A good peg, but difficult on the day

Jay Lake, Pidley, peg 2

There were 28 in this Christmas Open, on Jay and Magpie, and peg 2 was probably the one that most anglers would have chosen, as it has good recent form, producing a 99 lb winning weight before the snows and always producing fish. I was able to reach the far bank with 13 metres plus a half butt, but the stiff wind from left to right meant I struggled to fish across all day. Note that this was 13 Browning Metres (which are invariably accurate!).

First drop-in with bread punch off the bottom (called dobbing thoughh I have no idea why) saw a 4 oz carp, and in the next 10 or 15 minutes fish of 2 lb and 3 lb came in. I had to have six feet of line between pole tip and float, to allow for the gusty wind. Then, unaccountably, I got nothing – not even a liner. I had strolled up to peg 6, Dennis Page, the angler on my left, before the match started and it definitely seemed slightly calmer there – indeed two pegs to his left the water was flat calm, sheltered by the end bank; so I guessed I might struggle.

Odd fish

I fed a few maggots down the side of my platform, and took a couple of small perch, then hit a 4 lb carp which eventually pulled off. Back out to the far bank saw nothing until I changed to double maggot, which brought a 4 lb carp first put-in; then nothing. Eventually I fed some maggots and hemp out in the deep water at four sections and hit a 3 lb carp first drop-in; then nothing.

It was impossible to get right over to the far bank with six feet of line, so gradually I reduced the length down to a foot, which meant that I could often get only a few seconds of perfect presentation before a gust blew the pole round. By this time I had put in a few maggots, though one more fish came to bread. Then, an hour later, another to maggots in the deep water. The whole match was spent going from one swim to another, and going across when the wind abated slightly.

Me with my meagre haul.

Magpie result.

My seven decent fish and a few perch weighed 17 lb 7 oz, while Dennis, who in fact hooked a fish before I even realised the match had started, and had a good first half, and a steady second half, fishing right across with bread then maggot, weighed 89 lb 9 oz for the lake win.

Then it was back to the cafe for free refreshments and a free draw, again with the winner picking a prize blind out of the bucket; this was highlighted by Shaun Coaten, who had DNWd and had gone home (don’t know why) winning the top prize when Simon Godfrey picked it out of the bucket for him. No justice in the world!!

Conclusion

I was obviously disappointed. But while a better angler than myself would have had more fish, I don’t think I was capable of getting much more, as I felt I hadn’t done anything stupid, and that if the fish had been there in any quantity I would have caught some. And this was reinforced when I saw that the ‘flier’ peg 2 on Magpie  produded a DNW.  At this time of year fish definitely move around in blocks...which is what make things exciting – you never know where the fish will be!

PS. The forecast was for ‘mild,’ but I don’t know where they got that from. By the end of the match I was shivering with cold. I suppose compared with the North Pole it might have been considered ‘mild.’

The other half of Jay.

My half of Jay.