A cold wind on Six-Island

Peg 11, Six-Island, Thurs, Aug 6
I had a day's coaching from Ben Townsend last week - he was brilliant as always. It was on casters shallow, and mugging, and I left with confidence sky-high. Then the next Spratts match, in which I could put my new skills into operation, saw a strong Westerly side wind on Six-Island, and it was cold and got colder. I had to put on my hoodie and pull the hood up; then I added my Goretex jacket. Definitely not casters-shallow weather.

Still, peg 11 has a good-sized patch of irises growing to the right, so I did loosefeed casters there for almost two hours, hoping that carp might at least be interested as the wind was left to right. Meanwhile, using my short tops,  I went out with the short top plus two and a bit, which even at that short distance didn't allow me to present a bait perfectly on the pole because of the wind.

As soon as the match finished the wind died
away - as it does! That's when I took this.
The better fish came from that cut-out, but 
not next to the reeds.

A VERY slow start
To cut a long, sorry, story short, after two hours I had two tiny roach on corn (one hooked under the chin). Dick Warrener on my left had a good carp on feeder and had added at least a couple of other fish, and Bob Barrett on my right had also landed at least two or three net fish. I at last tried a banded caster shallow for a time. but never had, nor expected, a take in that wind. Because the carp don't like it up 'em, you know. Things were not going to plan.

My dilemma
I now had a dilemma - I just couldn't see me catching anything, and I wondered whether I weigh in my 2 oz at the end of the match, or give a DNW? It might even be an FOH, as that is now being spotted on various weighing-in sheets. Would my reputation be lowered by an FOH? Would that tell the whole story of the rotten conditions? Or should I actually FOH ? Decisions, decisions.

Success
Then Dick landed another decent fish, and I knew he'd hooked it fishing a top two, so I did the same. On went a small piece of cat meat and I dropped it out just to the right. And miraculously, after no more than 30 seconds the float went under and I was playing a fish. For a long time.

Even longer than that.

It would not give up, and then after about ten minutes I saw it was big...and I had only my 18-inch net put together. So another five minutes went by and gently I spoke to the mirror carp and eased it head-first into the net. Success. And then I saw it was hooked in the snout, which was why I couldn't get its head up. And it was about 10 lb! I changed immediately to my 20-inch net!

Dick found fish on a feeder, then pole.
Note the line of interested geese on
the bank overlooking the lake.

The left margin
A move to the right, under where I had been throwing casters, brought a 2 lb F1 on corn. But nothing else. The match was now half over and I had about 12 lb.

A look in the left margin , where I had put in hemp and micros three or four times, saw a liner or two, and I concentrated there, and eventually took three or four small F1s. I was also snagged twice, probably on an old tree root, and lost a hook. I fancied that the fish might now come on better. But there was only about 90 minutes left and I had 20 lb, while Dick obviously had much more. I had no idea what anyone else had, except that Bob on my right had landed a few more.

Another move

I had been throwing casters right into the reeds on my right, a metre from the bank, expecting carp to be hanging around there but I'd not had a bite there. Suddenly I saw a carp waving its tail at me right in the middle of the cut-out to my right, not where I'd been feeding. Then I remembered that previously when I've had this swim, that was where I have caught carp. So I started dropping casters down into that spot.

In business

I had a shallow rig handy, with a banded caster, so dropped that in, right among the carp I could see. Nothing. So I deepened the rig and put it out farther, into deeper water. Nothing as it sank, so I threw some casters around it. After doing that two or three times the float suddenly vanished and I was into an F1, but at least  I was in business.

In an attempt to get the bigger carp I could see from time to time I put on another rig, baited with four casters on a size 14. That was better, and I soon had a bigger carp. My best tactic was, as before, to let the bait hang just off bottom, and feed around it. Eventually a carp would take the bait. In that last 90 minutes I had three or four more carp from 4 lb to 8 lb, plus three or four nice plump F1s over 2 lb, all on casters.

A last minute fish?

Just as time was called the float dived under and I was attached to a fish which screamed away. I shouted "Fish on."  Two seconds later I shouted: "Fish Off" as the fish made a beeline for Kevin Lee's keepnet on the far side. A scale was on the hook - the only fish I lost. I'd clicked 38 lb and 19 lb. 

 

I asked Dick why he had only one net in, because I thought he had over 70 lb. But he then told me that he had only one carp - the rest were F1s. They are fighting so hard this year - it's has been easier to land the bigger carp.

Trevor Cousins on 24 finds himself hooked to a half-ton island.

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now as Trevor does battle.
Video courtesy of Roy Whitwell.

