Sex during the match not good for me - Six-Island, Decoy

 Peg 22, Sunday, May 30th
As soon as we all drove onto the Six-Island car park for John Garner's Invitation match we could see what was going on - the water was swirling and splashing in the margins, and tails and fins charging about and waving at us. Worst of all they were largely around peg 22, which I didn't fancy in the first place!

Bob Allen made the draw for all of us, and John Garner recorded it all.

And a lovely-looking right margin!!

Excuses out of the way, I am reliably informed that things were the same in lots of places around the lake. But the end result was that I didn't catch a lot...but I did see thousands of big carp during the day. many of which I could have scooped up in my landing net. The spectacle was awesome at times - Dick Warrener on Peg 20 pointed out to me a spot where he said the bank was undercut just to my left, and sure enough, during the day I witnessed carp nudging each other up to the spot and completely disappearing into the darkness.

Lovely-looking left margin for me.

I suffer
The reason I suffered was that my margins - beautiful as they looked - were very shallow, and in the early-morning sun. And the spawning went on, non-stop, until 3 o'clock, one hour before we finished. Clearly I couldn't - daren't - fish the margins, so started on the feeder, with no result - not even a liner. Then out on the pole to nine metres, with the same result. Then out to an island on my left at 14 metres, where the fish had not been spawning. Unbelievably within five minutes of me dropping a rig beside the reeds there fish started holding a side-orgy. I persevered, but didn't get even a liner, and it was awkward as the bank at the back here is close and high.

Dick, to my right on 20, fished a brilliant match in the heat.

After nearly three hours Dick, on my right, had started catching the odd fish by fishing his margins with cat meat. but I couldn't possibly do that yet; I would have foulhooked fish within seconds. Beyond him Tim Bates on 19 had started long but reverted to his margins after an hour, and was catching steadily on maggot. He told me today that to his left the margin was deeper, and the fish were not spawning there. And that was the key - you needed deep margins.

Fish on...Fish off
To cut a long, boring, story short I eventually tried a small worm a little away from the margin, hoping that some of the carp coming in were looking for spawn to eat...and first drop, within seconds, I hooked a big carp. It came to the surface, was clearly hooked in the mouth, and promptly came off. In the next 20 minutes, still using worm, I hooked two more and landed them - both foulhooked - for a total of 5 lb. A switch to the deeper margin on the right brought a five-pounder on cat meat.

Kev Beavis was the first I saw weigh. Great to 
see him again after a year! His weight was 63 lb 7 oz.

Much later first drop with a bunch of dead maggots brought another, then corn to the left well away from the margin, brought one or two more, and in the last hour a couple more came on a top two in the deeper water. I finished with  about nine fish for 41 lb 10 oz, so I must have caught a couple more somewhere, but can't remember when or where!  It was that enthralling. 

The margins didn't produce even when the fish had gone, though at the end when I dumped a very small amount of left-over bait in the side there were fish there within less than a minute. I reckon they knew the match had finished.

Maggots win
To my left, round the corner, Kevin Lee had also struggled for the first four-and-a-half hours, but then found fish on cat meat to his left in deepish water (three feet) next to a small bush. He was one of 13 to beat me.

Tim Bates won with 147 lb 4 oz and was overweight in two nets, He used five pints of maggots and fished with a bunch on the hook. He said that he watched the cruising fish dive down for the bait when he put in his rig.

The winner! Tim Bates, with 147 lb 4 oz, mainly taken on maggot.
One net weighed 59 lb 4 oz...12 oz more and it would have been disqualified.

My thoughts
Looking back I actually was quite proud of the fact that I caught any fish at all in the circumstances. It's the only time I've ever been frightened of hooking fish - when you see fifteen-pounders cruising at speed and charged up with testosterone looking for ladies, you really do not want to fish foulhooking them. And the fish were constantly spawning, until 3 o'clock, between the platform to my right and the platform to my left. I think I was lucky to get away without any breakages. C'est la vie.

Kev Lee with a beautiful common.

RESULT

2 Joe Bedford                DNW

3 James Garner               97 lb 15 oz    2nd

4 Mick Rawson               46 lb

6 Wendy Bedford            12 lb 9 oz

7 Bob Allen                    79 lb 9 oz

8 Roland Butcher          58 lb 15 oz

9 Dennis Sambridge      51 lb 12 oz

10 Dave Garner              97 lb 8 oz       3rd 

11 John Garner               20 lb 5 oz

12 Peter Spriggs             43 lb 4 oz 

13 Bob Barrett                DNW  

14 Mel Lutkin                 38 lb 10 oz

15 Allan Golightly          87 lb 7 oz

                                                      17 Andy Skeels               30 lb 10 oz

18 Kevin Beavis            63 lb 7 oz

19 Tim Bates                147 lb 4 oz           1st

20 Dick Warrener            96 lb 14 oz        5th

22 Mac Campbell            41 lb 10 oz

24 Kevin Lee                97 lb 6 oz            4th

25 Callum Judge            33 lb 15 oz

Next match tomorrow (Tuesday) on Oak and hopefully things will have calmed down.

