day when, 50 years ago, I would have taken a day off my holidays to mog off down to the Relief Channel, behind the tractor factory at Downham Market, where there would be white horses on the surface, and with a bit of luck the bream or big roach would be feeding. The rougher it was the better it always was.

A nice-looking right margin - picture taken after we finished.

Inside information

As I took the long walk today down to peg 18, Dave Hobbs told me he had been there the previous Thursday, and had had barbel to the left, towards platform 19. Unfortunately that platform today held the imposing figure of Mel Lutkin, but knowing that barbel might be around I decided to rely on maggots in the margin to start with. However, the first half hour was wasted casting a bomb and maggots around, without so much as even a liner, and at that point it looked to me as if things were going to be decidedly difficult, as the wind hadn't yet picked up.

So into the right margin, near the reeds, went about ten dead maggots, followed by my 0.5 gm rig, with 16 hook and two red maggots. I couldn't believe how deep the lake was here - I reckon it was almost eight feet - about ten inches less than the length of my top two. I gazed at the float as it sat there, with a tiny drift against the wind, realising that the rig was probably too light, and the elastic, a No 13, was also probably not heavy enough. Second drop and I could hardly believe my eyes when the float dipped. A strike and a sack of potatoes pulled the elastic out several metres.

Beautiful!
Honestly, whatever it was on the end played with me for almost 15 minutes, after which the sack turned miraculously into he most beautiful golden mirror carp you have ever seen - about 10 lb. I found it difficult to net, as I'm not used to having an eight-foot rig to content with. Thank goodness for pullers. Then with it finally in the net, I thought I really ought to up the elastic.

Mel did this several times in the first three hours...

But I didn't - and the next fish, next drop, was a barbel at least 4 lb, which took also a fair few hairy minutes to land, after which I changed for a similar rig, but stronger, on 17 elastic. By now Mel, on my left, had found BIG carp out at about ten metres, on cat meat (I stopped fishing and watched him bait up to confirm that, but don't tell him!) The new rig had a strong size 12 on, but it didn't work and I wondered if the heavy hook was to blame. 

I then got up to shake hands with my best friend, and wandered up to Roy Whitwelll, who had had three carp on a feeder. Mel had another fish or two and was beating both of us.

Out into open water
I soldiered on and eventually that heavier rig paid off, and in the next hour another barbel came in, and a big old F1, before I decided I simply had to follow Mel out to the open water, as he'd had another three carp. It looked as it he wasn't feeding anything. I started on 4mm expander over a little hemp with 4mm feed pellets and micros, at about eight metres, and sure enough the float seemed to disappear, The wind had now picked up and the tow was really pronounced, so I wondered if the 0.75 gm rig had caught on the bottom. No - it was a 10 lb carp.

Then a big fish snagged me in open water a few feet from the bank, and I had to pull for a break. I whipped another hook straight on, so the rig was now a few inches shorter. I also put that rig on a stronger elastic - orange bungee, which was much better in the wind.

Yet another one for Mel, all on cat meat, and I don't think he fed at all.

Things go pear-shaped

In the next couple of hours I alternated between the margins and the long swim, at about eight metres, and took another couple of carp, one at 4 lb and another in double figures, plus another 3 lb F1, all on cat meat. Then things went pear-shaped and a foulhooked fish broke me, and so I whipped on another hook again. OOPS - the rig was now unusable - too short for the deep water. So I put on a similar rig, which was really much too light. I paid the price of that.

I kept feeding and looking in my left
margin, but the float never flickered.

What followed was a long poor spell catching about two carp, while Martin Parker on my right on 17, started hammering big carp in the margins. He must have had six while I sat fishless, because my rig was too light, and was being pulled around by the wind and the tow. Then I did what I should have done earlier - I changed it for a heavier float, which had to be on a longer-than-normal rig, and settled on a really heavy 3gm jobbie! That worked absolutely perfectly.