The weigh in

I was amazed to be top weight round to me, and astonished that Dave Hobbs on peg 6 hadn't weighed in. The cold wind must have had something to do with it. My nets weighed 42 lb and 27 lb - total 70 lb 11 oz, while Dick had just 35 lb 7 oz. Those casters must have made the difference.

Neil Paas said he had about 90 lb, but he said that Mike Rawson had more. In fact Mike weighed in 47 lb 10 oz. There was a bush between them and Neil had obviously heared a lot of splashing as Mike landed his F1s.

Neil weighed in 91 lb 4 oz, and as I watched the weighing, it was definitely not as cold  there - shielded from some of the wind by the high bank. John Smith on 15 said he had calm water all day. It's the shallowest swim on the lake, and the fish didn't seem to want to feed there in the wind. John said he had 8 lb to 10 lb, in the last hour, but didn't weigh them. 

Roy Whitwell, peg 25, second, 98 lb 15 oz.
That's an ice cream man standing
behind him, hoping for a sale.

Peter Spriggs won from peg 20, which had some shelter from the wind. He had 103 lb 9 oz, with Roy Whitwell on 25, at the car park end, second on 98 lb 15 oz. That left me fourth.

Winner Peter Spriggs with
his third net.

Marks out of ten

On reflection I do think that the cold wind blowing down to our end affected the fish after so many weeks of hot or warm temperatures, so I was pleased with fourth, and believe that the casters helped sort out the few bigger carp I had. I give myself 8/10, and was happy not to lose any fish except that last-second one. 

I wasted the first two hours fishing too far out; I should probably have concentrated on the deep water, just off the bank. much earlier. But you can't win them all. Next match on Float Fish Farm on Phoenix on Sunday. They now provide all nets for matches. I've never fished the lake but Kevin Wilmot has given me some advice. The forecast is for 30 degrees, with light winds, so my casters fished shallow might be good. Whatever the result it's a day's fishing...

THE RESULT

3 John Garner            26 lb 8 oz

4 Mick Ramm            21 lb

6 Dave Hobbs                DNW

8 Peter Harrison        28 lb 4 oz

9 Kevin Lee               54 lb 4 oz          5th=

10 Bob Barrett           38 lb 12 oz

11 Mac Campbell      70 lb 11 oz        4th

12 Dick Warrener        35 lb 7 oz

13 Mike Rawson         47 lb 10 oz

14 Neil Paas                91 lb 4 oz         3rd   

15 John Smith            DNW

18 Graham Ward         28 lb 10 oz

20 Peter Spriggs        103 lb 9 oz         1st   

22 Martin Parker         54 lb 4 oz         5th=

24 Trevor Cousins      31 lb 8 oz

25 Roy Whitwell        98 lb 15 oz         2nd

Spratts on Yew (didn't fish); Vets National (crap)

Martin Parker and I couldn't fish the Spratts match on Yew because we were in the Veterans' National on Lindholme, North Lincolnshire. But here's the result. fished on the East bank.

16 Peter Spriggs        107 lb 4 oz      1st
17 Dick Warrener        68 lb 5 oz     3rd
18 Grahan Ward          53 lb 11 oz
19 Bob Barrett            29 lb 3 oz
20 Trevor Cousins      23 lb 12 oz
22 John Garner           61 lb            4th
23 Dave Hobbs          58 lb 6 oz
24 Kevin Lee            19 lb 9 oz
25 Mick Ramm            DNW
26 Peter Harrison      27 lb 10 oz
28 Mike Rawson       43 lb 14 oz
30 Roy Whitwell       97 lb 3 oz       2nd

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Veterans' National, Lindholme

Honestly the best bit about this visit was the B&B we were in, at The River Don Tavern and Lodge. It's about 20 minutes North of Lindholme Fishery, where about 75 of us old, wise, and wrinkled anglers over the age of 65 were meeting the next day.

The room, which was extremely comfortable, cost us £80, with breakfast left in the room for us. That's fine since we wanted an early start, and Lindholme has a cafe. There was more breakfast than we needed. And we had an evening meal on the Tuesday - two main meals (more than we could eat); two deserts; and four drinks...less than £40. Brilliant value for money.

The previous day
The match was less palatable. We'd watched a weigh-in on Bennies lake the previous afternoon, mainly pegged on one of the spits in the 50-60 area, and I was appalled at the weighing. The scales were at zero when the bag holding the fish was put on them, so every catch was overstated; perhaps they do this to increase the weights?

Fish were rolled down the net, and a big one was left flapping on the grass before it was weighed separately. Not for me!

