A hot Sunday, and I knew fish feed in the margins, as I had had a quick sortie the previous Monday, when paste had been necessary to get away from the tiny roach which nibbled anything else. Cat meat is banned here, so I also had some big lumps of luncheon meat for the hook if required. The wind was blowing from left to right and I fancied Tony’s swim, facing the wind, which had a lot of bare bank in the margins. I had a feeling the carp preferred bare bank rather then reeds to feed.
Today the roach seemed to be less of a problem, and I started in the margins, in about 18 inches of water, with luncheon meat, and took five tiny tench in a row which wouldn’t have weighed 1 lb betwen them! It’s great to see these tiny fish – one of my favourites. Then odd carp came, to 1 lb, and after half an hour some two-pounders showed. But I found it essential to feed after every fish – the carp were coming in, feeding, and then going quite quickly. So I kept the feed down to about ten small cubes of luncheon meat on my left, or ten pieces of sweetcorn on my right, followed immediately by my bait. No point in the classic technique of feeding to one side and fishing the other, then reversing it, because by the time I had landed a fish the carp had gone. And I didn’t want to put too much bait in as I was worried it might bring in the roach.
I had rigs ready to fish the deep water and had one drop-in there, for a small roach on maggot. And although I had a far-bank rig ready, at 11-metres plus a dolly butt, I decided not to try there unless I was really struggling. In hindsight I think I got that right.
Anyway, the whole match was a matter of taking two or three fish – the best went 5 lb – from one side then switching to the other side. With an hour to go a 3.5 lb barbel came on meat from the lefthand swim so as sport had slowed I put in dead maggots hoping for more. No more barbel showed, but it did seem to revive the swim a little and I took the odd carp there on a bunch of reds. And boy, did they fight...I would have them gliding on the surface towards the net and time and time again they would turn away with inches to go and start another run. I tried paste once, without result, but had very little problem with roach, so I stuck mainly with meat and corn.
Overall I missed a trick, I think. Tony won with over 108 lb 11 oz, all taken on expander pellet eight inches deep about three inches from the bank. I had come down to a foot deep close to the side, using meat and corn on the bottom, and inducing bites by lifting. But stupidly I didn’t try off the bottom with pellet. I have some rigs in my box with tiny floats about two inches long – why didn’t I try them? In my defence I couldn’t see Tony properly, and knew I was well beating the anglers I could see; and I’m not sure whether it would have been as effective close to the reeds (where there are inevitably bits of weed underwater) as alongside bare bank. But I should certainly have tried.
There are Over 60s opens here every Tuesday and I really fancy having a go. Anyway, I was second with 98 lb 15 oz with third weight 44 lb 2 oz, so I can’t beat myself up about it. A good day’s fishing on nice grassy banks with not far to walk. What more could I want?
PS. I again noticed the fish in my keepnet becoming restless at the exact time the swim slowed with about two hours to go!
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