On goes a bolo float
It was a bolo float, with a thick 4mm or 5mm diameter tip, but it sat perfectly still, albeit with a piece of the body showing, so it looked like the sort of buoy you'd tie a boat up to. Hmmm. Probably needs a bit of trimming down, I decided. But before I could bring the rig back the float shot down; the pole tip came up; the elastic stretched out; and a double-figire carp came in. Just like that! I'd cracked it! And I actually sort of had.

On went a No 3 Stotz to trim the float down, and I dropped it back out. Minutes later I landed a big F1, on cat meat. A glance at my watch showed six minutes left, so I dropped it out long again. Nothing. Two minutes later I brought it in and dropped it in the marginal swim. Nothing. A minute to go and I fed hemp and pellets out long, dropped the rig over it, and seconds later the float went down and the pole bent round. Seconds after that the match ended and I shouted "Fish On."

Three carp for 37 lb for Martin.

Martin's hearing aids
Martin Parker next door then started shouting something to me - probably hadn't heard me shout. Now Martin has just aquired some top-line hearing aids - the sort you can adjust on you phone, and I guess he can, like me, answer his mobile without even touching it - the call goes straight throught to his hearing aids. You can adjust them for "In a restuarant", or "In noisy conversation". Wouldn't surprise me if he has a  "Listen To The Fish Talking" mode on them. But later he told me he wasn't wearing them anyway - he'd got his old ones in.

The 3gm Spitfire
Bolo float that got
me out of jail.

Whatever! I didn't care 'cos that last fish was the biggest - we weighed it later at over 13 lb. And the old bolo float had got me three fish in the last half-hour. I hadn't seen what Mel had caught in the last couple of hours, but assumed he had probably beaten me as he'd had such a good start. And I guessed Martin had probably overtaken me in the last couple of hours. I thought I had about 90 lb.

The weigh in

Roy Whitwell - second from
peg 21 with 96 lb 4 oz.

Well behind again, partly thanks to landing that last biggie, and having assorted discarded rigs and elastics to pack away, I got to the scales in time to see Roy Whitwell weigh in. Top weight was Dave Hobbs, the first to weigh in, with 99 lb 7 oz from corner peg 30. He'd had six on a feeder and six more in the corner on a pole, where he said he had only about four feet of water! I assumed that a lot of fish had been caught in those early pegs, but after Roy had weighed his 96 lb 4 oz I looked and saw that he was second with, surprisingly, no other weight recorded over 33 lb 8 oz.

Another surprise was when Mel weighed in just 41 lb 10 oz. He must have had an horrendous second half after such a good first half. Then my three barbel and about nine or ten carp weighed 94 lb 1 oz, and Martin overtook me with 98 lb 11 oz, so I finished fourth - worth just my three-peg section (by default). And overall it was a great day's fishing on Decoy.

My three lovely-to-see barbel.

Mel Lutkin - 41 lb 10 oz, and I
think they were all on cat meat.

Marks out of ten

I hadn't been positive enough from the beginning, expecting things to be pretty bad, and in fact I'd put in only one net at the start. Then I'd stuck with a rig I knew was much too light in that depth of water. When the weather became very mild I should have adjusted by expectations, and I know I should have won - I needed only one more fish. So I give myself 5/10 - the only two fish I lost were, I am sure, foulhooked. But I think I fed well - not too much at a time. Next match on Beastie on Friday.

THE RESULT

The cold fingers of Winter numb my brain on Willows

Peg 11, Willows, Wed, Sept 25
I is a-feared that I will have now to don my long pantaloons and my furry tunics to face the oncoming storms. The first cold fingers of Winter did remind me  that cool weather is a-coming in, and I was left a-shivering before the end of our Spratts match, fished by 13 tried and trusted stalwarts.

Peg 11 was incredibly shallow - less that a foot deep against the bank, running down to perhaps three feet at about five metres, and shallowing up again as I plumbed farther out. Yet Peter Harrison, on my left, had almost four feet of water in his margins. However I decided to start on the Method feeder, cast to the island, which yielded not even a liner for half an hour, though Bob Barrett on my right had three or four fish on a bomb and pellet.

A nice new, large metal platform greeted me on peg 11. The wind
was never strong, but it had a real bite to it towards the end.