The match
On the day it was chaos for us because of the narrow access between Loco and Bennies, and since we both had a walk to our swims it was just as well that we had two motorised trollies in my little van; but they have to be dismantled to get them in, so we had to get all Martin's tackle out, assemble the trolley, and load it on the bank, among cars and vans trying to be parked. Then Martin had a 100 yard walk to his swim on Loco and I had to negotiate cars and vans to get nearer to my swim on Bennies.

My peg 39 on Bennies was  only about an 80-yard walk, described to the angler on my right as being in on a part of the lake "where you've got no chance, mate!" Whoever said that was right. The bank was bare, and the margins inches deep, so no cover. 

The fishery is stuffed with F1s so I tried shallow, with no fish at all, and eventually went into deepish water well out with corn for F1s, with a couple at the end on a feeder, and a total of 9 kilos (about 20 lb). The anglers to my left had 8 kilos and 7 kilos, while the angler on my right had a good half-hour spell when he had a few F1s on the feeder and weighed in 18 kilos. The angler on his right was one of just four in the match to not weigh in. Danny Sixsmith won the lake on one of the favoured pegs with 45 kilos, on worm at 2+1.

I would probably have done a little better if I'd used a feeder for longer, but I was fishing to win the lake, and thought my best bet was to concentrate on the pole. It's all ot nothing in a match like this.

Martin had 11 kilos on Loco lake but lost five big fish. However the angler on his right had 68 kilos, so Martin was not very happy. At least we got home unscathed. The match was won, as expected, on Strip Lake with 90 kilos-plus, one of many big weights taken on a short pole on maggot fished shallow, with F1s the main target.

We're lucky at Decoy
It confirmed my view that we are so lucky to fish Decoy, where there's not a single area where an angler has no chance of doing well, whatever the conditions. And there are lots of proper carp there. 

I was told that next year's match is at Westwood, near Boston. If that is the case we will travel separately so won't have to stuff everything into one van. Next match was on Six-Island - that write-up is coming up soon.

Fenland Rods Pairs event on Horseshoe

Peg 6, Horseshoe
We hold our Fenland Rods Pairs match on Horseshoe, because it's more intimate than most of the other lakes - we put eight along one side and their eight partners were fishing the other side and you can turn round and walk just a few yards to see your partner.  I seeded them - our top eight in the Championship were the top seeds; except that Trevor Cousins generously offered to make the numbers even, and I plonked him with the seeds.

Lots of confusion before the draw as all the anglers seemed to have studied the sheet of paper on which I'd printed the eight seeds on one side and the rest on the other, for Allan Golightly to separate them for the draw. All assumed that these were the eight pairs. And even at the draw they didn't listen when I explained that the draw would decide on the pairs. It's like being a master at a primary school.

No matter - eventually they found out who their partners were. Mine was Mark Ramm; I was on 6 and he was on 16. Martin Parker was first Golden Peg and Kev Lee the second one. The club adds £50 to the prize money, so the top pairs were taking £60, £40 and £30, with section of four by default.

Lots of lillies
I'd Roy Whitwell on my left and a bed of lillies in front. It meant that neither Roy nor I could cast to the reeds on the far side, and for a long time that looked as if it was going to be a big disadvantage, because Martin Parker landed a very big carp early on on a feeder, and Callum started to catch carp and bream also on a feeder to the far bank.

Callum had a good start on the feeder and bomb.

I was not a happy bunny. I tried a long pole at the start but the wind was quite strong and presentation was difficult, so I switched to a feeder. I had two fish on very briefly soon after the start but both came adrift. Roy landed one, then I had a take on an orange wafter. This fish promptly took me into the lillies. 

Roy had already had to pull for a break when a fish did te same to him. I did the same...but suddenly the fish came out, and it ended in my net; about 4 lb. That was followed by a long biteless spell and I had a look on the pole in the margins, which rewarded me with a roach. Meanwhile Roy had managed to land a couple of nice carp.

I get a break
Back on a bomb, and I cast right to the edge of the reeds. Roy said: "That's where you want to be Mac." Sure enough two minutes later the rod wrenched round, I felt a fish, and then it was fast in the lillies. This time I did end up with a break. Soon after that both Roy and I seemed to realise at the same time that it probably wasn't worth casting a bomb or feeder to the lillies, and the pole line might be a better bet. We're quick like that! And now the match was half over and I had about 4 lb, while Callum said he had clicked 26 lb.I was being beaten both sides, as Roy had four or five.

I wandered over to my partner, who hadn't had much, but John Smith on end peg 18 was landing his fifth carp, and he said he'd lost some in the lillies to his left. He was paired with Trevor, and I made then favourites. It seemed I was definitely struggling compared to most of the rest.

