I manage three fish in our Xmas match - Oak, Decoy

Peg 12

Thirteen of us fished this special Christmas match, and I was happy with Peg 12, as it’s in the last third of the lake, where you might expect fish to be hanging out. The wind was North-Westerly to start with, but soon swung round towards the East, giving a very cool wind into our faces. Luckily the rain held off.

I started on a bomb with a bunch of maggots, and go an occasional liner, but after half an hour had no fish. However, in that time Mark Parnell to my right had two carp on a pole at about eight metres, and Martin Parker, on his right, had one. On my left Rob Allen had a double-figure fish in the deep margin on what I assumed would be paste, though he told me afterwards it was cat meat.

Rob Allen to my left puts a big fish - about 10 lb - into
his keepnet on peg 13, towards the far end of Oak Lake.

I get one in the deep margin

I changed to fish maggot at 13 metres on the pole, but had no bites, and then Rob started hitting fish on a feeder, with maggot, from the far side. He had two or three quite quickly and then a long fishless spell. While that was going on I caught a fish of around 10 lb in my deep margin on maggot, but then had no more.

Another look out at 13 metres brought a bite from a fish which really pulled my elastic out, and 30 seconds later I realised it was foulhooked. Five minutes later I was certain it was hooked in the tail. And several minutes after that, as I gingerly pulled it tail-first over the landing net and lifted it lifted its head and squirmed over the side of the landing net. Two minutes later I managed to net it. It was around 8 lb.

Rob now had another couple more big fish on the feeder, but the two anglers to my right had had no more. I decided to put out a groundbait feeder with a bunch of maggots and first cast the tip wrapped round and a nine-pounder came in. The match was nearly half over at this point.

This was so big that Rob daren't try to unhook it while
he sat on his box. I estimated it at at least 14 lb.

From then to the end of the match I sat fishless and biteless, while Bob had more big fish. As before he’d get a couple quickly and then wait for a fair while for the next one. Towards the end he had three fish very quickly, one of which was a barbel. With an hour to go Martin Parker, who was pole fishing about 11 metres out,  pushed his float up the line a foot and laid all that extra on the bottom – and had four fish in 40 minutes.

The last 20 minutes Martin didn’t catch, but Mark had two more about 8 metres out. I had certainly been thrashed to my left, and probably to my right as well.

Mark Parnell had two fish in the first 30 minutes and two more in the last 30 minutes. This was his last one.

The weigh-in

Martin Parker, third with five fish for 34 lb 6 oz.

Results at the car park end were spasmodic, Ted on 1 had one fish, while Mick Rawson and Peter Spriggs never had a bite. Peter Barnes and John Garner each had one fish, which weighed 2 lb 11 oz (not the same fish you understand!) But Trevor, next to Peter, had ten fish, all on feeder – eight from the far side and two in the middle from peg 7  – for 48 lb 15 oz and runner-up position.

Mark Parnell fished hard for sixth spot - beaten by
 just 2 oz for fifth place by Bob Barrett.

Martin was third with 34 lb 6 oz, while my three totalled 28 lb for a surprising fourth – I was fairly happy as I never do well in this match. The undoubted winner was Rob Allen on 13 with a magnificent 91 lb 1 oz. Thoroughly deserved – he got those fish in really quickly on his Daiwa Yank and Bank feeder rod, and several were around the 10 lb mark.

Winner Rob Allen graciously condescended to let me take a picture of him with his biggest fish.

The result

Peg 1    Ted Lloyd             7 lb 1 oz

Peg 2    Bob Barrett         24 lb 10 oz   5th

Peg 3    Mick Linnell        17 lb 4 oz

Peg 4    Mick Rawson       DNW

Peg 5    Peter Harrison    20 lb 14 oz

Peg 6    Peter Spriggs       DNW

Peg 7   Trevor Cousins    48 lb 15 oz   2nd

Peg 8    Peter Barnes         2 lb 11 oz 

Peg 9   John Garner           2 lb 11 oz

Peg 10 Martin Parker       34 lb 6 oz    3rd

Peg 11 Mark Parnell         24 lb 8 oz   6th

Peg 12 Mac Campbell      28 lb           4th

Peg 13 Rob Allen             91 lb 1 oz    1st

The prizegiving

We pay a little extra every time we fish, which means that this match always has prizes, and Trevor and Rob did us proud, with a great selection. I finished with a coffee maker, while Di at the fishery provided us with mince pies and gave us back the pegging fee for this match (not for the first time!) 

Highlight of the Spratts season - prizes at the Christmas match. A prize for everybody.

Trevor was also able to hand out cash to every angler as well as the prizes. And at the end he gave everyone except one a framed photo of themselves with fish, taken from my blog. Mark Parnell didn’t get one because he’s not fished with us for long and I hadn’t taken his picture. But there’s one this week. Wendy, who didn’t fish the match, also took the trouble to come along – that’s what makes this a smashing club.

We all thanked Trevor, who does a lot of work booking all the matches and generally organising everything. And Di’s generosity was the icing on the cake.  A memorable end to the summer season.