Nowt on the rod

Another half-hour on bomb and pellet saw me still fishless, so it was out to 11.5 metres on the pole with an expander. This brought a 1 lb F1 on the second cast, but then nothing except one carp foulhooked which came off. Peter Harrison was catching a few smallish fish, also well out on the pole, and eventually I tried maggot, which brought some tiny roach. The match was now almost half over.

In went some dead maggot to the left margin, near a load of old reeds, but in about two feet of water, and yes! Some perch and roach came in on double red maggot - at least I was now catching. Then a 1 lb F1, and I changed to corn, hoping for carp. 

I'd also been trickling corn into the right shallow margin, and suddenly I fancied I saw clouds of mud there. Then they were also in the left margin, but right up to the bank, where I hadn't put any bait in. I've had this before - unable to catch the fish in the very shallow water, so I went out into two feet with a bait.

Peter Harrison nets one of his better carp, taken from very close to the bank.

A 'double'
That move to about two feet of water brought the VERY occasional carp - the first was 10 lb, on a 6mm expander, and then a smaller one on cat meat, one on corn, and one on mussel. Peter Harrison came into his margins, and when he landed fish I could see he was deeper than any water I could find.  Bob had had two or three good carp on his bomb cast well over, and now he was putting it down the wide, with no result! He told me later that he also had mud clouds, but the fish wouldn't take his bait. 

Bob Barret was to my right and I think took most of his fish on bomb and pellet.
The angler in the background is Trevor Cousins, round the corner on peg 16.

I wonder whether the cold wind had put them off feeding, because for the last 90 minutes I couldn't stop shivering - I was still in my Summer gear, with an unlined Goretex jacket.  An occasional small F1 took corn, and my last fish came on mussel, fished a little farther out. Every fish had to be teased into taking the bait, by dragging or lifting, and with 45 minutes still to go I hoped for a good finish, but never had any more fish even though I could actually see double-figure fish swimming in both margins.

The weigh-in
Before the match I had fancied the pegs in what used to be called Deadman's Bay, from 16 round to peg 24 (25 is a known flier but was not in the bag today). In particular I fancied peg 24, which has an aerator, and I told Neil Paas, who drew it, that there should be fish under the aerator.

Bob Barrett carefully slips his
fish into the weigh bag.

The early pegs couldn't top 30 lb, then Peter Harrison weighed in 40 lb 5 oz to take the lead. Apparently most of his fish, including some nice carp, came to maggot. But I'd stopped putting maggot on the hook when the first carp came - why didn't I try it? There were plenty of deads on the bottom!

To my surprise I was only one small carp behind Peter with my 37 lb 6 oz, with Bob only just behind me on 36 lb 1 oz. But as I had expected, the final five pegs to weigh took the top five places. They all had over 40 lb, but when I got to Neil Paas' swim I looked for the aerator, and there it was. Gone!

Peter Harrison's 40 lb 5 oz
from the peg on my left.

Bob Barrett's 35 lb 1 oz from
the peg to my right.

Bob Walker - some good fish in his
52 lb 12 oz in his first Spratts match.

The post the aerator is usually tied to was there, to the left of the swim, but no aerator. Didn't matter, though - Neil Paas had still smashed it with 86 lb 3 oz, with Trevor Cousins on 16 second with 69 lb 8 oz, taken in the margins to his right near platform 17.

Bob Walker from Market Deeping, fishing his first match with us, was third on 52 lb 12 oz. I hope he doesn't make a habit of framing! 😂 I ended seventh.

Neil Paas - winner with 86 lb 3 oz. The
post is where the aerator usually is!

Marks out of ten
I thought afterwards that I had scraped a reasonable catch out, but then realised that I should definitely had started another swim in the deepest spot I could find, about five metres out. The carp were swimming all round, and would certainly have found the bait there, and would probably have fed much better there than in the shallower water, where I guess they were scared by my rig. I should also have tried  reverting to maggot. So I'm worth 3/10. Could do better. My excuse is that the cold numberd my brain. So next match will see my Winter underwear, a thick lined shirt, and my trusty, lined Imax jacket.

