Outclassed – Elm, Decoy

There was a full complement of 50 fishing this second Individual Winter League on Decoy, organised brilliantly by Tony Evans. But it was a terrible match for me.

I was on Elm 14, the peg which had won the lake the previous week. Today there was a very stiff Westerly wind into our faces, but it was possible to fish at 14.5 metres provided you faced directly into the wind. I spent two hours at 13 or 14.5 metres without a single bite, while Ray King, on my left, managed two small bream.

I came back to 8 metres, and then into the margin, where I suddenly hit two 2 lb F1s in successive put-ins off the bottom with maggot. But no more came. A few small roach from my shallow righthand margin were all that I could add; but they were down to a quarter-of-an-ounce, and I decided I could not possibly make a weight with them, with only two hours left. My last fish was a foulhooked roach from the left margin. Ray King was now catching odd net fish from his margins, including barbel, with his float virtually touching the grass, but I just couldn’t get a bite doing the same – so frustrating.

Ray King managed 29 lb next to me.

My 5 lb 8 oz was last in the match, and confirmed just how good theses blokes are – a different class to me; but I still enjoy going, so I won't stop until I have to.

Full results below - some brilliant weights.