Magpie Lake, Pidley, peg 38
Peg 38 on Magpie has been the most consistent peg all Winter, and it’s still a cracker in Summer – always has been. So I was mighty pleased to draw it in this Over 60s match, which had 18 entries...until I walked over the bridge and saw fish clearly spawning in the marginal reeds and chasing each other through the lillies which grow about 8 metres from the bank. Not a good sight!
Still, I started in the margins, to check, after putting in some corn and pellets in the deeper water three sections out, but as I half expected I didn’t get a bite for 20 minutes. So inhto the deep water I went – with one small carp in the next 30 minutes. Fish were moving about all over the surface, so I simply had to try a shallow rig near the lillies – and I had been throwing out pellets every 30 seconds or so, in case. First drop in with a banded pellet the pole tip was pulled down and in came a 2 lb common.
That set me up for the next two hours, and I beavered away fishing shallow on pellet and, later, maggot for just six carp, with two weeding me because I had to fish so close to the lillies. So after two hours I had eight fish and Kevin Peacock and Roy Whincup, opposite me, had also had odd fish, mainly from their deep-water swims, but I saw Kevin nick an occasional one from the margin. I had been dropping into the margins every 20 minutes but still never had a bite, and the fish were still splashing around there. So I peservered shallow,and despite tightening my elastic as hard as I could, and changing it three times for stronger stuff, I lost another couple of fish when I held them hard to prevent them getting into the lillies.
These fish really did fight – as fish which are ready to spawn often do. Even the two-pounders kept diving round the landing net and setting off for the far bank when I was sure they must be tired out. Then I anded a couple more, and finally lost nmy complete rig when a big fish took my tight black Hydro right into the lillies.
That was the moment I decided to give up on shallow and concentrate on the margins for the last two hours. I had about 30 lb in my nhet, but Kevin and Roy were certainly doing better in their margin swims now. Amazingly first drop in saw a 3 lb mirror come in and from then on I took fish steadily from both side, nearly all on small pieces of luncheon meat. Cat meat brought just one fish! They definitely wanted a small bait.
At the end I wandered round to see Kevin weigh in, and already there was a 233 lb on the board from Chris Saunders, which I know was his third weight over 200 lb on local waters this year! He fished cat meat down the margin from peg 8 and had fish right from the start, but he told me there was no fish spawning around him. There were two other 100 lb-plus weights. Kevin weighed 133 lb for fourth, and Roy 131 lb for fifth. There was 145 lb from the consistent peg 35 from Will Hadley, and I was surprised to weigh 97 lb for seventh.
So if I had persevered in the margin after the first three hours I might have been able to frame, as I averaged around 30 lb an hour for the last two hours. Easy to be wise after the event, but it turned out the match was really all in my own hands. Incidentally Will told me afterwards he has a top kit set up with black Hydro through just one section especially for dealing with conditions like I had just had.
Monday, 29 May 2017
Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Four nets!
Elm lake, Decoy, peg 16
This was a club match, and took place just days after heavy downpours which I thought might have cooled down the water. Certainly the level was well up on this strip lake, and I’d got six feet of water at top two distance straight in front of me. But when I got on to the bank I really fancied we were going to catch fish – in the old days we used to reckon we could smell bream sometimes, and knew we were going to catch.
Well there was no actual smell today, but the water looked good, there was a good wave, and the wind was warmish, which made a change from the months of cold breezes we’d had, almost non-stop since November. In fact I was so confident I didn’t get my feeder rod out of its bag, reasoning that if I needed it I would be struggling, so would everybody else, and the extra few minutes I would take getting it ready wouldn’t make any difference.
Things got better when Kevin, who is almost unbeatable on these strip lakes, said he’d caught on this peg in the past fishing near the bottom of the shelf just to his right. That was the obvious place to fish today, given the stiff wind from the left (which had not been forecast) but it was still cheering to hear Kevin’s comment. But, as so often happens, I missed hearing the start, and looked up eventually to see people putting in bait. A few minutes missed at the start isn’t normally important, but today it could have been, because first drop right in the margins, where it was about four feet deep, saw me foulhook a fish, then next drop in a 2 lb common came in, followed immediately by a big fish which turned out to be about 8 lb foulhooked in the tail.
So ten minutes after starting I was in double-figures (I found out afterwards that Kevin’s first fish, on his first cast - we weighed it - was 13 lb 11 oz). Another fish came to corn in the margin and I sensibly put in some corn and hemp in the deep water, at top-two distance, where a 4 lb F1 came to cat meat first drop-in. For the next hour I alternated swims, taking one fish from each, until I felt confident anough to take three or four fish from each before changing. The fish were mainly from 2 lb to a little under 4 lb.
After three hours I went for a third net (maximum of 50 lb allowed in each net) to find that Kevin had just been himself. And for a change instead of finding the fish had moved away while I was fetching the net, as so often happens, they were still there when I returned. I was getting some awkward line bites, but managed to foulhook just one more, which came off, and found that the fish were better in the margin to corn, which they seemed to take more readily than cat meat. Even so, I often had to lift the corn an inch to induce a bite.
I also had a look to my left, where there was a rather nice flat ledge at three feet. I got two fish immediately after putting in a piece of corn, but they were both about 1 lb, so I kept that back to visit again if I started really struggling. As you would expect, I had the odd five minutes without a proper bite, and then had to switch swims. I could get fish in the deep swim almost immediately – even if I hadn’t fed it for some time. I was putting in only about six grains of corn at a time into the margin, as the fish were obviously moving around and all I wanted to do was to get tghem to come over and have a look – so I had to follow the feed with my baited rig almost immediately. Leaving this swim without baiting it saw the fish move away within half a minute or so, probably down below the ledge.
I also lost two barbel, which took me under the platform and somehow broke the line at the hook. When it happened for the second time it was a barbel which had taken corn in the side, and I picked up a Kamasan Animal hook which happened to be on my tray. But once I’d whipped it on I realised it was a lot heavier than the PR478 I had been using, and I fancy bites slowed a little because of this extra weight. But you know know it is when you’re flying – I carried on when perhaps I should have changed it.
With just under an hour to go I went for a fourth net at the same time as Kevin, in fact he gave me a ride in his van to collect them. In the meantime Dennis, to my right one off the corner, had also gone for a third net, as had John in peg 21 and Tony and Les opposite me.Luckily I resumed where I had left off by catching straightaway when I got back to the swim. But then I had a near-tragedy when a double-figure fish came off after I’d had it over the net once but couldn’t quite manage to net it properly. Two seconds later it was gone.
But there wasn’t time to think about it, and I got back into a rythmn and nicked more fish from the margin, plus the most beautiful golden scaleless carp of about 6 lb from the deep swim, and then two fish in the last five minutes in the margin. In fact I was playing a four-pounder when the shout went up to end the match (funny I always hear the all-out but not the all-in!) I was quite tired, but was fairly sure only Kevin and I had four nets, so it was probably between the two of us.
The weights were briliant, really, with 11 weights over 90 lb. Top weight to me was 147 lb, and I was interested to see what my last net weighed, as Kevin was admitting to 30 lb in his. Well, my first net, the second one I filled, went 50 lb 1 oz, and I began to worry whether I had gone over on the others. No need – I hadn’t, and my last-hour net was 36 lb 11 oz, total 173 lb 7 oz.
Kevin’s turn to weigh and, as usual, he had calculated very well, all around 45 lb with his last one only 32 lb, total 167 lb 7 oz. So I won, and was chuffed to beat Kevin on one of the waters he excells on, mainly fishing catmeat over corn or pellets. And it was interesting that some anglers – including Clive to my right, had almost all big fish from 4 lb upwards, while others had mainly smaller fish, like me.
If I find out how to get pictures off my new Smartphone I’ll put some on here. Next match probably on Magpie at Rookery Waters, on Wednesday. And this morning (Monday) I’ve been and changed the hook on the margin rig I used back to a PR478, which should give better presentation, as I am convinced the fish can be put off sometimes if a light bait sinks a lot more quickly then it should. Even a fraction can make a difference. With catmeat, fished on the bottom, I doubt it makes any difference at all.
This was a club match, and took place just days after heavy downpours which I thought might have cooled down the water. Certainly the level was well up on this strip lake, and I’d got six feet of water at top two distance straight in front of me. But when I got on to the bank I really fancied we were going to catch fish – in the old days we used to reckon we could smell bream sometimes, and knew we were going to catch.
Well there was no actual smell today, but the water looked good, there was a good wave, and the wind was warmish, which made a change from the months of cold breezes we’d had, almost non-stop since November. In fact I was so confident I didn’t get my feeder rod out of its bag, reasoning that if I needed it I would be struggling, so would everybody else, and the extra few minutes I would take getting it ready wouldn’t make any difference.
Things got better when Kevin, who is almost unbeatable on these strip lakes, said he’d caught on this peg in the past fishing near the bottom of the shelf just to his right. That was the obvious place to fish today, given the stiff wind from the left (which had not been forecast) but it was still cheering to hear Kevin’s comment. But, as so often happens, I missed hearing the start, and looked up eventually to see people putting in bait. A few minutes missed at the start isn’t normally important, but today it could have been, because first drop right in the margins, where it was about four feet deep, saw me foulhook a fish, then next drop in a 2 lb common came in, followed immediately by a big fish which turned out to be about 8 lb foulhooked in the tail.
So ten minutes after starting I was in double-figures (I found out afterwards that Kevin’s first fish, on his first cast - we weighed it - was 13 lb 11 oz). Another fish came to corn in the margin and I sensibly put in some corn and hemp in the deep water, at top-two distance, where a 4 lb F1 came to cat meat first drop-in. For the next hour I alternated swims, taking one fish from each, until I felt confident anough to take three or four fish from each before changing. The fish were mainly from 2 lb to a little under 4 lb.
