I pared my stuff down for this match, dumping the 14.5 and
16-metres sections of my Browning pole, and leaving behind my big pole roller,
because all you need to fish Damson is basically a top three.
As luck would have it I drew peg 3 so had only a short walk
anyway. Peg 1 wasn’t in, and Ted had peg 2, the nearest peg to the car park. Sixteen of
us fished this Spratts midweek club match. Showers were forecast but they
stayed away.
The margins here go from a few inches in the side to around
2.5 feet five feet from the bank, and then there’s a steep drop to eight feet,
which you can reach by just holding a top two out in front of you. I started
shallow in the side to my left -with a banded pellet, and hit four fish around
12 oz in the first five minutes. I could see the fish flashing under the surface
every time I put in pellets. Then the band came off and rather than put on
another – or a lasso, which would have been even better – I put a 4mm expander
on the hook. A few fish came but, as often happens, their initial enthusiasm
soon waned and I had to wait longer and longer for a bite.
 |
| My swim. That's not a thundercloud - it's a flappy bit of the camera case. |
I realised later that the hook, being eyed, was heavier than
I would normally use for an expander, and that it probably affected the
presentation. Anyway, after 50 minutes I had about 12 lb and changed to corn just
over a little drop-off on a top two to my right, about four feet from the bank
and two feet deep. Here the fish seemed larger, and several of 2 lb came in
during the next hour. It was more difficult fishing this side as the wind was right
to left, blowing the rig towards me, and presentation suffered.
I stay on the inside swim
I concentrated on that spot with occasional forays around
it, for the next couple of hours. About 1 o’clock Bob, on peg 5, who had been
fishing 8 feet deep since the start, went for a third net; I estimated I had 50
lb at that time. I was contemplating going out to the deep swim, but decided to
keep putting the occasional fish in the net – the odd one went almost 3 lb. I
believe that the first four of five pegs on Damson tend to hold more of these
better fish.
Six or seven fish came off, and I believe only one of these
was foulhooked – I suspect the fish were just sipping at the bait as all except
one fish had been hooked in the lip. Several anglers told me they lost a lot more than that. As for the bites, almost every fish I took
all day came when I lifted the bait. I tried off bottom, as I know Terry Tribe
has won here using that method, but I just couldn’t get a bite.
Cat meat didn't work
 |
| The fish seemed to be smaller away from the road end of the lake. This was one of John Garner's nets from end peg 17. |
Cat meat didn’t work, nor did paste, so I stuck with corn,
and found that I had to put in a pot of bait – pellets or corn, plus hemp, to
get a bite. The fish came to it but as the match went on they took longer to do
so. Then as the clock moved round towards two o’clock Peter Spriggs went for
another net, then Martin Parker, then Trevor Cousins, then John Smith! Martin
was on the far end bank, where Terry Tribe has twice won matches here and I
feared the worst. So at 2 o’clock I decided, with an estimated 80 lb – possibly
more as I tend to underestimate weights – to go for a third net. As I walked
past I saw that Ted also had three nets. Things were not looking good.
When I came back I put in two bait-droppers of corn and hemp
into the 8-foot deep swim but had another quick look inside, where carp were
sucking the marginal weed (these wouldn’t look at a bait). I took two more from
the two-foot swim and went out deep. Immediately I had a bite which I missed,
then during the next half hour I managed two or three carp around 3 lb, plus a
barbel, and a mirror or almost 10 lb. But the bites were taking longer to come,
and it was awkward playing and landing fish with such a long rig.
 |
| Mike Rawson, peg 16 next to John. |
For the rest of the match I swapped between these two swims,
with the better fish coming from the deeper swim., and corn proving the best
bait. I didn’t try a banded 8mm pellet, and should have done. Then Bob Allan
went for a fourth net and I thought I was doomed! Doomed, I tell Ye! But a
couple of 3 lb carp in the last five minutes left me quite happy – a good day’s
fishing, whatever the result.
The weigh-in
Ted weighed in at 117 lb 14 oz. He seemed to be taking all
his fish from the very shallow water next to the bank – I’m not sure how he did
this as I couldn’t get fish from there after the first hour. Anyway, I was surprised
when I lifted my first net out – it seemed heavy and went 46 lb 8 oz. Then the
second was 50 lb 4 oz – so I had been right to stop when the clicker said 40 lb
but I thought I might have missed some. The last net went 44 lb 10 oz – total 141
lb 2 oz. But Bob, with four nets, was still to come.
When you’re catching fish less than 1 lb most of the time
estimating a total weight is difficult, so a lot of the anglers were stopping
at around 38 lb to 40 lb – very sensible. But after the first hour I caught
very few fish that small – probably only half a dozen fish less than 1 lb – so it
was easier for me to get a reasonably-accurate total, or at least to stop
before I started getting well overweight in the net. Bob’s nets were 37 lb, 40 lb, 46 lb and 15 lb –
the exact total being 138 lb 13, so I was still in front. He’s very good at
estimating his weights – certainly better than me (but then everyone is better
than me).
As we went along it was noticeable that there were more small fish in the nets, and no-one managed to beat me, though several more were close; and I was pretty pleased with the win, even though it was by only 3 lb – one fish. Damson is not a favourite of mine, but I think I have framed almost every time I have fished it.
 |
| Seven weights over 100 lb - a good club match on Damson. |
Final thoughts
I remember Trevor once telling me that he should have used a
lasso rather than a band on here, for quickness. So next time I will do that. I
have several 4mm pellets superglued in a lasso in my box. I should also have
had a quick look in the deep swim earlier, even if just to convince myself that
I should stay inside. Otherwise there’s always the nagging feeling that I
should change swims. Certainly the average size of fish from the deep swim was
higher than the inside one, but the bites were taking longer.
I must also remember to charge my phone every night – I had
to plus it into a power pack after the match to get enough juice to take the
four pictures.
Seven weights over 100 lb meant that we all had a good day,
and Peter Harrison’s DNW was caused by him having to pack up and start
combining on his farm, when it became clear that rain was going to hold off.
With a good warm wind the weather was just perfect for combining. Like fishing,
you have to take advantage of the opportunity when conditions are perfect.
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