Fourteen of us fished this midweek Spratts match, and there are several pegs on Beastie that I particularly like, so I was hoping for one of those. Before Trevor made the draws for us Rob Allan asked me which pegs I didn't want, and stupidly I told him - 20 to 24, even though they had a back wind. As soon as I said it I suspected I was tempting fate..
The forecast was for cold winds, so because it would be a sudden drop in temperature I fancied those with back wind on the spit - particularly 9 and 13, plus my favourite 18, and also 4, 5 and 8 which, although they looked like having a facing South-Westerly, have form. Also, of course, 29 and 30, which are the most sheltered pegs on the lake, and would have back wind.
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| Trevor does the draw and Rob Allen makes a note (some of us forget). |
The draw
First out was Trevor - Peg 13. One I would have really liked already gone. And in quick succession the others came spilling out - Rob Allan got 18, Mick Ramm 9, and Mick Linnell 8 in the corner. Alan Porter was given 5, and Martin Parker 29. My dreaded peg 24 was still in, and I gave a sigh of relief when it went to Mick Rawson. But it's a good feeder peg and I thought he might get a few fish there.
The call came: "Mac Campbell" - I waited for a peg in the 20 s to come out, but There Is A God - it was 30!! No-one is ever unhappy with 30, and Terry Tribe had been telling me he caught his biggest-ever carp the previous Saturday there - all 19 lb 15 oz of it! He said he couldn't catch from the deep right margin, and wasted over three hours there before switching to his left and ending with 60 lb-plus.
So down to the swim, and I wondered whether my elation was misplaced, as it was flat calm, the only ripple being from a couple of swimming ducks. On the other hand the water was not cold, and in fact the temperature seemed to be going up. But I wasn't optimistic and put in only one keepnet.
I had taken my stiff margin pole to the swim but didn't put it together, which I regretted at the end of the match. I started the match by potting in dead maggot round to my left near the reeds, hoping for possible barbel or carp, but started fishing out at 11.5 metres with a 4mm expander, with just a few potted in with a cup on my pole tip. I was pleased to find an undertow right to left against the wind.
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| The scene that greeted me on Peg 30. The only ripples were from two ducks having swimming lessons. |
Oh Dear
Within a minute I had an 8 oz bream, and next drop hit a big fish. I played it for a minute or two, and when it came to the surface I could see it was a carp around 8 lb. I was preparing to net it when the hook pulled out (!). I said: "Oh dear". Ten minutes later the same thing happened! I didn't see that fish, but it felt really heavy. A short time later, with no more bites I put in some expanders and corn and turned my attention to the maggot swim. That brought four or five fish - the biggest being a perch of 3 oz.
Eventually I dropped in a little way away from that swim and hit a carp of 3 lb, which ended in my net. So I concentrated there for 20 minutes, but had only the occasional liner - at least there were carp there.
Changing to cat meat brought me a good bite which I missed, and then I hit another big fish, which came off after a few seconds accompanied by two huge scales ending near mt bank. That encouraged me to concentrate in that swim with cat meat for the next 45 minutes, but nothing came.
Two hours gone and I had 3 lb in my net, so it was back out to 11.5 metres with expander, and then corn, which brought my first good carp at 5 lb. I put in a little more bait and, with the excuse of resting my swim, wandered up to Martin Parker on 29. He had just had his first bite, from a 10 lb carp, on a feeder.
I went back, and immediately had another carp, 8 lb, on corn, and then lost another biggie, the hook pulling out. Carp 4 v Mac 2. Another look to the left brought nothing, then a couple of drops at 11.5 metres brought two more bream. It was time to look in the right margin, which had done so badly for Terry.
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| This could have been a picture of former Vets National Champion Martin Parker with his catch - but he was missing when his catch was weighed. |
The right margin
In went just a few grains of corn, and within 30 seconds I was playing a big fish, which had taken a single grain. The rig I was using was a delicate antenna, which had served me so well in the waggler match - I had now fished it top and bottom. That brought three or four more big fish, the best of which we weighed at 13 lb 13 oz, but several others came adrift. Around this time the rain started - while I was playing a fish (of course), but it was never heavy.
An inch was golden
Cat meat took a couple of thise fish, but corn brought quicker bites, and I found that fishing the corn JUST off bottom was miles better than laying on. That inch was golden. And the delicate float showed me when the corn was off bottom, so I could get it right every time.
Bites stopped eventually and I wasted half an hour there before a switch to a new swim in front of me on a top two also brought immediate results on corn, with four or five more, all around 8 lb to 10 lb. But, oh dear (again), with half an hour to go a big fish hooked on hollow 13 elastic suddenly shot off as if someone had applied a lighted match to its backside. It bottomed the elastic out and the rig pinged back minus the hook and minus the antenna of the float. It was ruined.