Next match probably not for another ten days, on Yew at Decoy. Cold weather can affect Yew badly - the fish are bigger there and not as many of them.

THE RESULT

1 John Garner            22 lb 9 oz

3 Dave Hobbs            29 lb 1 oz

5 Bob Allen                14 lb 4 oz

7 Mike Rawson            DNW

9 Peter Harrison          40 lb 5 oz

11 Mac Campbell        37 lb 6 oz

13 Bob Barrett            36 lb 1 oz

15 Martin Parker         19 lb 1 oz

16 Trevor Cousins       69 lb 8 oz        2nd

18 Bob Walker            52 lb 12 oz       3rd  

20 Roy Whitwell         43 lb 6 oz

22 Peter Spriggs          49 lb 7 oz        4th

24 Neil Paas                86lb 3 oz         1st

Lots of fish on Damson, and we miss the floods.

First a quick result of a Spratts match on Six-Island, at Decoy, on Tuesday, Sept 15 th.

John Smith on peg 13 leapt into the lead with fish of 5 lb and 7 lb on his first two drops on a pole and 4mm expander pellet, followed by not much (and a lot of it) until fish came into the deep margins later. Opposite, Shaun Buddle slowly made up ground taking carp to 8 lb on paste, mainly very close-in, and eventually overtook John, to win with 89 lb 9 oz. Dick Warrener almost did the same overtaking procedure, but fell just short of John's final 74 lb 10 oz weight, which left Dick third.

2 Trevor Cousins           64 lb 9 oz
4 Roy Whitwell            34 lb 3 oz
6 Shaun Buddle            89 lb 9 oz      1st
8 Neil Paas                   62 lb 1 oz
11 Bob Allen                28 lb 2 oz
13 John Smith             74 lb 10 oz       2nd   
17 Peter Spriggs          42 lb 1 oz
18 John Garner            25 lb 11 oz
20 Martin Parker         34 lb 5 oz
22 Mike Rawwson      17 lb 13 oz
24 Dick Warrener        73 lb 3 oz        3rd

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Peg 3, Damson lake, Sunday, Sept 22

We were down to seven for this Fenland Rods match - the lowest ever, I think - not helped by Martin Parker being rushed to hospital, taken ill as he prepared his bait for the match. Thankfully he's back home, with his sudden illness still unexplained, but apparently pretty much fully recovered.

Peg 1 has not fished as well recently as it used to, but when Callum Judge drew it I thought that perhaps he would be able to crack it today. I was next door on 3, and before the match all the swims held small carp, as they usually do, swimming into the bank and teasing us. Often they stay just a few minutes and disappear.

Not as wet as forecast, in fact the weather was good for
fishing - overcast all day, but never cold.

I start shallow

I had a few casters and started with banded caster shallow, which worked pretty well, though hundreds of times I could see carp come up to the bait and turn their noses up at it, and there were liners galore. Occasionally, though, a fish would take it - they were mainly around 1 lb, maximum 1 lb 8 oz, and today they hung around for a couple of hours, before things started getting harder.

It was so interesting watching the fish come to the bait - the best way of getting a bite was to wiggle the bait around, either up and down, or jerking it sideways. It didn't always work, but it worked enough to make it worthwhile. When I lost one size 16 hook, and put on a size 18, I fancied that I had more takes - worth remembering.

Time to switch

After two hours I had around 55 lb, while on peg 1 Callum was really struggling, with 15 lb. But on peg 5 Kevin Lee had caught 59 fish - 30 were in his first net and he was almost ready to start on his third. He was catching on paste in the margin, and I decided it was time to switch to the margins.

I had earlier put in some corn with a bait dropper so it went straight to the bottom, and had fished for several minutes, expecting bites immediately, but none had come. So I wasn't very confident of catching on the bottom now. However, first drop with paste into the right margin next to the reeds, and a two-pounder came in.

That was followed my a few more on paste or cat meat, and lost more liners, before I switched to the left margin. That wasn't as good, but a few fish obliged before I moved back to the right. Here mussel also took a few fish, though the biggest, at around 7 lb, fell to double corn - almost the only fish I had on corn all day.

