I frame in the rain - Elm, Decoy

Peg 21
I wanted a peg towards the far end, say 8 round to 18, as the wind was blowing that way, with 12 to 18 preferred as it's the Eastern bank. At least 21 was on that bank, so I was happy, though didn't imagine I would win.

To start with there wasn't much wind, though it blew harder later in the match, and the water was still greenish from algae. But worst of all, the sunny weather of the previous days had suddenly altered and rain was forecast. I had a feeling things would be hard so started by just potting in about eight 4mm expanders and putting another on the hook over the top, next to some reeds about 7 metres to my right, in the deep water.

Overcast, though not really cold. I fished next to the reeds on the right.

I was surprised to get a bite first cast, which I missed. Next cast and a 2 lb barbel came in, and the next one brought a double-figure mirror. Twelve pounds in the net in the first 12 minutes!
But then the wheels came off and in the next two hours I managed a 3 lb carp, a 2 lb bream, and another of 6 oz. Two good bream came off at the net. The bites were very timid indeed.

Meanwhile Kevin Lee on my right also started slowly but suddenly had a couple of really big carp on cat meat to his right. An hour or so later he had three quick carp at about 9 metres, but like me he then sat fishless. So halfway, and I think we each had five fish (though Kevin's were much bigger and I estimated he had over 40 lb).

Nothing in the shallow water
I had a lovely shallow swim next to the reeds, but although I had a look there several times it never produced a bite. I also had a look to the left, into the wind, but although I had several knocks on corn near the side, in about three feet of water, they never came to anything. Possibly roach.

James Garner with a whopper, probably around 15 lb. He finished third.

Then at 1 o'clock Kevin and I started finding the odd fish, though his were still bigger. I tried on a top three, but although fish swirled around, sensing the hempseed, they never took my bait. Several showers came though and the wind had now increased. I had an 11 hollo elastic on one rig, but although it felt safe, playing the fish it was taking a long time.

At 2 o'clock James Garner went for a third net, followed soon after by John Smith. As he walked by I told him I was still on my first net. Dave Garner went past a little later for his third net, and I then had a good spell, catching about five fish in the next hour on corn or cat meat. Then Kevin went for his third net.

With about an hour to go John went for a FOURTH net and I simply had to make something happen. The wind was cooler and the rain was now heavier.  I had about 60 lb and took a chance by potting in a big pot of dead maggots and hempseed on the top three line.

Dennis Sambridge was to my left on 23. We
weighed this mirror at 15 lb 4 oz.

Long fight
A 4 lb barbel quickly took the bunch of maggots, but playing it on the 11 elastic was hard work so I switched to the purple Hydro and a bunch of dead maggots. The rain was now really heavy and I hooked a fish which simply would not run. I played that fish for 20 minutes in the rain, and landed it with about 25 minutes of the match left, just as the rain eased off. It weighed about 12 lb. At this point Kevin went for his fourth net.

A 3 lb carp was next, and my next fish was even bigger - about 15 lb - but came in much more quickly, and I put it in my second net knowing it would probably put me over the 50 lb limit. Ten minutes left

Next drop in with cat meat and a 5 lb golden mirror came in, which went into my first net, which was probably also
now over  the limit, but it wasn't worth driving up and getting another net. More than 30 lb in the last half hour, and the fish were really feeding now...but the match ended before I could get another.  I lost only two carp, both foulhooked.

Me, after a really good last 30 minutes
 brought my weight to 100 lb.

Camera problems
I'd got a new camera the day previously and hadn't taken any pictures...unfortunately some of my 'pictures' taken after the match turned out to be videos and I can't work out how to get a still frame from them. So John Smith, who won with 158 lb 15 oz on peg 17 won't get his ffizog in this post; neither will Kevin  Lee. But James and I managed to get some proper pictures.

The result - again the Eastern bank, from 13 to 24, fished best.

Conclusion
I was, in the end, happy with fourth place with exactly 100 lb (both nets slightly over), and the match taught me the value of dead maggots at this time of year. As I expected the better weights came from the pegs towards the far end, with John finding his fish about five feet from the reeds in the deep water. Interestingly James found fish right from the start, as did John, so the pegs at that end probably fizzled slowly out at the same time as mine picked up. Perhaps the fish moved along the lake.