I really am rubbish!

Cedar Lake, Decoy, peg 14

After my good session two days earlier on Cedar 3 I was well happy with this draw, in the fifth Tony Evans/Drennan invidiual Winter League. But things didn’t go to plan.

There was a strong wind into my corner peg, into my face and from the left, but I found I could still fish 11.5 metres plus a half-butt. I could have fished longer, but assumed the wind would pick up, as forecasted. In fact it did a little, but I doubt whether that extra section would have made any difference. I used the same rig I had used on the Friday and was amazed to see the water was at least a foot deeper here than in peg 3 at the other end of the strip.

The angler opposite me soom began to pick up very small roach, so I assumed he was using maggot; but he also had two or three netters in the first hour. I had my first 2 lb F1 on pellet after an hour, but nothing for the next 90 minutes.  Magggot with a small groundbait feeder didn’t produce anything, and maggot dropped down the side saw a few strange bites, but no fish; I assumed they were liners.

Halfway though I decided I had to try maggot in the long swim, and soon foulhooked another 2 lb-plus F1. An hour later I got one hooked in the mouth. But then nothing. Suddenly I hit a couple of tiny roach, which dropped off. So I came into the side with maggot and hooked a couple in the mouth and foulhooked about ten more. It was bite after bite, but they LITERALLY  weighed about one-tenth of an ounce each! There must have been thousands of them all round the side – I couldn’t drop a float it without it diving under, but any that had the maggot in their mouths dropped off in the wind.

So another session on the feeder, and more on the long swim, but I never had a bite out there.  I found it almost impossible to fish deep closer to the end bank on my right, because pointing the pole that way meant I had a dead-on side wind, which was so strong it almost took the pole out of my hands at times. Fishing long out in front of me was almost into the wind, and was actually not difficult.

The angler opposite weighed 33 lb and the one on my left had 45 lb, including some in the deep water in the side. My three F1s weighed 8 lb, and I was last on the lake...again!  I really am rubbish.

 

Lou's saw the overall winner.

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Willows - consistent

Horseshoe (blurred) see below

Beastie

My section - Cedar

                                                                                                  Jon Whincup, two anglers to my left on 21 won our lake with 63 lb, most caught laying on a couple of inches with pellet; maggot brought him only roach. The match, fished on 6 lakes, was won with 104  lb by Chis Barley on Lou’s 6 – a known flier provided you fish right into the far corner. In fact Chris had never fished this peg before, and spent the first 90 minutes without a bite. Then they started coming to his hair-rigged pellet to a feeder. Knowing you have what most regard as the real ‘flier’ puts pressure on anyone; but Chris is a fantastic angler, and is the sort of bloke who would handle that pressure with no problem at all. It’s his second win in this Winter’s series.

PS. Horseshoe weights: Peg 1 - 25 lb; 3 - 23 lb; 5 - 34 lb; 7 - 40 lb; 9 - 43 lb; 11 - 43 lb - 13 - 26 lb; - 15 28 lb; 17 - 17 lb; - 19 - 41 lb.