Peg 18
Sixteen of us fished this Fenland Rods match in bright sun
most of the morning, and when 18 was drawn out for me I was pretty pleased. It’s
always had a good reputation, and used to be the ‘flier’ on this lake, though,
I can’t remember it doing particularly well in matches I have fished on here in
the last season or two. But it’s not a
difficult swim to fish – narrow at 13 metres, with shallow margins both sides.
Peg 10 won the Fenland Rods match last time on here, and
that went to Dave Garner, who I reckoned was favourite to win...and he didn’t
let me down! I had a plan to stick to simply cat meat, which I hoped would
reduce the messing about tackling up and packing away, so I left my rods at
home.
An early two-pounder
Fish were swimming about just under the surface all over the
lake, and although they never looked at an expander pellet flicked in front of
them I started with a shallow rig and a 6mm expander. Within about four minutes
several fish had refused to take it when flopped in front of them, but then the
float sailed away and I was into a two-pounder. When I unhooked it the hook was
in its fin, but I’m not sure whether it was actually foulhooked.
No more came and Allan Golightly on my left had a couple of
fish close in, so I tried there with cat meat. The next three drop-ins to the
left margin saw me hook three fish...and lose three fish! I’m sure they were
not foulhooked. Alan continued to catch, but eventually I had to have a go down
the track, with expander. This brought a three-pounder o by two more lost. One
came to cat meat down the track, and eventually two more to pellet. Then a
couple from the margin, although roach were knocking the cat meat off almost
every cast.
Half way and I’m not
looking good
Half way through and I had about 20 lb. In went hemp and 6mm
hard pellet down the track and another couple of fish around 3 lb came. At one
point I dropped in the deep water to my left with cat meat, and immediately
roach started knocking it about. Eventually a roach pulled the float
under...and it turned out to be a 4 lb mirror. Strange. Another came first cast
with a worm, but no more. Then the odd carp on corn.
With 35 lb in my nets and 90 minutes to go I was desperate,
as Allan was ahead of me. Then I saw a maggot tin I knew held the mankiest
maggots you could ever imagine – most of them were black skins! They had been
thawed and refrozen about four times, and had been in my freezer since last
year. But desperate circumstances call for desperate measures, so in went half
a pot of them to my right margin, which had produced just one fish so far,
A miracle!
Dropped in with six horrible dead maggots on the hook...and
six seconds later I was playing a 2 lb barbel. Next drop, and this took longer –
all of 15 seconds before a 4 lb barbel took the bunch of deads. And for the
rest of the match I would put in a pot of “Maggotus
Horribilis” and sometimes that would result in a carp – they went to 7 lb.
The odd fish came from the left margin to cat meat (nothing on my wonderful
home-made paste) and a couple from the track. That last 90 minutes saw about 45
lb go into my nets, mainly to the deads, from the right margin, which was about
18 inches deep. A couple came off, foulhooked.
I’m certain that if I’d tried maggots earlier I would have
had a lot more. So much for my cat meat plan! But I took my time packing away,
and felt OK, although my back ached something wicked.
The weigh in
Allan on 19, to my left, told me he’d caught early on, on expander, in
the margins, which I hadn’t tried. Then he changed to hard pellet, which I also
didn’t try. I should have! Right at the end he went to the far bank and had
three fish quickly. I could have reached it with 13 metres, but couldn’t be
bothered in the heat, and you can’t do everything.
 |
| No real pattern to the weights except that the car park end produced three of the top four. |
Along came the scales and indeed Dave Garner on 10 was well
in the lead and the obvious winner, with 140 lb 7 oz, on cat meat. He told me
he’d caught well early on when the scum was in his swim, but when it
disappeared he struggled. Funny how carp like feeding under scum.
Tony Nisbett, always a threat, was on 17, well to my right
and weighed in 64 lb 14 oz, which I thought I might beat. In fact the last
three or four fish, which were bigger, took my weight round to 90 lb 15 oz, for
third overall. Guest angler Peter Spriggs on 2 was runner-up with 118 lb 1 oz on
paste. And Wendy on 25 took fourth with 84 lb 7 oz on a feeder – a great
performance as John Smith on her right, got just 45 lb 12 oz.
I don’t think many of the double-figure fish which we could
see swimming around most of the day were caught. The temperature has been all
over the place recently, and waters need two or three days of settled weather
to fish well.
My mates
Again, thanks to the anglers who enquired about my back, and
how I felt. Especially John Garner, who asked whether I needed help at the
start, and asked again as he passed my swim going back to the car. I didn’t but
I have in the past, and John has always obliged. A good mate.
In fact I’ve purchased a narrow carryall which sits nicely
across my extended footplate when it’s on my barrow, and added a bit to my
barrow to keep the box in the right place. So I should be hunky dory in the
future.
Next match Sunday on Magpie at Pidley. Not sure how this has
been fishing – it can be temperamental.
Pictures?
Anglers are not supposed to follow the scales, but I might try to get some pictures if the opportunity arises.
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