Fish on the pole
Now I again turned to the pole and I opted to fish deepish water a couple of metres from the bank to the right, because it was too shallow next to the bank for my liking. Twenty minutes later, after I'd seen tiny movements of my float, a 5 lb carp came to corn.

Then a switch to the left margin, which was deeper only a metre from then bank, saw a carp first drop on cat meat over hemp. Roy was fishing only a few feet away but I don't think he had anything. That first carp was about 8 lb and it came in pretty easily on my Matrix 14-16 yellow.

A lo-o-ong stretch
The next drop saw me hook another carp. It went towards the right and then turned and shot towards Roy. This fish turned on the surface in front of Roy, but instead of the elastic slowly bringing it back, it kept on going. Past empty peg 8. The elastic must have been stetching almost 30 years And I said the fish must be foulhooked.

Now it was in front of Trevor Cousins on peg 9 and he shouted out: "It's not foulhooked. It's a big fish hooked in the mouth." It was so close to him that he could clearly see it!

Roy landing an early fish. My big one went past him right up to Trevor (in grey).

Pure farce
The elastic was now round the corner, and I expected the fish to snag a keepnet somewhere, but it then obligingly sauntered out a few metres from the bank. And it came grudgingly back past peg 8, then back past Roy, and then both Trevor and Roy could Carry on Fishing...and yes, it was like a scene from the film - pure farce.

BUT it ended in my landing net a few minutes later, hooked just in the lip. Later we weighed it at 15 lb 4 oz. That was the good news. The better news was that I switched to a much stronger elastic (don't know what it was) and caught more on cat meat, and one on mussel. And a look to the right saw another good fish on cat meat I really enjoyed that last two hours and I thought I had about eight or nine carp for perhaps 60 lb. Roy had had a better spell on pole towards the end, as well.

The weigh in
I was amazed to see that the first two pegs hadn't had much. It was calmer down there because the lillies broke up the big ripple, and I thought that presentation would be much better on the pole. Then Kevin Lee on 3 showed that there were fish down towards that end. He fished mussel on a pole and had 67 lb 15 oz. Martin I think lost some carp on rod and line but ended with 50 lb 3 oz.

Then Callum weighed in and he'd obviously struggled after a good start, ending with 45 lb 2 oz.. My fish went 67 lb 15 oz...tied exactly with Kevin. Roy on my left had 42 lb 11 oz and then came Trevor. I'd seen him land a bomb consistently so delicately near the far bank, or near the lillies to his right, and asumed he must have caught lots. No - I think he had just two fish for 10 lb 12 oz.

My pardner for the day -
Mark Ramm, 51 lb 12 oz.

Callum Judge - 45 lb 2 oz
for 4 points in the section.

That was the end of the seeds weighing in. Mick Rawson on 13 went ahead in that section with 32 lb 2 oz, followed by airline pilot Jason Lee on 45 lb 10 oz. My partner Mark did a great job winning that eight-man section with 51 lb 12 oz, with John on the end saying he'd lost seven carp but took 42 lb 7 oz to the scales.

Back to the van and the results were worked out. I split the points for Kevin and myself, who had the same weight, so 1.5 each. And with Mark Ramm's 1 point it left us as winners with 2.5 points. Thanks. Mark. Great job.

It was tight for second place - Martin Parker and Jason Lee had 5 points and Mike Rawson and Kevin Lee had 5.5 for third. Full results below.

My lovely 15 lb 4 oz fighting-fit mirror carp.
Tying for first place with Kevin meant I
had saved one of our Golden Peg payouts.

Marks out of ten
Looking back I think I did OK. I lost a couple of carp, but when they are a bit iffy you can't help foulhooking an occasional one. My float, when I had the carp in my swim, was moving about a lot, but I struck only when I was pretty certain it was a proper bite, and I was pleased with the results. So I give myself 8.5, ending tied for first individual place, though the main pools were for teams only. Next match the Vets National at Lindholme with Martin Parker.

