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!
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