This was the second round of the Rookery Waters Fishery Individual Winter League, fished on Jay and Raven, and my sole target was not to finish last on Jay. Unfortunately I did finish last! But I didn't feel I disgraced myself.
The morning started quite nice, with a lightish breeze, and my peg was on the inside of a corner, with the wind blowing right to left. To the left I could reach the far bank with 14 metres of pole, so that's where I started. There was about two feet of water over there, deepening a little as I came away from the bank. Within literally seconds of the match starting the breeze increased quite a lot, and for most of the day it was quite a stiff wind - so much that it was at times impossible to fish across in front of me, so I fished mainly to the left bank.
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| Peg 38, on the inside of a corner. I fished mainly to the left. Unfortunately the wind picked up soon after the match started. |
Within a few minutes the angler two swims to my left, Bruno Norman, was into a fish from the far bank. He had one or two more in the first hour, while I didn't get anything on my dobbed bread. During the day I found the movement of the water - splashing up to the far bank - was pulling my rig away from the margin. So I had to shorten the lash from pole to float, which may have put fish off. Bruno had back wind and a much calmer surface, which may have helped him hold the rig steady. Or it could be that he's a far better angler than me!!
It was 90 minutes before I got an indication - two or three clear liners in a couple of minutes. Then the float went under and stayed under, and I struck into a fish. Within seconds I realised it was foulhooked, but I managed to land it - a six-pounder hooked in the tail.
With no more indications I switched to a maggot swim in the deep water - about five feet - at 11 metres. Before the match I had been speaking to an angler who had fished the peg the previous day, and he could find fish only at 11 metres - he had nothing from the far-bank shallows. But although I felt I had got everything right, nothing came from that swim.
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| Bruno Norman, on Peg 40 to my left, with his catch of 35 lb 2 oz, which was second in his section. |
I lose another!
So back to the far bank for the last hour and after three more minute perch took double maggot - two of which fell off - I hit another good fish. This time I got down to playing it on the top two before the hook again pulled out! Then with five minutes left I managed another carp - of about 8 oz.
My net went 6 lb 11 oz, with Bruno had seven carp and five F1s for 35 lb 2 oz. One peg from the bridge Adam Playford won the lake with 92 lb 1 oz after switching to maggot following the first hour on bread.
The angler to my right couldn't fish across properly because of the wind and took nine carp on a maggot feeder cast to the far bank. I should certainly have considered doing that - my rod holdall lay beside me and the thought never crossed my mind to switch. I should also have changed to maggot after a blank first hour on bread, which is what I suspect most of the anglers would have done.
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| My half of the weights on Jay. |
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| The first half of the weights, from Peg 1. |
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| The result from Raven (I wasn't last in the whole match!) |
Last on the lake, so obviously last in my five-peg section. But I felt that I had again fished a reasonable match, and was unlucky to lose two fish which could have put me much nearer 15 lb or 20 lb. And to be realistic the fishing at the moment is so hard that the average non-match angler would be hard-pushed to land a single carp there at the moment, as the fishing is so specialised.
Although I struggled to get a bite on the far bank, I'm sure I'm not doing anything wrong, as I've caught like that in the past, and had 70 lb doing it.
My next match is an Over 60s on Wednesday, which at the moment is booked for Magpie. Next Winter League is not until January 9th. Plenty of time to get the drawing board out...
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