After three hours I went for a third net (maximum of 50 lb allowed in each net) to find that Kevin had just been himself. And for a change instead of finding the fish had moved away while I was fetching the net, as so often happens, they were still there when I returned. I was getting some awkward line bites, but managed to foulhook just one more, which came off, and found that the fish were better in the margin to corn, which they seemed to take more readily than cat meat. Even so, I often had to lift the corn an inch to induce a bite.
I also had a look to my left, where there was a rather nice flat ledge at three feet. I got two fish immediately after putting in a piece of corn, but they were both about 1 lb, so I kept that back to visit again if I started really struggling. As you would expect, I had the odd five minutes without a proper bite, and then had to switch swims. I could get fish in the deep swim almost immediately – even if I hadn’t fed it for some time. I was putting in only about six grains of corn at a time into the margin, as the fish were obviously moving around and all I wanted to do was to get tghem to come over and have a look – so I had to follow the feed with my baited rig almost immediately. Leaving this swim without baiting it saw the fish move away within half a minute or so, probably down below the ledge.
I also lost two barbel, which took me under the platform and somehow broke the line at the hook. When it happened for the second time it was a barbel which had taken corn in the side, and I picked up a Kamasan Animal hook which happened to be on my tray. But once I’d whipped it on I realised it was a lot heavier than the PR478 I had been using, and I fancy bites slowed a little because of this extra weight. But you know know it is when you’re flying – I carried on when perhaps I should have changed it.
With just under an hour to go I went for a fourth net at the same time as Kevin, in fact he gave me a ride in his van to collect them. In the meantime Dennis, to my right one off the corner, had also gone for a third net, as had John in peg 21 and Tony and Les opposite me.Luckily I resumed where I had left off by catching straightaway when I got back to the swim. But then I had a near-tragedy when a double-figure fish came off after I’d had it over the net once but couldn’t quite manage to net it properly. Two seconds later it was gone.
But there wasn’t time to think about it, and I got back into a rythmn and nicked more fish from the margin, plus the most beautiful golden scaleless carp of about 6 lb from the deep swim, and then two fish in the last five minutes in the margin. In fact I was playing a four-pounder when the shout went up to end the match (funny I always hear the all-out but not the all-in!) I was quite tired, but was fairly sure only Kevin and I had four nets, so it was probably between the two of us.
The weights were briliant, really, with 11 weights over 90 lb. Top weight to me was 147 lb, and I was interested to see what my last net weighed, as Kevin was admitting to 30 lb in his. Well, my first net, the second one I filled, went 50 lb 1 oz, and I began to worry whether I had gone over on the others. No need – I hadn’t, and my last-hour net was 36 lb 11 oz, total 173 lb 7 oz.
Kevin’s turn to weigh and, as usual, he had calculated very well, all around 45 lb with his last one only 32 lb, total 167 lb 7 oz. So I won, and was chuffed to beat Kevin on one of the waters he excells on, mainly fishing catmeat over corn or pellets. And it was interesting that some anglers – including Clive to my right, had almost all big fish from 4 lb upwards, while others had mainly smaller fish, like me.
If I find out how to get pictures off my new Smartphone I’ll put some on here. Next match probably on Magpie at Rookery Waters, on Wednesday. And this morning (Monday) I’ve been and changed the hook on the margin rig I used back to a PR478, which should give better presentation, as I am convinced the fish can be put off sometimes if a light bait sinks a lot more quickly then it should. Even a fraction can make a difference. With catmeat, fished on the bottom, I doubt it makes any difference at all.
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
A good day in the rain
Willows Lake, Decoy, peg 24
Willows is a temperamental lake, compared with the others at Decoy. On some hot summers days you can sit there biteless, watching hundreds of fish of all sizes gathered in pods just under the surface just drifting around with the wind. At other times the fish will feed with abandon, in even the worst conditions. You just never know what you are going to be presented with. But on a day like today, a midweek club match surrounded by mates, the fishing really didn't matter, so long as we all caught something.
One thing is certain – peg 25 is a flier, and has probably won more matches at Decoy than any other. It has a little island to the right, just feet away, and the main island in front 25 yards away. Lots of options – perhaps too many at times. But I also like peg 24, which has an aerator to the left and a nice margin to the right, though you’re limited for space here as Peg 25 is only a few yards away on your right.
I’ve had decent catches from the margins on peg 24 in the past, and think I may have won matches from here. With a strong wind and rain coming at me from the front left I decided it wasn’t time to try to be a hero and fish well out, so I decided on a maximum of four sections in front, and the two margins. Before this match started I could have fished at 13 metres but, sure enough, within seconds of the start the wind increased in force and my four section limit was about right.
I started on corn at four sections, in about five feet of weater, because the water was pretty rough, and it’s more positive than expander, being that little bit heavier. Immediately I got liners from fish off the bottom, but I really didn’t fancy fishing shallow into the wind, so after catching a small bream and a small F1 I put out a piece of cat meat, which brought a 2 lb F1. Half an hour had gone by, and I did what I prefer doing – having a look on all my swims, just to get the rig working properly. First I went to the right, with my favourite inside rig to purple Hydro.
Willows has proper margins, unlike a lot of the other lakes at Decoy, which have had their margins gradually scoured away by wave and fish action, so I was able to search the water from right against the reeds out another three feet, where the depth was only about ten inches greater. On the whole the fish were out in this slightly deeper water.
This area brought a couple of F1s, but I was now well behind Rob on 25, who had about ten fish up to 5 lb. So I put a few bits of corn beside the aerator to my left, which was moored close to the bank, and left it alone. The reasoning was that it’s a natural holding place for carp, so all I needed to do was to tempt the odd fish into feeding, hoping that when I fished there the fish would respond again. But most of the next hour saw me in the right margin, catching odd F1s, and then putting in a bait dropper of dead maggots. This produced a four-pound mirror on a bunch of nine dead maggots, but I felt that there was turbulence there which was wafting the lighter baits about, so I went in with cat meat after putting in corm, pellet and hemp with a big pot.
This brought several fish, at about five minute intervals, and eventually I broke off and had a look beside the aerator, using a toss pot with only half-a-dozen pieces of corn at a time, as fish were almost certainly hanging about there, so the intention was not to attract them in, but to get them to have a nibble. Strangely I would get a couple of fish there in one spot and have to move to the end of the aerator for the next couple, then back to the side. My elastic here was Preston green 13 hollow, an elastic I had been put on to by some of the Decoy regulars, and I have to say it suits the fishery.
I have several different elastics, including double Preston slip 8, which Nigel Baxter used to use, and it is indeed another good allround set-up. But I could not ever use just one elastic as sometimes the fish come in better on a lighter one, and other times the really strong elastics stop them picking up speed. Today, with fish obviously trying to spawn, and splashing about in some of the margins opposite, they were charged with testosterone, and the 2 lb F1s fought like four-pounders, sprinting off when hooked, and then coming in and sprinting out again, time after time. Patience, even using purple Hydro, was the only answer and Rob, on 25, said that he knew he had tried to bully some of his fish in, only to lose them.
The rain was still coming down, but thankfully only light, and though I had rigged my umbrella up it was to protect my gear, so I was feeling pretty wet now. I then had good spell for 45 minutes, probably because I moved the bulk down on all my rigs to about ten inches from the hook, to steady the bait. Rob lost several fish, some foulhooked, but I have a margin method which means I rarely foulhook fish – certainly fewer than most anglers, and I lost just two. Then back to the margin, with cat meat and corn.
On one occasion I dropped in a bunch of dead maggots right beside the platform and had a violent take from a fish which went straight under the platform and broke me – obviously a big barbel, which prefer meaty baits to pellet and corn. I did not repeat that experiment! Then my best fish came from beside the aerator – a mirror of almost 10 lb, and a little later a four-pounder, and with 45 minutes to go I went for another net, and Martin on peg 35 – another good peg – went up at the same time.
I was so glad I use the Nisa connectors as they enabled me to wind the line between pole tip and float down to four inches, so I could keep the rig close to the aerator for at least a few seconds, before the tow and wind took it away again. My best bites came when the bait was almost underneath the aerator, and I felt that gave me an edge and that I picked up more fish than I would have if I’d kept my normal 18 inches of line above the float, which was otherwise necessary becasue of the wind.
The best tactic was to hold the bait still for a few seconds and then let it drift slowly, with the fish seeming to just suck the bait in as it went past.
That last 40 minutes saw me concentrate on the right margin, which was about three and a half feet deep (just over a metre) with corn, at dead depth, and in that 40 minutes I landed F1 to 3 lb and a solitary 2 lb tench, for a total of 27 lb. Meanwhile Rob had slowed up, though he was also catching in the margin to his left on cat meat. To my left was Bob, and though I saw him catch a fish or two early on, I hadn’t seen much action since then. So I though I might have done OK.
After packing up Peter told me that Trevor – our organiser, who has a better record in these matches than anyone else, had been for an extra net with two hours to go! So I knew then I had not won. From our part of the bank we could not see any of the others – and things got worse when Peter told me had had an extra net as well!
Martin weighed first – 107 lb 6oz, and he lost a double-figure fish after the whistle had gone...that was to prove a minor tragedy for him. Then came Trevor, who had fished a banded pellet all day at five metres, and who had just three fish over about 1 lb. Strangely some of us had mainly smaller fish, while some of the others had mainly fish over 4 lb. Anyway Trevor weighed 145 lb 4 oz. Peter, with much bigger fish, taken in the margins, weighed 102 lb 9 oz, and Rob next to me, who had started so well, weighed 58 lb 7 oz. Fish were trying to spawn in his swim towards the end of the match, so that could have accounted for his problems in foulhooking fish.
