I sally forth and come fifth - Magpie, Pidley

Peg 13
I haven't fished an Over 60s match at Pidley for some time, and was met by 26 others. Actually I didn't meet them until later, as it was a rolling draw - a great idea because it not only means there's no crowd at the draw bag, but because I could get to my peg early. Tim picked out 13 for me, and agreed it wasn't a great draw. In fact I'd hoped to avoid pegs 8 round to about 20, but I had a job to do, and more than an hour and a half to get ready!

It was muggy, with a little breeze behind me, but as there are trees there I hardly felt any wind all day. Regular Ken Gammon was on my right, and another regular, Derrick Hayes was on my left. And I decided I would do well to beat them both, as I didn't fancy this area to win.

Peg 13 is opposite the aerator, but I left my rods at home, as I fancied a nice
easy day fishing just the pole. The water was flat calm most of the day.

I put out pellet at 11 metres, and had a quick look in the margins to my left, where a small bed of reeds ran along the bank. Most swims have had cut-outs made, which gives a corner to fish in, and this was the only one I had, as there wasn't one to my right. Loose lily pads kept drifting into the corner, and I soon went over my main swim.

Already Peg 33 opposite, was catching fish, and someone beyond him was slapping shallow. As fish started moving near the surface I put out a banded 4mm pellet about a foot deep and immediately had a 4 lb mirror, but no more, even though fish swirled when I put in pellets, and 20 minutes later I switched to the left. That produced one two-pounder and a couple of roach on corn.

Twenty minutes playing a fish!

Alex has a great system - the beg rests in the cage and is
 lifted for  weighing, and the whole contraption is on wheels.

So it was back out and about 20 minutes later I hooked a fish on a size 18 hook with 4mm expander which just would not expend any energy. It kept swimming round and round, and every time it approached the net it dived away. It took me nearly 25 minutes to land - a beautiful, solid scale-perfect golden common carp around 13 lb.

Ken had had a couple of fish, as had Derrick, but opposite, on the island, they were catching slowly, but steadily. Around me there didn't seem to be much being caught. I kept trying to my left on corn, but had only the odd roach.

I spent another hour at 11 metres for a couple of roach and two 4 lb carp. So I decided I had to try the right margin with luncheon meat, and found fish immediately. managing another four or five carp  here in the next hour. Then a lull and, getting desperate, I put in a load of dead maggots. Fish came in immediately, but I managed only about three on a big bunch of deads, best 5 lb. They fought exceptionally hard, and kept diving when they saw the net.

Clive Robinson, second on peg 33, shows the stamp
of fish we were all catching. He totalled  159 lb 14 oz.

Cat meat does the business
With 90 minutes to go and an estimated 40 lb I put in corn and pellet just out in front of me to the left, and to my amazement very quickly saw creases in the surface as fish swirled on the bottom. A change to cat meat, fished in my special method, saw me have a good spell here and in that time I must have had 12 or 15 carp to 5 lb, and had to feed after every fish. They went quickly, but would return within 30 seconds after I fed.

I'd seen Derrick land one or two good fish, as had Ken, but I had no idea what weight they might have. However, the angler opposite me on 33 obviously had quite a lot.

The weigh in
Along came Alex and James, and my first net went 7 lb 6 oz, which surprised me. Then 44 lb 6 oz, and finally 40 lb; total 121 lb 12 oz, which James said was a good weight from that peg. I then had a look at the weight sheet and was amazed to see that although there were three weights over 100 lb in the first six pegs, I was leading! And in fact I led right round to 23.

The bag is held open automatically, allowing
one person to conduct the weighing.

On peg 23, in the bay, Roy Whincup weighed 151 8 oz and on 25 and on 25 Steve Tilsley weighed 149 lb 2 oz. And as I had expected, this area running on the the island produced good weights. On 30, Chris Saunders was the angler I'd seen at the start catching shallow - he took 12 like this and then swapped to cat meat for his winning total of 170 lb 8 oz. He told me that the secret was to not ouyt in any feed, and he took quite a lot casting to fish he could see.

 On 33 Clive Robinson was second on 159 lb 14 oz - he was the angler I'd seen catching steadily, not very far out.

Mike Rawson, on Peg 36, which can be a flier, had trouble losing fish in the lillies, which come fairly close to the bank there, and managed just 79 lb; so I ended fifth, which I was chuffed with from that peg.

As I expected the most consistent areas were 1 to 6, and 23 to 34.

 Next Over 60s is Wednesday on Jay, which I hope to fish.

Next match Willows on Sunday, and then Elm on Tuesday. The weather promises to be a little cooler, but I'm brimming with confidence.