THE RESULTS

Peg     Name  weight   pts     peg  Name    weight  pts  TOTAL

1 Mel              3-6         8        11 Frank       4-3        8        16

2 Dave            6-14       7 *     12 Allan      16-11     5 *      12

3 Kevin         67-15     1.5       13 Mike      32-2       4        5.5 3rd

4  Martin        50-3        3        14 Jason     45-10      2         5  2nd

5 Callum       45-2        4 *      15 Dick        8-2        7        11

6 Mac           67-15      1.5      16 Mark      51-12       1       2.5 1st

7 Roy            42-11       5        17 Stephen 15-7         6       11

8 Trevor       10-12        6         18 John      42-7        3*       9  

* = section winner  

 

Bream to the rescue on Elm

Peg 22, Tues, July 21
I'm a bit late with this Spratts report. But the result hasn't altered. The wind was from the South, so my swim on the East bank had a left-to right blow. I like that bank on all the strips, as there's a better chance of a shallow margin, thanks to the prevailing Westerlies knocking the bank about. My left margin had reeds, but to my right there was just bare bank - not ideal. The good news was that there was a nice level bottom in the margin, about three feet deep.

Nice left margin, with reeds.

I plumbed up to find roughly the same depth of 3 ft along both margins, but started off on 2+1 with cat meat and then corn. Nothing. So a move to the left margin, near a small bush, was called for. First drop with corn and a 1 lb F1 came in. I went back there and couldn't understand what had happened - the depth seemed to have suddenly increased. I plumbed up more carefully and found that while the margin near my platform extended about four feet out, next to the bush it was only 12 inches wide.

The bream oblige
So I went into the deeper water and was rewarded with a 3 lb bream; then another; then another. Nice to see fish of that size. When bites slowed up I went into the right margin, just above the drop-off and eventually found some F1s and then some better carp.

I potted out into the bream swim, and surre enough two or thee more came in. Potting in before each cast didn't seem to put them off. Then after another couple of 5 lb carp from the right margin I had a look to my left, on a top two. Here there was a small cutout, and first drop with mussel saw a nice carp come in. That swim produced three or four more and I finished with a couple more bream, the last of which jumped out twice and was about 4 lb. 

My right margin was bare right up to the
next platform. Then Kevin had lu-u-vely
reeds out from the bank on 20.

Concentration
To my right Kevin Lee had a lovely little bunch of reeds growing a metre out from his left bank, and I kept seeing him fish there, and certainly he'd had carp from it early on. I hadn't been able to dsee what anyone else had caught. I'd seen Mike Rawson opposite on 1 get two early fish on a feeder and then one late; and Peter Spriggs opposite me had a fish or two. But I was so busy concentrating on my own swim that I'd missed most of the action, though I knew that Kevin on my right had had several more carp. I thought I had about 70 lb, best carp  10 lb.

Graham Ward -95 lb 15 oz.

The weigh in

Before the weigh in started John Garner told me that John Smith on corner peg 12 had probably won as he'd had fish 'all day.' Mike weighed in just 25 lb 6 oz, so I hadn't missed much of his action. Then as I followed the scales along the opposite bank it was clear that the weights became slowly larger. Looked as if the carp followed the wind. Peter Spriggs, who has won so many Spratts matches hd just 38 lb 2 oz. And the weights increased down to Graham Ward on 10, who took 95 lb 15 oz to the scales.

In the corner John had taken one or two carp from the end bank, then had to move, before going back to the end bank for another couple, and that happened all day - he could never get then lining up. But he did it all very successfully as he had 102 lb 4 oz. But he said that Neil Paas on the opposite bank had more than he did.

Neil Paas, deserved winner with 133 lb 2 oz.

Round to Neil on 14 and indeed he had beaten John with 133 lb 2 oz, taken on mussel in the marginds, and ended as an easy winner. John Garner sat on 16 and because of the high reeds hadn't been able to see Neil, but he had been able to see John Smith on the opposite bank, which was why he thought he had won. John Garner had 71 lb 12 oz, while on 20, to my right, Kevin Lee had 72 lb 11 oz. I didn't think I coulod beat that, but the net I'd clicked at 35 lb held 48 lb, and I ended with a total of 88 lb 6 oz. 

Mick Ramm with his one bream
 We both need to take lessons!

Me with a bream. Pity you can't
see it properly. I must take lessons.

To my left Mike Ramm had just one bream, but then he was in the lee of the end bank, with no ripple. So I ended fourth and was the best weight towards me end. I give myself 8/10; next match was on Sunday on Horseshoe - a Fenland Rods Pairs match. As I write I am about to leave for the Veterans National on Lindholme with my fishing partner Martin Parker, who won it about 50 years ago (!). Wish us luck.