Rain pays us a visit

Somewhere after the first couple of hours the rain that did so much damage in some parts of the country reached us. It was quite heavy for an hour or two, but with not much wind it was possible to erect the umbrella vertical - which I did, and it kept me dry.

These small fish were so difficult to land - they just kept twisting and turning with immense strength - my biggest fish came in in half the time of most of the others.

It was difficult to estimate the weight of each fish, being so small, though I did also add a couple around 3 lb. The rest, though, were around 2 lb in the second half of the match, and I had clicked just 36 lb in the first net, though I was certain I had missed some.

The second net I stopped at 38 lb, but again I felt there was more. And the third net I was very careful to click properly - and had 40 lb-plus in with half an hour to go.

This was one of Kevin Lees nets
(we have a maximum of 60 lb)!

A poor finish

I realised that I wasn't catching as quickly as I should - just a feeling, you know. And a poor last 20 minutes, with only about four fish, left me certain that someone - probably Kevin - would beat me. I had lost half-a-dozen, which is inevitable when fish are coming to the bait but are not ravenous. So I lost probably three or four foulhooked and a couple - including one better fish - probably hooked properly. But whatever the result, I had thoroughtly enjoyed it, fishing in no more than two feet of water all day.

The weigh in

Yes, Callum  had had a really bad match - 33 lb 2 oz. He said that, as in my swim, fish rushed in when he put in any loose feed, but wouldn't take his bait. How frustrating.

I genuinely wasn't sure what weight I had, in three nets. Kevin brought up the first for me - 60 lb 1 oz, knocked back to 60 lb. The second was 41 lb 14 oz, but the third also went over 60 lb - total 161 lb 14 oz. My excuse is that it is so difficult to estimate fish of that size.

Kevin's nets were under our 60 lb limit, though one missed it by 1 oz! But his total was a magnificent 223 lb 14 oz, best fish around 5 lb, and all taken on paste in the same spot on a top two in the margin, over micros. Obviously Kevin had won.

Kevin's catch - only one
 decent carp was included...

...and here it is - probably somewhere
around 5 lb or 6 lb.

All the weights after that were around 80 lb, except for Mel Lutkin, who also had a net overweight, but was third with 116 lb 15 oz. So ended a wet but memorable day with small fish willing to feed for longer than they usually do on Damson. I ended second. Callum, last in the match, took his three-peg section by default - one of the joys of having small sections in our club match. I believe that the more people who go home with even a small award the better. Anyone out there interested in joining?

Mike Rawson needed  one more fish
 to leap from sixth spot to fourth.

Part of Mel Lutkin's 116 lb 5 oz.

Marks out of ten

I give myself 8 - should have come off the caster earlier, but I was enjoying it. And I was chuffed that my home-made paste - which I always carry but rarely use - worked quite well. Kev told me later he flattened his paste so it fluttered down slowly, which he thought was absolutely key to his catch.

THE RESULT

         

Roving over the Magpie

 Peg 2, Magpie, Sunday, Sept 15
We decided to run a rover in this Fenland Rods match on Rookery Fishery, Pidley, with pegs 1-14, and 28 to 34 on the island, to choose from. I had intended to take 32, where I've had two big catches in the past, but when it was my time to choose, pegs 34 and 33 had already gone, and with the recent cool night I thought perhaps a swim with reeds would be better than the concrete banking on the end pegs on the island. I took peg 2 only because I know that there are lilly roots down there, even though there are no lillies at the moment, and it might be a place to go to if  I was in deep trouble.

No ripple at all, but a nice-looking right margin for me.

Kev Lee took 13, where he has won from before, and I had a horrible feeling that he'd do the business again! To cut a long story short I had three fish in the first hour, all around 5 lb, on luncheon meat on a pole, using a short top plus three, in front of me. Then a move to the right deep margins in front of the reeds on my right brought a 2 lb F1 on corn and then something else!!! That proved to be a fish well into double-figures, hooked in the tail...

