So, like the man said, here is my next blog - like a girl's skirt. Short enough to be interesting but long enough to cover the subject.
A match on Magpie at Pidley was on the cards for Sunday, and I and Mike went down on Friday, to have a 'practice.' Really, I went just to give me confidence that I was capable of catching fish.
Designated pegs for the match were 1-21 and 28 to 34 (these on the island), but only 13 of us were down to fish and our last AGM said that pegs were to be spread around, rather than picking out the probable best pegs. Now I know that the best pegs recently have been 1-5, and 28 to 34, plus 13, which has won two Opens but Tom Edwards was on it each time, and since he's like a young version of Alan Scotthorne and Superman combined that didn't mean the peg was actually any better than those around it.
Practice on Peg 7
So on the Friday I chose to sit on Peg 7, away from the hot spots and not one that has done particularly well recently. Mike was on 8. First drop in on two plus three with 4mm expander and a 1 lb carp came in. But for the next hour all I had were missed bites, some of which looked like liners. So although it was still early in the day for margin fishing, I went into the left margin, in a deepish spot, and within five minutes I had a bite on corn, then a three-pounder. Two more here, quite quickly, and I laid that rig down and picked up another for luncheon meat to the right.
Feeding
Carp are not a shoal fish, like bream, and at this time of year, in particular, they move about a lot, so I can't see any point is baiting like you would for bream ie: putting in a load of bait and hoping they move in for the next half hour.
No, I know that in current conditions, when the weather is changeable and the carp are moving around under the surface, when bait goes in carp MAY home in on it quickly. And if they do those fish may root around for a couple of minutes and then move away. Other MAY immediately replace them, but the likelihood is that you have to wait a few minutes, then re-bait, and hope more come in from a few yards away. But if you don't get bites quickly, then you need a change of swim.
The last few fish
Anyway, meat in on the right, got it adjusted to fish my special method, and a quick carp, followed by five minutes biteless, then in with more meat and another carp. I laid that rig down and took out one for the absolute margin, right against the boards in front of my swim. One fish there and Mike came up to see me land it - 5 lb and foulhooked. Then another foulhooked which came off. Mike went back and within seconds I had another, hooked properly.
Satisfied the rigs were perfect I then started to pack up, had one more from the meat swim, and I was ready to go home. Nine carp and four nice rudd for about 35 lb, in less than three hours. Mike was fishless, though he got two after I had gone home.
Conclusions for practice session
I simply concluded that if conditions didn't change much I was quite capable of winning from this peg, or any of the better ones. And I had four rigs set absolutely perfectly.
PS. Every time I baited I emptied a pot of water over the top to tell the carp the bar was open.
The match
Twelve pegs in the hat on Sunday, the draw about to take place (roughly every other peg round to 21, plus two on the island) , and I got a 'phone call saying my son-in-law was going for a Covid19 test and I ought to go home since we'd had a mug of tea with him the previous day. Completely unnecessary for me to go home, of course, but I wasn't about to have a stand-up row with an upset wife, so as the draw went ahead I packed my stuff away again.
OF COURSE the empty peg left - the one I would have been on - was 7! The match was won on 3 with around 91 lb I'm told, with Tony on 20 second (in the narrows, with the remains of a bush opposite, it's been a consistent peg for years). I think the other best weights were on 1 and 3. Son-in-law's test was negative. Thankfully.
Again, help was on hand for me when I took the rods back to the van, turned round, and saw that Callum had wheeled my trolley and gear back for me. Thanks, mate. All help gratefully received.
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| Peter Harrison wins from Peg 13, to the left of the famous Peg 15, in the main bay which is often not pegged. |
I'm back on Magpie Wednesday in an Over-60s, and even with a near full-house of 36 regulars I'm confident that almost half of the pegs can give me a frame place. The ones I fancy most are 1-7, 25 to 27, and 29 to 34 on the island (especially 32). But honestly, I think that whatever the conditions I will be able to catch fish on the pole, even leaving my rods at home.
Spratts on Willows
Here's the result from the Monday Spratts match, which I didn't fish because son-in-law's result didn't come through early enough for me to get there on time. Winner Peter Harrison fished cat meat on two plus two for 172 lb 12 oz. That bloke could catch fish from a bucket of concrete.
Trevor Cousins had fish on the surface from soon after the start and mugged them shallow with hard pellet for 129 lb 7 oz and second spot. Bob Barret mainly feedered with cat meat and pellet for 87 lb 9 oz, with Mark Parnell on 25 (the most famous peg on the complex) catching 84 lb 4 oz on pole with meat and pellet.
Willows is perhaps the most temperamental lake on the complex to fish, but I love it. And I should be back there next Sunday with Fenland Rods (barring virus eventualities).
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