My nets weighed 43 lb, 44 lb and 27 lb plus ounces for a total of 115 lb 11 oz and second place to Trevor. But had Martin (a former Vets National Champion) not lost his final fish I would probably have been relegated to third. So all-in-all it was good to be out in warm weather, though the rain was annoying – no more than that. And 89-year-old Ted was fifth with 64 lb – he really is amazing. Tomorrow I had intended to fish Raven, at Pidley, but the forecast is for rain literally all day so I will probably opt for a bit of tackle sorting ready for the next weekend club match on Elm Lake at Decoy, where cat meat is likely to dominate.
I have a system where I take the rigs I think I am most likely to use and attach them to my rigs, holding them in place with the hook-up elastic. That gives me a start in deciding what to use, and saves a bit of time – I have an Octbox which is great, but it does take a little longer to set up than my old Rive, and I am rarely ready by the start, so anything which saves time is worth doing.
Willows is a temperamental lake, compared with the others at Decoy. On some hot summers days you can sit there biteless, watching hundreds of fish of all sizes gathered in pods just under the surface just drifting around with the wind. At other times the fish will feed with abandon, in even the worst conditions. You just never know what you are going to be presented with. But on a day like today, a midweek club match surrounded by mates, the fishing really didn't matter, so long as we all caught something.
One thing is certain – peg 25 is a flier, and has probably won more matches at Decoy than any other. It has a little island to the right, just feet away, and the main island in front 25 yards away. Lots of options – perhaps too many at times. But I also like peg 24, which has an aerator to the left and a nice margin to the right, though you’re limited for space here as Peg 25 is only a few yards away on your right.
I’ve had decent catches from the margins on peg 24 in the past, and think I may have won matches from here. With a strong wind and rain coming at me from the front left I decided it wasn’t time to try to be a hero and fish well out, so I decided on a maximum of four sections in front, and the two margins. Before this match started I could have fished at 13 metres but, sure enough, within seconds of the start the wind increased in force and my four section limit was about right.
I started on corn at four sections, in about five feet of weater, because the water was pretty rough, and it’s more positive than expander, being that little bit heavier. Immediately I got liners from fish off the bottom, but I really didn’t fancy fishing shallow into the wind, so after catching a small bream and a small F1 I put out a piece of cat meat, which brought a 2 lb F1. Half an hour had gone by, and I did what I prefer doing – having a look on all my swims, just to get the rig working properly. First I went to the right, with my favourite inside rig to purple Hydro.
Willows has proper margins, unlike a lot of the other lakes at Decoy, which have had their margins gradually scoured away by wave and fish action, so I was able to search the water from right against the reeds out another three feet, where the depth was only about ten inches greater. On the whole the fish were out in this slightly deeper water.
This area brought a couple of F1s, but I was now well behind Rob on 25, who had about ten fish up to 5 lb. So I put a few bits of corn beside the aerator to my left, which was moored close to the bank, and left it alone. The reasoning was that it’s a natural holding place for carp, so all I needed to do was to tempt the odd fish into feeding, hoping that when I fished there the fish would respond again. But most of the next hour saw me in the right margin, catching odd F1s, and then putting in a bait dropper of dead maggots. This produced a four-pound mirror on a bunch of nine dead maggots, but I felt that there was turbulence there which was wafting the lighter baits about, so I went in with cat meat after putting in corm, pellet and hemp with a big pot.
This brought several fish, at about five minute intervals, and eventually I broke off and had a look beside the aerator, using a toss pot with only half-a-dozen pieces of corn at a time, as fish were almost certainly hanging about there, so the intention was not to attract them in, but to get them to have a nibble. Strangely I would get a couple of fish there in one spot and have to move to the end of the aerator for the next couple, then back to the side. My elastic here was Preston green 13 hollow, an elastic I had been put on to by some of the Decoy regulars, and I have to say it suits the fishery.
I have several different elastics, including double Preston slip 8, which Nigel Baxter used to use, and it is indeed another good allround set-up. But I could not ever use just one elastic as sometimes the fish come in better on a lighter one, and other times the really strong elastics stop them picking up speed. Today, with fish obviously trying to spawn, and splashing about in some of the margins opposite, they were charged with testosterone, and the 2 lb F1s fought like four-pounders, sprinting off when hooked, and then coming in and sprinting out again, time after time. Patience, even using purple Hydro, was the only answer and Rob, on 25, said that he knew he had tried to bully some of his fish in, only to lose them.
The rain was still coming down, but thankfully only light, and though I had rigged my umbrella up it was to protect my gear, so I was feeling pretty wet now. I then had good spell for 45 minutes, probably because I moved the bulk down on all my rigs to about ten inches from the hook, to steady the bait. Rob lost several fish, some foulhooked, but I have a margin method which means I rarely foulhook fish – certainly fewer than most anglers, and I lost just two. Then back to the margin, with cat meat and corn.
On one occasion I dropped in a bunch of dead maggots right beside the platform and had a violent take from a fish which went straight under the platform and broke me – obviously a big barbel, which prefer meaty baits to pellet and corn. I did not repeat that experiment! Then my best fish came from beside the aerator – a mirror of almost 10 lb, and a little later a four-pounder, and with 45 minutes to go I went for another net, and Martin on peg 35 – another good peg – went up at the same time.
I was so glad I use the Nisa connectors as they enabled me to wind the line between pole tip and float down to four inches, so I could keep the rig close to the aerator for at least a few seconds, before the tow and wind took it away again. My best bites came when the bait was almost underneath the aerator, and I felt that gave me an edge and that I picked up more fish than I would have if I’d kept my normal 18 inches of line above the float, which was otherwise necessary becasue of the wind.
The best tactic was to hold the bait still for a few seconds and then let it drift slowly, with the fish seeming to just suck the bait in as it went past.
That last 40 minutes saw me concentrate on the right margin, which was about three and a half feet deep (just over a metre) with corn, at dead depth, and in that 40 minutes I landed F1 to 3 lb and a solitary 2 lb tench, for a total of 27 lb. Meanwhile Rob had slowed up, though he was also catching in the margin to his left on cat meat. To my left was Bob, and though I saw him catch a fish or two early on, I hadn’t seen much action since then. So I though I might have done OK.
After packing up Peter told me that Trevor – our organiser, who has a better record in these matches than anyone else, had been for an extra net with two hours to go! So I knew then I had not won. From our part of the bank we could not see any of the others – and things got worse when Peter told me had had an extra net as well!
Martin weighed first – 107 lb 6oz, and he lost a double-figure fish after the whistle had gone...that was to prove a minor tragedy for him. Then came Trevor, who had fished a banded pellet all day at five metres, and who had just three fish over about 1 lb. Strangely some of us had mainly smaller fish, while some of the others had mainly fish over 4 lb. Anyway Trevor weighed 145 lb 4 oz. Peter, with much bigger fish, taken in the margins, weighed 102 lb 9 oz, and Rob next to me, who had started so well, weighed 58 lb 7 oz. Fish were trying to spawn in his swim towards the end of the match, so that could have accounted for his problems in foulhooking fish.
My nets weighed 43 lb, 44 lb and 27 lb plus ounces for a total of 115 lb 11 oz and second place to Trevor. But had Martin (a former Vets National Champion) not lost his final fish I would probably have been relegated to third. So all-in-all it was good to be out in warm weather, though the rain was annoying – no more than that. And 89-year-old Ted was fifth with 64 lb – he really is amazing. Tomorrow I had intended to fish Raven, at Pidley, but the forecast is for rain literally all day so I will probably opt for a bit of tackle sorting ready for the next weekend club match on Elm Lake at Decoy, where cat meat is likely to dominate.
I have a system where I take the rigs I think I am most likely to use and attach them to my rigs, holding them in place with the hook-up elastic. That gives me a start in deciding what to use, and saves a bit of time – I have an Octbox which is great, but it does take a little longer to set up than my old Rive, and I am rarely ready by the start, so anything which saves time is worth doing.
Friday, 12 May 2017
A good win
Jay Lake, Rookery Waters, Pidley, peg 11, Over 60s
There was good news and bad news at the start of this 14-entry match. I had no sooner opened the car door at my peg when I heard a cuckoo, to me one of the most emotional sounds in Nature – the others are a blackbird singing, the mournful piping of a Curlew, and my favourite, the Skylark singing. This cuckoo was almost certainly the same one which comes to the same bushes behind peg 14 on Magpie lake, every year – though after six hours of unremitting calling it can drive you mad.
The bad news was that the night had been cold, with temperatures down to about 4 Centigrade, so the water was still cold...and there was bright sun and no wind on my swim. So after a Winter of having the wind when I didn’t want it, the Spring has been bringing flat calm when I wanted the wind! Still, a job to do. And that wasn’t made any easier when Alan told me Pete Holland had once taken 175 lb from this swim, fishing right over to the far bank. I said I hoped he wasn’t expecting me to repeat that feat (or words to that effect). I then remembered that last week this peg had had a DNW! Anyway, a job to do...
I actually started across – with the new platforms, huge and covered with Astro Turf, it enabled me to get right across with 13 metres and a dolly butt, fishing an expander in 18 inches of water. But apart from a few liners, nothing after half an hour, so I had a look down the side to my right, in about two feet of water, where I had put in some small cubes of luncheon meat. Nothing there, so I went out in the deeper water, about five feet, just off the platform with cat meat and hit a two-pounder within a few seconds. But then nothing! I went across again, but three metres from the far bank where the water was deeper, still with no result except a single foulhooker which came off.
Determined to do the job properly I put in some meat with a bait dropper, which hopefully would encourage the fish down. Still nothing, not even shallow, so it was back to the two other swims, where after another hour I had three more fish – one on cat meat and two on meat near the marginal reeds. Next job was to see a man about a dog, and I wandered up to Ray in the next swim, 13, to find that he had just two fish to my four.