Ten minutes later it was on the surface, but I couldn't get it into my 18-inch landing net. I ended with it right in the side, tail pulled up in the air, placing the landing net directly underneath,, and lowering it head-first into the net. Then of course its tail hung over the edge of the net and I had a hairy few seconds dragging the net up into my lap so I could unhook it. Next move was to change the net for a 20-inch one.

Dick Warrener's first fish - but he struggled for hours after that.

Another couple of fish came from there before a move slightly towards me, against a little shelf, on a top two. That brought a good run of fish, almost all over 5 lb, in the next couple of hours, mainly on cat meat, with mussel and corn as change baits. I tried fishing caster shallow here, as the fish gave a lot of liners, and I had lost four or five foulhooked, but never had a touch on the caster, though at the end I did get a couple of fish around 10 lb on a bunch of casters on the bottom.

A good last move
Final move was to the left deep margin, which also gave me a nice run of good carp to 10 lb -  perhaps another eight or nine - before sport tailed off in the last half-hour. Opposite me, on island peg 28,  Dick Warrener had had a bad start with perhaps two fish in the first half of the match, but the last 90 minutes I saw him catch half-a-dozen carp. I thought I had perhaps 120 lb.

Callum - 99 lb from peg 1.

Me - that big fish is the one I
hooked in the tail!

The weigh-in

The island pegs were first to weigh - topped by  88lb 3 oz from Martin Parker, so my decision not to fish there was probably vindicated. Callum was next to weigh, on my right on peg 1, which to be honest I should probably have taken, as it has several options, with the lovely curving end bank of reeds. He is a better estimator than me - he said he had about 100 lb and weighed 99 lb! My fish went 155 lb 1 oz, which led round to Kevin, though Roy Whitwell and Dave Hobbs on 6 and 8, both had over 125 lb. 

Roy Whitwell and Dave Hobbs
 had a fish-for-fish battle 
on pegs 6 and 8.

Roy (left) had 125 lb with
 Dave (above) ending
victorious with 128 lb 2 oz.

But Kevin certainly had done the business - three fish on paste in the first hour were followed by lots more on cat meat from the point of the bush on his right - a magnificent 217 lb 10 oz. Well done, Kevin (not for the first time). I think the difference between getting a load and not catching much was definitely in the feeding - you've got to keep putting a little in to arouse the curiosity of passing fish, because carp don't shoal up like bream - they are always moving around.

The winner - Kev Lee with part of his 217 lb 10 oz catch on a
windless day when some of the competitors really struggled.

So I finished second (again), after being one of the Golden Pegs (again) Gotta go now! Next match next Sunday on Damson. 😀

THE RESULT

Contrasting days on Lou's and Elm

Peg 6, Lous, Sunday, Sept 8
Peg 6 on Lou's has been described as the best peg in the county, and I drew it and was on a £50 Golden Peg as well, in this Fenland Rods match. But although it has such a great reputation, it's definitely better in the Winter, when the fish hole up in the far corner, about 50 yards away. Today the fish were definitely there, though - you could see them just under the surface, basking in the sunshine. And I was glad I had bought some ice-cold orange juice to drink.

The famous peg 6, where carp can bunch up in the Winter, in that far
 corner, about 50 yards away.

But I decided to start on the pole, close in, as fish were definitely moving there - I could see their swirls. And the reeds to the left looked very inviting. So I started there, putting in just half-a-dozen grains of corn, but never had even a liner. So over to the right, next to the platform for peg 7, which was unoccupied. Immediately fish started moving in the side, which was about nine inches deep.

That left margin is usually favourite with pole
anglers, but I couldn't catch a single fish there!

Waving tails
Fish waving tails at you almost at the start of a match are very inviting, but I went out to 18 inches, which gave lots of liners before I hooked a fish. It was about 9 lb, hooked in the mouth on cat meat, and ended in my net. But it was a false start, and things now became quite difficult. In fact after another fishless half-hour I cast over to the corner with a pellet waggler, which seemed a better bet than bomb or feeder, as fish were on the surface - dozens of them.