THE RESULT

East bank                                            West bank

24 Mick Ramm        2 lb 15 oz               1  Mike Rawson        25 lb 6 oz
22 Mac Campbell    88 lb 6 oz  4th        3 Peter Spriggs        38 lb 2 oz
20 Kevin Lee        72 lb 11 oz                5 Dick Warrener      38 lb 6 oz
18 Trevor Cousins     58 lb 15 oz          7 Bob Barrett      29 lb 1 oz
16 John Garner        71 lb 12 oz            9 Roy Whitwell    65 lb 5 oz
14 Neil Paas             133 lb 2 oz  1st    10 Graham Ward  95 lb 15 oz  3rd
                                                              12 John Smith 102 lb 4 oz  2nd

Lots of fish for Fenland Rods on Crow (Pidley)

Peg 14, Crow
Fifteen Fenland Rods members lined up at Rookery Farm Fishery for a match on Crow, including 16-year-old Harrison Smith, fishing his first-ever match.  He was put next to his father, Paul, in case Paul needed any help! The day was overcast, though the wind still had North in it after days of those horrible North-easterlies.

My peg was in the middle, so I had about three feet of water on a top two, and a little more farther out. This lake is built into a slight incline in the ground so, because water is horizontal (!) the higher numbers are a little deeper than the lower ones. I started unpacking my stuff and my first job is always to get my bait laid out handily.

Disaster
That was when I realised that I had left my luncheon meat (which I had taken over an hour to prepare) at home. I'd planned to make luncheon meat my main plan of attack, because it's always served me very well on this lake. Nothing for it but to dash home. So I did, making sure I broke no speed limits,. and I now know that because of a 20mph limit in my village the journey now takes me 21 minutes each way instead of the 20 minutes it used to take. I was back 15 minutes before the match started.

We had overcast skies and a good ripple at the start.
This picture of peg 14 was taken at the end when the wind had died down.

Luncheon meat

The reason I had spent so much time preparing it is that I find that once its frozen and thawed it floats. Pinching it underwater makes some sink, but that also means that some of the cubes are damaged. Jamie Hughes' video about pouring boiling water over it too reduce the fat didn't work, or at least not very well. Three lots of boiling water over one batch left a lot floating. So I tried boiling it.

Ten minutes boiling; I switch off the gas; it was still floating. BUT a few minutes later, as it cooled, it sank. And as always, I find that Spam, when cut from the tin and used without freezing, all sinks. It's the freezing which causes the problem. 

The start
I had intended to start on the feeder and change to bomb and pellet if that didn't work. But because half-an-hour had gone when I started, I began on the pole, on a top two plus half a long No 4, just in the deeper water with luncheon meat. Nothing happened for a long time, the water felt dead, and I went onto the feeder. 

Twenty minutes later, with my tip remaining motionless, I put a little hemp into the pole swim. A minute later small carp started swirling around it, and coming into the margins. I couldn't resist reeling in and going out on the pole again.

Liners
This time someting did happen - tiny liners every drop in; but no fish in the net. Then success - a 1 lb F1 took the 4mm cube. Ten minutes later a 3 lb carp came in. I was still getting liners so I tried off bottom in that swim, but didn't get any. It seemed that the fish were only interested once the bait had hit bottom. I switched swims to one six inches shallower, and nearer the bank, to my right, and here I soon had another F1. I had to spread the shot and get a slow fall to get a bite.

It was now about 12 o'clock; two hours gone; and John Smith walked along from peg 11 to see how his grandson Harrison was faring. He asked how many fish I had. I said: three. he said he had 15! So I was already way behind, and because of the reeds here you can't see any of the other anglers, so I had no idea whether they were struggling like me. When he walked back he said that Roy Whitwell on peg 20 was catching every cast. I felt I was doomed...

I concentrated on the nearer swim and in the next 40 minutes had a 4 lb carp; then a small F1; and as I was playing anothe carp about 4 lb, Dick Warrener came up. He wads definitely struggling, I think he said he had four. But he said that John Smith was 'hammering fish.'

Into the margins
Nothing for it but to plug on, and I had to feed before every cast to get a bite. A couple came off, but soon I had about 12 fish. But it was slow going, and with too hours left I had a look in the margins. The response was immediate - first drop with a small piece of cat meat over luncheon meat a foot from the reeds,  saw the float shhot under nd my elastic stretch out to the middle. That one came off, but the second one stuck - 6 lb-plus.

From then on I concentrated on the margins on top twos, and found about ten good carp from 5 lb up to nearly 10 lb, and some big F1s. I kept expecting that I would have a short purple patch, but never did. The fish took me long time to land, and I lost half a dozen foulhooked, which probably spooked some nearby; I had to feed a little corn, a few pieces of cat meat, and hemp and micros, to get a bite. The fish came back quickly every time I did that.

Paul Smith - carp and F1s for 127 lb 6 oz.

I started with three nets, and an hour before the end put in a fourth. I remember I had four fish in that with half an hour left, but in that last half-hour I had only one, and I was disappointed with that. I alternated both magins, but afterwards thought that perhaps the fish had backed away and I should have put on an extra section.

