A good day at the office

Six-Island Lake, Decoy, peg 20.

This was the third Drennan individual Winter League, fished by 61  on five different lakes at Decoy. The day was sunny, but the temperature had dropped below freezing overnight, and the forecast was for a maximum of about 3 or 4 degrees, falling to Minus 2 in the stiff North-Easterly wind.

My swim. Simon, with red on his jacket, was opposite, working out how to fish with his back to the water!

In all the times I have fished this lake I had never drawn peg 20, which is opposite the end of an island – a nice-looking swim, but not rated as one of the better swims on here. Opposite, on the other side of the island, was Simon Dow, a cracking local matchman, who, together with the three anglers between us, was in my section. As always my sole ambition was not to come last in my section – anything better than that would be a bonus for me. The wind was coming from my left, and into me at about 45 degrees, making presentation difficult at times, but not exceptionally difficult.

Slow start

Simon hit an F1 first drop-in next to the reeds on the end of the island, which looked to be around 14.5 metres away, which made me think I was probably on a hiding to nothing.  I could reach the island with 11.5 metres and, using maggots, took a roach after about half an hour fishing just off bottom. After almost another hour I hooked the bottom...but after a few seconds it moved! Ten minutes later I netted a 6 lb-plus mirror hooked in the dorsal fin. Simon had had a few fish, but I couldn't see how big they were.

I fancied I saw the float twitch a couple of times in the next hour hour, and in fact lost a fish which felt big, so persevered on the end of the island, and in the next couple of hours netted three F1s, a perch of well over 1 lb, and two or three roach, all taken a few inches off the bottom.  Then I had a good look a little closer to me, on my side of the island, and after missing a bite I hit a fish which surfaced well out, and looked to be about 2 lb...then it came off.

Sod’s Law

Out to the the original swim and it happened again – the 13 Hollo Preston elastic was a bit strong for these fish at the point where I tried to take out the top two and net them. There’s a high bank behind which makes breaking the pole down a bit awkward. So I put the rig onto a size 8 elastic...and the next fish I hooked was even bigger than the mirror I already had. It surfaced once, and after about ten minutes it was gone. Sod’s Law. I felt that with the stronger elastic I could have got it into netting range earlier. So I changed back.

Another three or four F1s and a couple more roach came until, with half-an-hour left and the wind making presentation difficult at times  I decided to put in a bait-dropper of maggots on the two-plus-two line I had plumbed up at the start. I had thought about putting out a feeder, but Simon tried  it several times and I didn’t see him catch much on it.

In went the bait dropper and I left the line for ten minutes as, strangely, most of my fish had come several minutes after I had put in maggots. The last couple in fact had come when I hadn’t baited the far swim for half an hour.

Ten minutes later I dropped in the near swim, and had an F1 immediately, followed by another next cast. But no more, and a final drop-in near the reeds was fruitless.

Fish were wary

Four of the F1s were hooked on the outside of the mouth, obviously not taking the bait properly, but having a really close look and actually knocking it. But they all count!

Anyway Simon weighed 20 lb, taking some fish in open water towards the end. My fish weighed 30 lb 6 oz and I was chuffed to think I had beaten him and not come last in the section. But the other three, on pegs 22, 24 and 25 (the last two on the end bank with a backish wind)  didn’t beat me either – so I ended with a section win. Afterwards Simon said he thought I was fishing really shallow, but I wasn’t – my side of the island appeared to be almost 18 inches shallower than on Simon’s side. So a win, a second and a third so far - better than I could have hoped for. And if I had 

Josh won the whole match with 120 lb 13 oz on peg 12.

landed the four fish I lost I could possibly have won the lake, won with 48 lb.

Tony Evans won on 30  with 93 lb 6 oz on a maggot feeder.

My lake, won with 48 lb 10 oz on 6 (I think!) I was on 20.

Horseshoe, won by Ben Townsend on 15.

Damson was consistent, but not as good as expected.