On Damson in distress (Geddit?)

 Just thawed out after this Spratts match on Damson at Decoy. Seventeen fished in what was forecast to be a North-Westerly, and I was delighted to get drawn 17 on the North bank. The wind, which was forecast to start at -1C (-6 in the wind chill) would be over my right shoulder.

So you can imagine my surprise when I got to my swim to find it coming into me from the right...yet the anglers on the East bank also had it into them from their right . Must have been something to do with the trees and banking...anyway I said "Oh Dear". Never mind - it was forecast to get to 5 degrees later, though still Zero in the wind chill. Positively balmy!

My swim at the end of the match, when the sun had moved round to the right.

Flaming sun!
In fact because the sun was shining, the first hour was not too cold, and I managed one 1 lb carp on a 6mm expander on a 1 gm rig, fished to my right, into the wind, because the sun was right in our eyes on this bank. I thought "Oh Dear" again. Meanwhile Mick Ramm on Peg 19 (he drew 7 but the platform there was dodgy) had already caught two or three decent carp on a top two, fishing about four feet deep. I hadn't got much of a margin, and had decided to start in the deep water, three sections out, where it was about seven feet deep.

Then it blew harder and colder and eventually, after another half-hour with just one more small fish from the same swim, I turned to my left. Mick was still catching carp, but nobody else seemed to be catching.

Round to the left I had put in a couple of bait-droppers of maggot, and with four deads on the hook I eventually caught a 2 lb mirror, dragging hard on the bottom. At one point I changed to a 2 gm rig, to try to keep it steady in the increasing wind, and this worked a treat...except that it didn't bring a single bite! I tried in the side - inches from the bank, in the shallowest water I could find, still with nothing.

We stick to the Covid rules, and Trevor picks out a name and 
then the peg number for us. It turned out that pegs 7 and 14
had problems so Peter Harrison and Mick Ramm moved to 18 and 19.

Three fish in 15 minutes
Next I tried on the slope at 5 feet  depth with a 0.5 gm rig baited with corn...and this brought immediate success with three fish in 15 minutes, the best around 8 lb. Then no more.

I could see Bob Barrett on the left-hand bank now catching the odd fish on a feeder, and I do believe that if I had changed to a feeder I would have done much better. But I was shivering with cold (as was everybody else), despite five layers plus the padded jacket, and I knew that Alan and and Peter to my left, and Peter Harrison to my right, were struggling, so I stayed on the pole as I didn't fancy moving off my box.

Mistake. Suddenly Alan Porter on my left took two or three fish on the feeder, and as eventually I made the definite decision to switch I had another fish on a 1 gm rig, You know how it is! Then it started to snow...so I stayed on the pole.

Another couple of fish on corn came before the wind died down a little, the snow stopped, and the sun came out again and, with 45 minutes left, I thought I might start catching. Oh Dear (again), I was wrong. But at least we could pack up in reasonable conditions.

I suffered
I took my time packing up, but the old problem of terrible back ache came again and I had to sit down a couple of times, feeling decidedly unwell. But within two or three minutes I always felt able to carry on.

The wheel comes off - literally
I have had my motorised trolley mended, and it got me back the 150 yards to the van OK, by which time the others had already started to weigh in. My new system is to disengage the drive wheels to push the trolley up my ramp, and to bring it down backwards - this was suggested to me to avoid stripping the gears again. But before I could wheel it in position to go up the ramp one of the wheels slipped off and gracefully rolled about 20 yards down the gravel track.

There wasn't anyone nearby and if I had left the trolley it would have tipped right over, so I had to wheel it on three wheels down to the offending wheel, reach down to pick it up, and while lifting the trolley with the other hand, slip it onto the axle. Real Fred Karno stuff!

Up the ramp OK, and with the other stuff packed in, and after a short rest in the van I trudged back just in time to see Peter Baker on 15 weigh in. It looked as if the weights at our end of the lake were a little less than on the Eastern bank. Bob Barret was leading with 36 lb - he told me he couldn't catch on the pole, but took all his fish on a feeder fished on the pole line.

Peter Harrison made history by coming last for the
 first time ever. For the record I finished 11th. 

I weigh 20 lb
I was pleased to weigh in 20 lb 7 oz, beating the three to my left, and also Peter Harrison to my right on 18 (his peg 14 was not fishable). Amazingly Peter, who has won lots of our matches, was last, and didn't take his first carp until more than four hours into the match.  Then the scales went on to Mick Ramm, who ended as winner with his 46 lb 14 oz - I saw him land only a couple of fish in the last two hours. Well done Mick.

A lot of the competitors took fish on a feeder - I probably should have changed. But actually I didn't fancy packing it all away - for me that's by far the worst part of the day now. I have cut down the gear I take to my peg, but it's still a problem. It looks as if it will mean a lot fewer pictures this season as I may not be able to follow the scales all the way round. But fingers crossed!!

Next match Sunday on Six-Islands at Decoy, when the forecast is for more NNE Arctic winds. That would mean that pegs 24, 25 and 1 to 9 might get some sort of back wind. I expect weights to be from poor to dire! Next day is Spratts on Beastie lake. I will look at the forecast with interest...