Another “Thanks for Coming” – Magpie, Pidley

The Decoy Winter League on Sunday having been cancelled because the lakes were iced over, I settled for the next Wednesday Over 60s Open on Magpie Lake at Rooker Farm, Pidley. Peg 34 was my home for the day – on the end of the island, where a floating island has been placed, and ropes rigged up about 25 yards away from the bank which prevent anyone casting across towards the far bank and across other anglers’ lines. I had no problem with that.

My peg 34 - the new floating island is about 25 metres away.

Peg 34 has a good reputation, and it was a cracking Winter's day – warm with sun and hardly any wind, but the water was ice cold and clear and I didn’t fancy my chances much. A feeder with a pop-up to the aerator, and another to the floating island, produced not a bite. So I went out at 13 metres in front of me, where I know other anglers have had fish in the past, but I never had a bite here on pellet or maggot.

I’d been dropping maggots in the margin, but a long look there didn’t produce any sign of a fish. So i tried laying on to my left at 13 metres, where it was a foot shallower than in front. I had a liner immediately, so switched to a spare rig and hung a piece of bread punch a foot off bottom. This produced a roach, but nothing else. Over the next hour I tried maggot and took about a dozen roach, also hitting a big carp which I am sure was foulhooked as after it had got off my two pinkies were untouched.

No-one weighed from 11 round to 21.

The final two hours saw two more roach, and I weighed in 2 lb 8 oz – last of those to weigh, but several packed up well before the end. The carp were mainly at the end of the lake nearest the entrance, where there are lillies on the summer, although Dennis Sambridge, to my left on 32, had one in his 7 lb 8 oz catch. Winner Brian Yorke had 99 lb 12 oz off peg 36 fishing 14 metres, which would have put him over the lilly bed. His fish came to bread about 18 inches deep.

The two anglers on 7 and 9 both had all-roach catches, I was told, on waggler - 16 lb and 20 lb 2 oz, casting towards the reed bed.

Next match is Sunday at Decoy in the Individual Winter League, where my target is to avoid coming last in the 50-peg match.