The weigh in
The scales started with Harrison and Paul, who had an appointment and wanted to make sure they could get away in decent time, and I missed photographing Harrison's catch of 77 lb 3 oz, which is a cracking start to a match career, don't you agree? I took his father's picture instead - 127 lb 6 oz. Paul had an impressive record as a junior and clearly can still turn it on; also a good result, as this was his first match for a year.

I wasn't sure whether I had as much as Paul, as you don't need to use your clicker when you start with three nets - I go on feel whether I need to put another net in, and always remember it's for the good of the fish, not to show how clever I am eat estimating (anyway I'm crap at that).

Callum shows a cracking common.

Then to end peg 24, where Frank Snow had ten fish early on, but must have struggled from then on as he weighed in just 51 lb 8 oz. Roy Whitwell had 222 lb 10 oz, and was obviously the winner, even before the rest had weighed. He had some on feeder, but said he'd lost a lot at the start. He really is the man to beat now.

I weighed in 153 lb 9 oz, and think I had only about 25  fish. Contrast that with John, who weighed in 133 lb 2 oz, mainly F1s all taken on mussel on a long pole line, and I reckon he had at least 60 fish. Callum Judge had 142 lb 13 oz, probably largely on mussel, and I finished second in what was a great match for the club. And we have our handicap match there in a couple of months time. Looking forward to it.

John Smith - mainly F1s.

Dave Garner, last to weigh.

Marks out of ten
I was disappointed afterwards that to be so far behind the winner, Roy. And I am sure that he would have won in my swim. But I looked back and have a brilliant record on here in the last thre or four years, which can't all be down to luck. If I had managed to land those bigger carp more quickly I could have pressed Roy, I am sure.

I felt I fed well, and on the whole managed to avoid striking at liners, so didn't lose as many fish as some of the other anglers. And I didn't spend too much time just hoping things would get better - I made a change of some sort; moving swim, or changing the shotting, consistently all day. I was most pleased with my feeding.

The time spent making sure that the luncheon meat sank was well spent; I just wish I'd got my feeder stint out of the way quickly, so I could have tried bomb, which apparently worked well for those who tried it. I give myself 9/10 because I probably did the best I could have expected as Roy is streets ahead of me in skill.

OUR POOLS

I know pools can be a bone of contention. Our system in Fenland Rods is simple - we pay top three in every match from the £5 pool; plus sections of three or four by default in the £2 section pool. The system means, of course, that fourth man always wins a section.  In this match 15 fished and seven went home with money.

THE RESULT

Speeding...me?

Whady'know, I've been done for speeding at 38 mph in Ramsey St Mary, at 8.05 am, on my way to a match. I find that difficult to believe, because I really normal;y keep within the limts. In any case at that time in the morning there are always cars parked on the left, near the sole village shop, often lorries parked on the right, and a steady stream of traffic coming the other way. It's stop-start right through the village. I must have slowed down late as I entered, or put my foot down early to exit, and there must have been a policeman with his little gun hidden in someone's hydrangeas waiting for some poor sod to go over the 30 mark.

I'd do better to take Steve Tilsley's route through Turds. It's like the outback there, you can see the natives miles away, and I doubt if there's been a policeperson (or whatever they are called now) there for years. I assume the operator with his 'manned equipment' is given a commission, probably enough to buy an early-morning cup of cappucino, for catching me out performing such a wicked act. 

Now when I go on a Motorway I nurse my ten-year-old van along at 60, while hordes of drives hurtle past me as if their arses are on fire, and there's no tomorrow. So if that little man with his little gun were to sit in the long grass beside the A1 (M) near Sawtry, he'd gain enough commission in ten minutes to treat his whole family to a five-course meal; with lots of wine.

And I hope he's done on the way home!

North-Easterly plays havoc on Oak

 Peg 9, Oak, Mon, July 13
That North-Easterly grew stronger overnight, and colder. To be honest it was a bit of a surprise how cold it was when I stepped out of my van at Decoy, for a Spratts match, and I was glad I'd brought a hoodie and my Goretex jacket, because I wore them both for much of the match as my peg 9  had a head wind, from the left.

Trevor kneels on his prayer mat and
meditates for a second before the draw.

Some legs were still on show amongst the assembled throng. I wear long trousers to prevent sun burn...but no hope of that today! It was grey and the fish felt in the same mood, as nothing seemed to be caught for ages, except that eventually Kevin Lee, on peg 26 with a slight back wind, started catching. His watercraft came to the fore as he elected to fish about 12 metres to his left, to a tiny group of reeds (the only ones near him). 

