First club match of the new season – Oak Lake, Decoy

A very strong, bitterly-cold wind greeted the 12 of us (actually 11 because Terry Tribe had to come late)  and we decided to all fish with our backs to it, on pegs 1 to 15 on Oak. I drew 15 – the longest walk – but it was sheltered a little by the high end bank.

Like almost everybody else I started on a feeder, and with nothing after half an hour was about to change but then Mick, on 14, landed a carp around 4 lb, on a small Method feeder with maggot – like I was using. So I gave it another half-hour and was rewarded with a 2 lb carp. After a lull I tried the near margins and the end bank to my left, without a bite. Two hours had gone and I decided to fish as the majority of the best Winter League regulars would have done – on a long pole, putting in maggot and a few pieces of corn with a bait dropper because it was impossible to tell where loose-feed might end up, in the strong wind..

Winner Peter Harrison, 51 lb 1 oz.

Terry Tribe, third, 27 lb 5 oz

I found 11 metres not too difficult in the wind, with pellet, and a change to maggot brought a 5 lb mirror. In the next hour I took two smaller fish, and then during a foray to the reed-lined end bank, managed to foulhook a 2 lb carp on maggot. I immediately switched to hanging a bait off bottom, but had no bites. Another quick look on the feeder was followed by concentrating on the long pole, and a four-pounder and two smaller fish came to corn even though I had not baited for over an hour.

Then a lull and with half an hour to go a switch to a lighter rig with maggot brought a three-pounder. To my right Mick had seven fish on a feeder, while on 13 Peter did not have a bite until 3.45 pm, when he managed to hook three fish and land one in the last 15 minutes!

John Garner - three fish for 26 lb 14 oz.

Bigger fish to our right

At the weigh-in Mick and I were surprised to see how big the fish were to our right. John Garner had just three for 26 lb 14 oz, while Terry Tribe had four for 27 lb 5 oz. Winner was Peter Harrison on his favourite Method with micros, baiting with maggot or corn. He had about ten fish for 51 lb 1 oz. Runner-up was Trevor on peg 3; he took three fish in three casts about 90 minutes after the start from the middle of the strip, and two-and-a-half hours later had four in four casts from the far side, totalling 39 lb 8 oz.

Peter Barnes cast out before the match started to clip up, and foulhooked a carp. In the match itself he never had a fish! It’s a funny old game...

Smaller fish at our end

My eight fish went 25 lb 1 oz, for fifth, while Mick next door had seven for 22 lb 7 oz and sixth. Afterwards Trevor told me Andy Geldart had had my peg 15 in the Winter League final, and had caught just one fish for about 3 kg. I checked, and pegs 15 and 13 on Oak had the two lowest weights on the whole complex in that match, which made me feel a little better. I really didn’t think I had done too badly, and that confirmed it. Not sure when my next match is - but next Tuesday is definite.

Best area was opposite the bird hide.