Things did not look good – fish were swimming about under the surface, but mainly very quickly, as if they were restless. I suspect, as did several other competitors, that the fish think it’s time to spawn, but the water is not yet warm enough; certainly they were banging about in the reeds in places. Nevertheless I started pinging pellets out to the far bank, while I fished the margin, and after nearly half-an-hour I went over there and fished pellet shallow – but it didn’t work.
So after 2 ½ hours I had to make something happen, and concentrated on the marginal swim with a few cubes of meat toss-potted in each cast, and occasionally I got a fish. But the bright sun meant that every time I moved the pole the shadow moved, and I suspected that in the two feet of water it was spooking fish. So I took off the pole pot, and immediately got more bites – just that little bit of round shadow being removed made a lot of difference. I then used the big pot to put in just half-a-dozen cubes before every drop-in.
Between odd fish inside I had the occasional one on cat meat in front of me, and a pattern emerged of catching no more than two fish before I had to move swims. The fish were mainly around 3 lb, but one went about 8 lb, and boy they really scrap here.
The sun was still beating down, and the bait still felt ice cold when I retrieved it and I guessed the fishing was probably difficult all round the lake. So I made the decision to stick with my two swims, though in the lulls I dropped in the other side of my platform, and went out to the deeper far bank swim for 30 seconds at a time, to see whether a bonus fish might turn up, but it didn’t.
I found I had to induce almost every bite on the meat by lifting or dragging it, and it was hard work, but every ten minutes or so another three-pounder would oblige. I had dead maggots with me, but decided not to put them in, as I felt the fish were not actually rooting about for food, but attracted by food falling, then hanging around looking at it and then taking a moving bait more out of habit than any actual need. That was why I put mainly sweetcorn into the other swim - simply because it was visible - and kept lifting the cat meat to get a bite there. I finished with two fish in the last eight minutes in the margin swim, on my luncheon meat, which was almost my best spell of the whole day!
On Rookery Waters you have to take three nets and split the catch as equally as you can. I was first to weigh, and I was happy to total 74 lb, which I guessed would probably at least frame. I helped weigh in the first three or four pegs and looked enviously at the ripple on the stretch from peg 38 to 47, where an Easterly wind was putting a lovely wave on the water!
Then I went back and was able to do my good deed for the day when an angler told me his bankstick and net were in the water, having been blown there by a freak just of wind (though I didn’t remember any). I carry with me a long, heavy sturdy Garbolino landing net handle to which I have attached a sort of hook, and this is invaluable if I get hooked up on the bottom. I hook the hook round the line (assuming it’s near enough to reach), twist the handle a few times, and my rig almost always comes free. It also helps if a fish takes me into far bank vegetation, as I can hook the elastic well out, twist, and pull it back without handling the elastic.
Anyway, this hook eventually found the sunken net, which was empty of fish. And a few minutes later Ray signalled to me that I had won, with 69 lb second from the same peg Chris Saunders had won on last week, and 46 lb by Peter Rayment third, both on the stretch with the waves. So I regarded that as a good win against a bunch of regulars on a water I don’t regularly fish.
There was good news and bad news at the start of this 14-entry match. I had no sooner opened the car door at my peg when I heard a cuckoo, to me one of the most emotional sounds in Nature – the others are a blackbird singing, the mournful piping of a Curlew, and my favourite, the Skylark singing. This cuckoo was almost certainly the same one which comes to the same bushes behind peg 14 on Magpie lake, every year – though after six hours of unremitting calling it can drive you mad.
The bad news was that the night had been cold, with temperatures down to about 4 Centigrade, so the water was still cold...and there was bright sun and no wind on my swim. So after a Winter of having the wind when I didn’t want it, the Spring has been bringing flat calm when I wanted the wind! Still, a job to do. And that wasn’t made any easier when Alan told me Pete Holland had once taken 175 lb from this swim, fishing right over to the far bank. I said I hoped he wasn’t expecting me to repeat that feat (or words to that effect). I then remembered that last week this peg had had a DNW! Anyway, a job to do...
I actually started across – with the new platforms, huge and covered with Astro Turf, it enabled me to get right across with 13 metres and a dolly butt, fishing an expander in 18 inches of water. But apart from a few liners, nothing after half an hour, so I had a look down the side to my right, in about two feet of water, where I had put in some small cubes of luncheon meat. Nothing there, so I went out in the deeper water, about five feet, just off the platform with cat meat and hit a two-pounder within a few seconds. But then nothing! I went across again, but three metres from the far bank where the water was deeper, still with no result except a single foulhooker which came off.
Determined to do the job properly I put in some meat with a bait dropper, which hopefully would encourage the fish down. Still nothing, not even shallow, so it was back to the two other swims, where after another hour I had three more fish – one on cat meat and two on meat near the marginal reeds. Next job was to see a man about a dog, and I wandered up to Ray in the next swim, 13, to find that he had just two fish to my four.
Things did not look good – fish were swimming about under the surface, but mainly very quickly, as if they were restless. I suspect, as did several other competitors, that the fish think it’s time to spawn, but the water is not yet warm enough; certainly they were banging about in the reeds in places. Nevertheless I started pinging pellets out to the far bank, while I fished the margin, and after nearly half-an-hour I went over there and fished pellet shallow – but it didn’t work.
So after 2 ½ hours I had to make something happen, and concentrated on the marginal swim with a few cubes of meat toss-potted in each cast, and occasionally I got a fish. But the bright sun meant that every time I moved the pole the shadow moved, and I suspected that in the two feet of water it was spooking fish. So I took off the pole pot, and immediately got more bites – just that little bit of round shadow being removed made a lot of difference. I then used the big pot to put in just half-a-dozen cubes before every drop-in.
Between odd fish inside I had the occasional one on cat meat in front of me, and a pattern emerged of catching no more than two fish before I had to move swims. The fish were mainly around 3 lb, but one went about 8 lb, and boy they really scrap here.
The sun was still beating down, and the bait still felt ice cold when I retrieved it and I guessed the fishing was probably difficult all round the lake. So I made the decision to stick with my two swims, though in the lulls I dropped in the other side of my platform, and went out to the deeper far bank swim for 30 seconds at a time, to see whether a bonus fish might turn up, but it didn’t.
I found I had to induce almost every bite on the meat by lifting or dragging it, and it was hard work, but every ten minutes or so another three-pounder would oblige. I had dead maggots with me, but decided not to put them in, as I felt the fish were not actually rooting about for food, but attracted by food falling, then hanging around looking at it and then taking a moving bait more out of habit than any actual need. That was why I put mainly sweetcorn into the other swim - simply because it was visible - and kept lifting the cat meat to get a bite there. I finished with two fish in the last eight minutes in the margin swim, on my luncheon meat, which was almost my best spell of the whole day!
On Rookery Waters you have to take three nets and split the catch as equally as you can. I was first to weigh, and I was happy to total 74 lb, which I guessed would probably at least frame. I helped weigh in the first three or four pegs and looked enviously at the ripple on the stretch from peg 38 to 47, where an Easterly wind was putting a lovely wave on the water!
Then I went back and was able to do my good deed for the day when an angler told me his bankstick and net were in the water, having been blown there by a freak just of wind (though I didn’t remember any). I carry with me a long, heavy sturdy Garbolino landing net handle to which I have attached a sort of hook, and this is invaluable if I get hooked up on the bottom. I hook the hook round the line (assuming it’s near enough to reach), twist the handle a few times, and my rig almost always comes free. It also helps if a fish takes me into far bank vegetation, as I can hook the elastic well out, twist, and pull it back without handling the elastic.
Anyway, this hook eventually found the sunken net, which was empty of fish. And a few minutes later Ray signalled to me that I had won, with 69 lb second from the same peg Chris Saunders had won on last week, and 46 lb by Peter Rayment third, both on the stretch with the waves. So I regarded that as a good win against a bunch of regulars on a water I don’t regularly fish.
Monday, 8 May 2017
An even more difficulter day!
Kingsland Small carp Lake, Sunday
Back to the lake I had fished two days earlier, and the weather was similar, with the wind in roughly the same quarter, though there was less ripple, and what there was was at the far end. There were agin 14 of us. This 17-swim lake lake is not pegged, so you have to put the numbers out beforehand. No matter – I drew in the corner swim next to where I had been on Friday! Flat calm again, with bright sun.
Peter is in this club also, and was lucky enough to draw towards the far end where there was ripple, so he would always be a contender fishing on the surface. I had the worst possible start when Kevin, on my left, started about eight metres out and started catching fish like there was no tomorrow. By the time I had two, on cat meat to my right, he must have had ten! I persevered in a small dip I had found by plumbing up, and had odd fish, until suddenly a big branch started showing under the surface, first rising then sinking.
A couple of times I hooked it briefly, but could not get it out as it seemd to be tethered. That had me worried, as one fish I hooked went round the branch but mercifully it came free. Anyway I tried a longer swim in the open water, which I had baited earlier, and had one carp and some liners, but nothing else. So it was down to the left with dead maggots, as I had done the previous day, and had just the odd fish. But I know they were there as I foulhooked (and lost) a couple.
Then it was back to the right, a bit father than previously, and nearer the corner reeds. I had a couple more but then lost two in quick succession as they shot straight into the reeds when hooked. I’d got tight 18 latex in the pole, but couldn’t hold them, but I could see one of them was well into double figures. Meanwhile Kevin had been for a third net after about three hours, but his catch rate had fallen as I had picked up a little. And I couldn’t see much action along my bank, but I was quite despondent, thinking that I might even come last. My clickers showed 38 lb and 28 lb.
