My eleventh-hour spurt not quite enough - Willows, Decoy

Peg 21

I seem  to be in a run, in Fenland Rods matches, where I keep drawing pegs I really do not fancy to win. This was no different – I rated pegs 1, possibly 3, 15, 24, 25, 28, 33 and 35 as all capable of winning this 12-entry match. But my peg 21 was in what used to be called Deadman’s Bay, together with 17, 19 and 22. In recent Spratts matches these pegs have framed ...but with the calibre of anglers on the better pegs in this match I genuinely rated my chances of framing as probably nil, though anything can happen, as we all know.

However, the forecast was reasonable, with just the possibility of light rain, so I decided to enjoy myself, and to just try to beat the other three in the bay. The wind was just a stiff breeze from my left to start with, though it increased during the day. I started on a feeder to the far bank about 30 metres away, and on the third cast a 1 lb carp took the hair-rigged corn.

The wind increased markedly during the match.

By this time Callum, to my right, had had two carp which looked to be well over 3 lb each, so I was already behind. Another couple of small carp came to the pellet feeder and eventually I decided I would have to have a look in the deep margin, where I had put in dead maggots in the hope of barbel. A bream came in, but nothing else so I went to 8 metres with a 0.5 gm Tuff-Eye, where I had potted corn, hemp and 4mm pellets.

This produced three or four fish in the next hour and I went back to the feeder, for another three or four quick fish. Three hours after the start I had about 15 lb, which was less than Callum had landed. 

Callum had a good start on peg 22, casting a pellet feeder a few metres from the island.

So back to the eight-metre line and I had a small spurt of fish which was then ruined by the wind increasing in force. I wondered about putting on a heavier rig, but the fish seemed to take better when the rig was moving in the undertow, so I decided a heavier rig wouldn’t help.  I eventually had to start another line, at the same depth, on a top-two-plus-one, where I had potted caster and hemp. After about ten minutes I started getting bites and had a run of small carp plus a four-pounder and a couple of bream, best 2 lb. At one time Callum and I were almost fish-for -fish.

I kept looking in the margin but never had a bite, so then alternated between the eight and four-metres lines, going long when the wind abated for a few minutes. Occasional fish came, and with an hour to go I estimated I had 32 lb. Then, Callum, to my right, had a barbel on meat in the margins (I had been keeping an eye on him), so I changed, fishing cat meat over caster and hemp.

I had to watch John Garner taking fish
after fish during the second half of
the match from peg 24, fishing
close to the aerator on his left..

A good last 50 minutes

In the last 50 minutes I took two barbel to 4 lb, about three or four carp to 3 lb, and two better ones, best about 8 lb. The fish were really feeding at the end, but too late for me. I assumed Callum had probably beaten me, but I thought I had made the best use of my swim on the day.

Mel Lutkin had some really big fish from
the narrow channel to the right of his
Peg 25, where he hadn't even fed.

The weigh-in

Dave Garner on peg 1 had 130 lb on his usual waggler and cat meat, taking his fish from the righthand side, and Tony Nisbet on 15 had 103 lb.  I could see Tony fishing though I didn’t actually see him land any fish; but it’s a noted peg and I fully expected him to beat the four of us in the bay. He found that the fish would take only a 4mm pellet - nothing larger, which was interesting because I fancied my fish preferred a small piece of corn rather than the full-sized pieces.

Kevin Lee with 87 lb 6 oz from peg 35,
a swim I have never mastered.

I was happy to finish eighth

When I weighed I had nearly 33 lb in that last net and 46 lb and a few ounces in the first net, total 79 lb 4 oz which was top in the bay and put me eighth overall, with Callum on 64 lb 13 oz, so I had beaten him after all. Winner was John Smith on 33, with a favourable backish wind, who caught 148 lb 15 oz on banded pellet shallow.

Pegs 23 and 24 both had 100 lb, with Mel  Lutkin on 25 having to fish in the narrow channel to his right to get a run of big fish after having had a very poor start.  On 24 John Garner, who is having a very good season, came third, with most of his fish also taken in the second half of the match, from next to the aerator.

So the seven pegs I had really fancied took the top seven places, and Joe Bedford, who was on 3, had 20 lb 1 oz – but Joe has done hardly any fishing for 18 months, and is 89,...so it may take him a few weeks to warm up!

John Smith fish a brown Bandum shallow for his winning  148 lb 15 oz.

PS. At the end Dave Garner and Tony Nisbet both helped me get my tackle and barrow up the slope to my car. I'm still on hormone treatment for the prostate cancer, and although I go to exercise classes twice a week (complete with weights and dumbells) I've still lost a lot of my strength, so I'm really grateful for the help my mates give me. 

I've been told I've got another 21 months of hormone injections, unless the specialists change their minds at my next appointments in September and December, when they also consider what to do about the lung cancer, which has so far not affected me. So long as I can still fish I'm happy.

Next match

John's best fish weighed 13 lb 7 oz.

Next match Friday on Horseshoe, where fishing shallow can produce big catches of F1s, but there are big carp here, and nice margins everywhere. I’m looking forward to it – peg 1, 7, 8 or 12 would be nice, though as there are lots of lily pads, almost any peg offers the possibility of shallow fishing. The direction of the wind can play a part.