From now until the Spring I expect to fish at Pidley and probably Frasers fishery, as well as the occasional match at Decoy.

Winter’s first icy blast...Six-Island, Decoy

Peg 8

Eleven of us fished Spratts’ penultimate match, and the previous day the forecast I looked at on the internet said there was around a 90% to 50% chance of rain during the match. But on the morning that had been reduced to no more than 25%.

Now with the wind forecast to move from East to South-West at that time, the pegs I did not fancy were 4 to 9, which would have the wind coming into them with no shelter. There were two pegs there – pegs 6 and 8, and of course I drew 8.

The rain at the draw had almost stopped by the time we started, and it wasn’t too cold. I started a few minutes late, by which time Peter Barnes on 6 was playing a good carp on a feeder or bomb (I never asked which). So I started on a banjo feeder with corn but never had a knock. I was about to change to a pellet when I saw clouds of mud coming up in the margins in front of me. Fish!

Couldn't get a bite in the mud clouds!

In went a few grains of corn, followed by my rig, but nothing happened. Still the mud came up, and eventually I changed to maggot, and in came a few roach. Then, after 20 minutes, a 3 lb F1 took my bunch of maggots. I then wasted the best part of an hour trying the margins on both sides, but had only small roach, perch and the odd gudgeon, and a 1 lb crucian from the left. By now the mud had dispersed, the wind had died right away, and it was rather nice, though cool.

I owe Peter Barnes three worms, which he gave to me and I never  used.
 Will he remember? He had five fish for 20 lb 2 oz, all on feeder or bomb..

So I went out at five sections with corn, which I soon changed to maggot and after a couple of small roach had pulled my 0.5 gm Tuff Eye float under I hit a better fish on maggot, which pulled put my 13 elastic for a few seconds before coming off. Twenty minutes later the same thing happened again, though this time I played the fish for a minute or two before losing it.

I've never seen a wind come in so quickly

Suddenly, as if someone had pressed a switch the wind whipped in from the South-West, into us from the right, and within two seconds the previously-calm water had a wave on it. I’ve never seen a wind come in that quickly before. And it was cold, with rain.

The rain became heavier and soon I was so cold, and my hand almost numb, that I seriously thought about packing up, something I have done only once before – about 60 years ago. (That was in the summer on the Holland Drain, when the locals were hammering bream on redworm and I hadn't got any!) But this time I put up my umbrella, seeing Peter now doing the same thing, and when it was up, and secured, it gave a little protection from the worst of the rain, and I wandered up to Peter. He now had three fish, on worm, and generously gave me a couple.

John Smith's 31 lb 8 oz from Peg 18. In summer it can be a
flier, but at this time of year nothing is guaranteed.

I went back intending to put them on my feeder rig, but had one last drop-in on the five-section swim with a bunch of maggots. To my surprise the float dipped and a beautiful 9 lb common came in on my 13 Hollo elastic. A little later another of about 5 lb joined it in my net. Opposite I hadn’t seen Peter Spriggs land any fish, but as he seemed to be fishing in the same spot all the time I guessed he had caught something.

I get broken twice

After a lull I had another look in the left margin, as the wind was too strong to fish to the right, and a few roach came, and then another 3 lb F1. I was now using a light elastic, about an 8, in an effort to land the roach, without bumping them off, and suddenly hit a big fish. I played it for two or three minutes but without warning, and without the elastic bottoming out, the rig broke. Unbelievably a little later the same thing happened, even though I had changed rigs. The rig line was 4 lb, but I still can’t work out why it parted.

Peter Harrison was fourth with 37 lb 7 oz, and the bank here
at Peg 19 shows just how much rain we have been having recently.

I then wasted 45 minutes looking for more big fish, but had only roach in the margin, and with 30 minutes left I went out to the five-section line with a bunch of maggots. My float now seemed to be sitting lower in the water than it should. I inspected it and it seemed OK. I then realised what had happened - the water had risen very slightly and the bait which had been just touching bottom was now above it, and taking the float down. So I moved it up the line by an inch.

Immediately I caught a carp around 6 lb and then two good F1s, before the match ended. I had to gradually drag the bait towards me, on the bottom, to get a bite. All three came like that. The rain had now stopped, but it was pretty cool, and more rain threatened as we weighed in.

The weigh-in

I was top weight with 38 lb 12 oz round to me, but Peter Spriggs was next, and topped that with 45 lb on peg 10, all taken on paste. Then round to the pegs I fancied, from 16 along to 23, which had a back wind, and Trevor on 17, a peg he must have fancied, took only 15 lb. Thirty-pound-plus weights from 18 and 19, and up to Martin Parker on 22, which has a reputation of being a decent Winter peg, where I was once told the water is deeper than in any other swim on the lake (but probably not by much). He fished about 11 metres with maggot and won with 57 lb 12 oz.

Martin won on Peg 22 with 57 lb 12 oz. A former Vets National
Champion, he has sight in only one eye.

