I can't manage even 1 lb!

Monday, November 6, 2017

Six-Island Lake, Decoy, peg 22

This was the day after the first frost of the Winter, and although the sun had already burned off the rime, when I left home the temperature was still below freezing. None of the 14 of us expected to catch much as Six-Island is the shallowest of the lakes here.

In these conditions – bright with not much wind - the fish can be anywhere so I sat down on peg 22 with an open mind, starting first on maggot with a small cage feeder near the big island to my right. After half an hour I’d had three or four liners, so things looked good. But no fish, so I looked at my two main pole lines – top two plus one in deep water near the reeds and top two plus three in the deepest water I could find. An hour on these lines with maggot produced one tiny liner near the reeds but Ted, on 24 to my left had already had a good carp, as had Trevor opposite on 2. So I decided to have a look towards the island on my left at 13 metres plus a half butt, where I had been pinging hard pellets.

There’s a high bank behind along this side which means you either have to break the pole down or push it right up the bank. I decided to break it down, which is always awkward, but when I hadn’t had a touch after 20 minutes I gave it a rest. So it was back to the two main lines, and I started putting in a few pellets. Trevor then landed his second carp and lost another.

A fish!

The match was halfway through before I got a bite on 4mm expander in the longer swim, and I bent down to pick up my landing net...only to realise I hadn’t put it together! The net was still on the bank, with no handle. So I clambered over my pole sections, walked the fish a few yards along the bank, picked up the net and landed a crucian a little under 1 lb. Thank goodness it wasn’t a ten-pound carp! Trevor opposite was highly amused an promised he’d read this blog to see if I confessed to being a berk...I do.

Another?

About an hour after that episode I had another bite in the nearside swim, and the elastic streamed out. It’s my favourite Middy 22-24, but although sound (I had checked it) it’s old and a bit stretchy so I quickly added two more sections. The fish made for the aerator on my left and I had to dip the pole tip under the surface. The fish slowed, and stopped. Now the problem with lowering the tip underwater is that you can’t see where the fish is heading, and when I lifted the pole I was horrified to see the fish had turned and made straight for one of the reed beds floating in the margins. It was solid. I got the float back, but not the fish.

Afterwards I reasoned that it was probably a foulhooked barbel. Which was no consolation at all. So back to the fishing, and after beefing up the elastic for the inside swim an hour went by with no fuerther bites. To relieve the boredom I walked up to Peter Baker, on my right, and photographed him landing an 8 lb carp on waggler – his fifth carp.

Peter playing his fifth carp.

 

"What are you doing taking my picture?"

Safely into the net.

Final fling

My final fling was to go out at 13 metres-plus to the big island to my right, after positioning the pole roller halfway up the bank and shipping it up and down the bank in one piece. It’s murder on the arms, but I persisted for nearly half an hour. I didn’t put any bait in, as I really had no idea what depth the fish were in, so I dotted around the various depths hoping that one fish would give its location away. But with no sign I eventually gave up, had another look near the other island, and then put the rest of my dead maggots into the near swim. I was rewarded by...a half-ounce perch ten minutes from time.

The weigh-in

I gleaned a few bit of information as I watched the weigh-in. Mick on 4 had got all his fish on the smallest pieces of sweetcorn he could find, which reminds me I must buy some small times of Jolly Green Giant Niblets, as these are smaller than the standard size and very useful in Winter. Terry, who won with 40 lb 8 oz on peg 14  had gelatined his 4mm expanders (or they might have been 3mm as they looked quite small) and had all his fish on them. I was gelatining pellets 15 years ago,  but the Bag-Em ones I use don’t really seem to need it; however I am going to do a few again as you never know if there’s a difference in the way they behave underwater.

Bob was third with 31 lb 1 oz.

Winner Terry, 40 lb 8 oz.

Peter Baker’s swim was either a bit shallower than mine or he was fishing his expander off bottom, which made me think that the fish were indeed cruising around slowly just off bottom. I had tried just off bottom, so  I can only shrug my shoulders and say I didn’t do anything stupid. John on 9 had a big fish first drop-in in the deep water and then had a short good spell just before the end of the match in slightly shallower water, which goes to show you can never give up on days like this.

The one silver lining is that I wasn't last, as Martin didn't weigh in. I don't know whether he caught anything, but as Kevin Ashurst told me many years ago: "If you haven't weighed you haven't catched." So I wasn't last!!!

The result. I wasn't last!!!

Sunday see me fish the first of the Tony Evans Winter League matches on Decoy. I'm told that 70 have entered - all will be better than me, but if a village football team gets the chance to play against a Premier Division side, they are not likely to turn it down, are they?