After half-an-hour of catapulting pellets out, and following them with a pellet waggler I gave up. The nearest I came to getting a bite was when one fish tried to eat the float! To my right Callum and Mel, on pegs 8 and 9, had one or two fish on a feeder, but were otherwise struggling. I came back into the margins. Fish were moving all over the lake, but not really interested in feeding, though they came and swirled every time I introduced any bait.

The right margin, between pegs 6 and 7,
was  where I caught most of my early fish.

In the next three hours I had just the occasional fish from the righthand side, with just one lost foulhooked fish from the reeds, and three more from the right, and a couple from out on 2+1 on corn. It rained fairly heavily for about an hour, during which time I didn't catch much. Then suddenly, after the rain, the air felt much warmer, I had another fish or two, and I sensed that perhaps things would get better.

An hour to go
With an hour to go I had only 36 lb on my clicker, though I fancied I had more, so I decided I'd start on my second net. Then Dick Warrener, who wasn't fishing today, came to watch. Just before he got there I saw a puff of mud from a swim just in front of me, where I had put in no bait at all - I was sure they were coming on the feed.

Out went a little hemp and some casters, and I dropped in a rig with cat meat. After getting an immediate liner I dropped in about a metre away from the feed area, and had a 5 lb carp straight away. Between that point and the end of the match I landed about eight or nine carp, losing just one foulhooked, all from a metre away from the area I had fed. A good ending, but with Kevin Lee on peg 1 and Roy Whitwell on 14, where I had won the last time we fished here, I guessed I still wouldn't win. That first five hours, which included some long fishless spells, would have made sure of that.

By the end of the match we were nearly all in short shirt sleeves.  Here,
Martin Parker weighs in his 43 lb 7 oz, worth a section win by default.

Kev Lee - beat me by 4 lb to
win an exciting match.

The weigh in
Kevin Lee had fish in three of his nets for 102 lb 12 oz, and I was sure I was beaten. He told me that with just seconds left he turned to Dick, who was watching,, and said: "I've run out of cat meat." he then looked around his tray, picked up half a mussel, stuck it on his hook, dropped in, and 'bang' a fish was on almost immediately. He landed it, and that proved to be the fish that beat me, and saved the Golden Peg money.

My last net, begun with an hour left, weighed in at 48 lb 8 oz. Good going, but it just left me wondering how some of our local anglers like Tom Edwards, Ben Townsend and Jimmy Brooks can often land 100 lb or more in an hour! 

My othernet went 50 lb 1 oz, and I ended second with 98 lb 9 oz, behind Kevin. Well done, Kev - yet another well-deserved victory.

One more fish and I would have won!
I had 48 lb in the last hour.

Roy Whitwell on 14 was third with 58 lb 4 oz, but had enormous problems with fish taking him into the reeds, and he lost four rigs. I was lucky when I fished there, as I didn't lose any rigs, though I had several hairy moments.

For marks out of ten I reckon I was worth probably 8, as those around me struggled all day. Next match was on Elm lake, the next day.

THE RESULT

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Peg 7, Elm
Blimey. I got out of the van at Decoy for this Spratts club match and couldn't believe the difference in the weather. The wind had a bit of a bite to it, and felt like it was ten degrees colder (though Shaun Buddle was still in shorts!). And I wished I'd brought hot coffee with me instead of cold orange juice. It had also swung round from South-West to almost Northerly, which gave us a back wind, over our left shoulders, as we were pegged on the West side of Elm, using all 12 pegs.

Neil Paas in action early on in the match, when he still had his
 hood up. I am really pleased to see I'm not the only one
to have a peg looking a bit like a builder's yard!

I always fancy peg 8 on Elm, but was happy enough with number 7. Neil Paas was on 8, to my left. And because it definitely felt 'unfishy' I started on the feeder, as did Neil. Half an hour later, with nothing in the net, I went out to anout ten metres and fished really hard. I got the float set exactly right, with corn just touching the bottom, and fancied I had a knock or two before two roach took the bait. One ended in my net, and the other dropped off. By now the temperature had risen a little, and we had only a few spots of rain.