The Result

Peg 1     Mark Parnell      33 lb 5 oz

Peg 3     Robert Allan       7 lb 14 oz

Peg 6     Peter Barnes      20 lb 2 oz

Peg 8     Mac Campbell    38 lb 12 oz

Peg 11   Peter Spriggs     45 lb

Peg 13   Bob Barrett         10 lb 7 oz

Peg 17   Trevor Cousins   15 lb

Peg 18   John Smith          31 lb 8 oz

Peg 19   Peter Harrison    37 lb 7 oz

Peg 22   Martin Parker      57 lb 12 oz

Peg 24   Terry Tribe           21 lb 12 oz

I could have won if I’d landed the fish I lost, but Martin lost five himself. So I was actually happy to frame in third place from that peg, in those conditions. Our big Christmas match is next Friday on Oak. I’ve never won this match, and in fact usually do rather badly. I’m expecting maggot to be my main attack as I remember Martin winning it some years ago fishing a long pole with maggot from what I later realised was the ‘hot’ area somewhere around peg 21. So an ideal draw would be 10 or opposite on 21, or somewhere near them.

I expect I will get a peg facing a blizzard at the car park end!

Whupped by the UK Champ – Beastie, Decoy

Peg 22

A spare Tuesday and I fancied fishing the Open on Beastie Lake, although I know I’m well outclassed by those who were likely to be fishing it. I drew peg 22, with a cool Easterly breeze into me from the right, and Ben Bell to my right on 24. I would normally have set up a feeder rod, but fancied a day pole fishing, as the peg was a bit muddy, the rain was falling, and I couldn’t be arsed to get my rod out of the bag and set it up. Mistake!

A little rain at the start turned to heavier stuff from the East  (across from
the two big trees) and then it largely stopped, but the wind grew stronger and colder.

Smudge Smalley had said I should be able to catch on a pole, so I started at five sections, then six, and didn’t get a bite for 90 minutes until I put on maggot. That produced the occasional roach, most of which fell off. After two hours I wandered up to Ben, who had two F1s on a pole and was now on a leger, with banded pellet, but hadn’t had a knock on that. He remarked that the wind was cold, but I hadn’t thought it was...until a few minutes later when I did, indeed, start to feel cool. Probably just had a hot flush from the hormone treatment!!

A surprise F1 from the shallow margin

Back at my peg and I tried maggot in the side. The margins here have little cover, and the easiest to fish – with backish wind – was to the right, where it was shallow and I could see the bottom a foot or two from the bank. However, I suddenly started to get bites from roach and perch here on maggot, where I could almost see the bottom, and in the middle of these a 3 lb F1 put in an appearance. I decided to carry on catching small fish, though the elastic was far too heavy for them really, hoping more F1s would show. They didn’t.

Further forays out on the pole brought only odd roach on maggot, more than half of which fell off as I broke the pole down. I’d seen Smudge Smalley on 17 get three carp early on fishing the margins to his right against the reeds, and I’d seen Rob Goodson on 18 get one fish. I couldn’t see Ben Bell from where I was, so after the match ended and we had a word I was amazed to hear him tell me he had 40 lb-plus, firstly on 14 metres of pole and then, when the wind got up even harder, on a bomb with banded pellet cast to within about 15 metres of the island.

Ben Bell - current UK champion after topping the four-match series fished during 2019 by some of the
best match anglers in the country. He fished Peg 24 today, and weighed 52 lb 3 oz for third spot. For me
 it's still  a privilege to be able to fish against blokes like him just by paying an entrance fee.

Obviously I should have tried that, but I’m not yet in Winter fishing mode...and Ben is the current UK Champion, and about 40 years younger than me; he weighed 52 lb 3 oz. A whupping, but my miserable 8 lb 14 oz, worth just a "Thanks For Coming",  was perhaps not an actual disgrace, particularly as some didn’t weigh in. Still, for my next match on Six-Island I am starting as Nigel Baxter fished – size 8 elastic for roach – he had 31 lb of them on maggot  in his fourth placed 51 lb 5 oz, from peg 29. And I will definitely have a bomb or feeder ready to use.

The result showed how hard the fishing
can be on commercials at this time of year.

Banded pellet wins

Winner was Chris Barley on Peg 5, who pole-fished banded pellet at 14 metres and included seven good carp. Mind you, he had a backish wind. I should have just put on the extra sections and tried at 13 metres – I have no problem doing that with my Browning Z12. Afterwards John Smalley told me what I had already worked out for myself years ago – that the fish in Beastie tend to hang around the open water once the cool nights kick in. In fact fish were splashing around that area all day. Later they will gravitate to actually go under the island, where the temperatuyre changes are less marked, and very few ‘proper’ carp will be caught.

So Six-Island tomorrow (Thursday) and rain is forecast all day with the wind due to change from easterly to South-West about ten o’clock. That will mess up not only us anglers but the fish as well, unless the wind suddenly becomes warmer, which it is not forecasted to do. Wish me luck.