At the weigh-in Dave on peg 1 had 99 lb, using his normal waggler (he doesn’t use pole), and Peter, who went for a fourth net with 10 minutes to go, had 135 lb.There was also an 86 lb next to him, but I was surprised to see some weights below 10 lb, and several below 30 lb, so I reasoned it must have fished harder than I had thought. Kevin, who has won our club chamopionship many times, was a surprise winner with 137 lb, so it was obvious I could not frame in the top four now.
But my 38lb net seemed heavy when I pulled it out and indeed went 48 lb-plus, while the 28 lb net went 40 lb (I must have forgotten to click a couple of fish). So to my surprise I had 88 lb for fourth and there was just the ‘flier’ on the righthand bank to weigh. Tony, a very good angler, was here but had just 50 lb-plus, no doubt because he had back wind all day with no ripple, and lost some in the reeds. I do believe that the majority of fish which immediately weed us are probably foulhooked. You can tell because they react differently to those hooked in the mouth; they seem to get a flying start, while those hooked in the mouth are are more cautious (though not a lot!) If you fish for carp you will know what I mean.
I had one fish which took off at a rate of knots, ploughed 100 yards across the lake and buried itself six feet into the far bank...unfortunately I was not attached to it for more than two seconds! At that point I put on a rig of 12 lb line straight through to an Animal size 12 hook, but it didn't feel right and I took it off after 15 minutes. I suspect it's still too early in the season for such gear, though once the water warms up and the fish are more enthusiastic it will be my first choice of rig on Kingsland. At the moment they are still a bit timid.
I felt it was a disappointing match for me, although I framed - which is always the target - because I felt I didn’t fish it very well. I was broken a couple of times, which always makes me question my choice of strong elastic – I couldn’t add sections quickly enough because the Browning Sting is a put-in pole, and it’s always more difficult than with a put-over. On the other hand only two fish made it into the reeds, and almost all were hooked within two feet of the margin. Light elastic would never have kept them out.
I used two different poles, one a Browning Sting and the other a stiff 35-year-old margin pole originally made by Century. It’s stiff, and fish don’t fight as powerfully on this as on the Sting, simply because they don’t like the bend in poles. But the Century is heavy and I have only two tops for it, so normally limit it to fishing close-in with strong gear and big bait.
If you don’t believe that stiff poles are better for fighting fish ask yourself why it is that if you point a top two directly at a half-beaten fish, with the elastic straight, it stops fighting. Raise the pole and the fish starts fighting again.
I should had concentrated on the open-water swim at the start, because Kevin made it work. He put in a big pot of feed after every fish, which confirmed my opinion that they were coming in, eating (or perhaps just looking) and then moving on. But, like Sunderland this season, I never really got started, which is a failing of mine. Both of us ‘Could do Better.’ I have a soft spot for Sunderland, so hope they make it back next season.
Finally, I will explain that on Kingsland, where the fish are big – up to 15-20 lb, I like using my Sting as opposed to my normal Browning Z12. It’s light and very strong and I feel that if I smash it on a big fish I won’t feel as bad as breaking the Z12. Also the top two is short, so the elastic is shorter, and bottoms out more quickly. Basically it’s delightful to use, except for the fact that it’s not as easy to add sections in a hurry. Well, you can’t have it all ways.
Back to the lake I had fished two days earlier, and the weather was similar, with the wind in roughly the same quarter, though there was less ripple, and what there was was at the far end. There were agin 14 of us. This 17-swim lake lake is not pegged, so you have to put the numbers out beforehand. No matter – I drew in the corner swim next to where I had been on Friday! Flat calm again, with bright sun.
Peter is in this club also, and was lucky enough to draw towards the far end where there was ripple, so he would always be a contender fishing on the surface. I had the worst possible start when Kevin, on my left, started about eight metres out and started catching fish like there was no tomorrow. By the time I had two, on cat meat to my right, he must have had ten! I persevered in a small dip I had found by plumbing up, and had odd fish, until suddenly a big branch started showing under the surface, first rising then sinking.
A couple of times I hooked it briefly, but could not get it out as it seemd to be tethered. That had me worried, as one fish I hooked went round the branch but mercifully it came free. Anyway I tried a longer swim in the open water, which I had baited earlier, and had one carp and some liners, but nothing else. So it was down to the left with dead maggots, as I had done the previous day, and had just the odd fish. But I know they were there as I foulhooked (and lost) a couple.
Then it was back to the right, a bit father than previously, and nearer the corner reeds. I had a couple more but then lost two in quick succession as they shot straight into the reeds when hooked. I’d got tight 18 latex in the pole, but couldn’t hold them, but I could see one of them was well into double figures. Meanwhile Kevin had been for a third net after about three hours, but his catch rate had fallen as I had picked up a little. And I couldn’t see much action along my bank, but I was quite despondent, thinking that I might even come last. My clickers showed 38 lb and 28 lb.
At the weigh-in Dave on peg 1 had 99 lb, using his normal waggler (he doesn’t use pole), and Peter, who went for a fourth net with 10 minutes to go, had 135 lb.There was also an 86 lb next to him, but I was surprised to see some weights below 10 lb, and several below 30 lb, so I reasoned it must have fished harder than I had thought. Kevin, who has won our club chamopionship many times, was a surprise winner with 137 lb, so it was obvious I could not frame in the top four now.
But my 38lb net seemed heavy when I pulled it out and indeed went 48 lb-plus, while the 28 lb net went 40 lb (I must have forgotten to click a couple of fish). So to my surprise I had 88 lb for fourth and there was just the ‘flier’ on the righthand bank to weigh. Tony, a very good angler, was here but had just 50 lb-plus, no doubt because he had back wind all day with no ripple, and lost some in the reeds. I do believe that the majority of fish which immediately weed us are probably foulhooked. You can tell because they react differently to those hooked in the mouth; they seem to get a flying start, while those hooked in the mouth are are more cautious (though not a lot!) If you fish for carp you will know what I mean.
I had one fish which took off at a rate of knots, ploughed 100 yards across the lake and buried itself six feet into the far bank...unfortunately I was not attached to it for more than two seconds! At that point I put on a rig of 12 lb line straight through to an Animal size 12 hook, but it didn't feel right and I took it off after 15 minutes. I suspect it's still too early in the season for such gear, though once the water warms up and the fish are more enthusiastic it will be my first choice of rig on Kingsland. At the moment they are still a bit timid.
I felt it was a disappointing match for me, although I framed - which is always the target - because I felt I didn’t fish it very well. I was broken a couple of times, which always makes me question my choice of strong elastic – I couldn’t add sections quickly enough because the Browning Sting is a put-in pole, and it’s always more difficult than with a put-over. On the other hand only two fish made it into the reeds, and almost all were hooked within two feet of the margin. Light elastic would never have kept them out.
I used two different poles, one a Browning Sting and the other a stiff 35-year-old margin pole originally made by Century. It’s stiff, and fish don’t fight as powerfully on this as on the Sting, simply because they don’t like the bend in poles. But the Century is heavy and I have only two tops for it, so normally limit it to fishing close-in with strong gear and big bait.
If you don’t believe that stiff poles are better for fighting fish ask yourself why it is that if you point a top two directly at a half-beaten fish, with the elastic straight, it stops fighting. Raise the pole and the fish starts fighting again.
I should had concentrated on the open-water swim at the start, because Kevin made it work. He put in a big pot of feed after every fish, which confirmed my opinion that they were coming in, eating (or perhaps just looking) and then moving on. But, like Sunderland this season, I never really got started, which is a failing of mine. Both of us ‘Could do Better.’ I have a soft spot for Sunderland, so hope they make it back next season.
Finally, I will explain that on Kingsland, where the fish are big – up to 15-20 lb, I like using my Sting as opposed to my normal Browning Z12. It’s light and very strong and I feel that if I smash it on a big fish I won’t feel as bad as breaking the Z12. Also the top two is short, so the elastic is shorter, and bottoms out more quickly. Basically it’s delightful to use, except for the fact that it’s not as easy to add sections in a hurry. Well, you can’t have it all ways.
A difficult day at Kingsland
Kingsland Small carp Lake, Friday
This was a midweek club match with a nasty Northerly, over my right shoulder, meaning the swims on our side of the lake were in flat calm all day. Combined with the bright sunshine it spelled very difficult fishing for the big carp, which were swirling under the surface and nosing the reeds. It looked as if they wanted to spawn, but of course the water is nothing like warm enough.
We have a club member, Peter, who always fished on the surface here if he can – most places it is not allowed of course. And he’s good at it, and had a swim with the wind coming into him – just what you need for surface fishing. The angler to my right had a corner swim, but I didn’t fancy it because of the calm water; to be honest I’d rather have been in the wind, because at least there was a ripple on the far side of the lake.
And sure enough within two minutes of the match starting Trevor, opposite, was playing a carp. But then – a miracle – I hit a six-pounder within five minutes, in the side to my right, where there was the odd reed out from the margins. Then nothing for half an hour and I went out to six metres, putting in mainly corn, and took a two-pounder there. Then back to the side and after two hours I had five fish to 8 lb, and all those on the side were on cat meat.
I could see Trevor and Peter, at the other end, catching fish and at this point decided that the match would probably be won in the wind, so my best result would be to be top of the seven anglers on this bank. Things were very slow, with just the odd fish on cat meat, so I decided to put some dead maggots in the swim down my lefthand margin, and bait with a big bunch of dead maggots. This brought some liners and I came up off the bottom, and immediately started catching fish to 10 lb.
It didn’t last long and from there to the end I picked up off fish each side, having to put bait in after every fish. If I hadn’t had a bite within two minutes of putting bait in it seemed I wouldn’t get a bite at all. The fish were in, and quickly out. I also tried the longer swim a couple of times, but had only liners from fish swimming just under the surface. Incidentally I had some floating Chum Mixers with me and threw out some small bits but although odd ones were taken eventually by fish I never felt confident enough to have a real go with them. If there had been some ripple I would definitely have given it half-an-hour.
