Thirteen out of 14 top 100 lb - Oak, Decoy

Peg 5
Fourteen or us fished this Fenland Rods match on Sunday, with the wind having died down somewhat from the previous two days. We were given the option of fishing on either side of this strip lake, and as rain was forecast the West bank was chosen giving us back wind. I have no doubt - and neither did some others, that the opposite bank, where there was a substantial ripple, would probably have fished better...but that's just an observation, as the conditions applied to everyone. I'm just happy to still be able to fish.

But I think it's fairer to have everyone facing the same weather conditions anyway. In fact my views on pegging are well-known - basically we should be fishing on every peg. Fishing three pegs apart, as some matches are pegged, is like pleasure fishing, but without the pleasure of being able to see and chat to, the angler next door. It's proper match fishing.

Not that I would welcome pegging like the Pound length used to be on the Witham - 12 yards apart, with the water often moving. It was called the Pound Length because that was about as much as you could expect.

Wendy had over 100 lb to my right, and all on a feeder.

Back to our match and "Mac Campbell" was called out followed by Mel drawing out Peg 5. It's not one I would have chosen - I would have picked Peg 1, or 10, 11 or 12, but I know that, in fact, every peg was capable of producing a good catch, with the fish mainly from 5 lb to 10 lb-plus. Our side of the lake was pretty calm, with ripple appearing occasionally about ten metres out. Generally the weather was cloudy with sunny intervals, but warm.

I'm well behind after 15 minutes
To my left was Dave Garner, fishing his usual waggler, and he started like a train - two fish in the first ten minutes while I was fishing hard pellet out at three sections, where the depth was a little over four feet. I had decided on the method that Tom Edwards says is the only way to win on this lake at the moment, and I was confident it would pay dividends. But when, after 15 minutes without a bite, I found myself 15 lb behind Dave Garner, and with Peter Spriggs to his left also netting a big fish,  the temptation to change was too much, and I went into the margins, where Dave was fishing.

I knew Dave would be fishing cat meat - I think he has shares in Coshida -  but I started on corn, to the left, feeding corn and pellet in about 30 inches of water. Soon a ten-pounder came in, but after a lull, with Dave still hitting big fish, I changed to cat meat. It was slow, but every 15 minutes I'd get a big fish. Potting dead maggots into a tiny hole to my right brought a carp instantly, but it was only 2 lb, and I figured that I'd be better chasing the bigger fish. Probably a wrong decision!

Our Chairman/Secretary/Dogsbody, John Smith,
shows the stamp of carp we all had in our nets.

Maggot in the really shallow margins to my left, where it was only inches deep, brought in a lot of very big fish, stirring up the mud, but although I took one fish there very quickly I wasted too much time trying for more. Afterwards Dennis Sambridge said he found the same thing - fish came in but wouldn't take a bait.

Cat meat sort of works
So I alternated between the left deep margin and the deeper water just out in front of me, where cat meat took an occasional fish over corn and pellet. I fed more than I normally would, finishing up using four cans of corn and about three pints of pellet, plus a pint of deads. However, John at the fishery would say that even that probably wasn't enough. The strange thing is that Dave, to my left, was catching more than me, but feeding only a small amount.

He would throw a few pellets out about ten metres, follow it up with his gear, with all his shot below the float, allowing the meat to sink naturally, and hit a fish within a minute or so. He really has it down to a fine art. Then he'd revert to the margins.  And he seemed to be catching faster than me all day, though of course he also had some bad stretches.

Mike Rawson had his biggest-ever match catch -
158 lb 14 oz, on Peg One. Nice One son...

I couldn't catch a fish unless I fed first. Perhaps carp were coming in and mopping up the bait I put in in the first minute. Certainly if I didn't get a bite in two minutes the chances were I wouldn't get one. The best thing I did was to lay on a good six inches - that was better than fishing dead depth.

Heavy rain for a short time
At three o'clock we had heavy rain for a few minutes, and as so often happens when rain starts, I was playing a fish,, so I got a small drenching before slipping on a waterproof jacket. Sport then seemed to slow down, and in the next half hour I had only one more.

I lost about five fish all day, some of which were foulhooked, but was otherwise pleased I didn't waste a lot of time playing and losing them. Meat seemed the best bait, and the bigger pieces seemed to bring bites more quickly than a smaller chunk. I was pleased to get some of the double-figure fish in very quickly by striking gently and persuading the fish to drift along in front of me, keeping the pole under the surface so the fish came to the top, and scooping it out before it realised what had happened. Unfortunately those fish were the devil to unhook when they woke up.

Others stretched the elastic out to the next pegs, and they tended to be the smaller fish, around 5 lb to 7 lb. I used my new Preston keepnet bar with four nets, and guessed I had about 40 lb in each net. yet again when the match ended I was playing a fish - I had it over the net four times but it seemed to be able to turn away at the last second. When I finally got it in, I saw that it was about 6 lb, but  foulhooked in the pectoral fin, which was why I couldn't bring it towards the net headfirst.

Our oldest member, Joe Bedford, prepares to weigh in
almost 150 lb. What a catch for someone aged 90.

The weigh in
Peg 1, and Mike Rawson was mighty chuffed (as he should have been) with 158 lb 14 oz - his best-ever match weight, taken on a shortish pole to the end bank on his right.. He said that when the rain came he simply stopped catching, otherwise he would have had even more. Dick Warriner had 145 lb on 2, but Tony on 3, who is our Club Champion, struggled to just over 100 lb. I assume he was fishing his favourite pellet, and possibly concentrated on fishing shallow for a time, which is what I think I saw him doing. even more. That made sense to me, because fish were cruising around all day.

Next door Wendy took all her fish on a feeder - she has a dodgy shoulder and couldn't possibly play big fish all day on a pole - and also topped 100 lb. My catch weighed 177 lb 2 oz, but I knew Dave next door had thrashed me. In fact he had beaten me, and ended as winner, with 208 lb 4 oz - not as far ahead of me as I had imagined.

Dennis Sambridge, 85, and a veteran of the
match circuit, was runner-up with 187 lb 12 oz.

And so down the line where only Alan on 8 missed out on a ton. Dennis Sambridge on 12 was runner-up with 187 lb 12 oz, mainly to his left in the deep water on the corner of a reed bed. At 85 he's not the oldest member, but you's never, ever, guess he was that age. Nor would you guess Joe Bedford was 90! He is still able to haul in his own nets for weighing, and like a Good 'Un he also topped 100 lb with 149 lb 6 oz, and eighth place in this memorable club match.

And down to the corner peg 15, where Rob Allen was only one fish from beating me, weighing in 165 lb 15 oz for a well deserved fourth spot.

Winner Dave Garner with over 200 lb.

Dave attempts to show his best fish, weighed at
14 lb 14 oz. He didn't drop it, but the carp mat
was laid out if he had. 

So I finished third, and won something for the tenth match in a row. The run will obviously stop soon, and the next match on Six-Island could be it. Six-Island is  peggier than most of the other lakes at Decoy, partly because of the wind factor, which means one half is usually affected while the other half is calm. Give me the wild wind in my hair and the beating sun on my face... I'm getting all poetical now - did you notice?

A great club match - one of the best we've ever had.