So I had to change, but had no other float like that with me (nor at home). Luckily the 1gm Cralluso float I had on a stronger elastic worked like a charm, even though it was meant for fishing cat meat.So two more big fish came there, necessitating a third net to be put in, and with ten minutes to go, after a lull, I turned back to the right. That ten minutes brought me two fish around 5 lb each before the match ended.
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| Peter The Paste with his 92 lb 7 oz catch from Peg 23. He was fourth, |
I didn't think Martin had as many fish as me, and I couldn't see anyone else, except that the angler on 14 (who turned out to be John Garner) had only two nets in. Later he told me that with 40 minutes to go he had 7 lb, but ended with 49 lb - some going!
I have a good grope
My packing up, which is always the part I hate because it creases my back, was not too bad as this is a nice level swim and platform. But I was held up for a short time when one of my accessory arms, used to keep the side tray away from my box (so my landing net can lay there) dropped in the water. There was nothing for it but to take off my fleece and hoodie, and roll up my shirt sleeve and grope around near the platform. Amazingly I managed to find the offending arm, so I was a happy bunny.
The weigh in
Tackle back at the van and I wandered round with phone in hand to the spit, where Peter Harrison had weighed in 101 lb; but Bob Barrett on Peg 4, was admitting to 130 lb. I knew I hadn't got 30 lb in my last net, so I couldn't win.
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| Alan Porter is our newest member, but he's pushing his luck, having had some good catches in his last few matches! |
Peter The Paste on 23 had 92 lb of big fish, but Mike next door had already gone - I will have to find out what happened there. Martin had 58 lb of big fish, and told me he started catching when he saw me fishing out on a top two - his margins produced nothing. I weighed 116 lb 15 oz, but I must have lost at least 10 big fish which pulled off. I don't think any, except the one which left me a scale, were foulhooked, but you can't always be sure.
Round to the Eastern bank, and Bob Barrett had five big fish on a shortish pole and then out a feeder out into the open water for the rest of his 130 lb 2 oz - he is a real whizz on that feeder. Alan Porter next door had 92 lb and then the size of fish weighed in became much smaller - Terry (32 lb) and Mick Linnell on 8 (13 lb 12 oz) both suffered. So I ended second.
Conclusion
I should have had a look in the right margin earlier, and I should have changed swims mush more quickly when the carp went.
Just two of the fish I had lost would probably have won me the match, and I played some of them for several minutes. I have no idea why they came off. I should have tried the stiff margin pole as the fish don't fight as much on that. I even lost fish using Kamasan Animal hooks, and there's no question of their bending out on a big fish. The Guru Kaizans, which I use a lot of, are a slightly thinner wire gauge and MAY bend out a little, but I don't think so.
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| Bob Barrett with his winning 130 lb 2 oz catch from Peg 4. He is in the middle of a terrific run of form, and weilds that feeder rod like a magic wand. |
The elastics I used ranged from 13 hollow up to 20 bungee, and In fact I got on better with the heavier elastics, even though top matchmen nearly always recommend lighter elastics so the fish (theoretically) use up energy on the first charge out of the swim. But has anyone told the fish that? It seems to me that the lighter elastic makes it easier for the fish to get up speed. And with the cooler weather of late the water holds more oxygen than it did in the Summer. I am sure that makes a difference.
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| You know what this is. |
Interestingly the pegs on the back of the spit which I fancied at the start didn't produce.
Next match
Next match Elm at Decoy, and we will be taking up all 12 pegs on the Western bank, with a strong North-Westerly forecast so it should be slightly over our backs. Maggots down the shelf for possible barbel will probably be a starter tactic; and probably an early cast with bomb. I should really have a waggler ready for fishing down the middle, especially if there's an undertow, but I love my pole.
It looks like being several degrees colder by then, so I don't expect big weights...if I have 40 lb with an hour to go I will probably be happy. Favourite peg there now the weather is cooler is probably 9, two-thirds of the way down, so 9 to 12 would suit me. But at this time of year anything can happen.
For my own reference here are the weights in peg order:
4 Bob Barrett, 130 lb 2 oz 1st
5 Alan Porter, 92 lb 1 oz
7 Terry Tribe, 32 lb 15 oz
8 Mick Linnell, 13 lb 12 oz
9 Mick Ramm, 15 lb 10 oz
11 Peter Barnes, 20 lb 8 oz
13 Trevor Cousins, 50 lb
14 John Garner, 49 lb 4 oz
16 Peter Harrison, 101 lb 3rd
18 Bob Allan, 9 lb 9 oz
23 Peter Spriggs, 92 lb 7 oz 4th
24 Mike Rawson, DNW
29 Martin Parker, 58 lb 2 oz
30 Mac The Knife, 116 lb 15 oz 2nd
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