Just before the end, with an estimated 40 lb-plus in one net and 38 lb in the other, I went for a third net, in case I hit another double-figure fish, though I could see that both Trevor and Peter had three nets. In the last 20 minutes I took two fish on meat to the right.
At the weight-in Peter had 106 lb, all to floating Chum Mixers, and he lost several. But my bank had indeed fished quite poorly, with only one other angler having two nets in, and the top weight was in the 60s. Then it was my turn to weigh, and my 40 lb-plus turned out to be 38 lb and the 38 lb turned out to be 33 lb! The last two fish I had esimated at just uner 10 lb went 14 lb!! I really should go to Specsavers...
So my total was 87 lb which was second until Trevor weighed in his three nets for 99 lb. He has a terrific record on this lake, having taken at least four weights over 200 lb in our matches, best 280 lb-plus from the surface (and I was next to him on that day).
Best result
But the best result of the day, so far as we were all concerned, was Ted’s 73 lb for fourth. Why? Because Ted is 89 and the only help he ever asks for is taking his nets out at the end of the day. He’s a regular, and always catches plenty of fish, and as you can see, his still frames. What a man!
This was a midweek club match with a nasty Northerly, over my right shoulder, meaning the swims on our side of the lake were in flat calm all day. Combined with the bright sunshine it spelled very difficult fishing for the big carp, which were swirling under the surface and nosing the reeds. It looked as if they wanted to spawn, but of course the water is nothing like warm enough.
We have a club member, Peter, who always fished on the surface here if he can – most places it is not allowed of course. And he’s good at it, and had a swim with the wind coming into him – just what you need for surface fishing. The angler to my right had a corner swim, but I didn’t fancy it because of the calm water; to be honest I’d rather have been in the wind, because at least there was a ripple on the far side of the lake.
And sure enough within two minutes of the match starting Trevor, opposite, was playing a carp. But then – a miracle – I hit a six-pounder within five minutes, in the side to my right, where there was the odd reed out from the margins. Then nothing for half an hour and I went out to six metres, putting in mainly corn, and took a two-pounder there. Then back to the side and after two hours I had five fish to 8 lb, and all those on the side were on cat meat.
I could see Trevor and Peter, at the other end, catching fish and at this point decided that the match would probably be won in the wind, so my best result would be to be top of the seven anglers on this bank. Things were very slow, with just the odd fish on cat meat, so I decided to put some dead maggots in the swim down my lefthand margin, and bait with a big bunch of dead maggots. This brought some liners and I came up off the bottom, and immediately started catching fish to 10 lb.
It didn’t last long and from there to the end I picked up off fish each side, having to put bait in after every fish. If I hadn’t had a bite within two minutes of putting bait in it seemed I wouldn’t get a bite at all. The fish were in, and quickly out. I also tried the longer swim a couple of times, but had only liners from fish swimming just under the surface. Incidentally I had some floating Chum Mixers with me and threw out some small bits but although odd ones were taken eventually by fish I never felt confident enough to have a real go with them. If there had been some ripple I would definitely have given it half-an-hour.
Just before the end, with an estimated 40 lb-plus in one net and 38 lb in the other, I went for a third net, in case I hit another double-figure fish, though I could see that both Trevor and Peter had three nets. In the last 20 minutes I took two fish on meat to the right.
At the weight-in Peter had 106 lb, all to floating Chum Mixers, and he lost several. But my bank had indeed fished quite poorly, with only one other angler having two nets in, and the top weight was in the 60s. Then it was my turn to weigh, and my 40 lb-plus turned out to be 38 lb and the 38 lb turned out to be 33 lb! The last two fish I had esimated at just uner 10 lb went 14 lb!! I really should go to Specsavers...
So my total was 87 lb which was second until Trevor weighed in his three nets for 99 lb. He has a terrific record on this lake, having taken at least four weights over 200 lb in our matches, best 280 lb-plus from the surface (and I was next to him on that day).
Best result
But the best result of the day, so far as we were all concerned, was Ted’s 73 lb for fourth. Why? Because Ted is 89 and the only help he ever asks for is taking his nets out at the end of the day. He’s a regular, and always catches plenty of fish, and as you can see, his still frames. What a man!
Thursday, 4 May 2017
Out of the wind at last!
Jay Lake, Rookery Waters, Pidley, peg 18
I don’t know who these boffins are who keep telling the media we’ve had the warmest spring for a century, but sure as hell they don’t live in my neck of the woods!
Throughout the whole of December, January and February I never saw the temperature guage in my car register above 6 Degrees Centigrade, and since then we’ve not had more than two warm days in a row, while a cold wind has been almost constant the rest of the time. And it was no different on this day – I was glad I’d put on two layers of thermal clothing in addition to my normal stuff and Goretex waterproofs.
Jay is a snake lake with shallow margins but with a steep drop to the deep water. The new platforms, covered with Astro Turf are just great – I’d not fished here since they were put in. You could mount a machine gun on them, and could probably park a tank! And it brings the distance to the far bank down to 13 metres on most of the lake, and that’s where a lot of matches are being won. And a track has been laid to allow everyone to take their car to their peg.
And Hallelujah! I had been in two minds whether to risk another day being almost blown off my box, but for this Over 60s event, which attracted 12 or 14 anglers, but I drew one of the few swims with a back wind, a chilling North-Easterly. About time, because I’d got really fed up having to face the wind in match after match while others basked in the watery sun with back wind!
Plenty of time to plumb, which always takes me at least 20 minutes, and I found a small hole around 5 foot deep, about two inches deeper than the surrounding area, a little to my right at about 8 metres. That allowed me to fish a bait off bottom in the deep water, touching bottom to one side, and laying on an inch a little farther away. Perfect!
But I still liked the look of the swim to my right, just off the bankside reeds, though it was on a slope dropping from three feet to four where it started to level off. I also plumbed the far bank at around two feet, and had a rig ready for that.
The start saw me put in some expanders and luncheon meat in the hole, while I threw half-a-dozen small cubes of luncheon meat down to the reeds and kept doing this every two or three minutes for the next 20 minutes while I fished the hole. Nothing there so I had a quick look in the reed swim, again for nothing, then went across to the far bank with an expander pellet, fed with a tosspot on the pole.
I fished there for about 15 minutes, fishing the bait on the bottom near the far bank, touching bottom a metre away, and off bottom a further metre towards me, but never had a touch. I would have expected a liner at least, if there were fish there, and I gave up on it, and decided to return only if I became desperate. So it was back to the hole, and soon a 1 lb carp took my luncheon meat, followed by a three-pounder. Then a lull and I had a look inside, to my right, which unfortunately meant my pole was now being held sideways to the wind, and it made perfect presentation quite difficult as the pole was buffeted around somewhat. But it brought three carp to 3 lb in the next half-hour, at which time I had to see a man about a dog and had a wander back to peg 46, which faced the wind, to see my mate Alan. He had just one fish from a nice-looking swim near the bridge, so that gave me some idea of how the lake was fishing.
When I’ve caught a fish or two I try to get a feeling of what sort of weight might frame, and I plumped for 35 lb at this time. There’s no science in it – just a gut feeling. Anyway in the next two hours about eight more fish, around 2 lb, came from the side swim, to a method I have never seen anyone else use, which allows me to fish at dead depth (though I know there are doubters on the Maggot Drowning site). It was not easy in the wind, but I was happy to keep odd fish coming in.
Then I went back to the deep hole, without putting in any more feed, and a 6 lb carp took my luncheon meat cube straight away! Then a smaller fish, then nothing! So it was back to the side where I kept on picking up odd fish to 3 lb, perhaps one every 15 minutes. I simply fed six or seven cubes with each drop-in as the water was still extremely cold, and I didn’t want the fish filling themselves. I had purple Hydro elastic quite tight, and managed to encourage every fish to swim away from the reeds when hooked, not losing a single fish all day. You’ve got to talk nicely to them!
The big carp from the swim I hadn’t fed for two hours reinforced my idea that fish will come towards feed without any intention of feeding, but the odd one succumbs. I assume there was some feed left on the bottom and this carp was just having a look. That’s also the reason I kept feeding the side swim – to keep something falling through the water.
I used to live on the banks of the Upper Welland, and catch chub. The water was absolutely clear much of the time, and you could see chub responding to loose feed – they came for a look as soon as it hit the water, but within 40 seconds seem to lose interest and drift away. That scenario imprinted itself on my brain.
That reminds me of the time I was feeding shoal of chub from a bridge, with casters., and I could vaguely see the fish intercepting the bait – chub have thick white lips and a black edging to their tail, so I could just about make out where they were moving to. The sun went in and because I could no longer see the dark casters going in I dropped in a single white maggot, to check where it was falling. Unbelievably I saw a chub come to the maggot, turn away, and take the rest of the shoal with it. If i hadn’t seen it I would not have believed it. That convinced me that the choice of bait can sometimes make a huge difference. The only explanation I could think of was that the fish had been caught several times on maggot, and instinct took over.
Back to peg 18 and I stayed in close until the weigh-in, with the fish seeming to drop down the shelf for ten minutes and then come back. The first two anglers were DNW, and 15 lb. So I was pleased when I weighed 55 lb. By the time I had packed up the scales were round to Chris Saunders, a well-known local, and I was still top. But Chris did me by 10 lb, and told me he had, unexpectedly, found fish two-thirds of the way across, in the deep water, on cat meat. He kept coming back determined to make a closer swim work, but it never did.
My estimate of 35 lb to frame was a bit on the low side, because there were two 45 lb as well. But it was not wildly out. The wind had, apparently caused severe problems for most of the anglers, who were side-on to the wind and they found it almost impossible to fish properly right across. On a good day in the summer weights here can top 150 lb. So overall a satisfying day when I hadn’t really been looking forward to another day in the wind.