A moment in time in the heatwave - dull, grey, cold. After all, look on a map
of the UK  and you'll see there's nothing between Fenland and the North Pole!

Struggling

While I and Rod Melnyk, on peg 7 to my right, struggled for a bite, Kevin's elastic was seen stretching out a long way, His fish were obviously really big. Rod hooked three fish in the first half of the match, but one came off. I was out at 10 metres with expander and then corn, and eventually hooked a fish...for about one second...before it came off. Obviously foulhooked.

One F1 came to me in the first half of the match, after I put on an extra section, but nobody that I could see was doing much. So into the margins I came (I'd had a few quick looks earlier of course, and had tried feeder, but had nothing). My first drop now was into the left, with corn over a few grains, and seconds later the pole was almost wrenched from my hands and the elastic streamed out to the middle. Then...ping! A fish had foulhooked itself and then waved me goodbye.

Fish are there
A few minutes later I had what looked like a proper bite and this one stayed hooked for two seconds. But at least there were fish there. As they were, still, in Kev's swim!

I'd nothing better to do, so I got a shot of Kevin Lee in action 50 yards away!

So into my right margins, about a metre rom the tins, in slightly deeper water, and as I held the bait still the float dived down. Honestly. And another F1 charged all over the swim, as they have done this year on every water I've fished. But it ended in my net. Then a small piece of cat meat lured a bigger carp, about 8 lb. Meanwhile Rod might have lost another fish; but Kevin was still picking up fish, steadily.

Last half hour
Into the last half hour and a grain of corn fished over just four grains, and lifted an inch or so, picked up two more fish for me from the left, though another couple also came adrift. So at the end I had five fish and had lost four foulhooked. Rod also had a couple late, and I think he ended with four. I was a bit downcast, and expected to be near the bottom of the list, because there were better anglers than me round to my left.

One problem I have is that at Decoy there's so much reed growth that on many of the lakes I just can't see anyone else on the same bank. It's miles away from what some anglers disparagingly call 'a hole in the ground.' Of course it is - so's Rutland Water. But at this time of year it's really quite natural surroundings. I am reminded that fishing Damson the previous day I had trouble with my float going under...because damselflies kept insisting on perching on the top!

A big carp taken late boosted John Smith's
catch, from peg 18, to 13 lb 13 oz.

The weigh in
Just to rub things in the sun now came out. As it does. And the wind died down. As it does. Who organises all that???

Rod weighed first - 22 lb 4 oz, while my five fish went 25 lb 1 oz. Then I was astonished to see weights below mine. In the corner Neil Paas took 62 lb 3 oz to the scales to lead. Then the weights dropped again, right round to Kevin, who had not put a single piece of loosefeed into the swim all day. He'd just fished a mussel to the reeds and waited. His reward was a tench and about 15 carp for 133 lb 11 oz - a clear winner.

It was noticeable that most anglers had their best spell in the last half-hour. Roy Whitwell, who is almost unbeatable at the moment, had just one bite all match, in the last half hour.

The winner - Kev Lee never put any loosefeed
into his swim and ended with 133 lb 11 oz.

Marks out of ten
As Trevor Cousins walked past me at the end he said he wished he had brought a flask of hot coffee with him; actually that's excactly what I'd told my wife on the phone during the match. I always phone her - she worries so much, you know. She knows where the insurance policies are; if she didn't get the call at 1 o'clock I am sure she'd be rummaging through them, just in case.

But it was cold. I should have taken a flask - 1 point deducted for failing to prepare. However I stuck at it and didn't start filling it in, as the fish obviously just weren't feeding. It was a case of hoping that a carp took a bite at something which was annoying it, like salmon do when they come up the rivers to spawn. They don't eat, they take stuff out of habit. 

But I finished third, so I give myself 7.5 out of ten. Second frame in a row. Next match Saturday on Crow at Pidley, when luncheon meat is likely to be my main bait.

THE RESULT

East bank                                            West bank

26 Kevin Lee        133 lb 11 oz  1st

24 Bob Barrett        17 lb 10 oz          7 Rod Melnyk       22 lb 3 oz     4th

22 Graham Ward        DNW                9 Mac Campbell    25 lb 1 oz     3rd
20 Mick Ramm        7 lb 13 oz            11 Trevor Cousins  19 lb 2 oz
18 John Smith        13 lb 13 oz            13 Peter Spriggs       7 lb 14 oz
16 Roy Whitwell      4 lb 11 oz            15 Neil Paas            62 lb 3 oz    2nd