Twelve of us in this club match, so we used the 12 swims
along the Western bank and, given a
choice, I reckoned the higher I picked the number the better. In the event I picked out peg
8, and was happy with that. And while I was tackling up John Garner told me he
had fished this swim two days earlier and bagged up, starting at 7 metres and
coming into a small shallow area to the left late on.
I found not only the shallow area just to the left of the platform,
but that the bank was well undercut there – a good sign if the fish were
willing to feed in 18 inches of water. But I started out at about 7 metres – no point in listening to other
anglers if you don’t take into account what they tell you.
 |
| Hot, calm, cloudy and humid. My shallow swim was about two feet to the left of the platform right against the bank. |
The day was very calm, with showers forecast, and incredibly
humid – very uncomfortable while we were moving about. But at least we started
in the dry, and within 15 minutes I had three carp for about 6 lb in the net on an expander.
Then everything died. After an hour I felt I had to look in the shallow margin
– and threw in some pellet; but I also put dead maggots down at the bottom of
the shelf, which was no more than three feet from the bank.
A couple of F1s came from the shallows on pellet, but I eventually had
to try the maggot swim. Here I found the occasional barbel, and as the day wore
on I found that feeding with a bait dropper here brought barbel in quickly. Alternating between the shallows and this deep swim I had about 42 lb in three
hours and started on the second net. The odd look at the seven-metre swim
brought just tiny liners, though at one point I tried shallow for 30 minutes,
without result.
Big fish close in
Swinging a piece of cat meat under the undercut immediately
brought a bite from a big fish which dashed out towards the middle, leaped a
foot clear of the water, and threw the hook. It was a common of at least 10 lb.
I tried again and this time a near-10 lb common stuck and was placed in the
second net. No more there, so I moved out to the maggot swim and took about ten
barbel one after the other, by which time the heavens had opened for about 20
minutes. I had my umbrella up, but Peter Harrison, to my right, stuck it out in
his waterproofs.
Peter had started well on a pellet feeder cast right across,
using corn or banded pellet, then had a lean spell, but now started catching
again, and I wondered whether I should have used a feeder earlier, to test the
water as it were.
 |
| Peter Spriggs had some cracking carp. |
Barbel after barbel –
hard work!
I was putting fish into the net at this point, and Peter
Spriggs, to my left, was catching fish
at the same rate...but his were 5 lb to 10 lb carp, compared to my 2 lb to 4 lb
barbel...and he was landing them in half the time, and a couple weeded me in
the side and came off. I knew he would
be on paste, and considered changing bait, but decided that putting fish into
the net was sensible. Even though I knew he was beating me. I dropped into the
shallows occasionally, but the fish seemed to be moving in and out, and it
wasn’t often that their moving in coincided with my fishing there – however I
did manage three or four carp to 4 lb there.
At one point I ‘wasted’ a good ten minutes landing a 10 lb
mirror hooked in the tail, during which time Peter landed three properly
hooked! Then it started to rain heavily again, but I was glad I had the umbrella
up, even though it interfered slightly with my landing the fish, as I wear spectacles and rain on them is a
real handicap.
 |
| John Garner's fish from the corner peg 12. As we started weighing in the sun came out! |
With 30 minutes to go and 42 lb in the second net I went for
a third...though Peter had already been for a fourth net, and Bob Allan, to my
left, had gone for a third much earlier. As I walked to the car I was dismayed
to see several of the other with three nets out. My hearing is so bad I hadn’t
heard any of the car engines as they drove to get their nets. But, Hey-Ho, no use
crying over spilt milk. The walk to the car was slow – in wellies with waterproofs through a very
hot, humid atmosphere, with no wind.
A bonus (in fact
two!)
So, back on the peg with a little over 20 minutes to go, my
first fish was a mirror of about 14 lb, taken on cat meat in the right hand margin which I had baited
with corn just before I left. More bait went in there, and a drop in the shallow swim to the left
immediately brought a common of 10 lb, also to cat meat. I had time, after
landing these, for one more drop in, to the right, which brought a 2 lb F1.
Then it was match over...
 |
| My last three fish, best around 14 lb. |
The weigh-in
Ted (90) was on Golden Peg 1, with three nets, and weighed
100 lb 1 oz. I doubt I shall be able to catch 100 lb when I’m that age! Then
came Terry Tribe, who has just had a new knee, which still slows him up a
little – and he had a previous appointment and didn’t start fishing until 12.15
pm, but still managed 80 lb.
Then John Smith had 99 lb 6 oz – he won his National section many
years ago on the Welland while his wife, Judy, was giving birth to their son.
He points out that his 7 lb-plus winning weight was a few ounces more than Judy
produced!!!
My travelling companion to all Vets Nationals, Martin
Parker, weighed 121 lb 15 oz, and I thought it very unlikely I would beat that.
Peter Harrison on my immediate right weighed 99 lb 11 oz in two nets and was 10 lb over in one. Then
to me...oh dear – 57 lb in the first net, cut back to 50 lb. I guessed I had
thrown away the chance of beating Martin. The second net was 48 lb, and the
last three fish weighed, as I had guessed, 26 lb. I was the leader to date. Just. With 124 lb.
 |
| The result - eight over 99 lb. |
Peter next to me won handsomely with 176 lb 1 oz taken
at the bottom of the shelf, with John Garner in the corner peg 12 weighing 106 lb 1 oz, mainly from the end bank at
about 10 metres. So I ended second, which I was pleased with. But I suspect the
swim was good enough for a better angler to have won from there.
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