Tomorrow it's off to the first Kinsgland match of the year, then two days later there again. I've got a decent record on these lakes and find there are few decisions to make - the swim and conditions tell me what to do.
I don’t know who these boffins are who keep telling the media we’ve had the warmest spring for a century, but sure as hell they don’t live in my neck of the woods!
Throughout the whole of December, January and February I never saw the temperature guage in my car register above 6 Degrees Centigrade, and since then we’ve not had more than two warm days in a row, while a cold wind has been almost constant the rest of the time. And it was no different on this day – I was glad I’d put on two layers of thermal clothing in addition to my normal stuff and Goretex waterproofs.
Jay is a snake lake with shallow margins but with a steep drop to the deep water. The new platforms, covered with Astro Turf are just great – I’d not fished here since they were put in. You could mount a machine gun on them, and could probably park a tank! And it brings the distance to the far bank down to 13 metres on most of the lake, and that’s where a lot of matches are being won. And a track has been laid to allow everyone to take their car to their peg.
And Hallelujah! I had been in two minds whether to risk another day being almost blown off my box, but for this Over 60s event, which attracted 12 or 14 anglers, but I drew one of the few swims with a back wind, a chilling North-Easterly. About time, because I’d got really fed up having to face the wind in match after match while others basked in the watery sun with back wind!
Plenty of time to plumb, which always takes me at least 20 minutes, and I found a small hole around 5 foot deep, about two inches deeper than the surrounding area, a little to my right at about 8 metres. That allowed me to fish a bait off bottom in the deep water, touching bottom to one side, and laying on an inch a little farther away. Perfect!
But I still liked the look of the swim to my right, just off the bankside reeds, though it was on a slope dropping from three feet to four where it started to level off. I also plumbed the far bank at around two feet, and had a rig ready for that.
The start saw me put in some expanders and luncheon meat in the hole, while I threw half-a-dozen small cubes of luncheon meat down to the reeds and kept doing this every two or three minutes for the next 20 minutes while I fished the hole. Nothing there so I had a quick look in the reed swim, again for nothing, then went across to the far bank with an expander pellet, fed with a tosspot on the pole.
I fished there for about 15 minutes, fishing the bait on the bottom near the far bank, touching bottom a metre away, and off bottom a further metre towards me, but never had a touch. I would have expected a liner at least, if there were fish there, and I gave up on it, and decided to return only if I became desperate. So it was back to the hole, and soon a 1 lb carp took my luncheon meat, followed by a three-pounder. Then a lull and I had a look inside, to my right, which unfortunately meant my pole was now being held sideways to the wind, and it made perfect presentation quite difficult as the pole was buffeted around somewhat. But it brought three carp to 3 lb in the next half-hour, at which time I had to see a man about a dog and had a wander back to peg 46, which faced the wind, to see my mate Alan. He had just one fish from a nice-looking swim near the bridge, so that gave me some idea of how the lake was fishing.
When I’ve caught a fish or two I try to get a feeling of what sort of weight might frame, and I plumped for 35 lb at this time. There’s no science in it – just a gut feeling. Anyway in the next two hours about eight more fish, around 2 lb, came from the side swim, to a method I have never seen anyone else use, which allows me to fish at dead depth (though I know there are doubters on the Maggot Drowning site). It was not easy in the wind, but I was happy to keep odd fish coming in.
Then I went back to the deep hole, without putting in any more feed, and a 6 lb carp took my luncheon meat cube straight away! Then a smaller fish, then nothing! So it was back to the side where I kept on picking up odd fish to 3 lb, perhaps one every 15 minutes. I simply fed six or seven cubes with each drop-in as the water was still extremely cold, and I didn’t want the fish filling themselves. I had purple Hydro elastic quite tight, and managed to encourage every fish to swim away from the reeds when hooked, not losing a single fish all day. You’ve got to talk nicely to them!
The big carp from the swim I hadn’t fed for two hours reinforced my idea that fish will come towards feed without any intention of feeding, but the odd one succumbs. I assume there was some feed left on the bottom and this carp was just having a look. That’s also the reason I kept feeding the side swim – to keep something falling through the water.
I used to live on the banks of the Upper Welland, and catch chub. The water was absolutely clear much of the time, and you could see chub responding to loose feed – they came for a look as soon as it hit the water, but within 40 seconds seem to lose interest and drift away. That scenario imprinted itself on my brain.
That reminds me of the time I was feeding shoal of chub from a bridge, with casters., and I could vaguely see the fish intercepting the bait – chub have thick white lips and a black edging to their tail, so I could just about make out where they were moving to. The sun went in and because I could no longer see the dark casters going in I dropped in a single white maggot, to check where it was falling. Unbelievably I saw a chub come to the maggot, turn away, and take the rest of the shoal with it. If i hadn’t seen it I would not have believed it. That convinced me that the choice of bait can sometimes make a huge difference. The only explanation I could think of was that the fish had been caught several times on maggot, and instinct took over.
Back to peg 18 and I stayed in close until the weigh-in, with the fish seeming to drop down the shelf for ten minutes and then come back. The first two anglers were DNW, and 15 lb. So I was pleased when I weighed 55 lb. By the time I had packed up the scales were round to Chris Saunders, a well-known local, and I was still top. But Chris did me by 10 lb, and told me he had, unexpectedly, found fish two-thirds of the way across, in the deep water, on cat meat. He kept coming back determined to make a closer swim work, but it never did.
My estimate of 35 lb to frame was a bit on the low side, because there were two 45 lb as well. But it was not wildly out. The wind had, apparently caused severe problems for most of the anglers, who were side-on to the wind and they found it almost impossible to fish properly right across. On a good day in the summer weights here can top 150 lb. So overall a satisfying day when I hadn’t really been looking forward to another day in the wind.
Tomorrow it's off to the first Kinsgland match of the year, then two days later there again. I've got a decent record on these lakes and find there are few decisions to make - the swim and conditions tell me what to do.
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
I fish like an idiot!
Cedar Lake, Decoy, peg 10
This was a 16-entry club match and I was pretty pleased with peg 10, because as a general rule of thumb the swims about three-quarters of the way down the lakes have a slight tendency to fish better than the rest. Pegs 1 to 13 are down the West bank and 14 to 26 back along the East bank. But today a really strong East-South-Easterly was always going to make fishing difficult everywhere.
The wind was into my bank, just a little from the right, but at the start I thought it was possible to fish five sections out, at about 8 metres, so put on a 1 gm rig for that with a Tuff Eye float, as well as a half-gram rig for top-two-plus-one, and a shorter Maver Invincible, with yellow top, for an inside line.
At the start I used a bit of commonsense and put the spare rigs on the grass beside me rather than use a roost, because the wind was certain to blow them off; and I also decided to fish the three-section swim first, putting in a bait dropper of dead maggots. In these big winds I know the bait can go anywhere, especially where the water is being blown into one bank, because it probably takes the bait out from the bank as the bait sinks, and a bait dropper gives me confidence to know excatly where the bait is. And I decided to leave the longer swim in case the wind got even worse – another good decision in the circumstances.
So far, so good, and I started with corn on the inside, where the second shelf was about four feet, slowly curving down to five feet. I used corn because it would be less likely to be swirled about than expander, and after about 15 minutes a 2 lb F1 came in. After another ten minutes all I had had were a few small knocks, and occasionally the float dipped right under the surface but there was nothing there! So I put out another bait dropper of maggot in the three-section swim and came off the bottom with the corn. Nothing! Back on the bottom and after a few more liners in came a 3 lb F1.
After about 90 minutes I had five fish, for about 14 lb, and had to see a man about a dog, so walked past Mel, on my left, who had one fish, and Will in the corner, who had two. On the way back Les, on my right, told me he had five. After another fish or two I tried the maggot swim, with a bunch of five live and dead maggots, and again got bites which I missed. I was surprised, as I fully expected barbel to be here, but then a roach took the bait, but it was blown off by the wind, which by now had really got up, so much that virtually everyone, both sides of the lake, was fishing close in or fishing a tip.
The forecast had been for ‘blustery,’ not near-gale-force winds. And by now I was also shivering, though I got a bit of excercise when I saw something moving on the bank to my right and turned to see Les’ trolley being blown along the bank at a fair speed towards by gear; I got to it before it smashed my tips, wheeled it back, and turned it on its side. Then my maggot tin of cat meat blew off the side tray, spilling its contents on the grass, so I got a bit of exercise picking it up, though I never found the plastic tin, only the top. That was when Les sihnalled to me that he had lost his cap, which was nowhere to be seen.
At this point I decided to put out a piece of hair-rigged sweetcorn on a straight leger, and within 30 seconds the tip had ripped round and a 2 lb F1 was on its way in. Next cast saw a liner, which I stupidly struck at, and the next one in came a 1 lb F1 which I had a job to net because the wind kept blowing the landing net about, even with the fish in it! Then there was a lull and I had to see another man about the same dog – only to learn that Mel still had just one fish! I came back and decided to stick inside, with cat meat, which produced a 6 lb carp which came to the surface when I gently struck it, and stayed there wallowing so I was able to gently steer it to the net within 20 seconds, where it thrashed about so much I had a job to get the hook out!
Next drop in had a completely different result - this fish shot off to the right, towards Les, and the purple Hydro, which normally comes out about four feet when playing carp, kept on streaming out so that within seconds the fish was almost in Les’ swim, which was peg 9, only one swim away. I gritted my teeth, pushed the pole down as far as I could, and uttered a little prayer. Sure enough the fish turned and five hectic minutes later a 5 lb barbel lay in the landing net. Believe me, light elastic with a puller would have been worse than useless in those circumstances. And anyway a strong wind can play havoc with light elastic.
