Disappointing match for me; never really got started – Elm, Decoy

Fourteen of us fished this Fenland Rods club match, with rain forecast most of the afternoon, which was correct. The water was well coloured on my peg 15 and since the margin banks were bare I decided to target the barbel close in, at the base of the shelf, only about four feet out.

Why I target the barbel

I have found that where there are reeds or sedge growing in the water the barbel have not undercut the bank, and that these swims are better for carp because they are not heavily populated with barbel. My margins were bare, where barbel have undercut the bank, causing it to fall in. So I put in maggot on one side at top two length, and corn to the left at top three length where I managed to find a flat piece of bottom; although I expected barbel, I obviously would prefer the carp, and corn can help to pick them out.

I started, however, at four sections and immediately had liners. Coming off bottom brought not even liners, so I went down again and took about three carp to 6 lb. When they seemed to go I went to the right margin with maggot and eventually managed to find barbel to 3 lb. But after about three they also went.

Kevin on my right gave me a bit of
a thrashing in the rain, taking good carp.

So to the left margin, where I caught three carp and a barbel on corn in four put-ins on corn; but then nothing. So out to four sections with 6mm expander, and another couple of carp. I spent all day moving round, though I never had another fish from the left.

Bigger carp to my right

To my right Kevin Lee was catching the occasional carp on cat meat about seven feet from the bank, and I could see that they were probably averaging 5 lb, while my fish were much smaller. I found two or three barbel on worm and another, and a carp, on cat meat from the right margin, but I knew I had been beaten by Kevin, and probably by John Smith on my left, who had been taking fish at nine metres.

Ten minutes from the end Kevin landed a fish of about 9 lb, and I saw him started to wind his rigs onto a winder; so I guessed he had filled both nets. There obviously wasn’t time for him to get another. Meanwhile on the peg opposite me I saw Callum Judge take several late carp on a feeder fished just feet from his near bank.

Rob Allen with just five carp for almost
30 lb - a good average size for early April.

Winner Tony Nisbet who took every
fish on 6mm expander pellet.

I thought afterwards I should have concentrated on the four-section swim in front of me, or even gone farther out, as we had a backish wind at our end of the lake. I never had a really good spell, which was surprising as I am sure there were barbel there all day. Four barbel took me right under the bank, so far that the shot were pulled up the line almost to the float, but I got them all out – pretty hair-raising at the time, and it was a miracle they didn’t snag me permanently. One barbel took me under the platform and broke me and I lost one carp, coming back with a scale, and I was pleased that I didn’t lose any more.  Kevin lost some – probably foulhooked, and several anglers told me that they had the same problem.

                                                                                        I finish fifth

The result - the angler on 24 was The Invisible Man!

My fish weighed 75 lb 4 oz for fifth, with Tony Nisbet  top with 111 lb 3 oz of mainly carp on 6mm expander, mainly from a margin swim against a clump of reeds.  Kevin was, as I suspected, over in both of his nets, and would have won – his official weight, though, was 100 lb for fourth; John was second, giving him a good start in the Club Championship race.

We have a new points system for the club this season – 15 points for a win no matter how few fish, down to 1 with anybody fishing guaranteed at least 1. Every match counts, and I know I have to miss some matches, so I guess that will put me out of the running and that Tony Nisbet, who missed only one match last year, will be favourite.

Next match for me is probably Frazer''s on Tuesday, and then a Spratts match on Friday on Horseshoe at Decoy. I like Horseshoe – good banks and proper margins, not deep ones like the strips, and I’m happy anywhere.