I take a walk (like Ivan used to)

By this time Neil had had a fish or two on his feeder, so I went back to it for another half-hour. That produced not even a liner, and I had a short walk. Kev on peg 3 had had two big carp early on - one in the margin and one a bit farther out. I don't think Roy Whitwell had anything, but Mike Rawson had had a carp. Mick Ramm was fishless, but Neil had three now; John Garner had lost a fish on a feeder; Trevor Cousins had mugged one big carp; and John Smith in the corner peg 12 was still fishless.

Back to my peg and I decided I simply had to have a look in the margin, under the bush to my right. First drop with cat meat I had a bite which I missed; second drop brought a proper bite and a 9 lb carp! I went straight into the left margin against the reeds, and immediately hooked a fish which came off!

Fishy Galore!

Back to the right, and hemp and caster brought fish in to the swim - I could see the bubbles, which they release from their gills when they are excited (as I was, as well!) But they wouldn't take any bait.

I probably should have gone back out to ten metres, but in fact stayed in the margins for the rest of the match because the fish were there all the time now. 

There was a small shallower shelf about a metre long and 18 inches wide to my right, and a big cup of dead maggots put down there brought just one six-pounder on a bunch of deads, but no more, which surprised me.

Towards the end Neil started catching fish on a pole, but with a bush between us I couldn't see exactly where he was fishing. In fact it was at 2+2. I went out to 2+1, without result, but did manage to winkle out five more carp, on meat or mussel, from the right margin, with a couple in the last half-hour, also losing three more, probably foulhooked.

Neil plays his last fish, landed after the match ended.

With seconds left I hooked my last fish, from the right margin, which turned out to be the smallest of the day - a 2 lb F1. I ended very disappointed as I am sure I should have had more in that last 30 minutes.

In fact Neil ended with a couple of good carp taken on a feeder dropped in on his pole line. A very versatile and thinking angler is Neil.

Just so I know what a proper carp looks like!

The weigh in

Peter Spriggs on peg 1 took 39 lb 10 oz to the scales - most caught in the last 40 minutes. Then Peter Harrison on 2, who could catch fish in a bucket of Dettol, had 73 lb 5 oz, which led to me. I had no chance of beating that - my fish went 38 lb 3 oz.

To my left Neil Paas won by 9 oz - 73 lb 14 oz. Phew! And Trevor carried on mugging occasional fish for his third-placed 62 lb 12 oz, with Kevin lee fourth. Well done, Neil, who always seems to be in the frame.

Peter Harrison - second with 73 lb 5 oz.

Marks out of ten

So ended a disappointing match for me, as I had fish in the swim consistently for the last four hours. OK, it was obviously not an easy day, but I should have had more, though I'm not sure how. Fish might well have been in that longer swim if I'd fished it again. My worst result (ninth out of 12) for months. Worth 3/10.

Trevor Cousins, on peg 11, took all his fish mugging.

Well done, Neil - a good catch
on a very difficult day. He
included some flying bream...

Fenland Rods On Magpie

We're at Pidley on Sunday, pegs 1-14, and 28 to 34 on the island, with only nine definites at the time of writing. (If only we were all hale and healthy we would have considerably more). And with that number of pegs available to us the members might like to consider fishing a rover. It's up to them on the morning.

I'd like a very quick AGM afterwards, at the cafe, to check our rules for next year.

THE RESULT

1 Peter Spriggs         39 lb 10 oz

2 Peter Harrison       73 lb 5 oz        2nd

3 Kevin Lee             60 lb                 4th

4 Roy Whitwell        57 lb 8 oz

5 Mike Rawson        DNW

6 Mick Ramm          14 lb 9 oz

7 Mac Campbell       38 lb 3 oz

8 Neil Paas               73 lb 14 oz      1st

9 Shaun Buddle        42 lb 6 oz

10 John Garner         38 lb 13 oz

11 Trevor Cousins     62 lb 12 oz    3rd

12 John Smith           23 lb 1 oz (4 fish, 2 in the last four minutes!)