For the next hour I had odd fish on corn and meat in four or five feet of water, close in, and tried the three-foot deep swim right in against the bank, with nothing there at all. With 75 minutes left Les really started to catch – three or four around 4 lb or 5 lb on a cage feeder with corn and then another three or four close in on the pole on meat, while I languished with just one fish in that last 75 minutes.
Up to the right I kept seeing fish being played on poles, but had no idea, really, how the rest of the match had fished. But afterwards I realised I should have done what I normally always do in strong winds here – I should have put on a big 2 gm or even 3 gm rig to get stability! They are in my box, ready to use. Why I didn’t try that I will never know, except that being cold seems to numb my brain, and believe me it was cold – I fervently wished I had put both pairs of thermals on instead of just one. That massive wind into my face all match must had disorientated me. That’s my (pathetic) excuse. I also should have checked the swim on my right, though it meant facing more into the wind, but I never thought about it.
There’s also the possibility that changing the lead weight for a feeder would have worked because I got the feeling that fish were being attracted to my loose feed even though they were not taking the bait very well. It’s likely that instinct would have brought them close when the feeder went in and increased my chances of a bite.
The shout went up to end the match and the wind promptly decreased in force, so we were left with a beautiful ripple all along the lake! Anyway my 67 lb was enough for sixth, but there was a silver lining, which warmed the cockles of my heart, because after all in any match, and especially a club match, everyone is a mate.
The silver lining
The match was won by Dick, who had 50 lb-plus in each of his three nets, for his best-ever match weight of 150 lb, on peg 23 on the opposite bank, taken all close in on cat meat. He was well chuffed, as well he should be, especially as his true weight was almost 160 lb. Opposite, on peg 3 was Callum, who weighed 108 lb, his first 100-plus match catch, and he was even more chuffed! That was good enough for third, with John next to him on peg 4 weighing 110 lb for runner-up. And fourth place went to Les, who has not had a good last season or two, but came second in the previous match (which I did not fish). He weighed 79 lb today, and must now be full of confidence, which is what framing does for you after a bad spell when you wonder whether you will ever have a really good day again....
It’s interesting that the best three weights came from the car park end, and I remember Ken Wade, our Peterborough angling correspondent and former captain of the Peterborough teams, saying that Cedar is the one strip lake out of the four which often fishes best towards the car park end. It certainly did today. Our one lady member, Wendy, was up there and weighed in 58 lb (from memory) so there was plenty to smile about. The good thing about club match fishing is that if weall catch fish everyone is a winner at the end of the day!
NOTE: The five lakes at this end of decoy spell out DECOY in order – Damson (not a strip), Elm, Cedar, Oak, Yew. Elm has 24 pegs, Cedar 26, and Oak and Yew 30 each.
My next match will probably be the Over 60s on Magpie at Pidley, then two days later a club event on Kingsland on the small carp lake, where there are some real brutes and I will probably fish just my 35-year-old margin pole with two tips, using cat meat, but will also have a pellet waggler rigged up for possible shallow and surface fishing early on. Then two days later another match on the same lake. I just hope the wind dies down a little.
This was a 16-entry club match and I was pretty pleased with peg 10, because as a general rule of thumb the swims about three-quarters of the way down the lakes have a slight tendency to fish better than the rest. Pegs 1 to 13 are down the West bank and 14 to 26 back along the East bank. But today a really strong East-South-Easterly was always going to make fishing difficult everywhere.
The wind was into my bank, just a little from the right, but at the start I thought it was possible to fish five sections out, at about 8 metres, so put on a 1 gm rig for that with a Tuff Eye float, as well as a half-gram rig for top-two-plus-one, and a shorter Maver Invincible, with yellow top, for an inside line.
At the start I used a bit of commonsense and put the spare rigs on the grass beside me rather than use a roost, because the wind was certain to blow them off; and I also decided to fish the three-section swim first, putting in a bait dropper of dead maggots. In these big winds I know the bait can go anywhere, especially where the water is being blown into one bank, because it probably takes the bait out from the bank as the bait sinks, and a bait dropper gives me confidence to know excatly where the bait is. And I decided to leave the longer swim in case the wind got even worse – another good decision in the circumstances.
So far, so good, and I started with corn on the inside, where the second shelf was about four feet, slowly curving down to five feet. I used corn because it would be less likely to be swirled about than expander, and after about 15 minutes a 2 lb F1 came in. After another ten minutes all I had had were a few small knocks, and occasionally the float dipped right under the surface but there was nothing there! So I put out another bait dropper of maggot in the three-section swim and came off the bottom with the corn. Nothing! Back on the bottom and after a few more liners in came a 3 lb F1.
After about 90 minutes I had five fish, for about 14 lb, and had to see a man about a dog, so walked past Mel, on my left, who had one fish, and Will in the corner, who had two. On the way back Les, on my right, told me he had five. After another fish or two I tried the maggot swim, with a bunch of five live and dead maggots, and again got bites which I missed. I was surprised, as I fully expected barbel to be here, but then a roach took the bait, but it was blown off by the wind, which by now had really got up, so much that virtually everyone, both sides of the lake, was fishing close in or fishing a tip.
The forecast had been for ‘blustery,’ not near-gale-force winds. And by now I was also shivering, though I got a bit of excercise when I saw something moving on the bank to my right and turned to see Les’ trolley being blown along the bank at a fair speed towards by gear; I got to it before it smashed my tips, wheeled it back, and turned it on its side. Then my maggot tin of cat meat blew off the side tray, spilling its contents on the grass, so I got a bit of exercise picking it up, though I never found the plastic tin, only the top. That was when Les sihnalled to me that he had lost his cap, which was nowhere to be seen.
At this point I decided to put out a piece of hair-rigged sweetcorn on a straight leger, and within 30 seconds the tip had ripped round and a 2 lb F1 was on its way in. Next cast saw a liner, which I stupidly struck at, and the next one in came a 1 lb F1 which I had a job to net because the wind kept blowing the landing net about, even with the fish in it! Then there was a lull and I had to see another man about the same dog – only to learn that Mel still had just one fish! I came back and decided to stick inside, with cat meat, which produced a 6 lb carp which came to the surface when I gently struck it, and stayed there wallowing so I was able to gently steer it to the net within 20 seconds, where it thrashed about so much I had a job to get the hook out!
Next drop in had a completely different result - this fish shot off to the right, towards Les, and the purple Hydro, which normally comes out about four feet when playing carp, kept on streaming out so that within seconds the fish was almost in Les’ swim, which was peg 9, only one swim away. I gritted my teeth, pushed the pole down as far as I could, and uttered a little prayer. Sure enough the fish turned and five hectic minutes later a 5 lb barbel lay in the landing net. Believe me, light elastic with a puller would have been worse than useless in those circumstances. And anyway a strong wind can play havoc with light elastic.
For the next hour I had odd fish on corn and meat in four or five feet of water, close in, and tried the three-foot deep swim right in against the bank, with nothing there at all. With 75 minutes left Les really started to catch – three or four around 4 lb or 5 lb on a cage feeder with corn and then another three or four close in on the pole on meat, while I languished with just one fish in that last 75 minutes.
Up to the right I kept seeing fish being played on poles, but had no idea, really, how the rest of the match had fished. But afterwards I realised I should have done what I normally always do in strong winds here – I should have put on a big 2 gm or even 3 gm rig to get stability! They are in my box, ready to use. Why I didn’t try that I will never know, except that being cold seems to numb my brain, and believe me it was cold – I fervently wished I had put both pairs of thermals on instead of just one. That massive wind into my face all match must had disorientated me. That’s my (pathetic) excuse. I also should have checked the swim on my right, though it meant facing more into the wind, but I never thought about it.
There’s also the possibility that changing the lead weight for a feeder would have worked because I got the feeling that fish were being attracted to my loose feed even though they were not taking the bait very well. It’s likely that instinct would have brought them close when the feeder went in and increased my chances of a bite.
The shout went up to end the match and the wind promptly decreased in force, so we were left with a beautiful ripple all along the lake! Anyway my 67 lb was enough for sixth, but there was a silver lining, which warmed the cockles of my heart, because after all in any match, and especially a club match, everyone is a mate.
The silver lining
The match was won by Dick, who had 50 lb-plus in each of his three nets, for his best-ever match weight of 150 lb, on peg 23 on the opposite bank, taken all close in on cat meat. He was well chuffed, as well he should be, especially as his true weight was almost 160 lb. Opposite, on peg 3 was Callum, who weighed 108 lb, his first 100-plus match catch, and he was even more chuffed! That was good enough for third, with John next to him on peg 4 weighing 110 lb for runner-up. And fourth place went to Les, who has not had a good last season or two, but came second in the previous match (which I did not fish). He weighed 79 lb today, and must now be full of confidence, which is what framing does for you after a bad spell when you wonder whether you will ever have a really good day again....
It’s interesting that the best three weights came from the car park end, and I remember Ken Wade, our Peterborough angling correspondent and former captain of the Peterborough teams, saying that Cedar is the one strip lake out of the four which often fishes best towards the car park end. It certainly did today. Our one lady member, Wendy, was up there and weighed in 58 lb (from memory) so there was plenty to smile about. The good thing about club match fishing is that if weall catch fish everyone is a winner at the end of the day!
NOTE: The five lakes at this end of decoy spell out DECOY in order – Damson (not a strip), Elm, Cedar, Oak, Yew. Elm has 24 pegs, Cedar 26, and Oak and Yew 30 each.
My next match will probably be the Over 60s on Magpie at Pidley, then two days later a club event on Kingsland on the small carp lake, where there are some real brutes and I will probably fish just my 35-year-old margin pole with two tips, using cat meat, but will also have a pellet waggler rigged up for possible shallow and surface fishing early on. Then two days later another match on the same lake. I just hope the wind dies down a little.
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