Plenty of fish for me - and a mystery

Peg 17, Elm Lake, Decoy, Wednesday, May 26
 On Tuesday I nipped into The Works in Huntingdon. The sign says: "Everything must go." But that sign has been saying that for years. Anyway, I bought one of those popular paperbacks 'Unsolved Enigmas' - The Abominable Snowman, Mystery of the Marie Celeste, is Hitler still alive? etc etc. Little did I think that next day I would witness one for myself!

The invitation match run by Wendy Bedford on Elm lake at Decoy had 20 entries; 20 had paid Wendy their pools money; but only 19 lined up for the draw. Someone was missing. A check found that it was John Whitlock. I'd never heard of him, and neither had Wendy - she assumed it was a friend of another invitee.

I checked the car park and the shop - no John Whitlock. It then transpired that none of the anglers in our match seemed to have heard of him; yet Wendy remembered him paying. He never turned up. Where is he?

Mel makes the draw, and Callum records it.

The only explanation is that either a spaceship landed in the Decoy car park, unnoticed, and whisked him away; or that he's still stumbling aimlessly about in the wilds of Fenland searching desperately for the draw. Either way, we put our priorities first of course and had the draw and fished the match. All of us. And a good time was had by all...except John Whitlock!

The match
Mel drew peg 17 for me - facing the cool wind with  the probability of rain later. I would have preferred the opposite bank because of that, but when I got to my swim there was a pleasant surprise - a nice looking lefthand margin. It was deep, and ran under an overhanging bush. To the right the bank had collapsed and the margins were much shallower and bumpier, but I found a couple of flat areas four or five feet from the bank. With two very different margin swims I was very happy that one of them would produce at some time in the match.

My swim at the start. Luckily the rain wasn't heavy, but the facing wind  became very cold at times.

The start (and my plans altered again)
I had intended to start on a feeder, but that lefthand margin drew me, like the previous match. I put in a rig with a piece of cat meat - no loose feed at all. I dropped it in several spots, and got several little knocks that I thought were probably roach, and several real dive-away bites, all of which I missed. I was pretty sure they were liners.

A change to my lighter rig with corn saw a roach hooked, and promptly dropped. That settled it - I went over to a feeder, intending to go back later in the match, certain that there were carp or barbel under that bush. Ten minutes after I had cast out the banjo with a washed-out wafter I hooked my first fish - a 6 lb carp. Next cast came a 2 lb bream. But then I saw a couple of carp come into the right margin, apparently sucking algae off some snags in the side. I'd also seen Dennis on the opposite bank hook a fish on pole, while Dick, to my left behind a big bush, appeared to be landing a good fish, with some splashing. So I went on the pole myself.

It was good to see Ken Wade, who has done
so much for local anglers over the years.

A big carp from the right
First drop in the right margin, about five feet out, saw me hook a fish which  came off after a minute, definitely foulhooked. Next drop, and a mirror carp shot off with my bait, eventually finishing up in my net - all 15 lb of it!

 A couple more slightly smaller carp came from the same spot but then bites tailed off. A switch to corn saw another one or two, around 8 lb, and another foulhooked and lost, and then a move closer to the bank , still with corn, brought another three or four, all a good size. This Middy float was shorter, with a slightly thicker top than my favorite Drennan Tuff Eye, so I could drag it along the bottom to get a bite. But it was fishing into the wind, so still not ideal. Out of the blue just one barbel took the corn.

Big fish were still coming in to the bank, but I'm pretty sure they weren't dropping down to where I was putting in corn. I think my fish were coming up the slope, which made me realise afterwards that I probably should have dropped down into the deeper water when bites tailed off.

Sun, rain, and cold

Two hours gone, and now the rain started, but it was only light and spasmodic, so I think we actually got off pretty lightly with the weather. When the sun came out it was very pleasant, but Alan Porter, to my right, told me that at times his arms were shaking with cold.

Peter Harrison with one of several barbel from Peg 14.

I had put in three pots of 6mm pellet, hemp and a few grains of corn out at top-two-plus-three since the start, but a move out there saw me get just one bite which I missed.  Remembering that on Cedar on Saturday the biggest fish had come from the margins, I decided to come back in. The wind was now very cool again and, after another long look in the righthand margin for just one or two carp, I had a look to the left. There were just over two hours left and I had an estimated 42 lb in the first net and 32 in the second. Then Callum, opposite, put in a third net,

A purple patch
First drop in to the left with corn and a 10 lb carp took it. That enabled me to put out my third net. And for the next hour I hit fish after fish. Understand that it wasn't frantic - I would put in about a quarter of a large pot of hemp and pellet with a few grains of corn, wait a minute or two, as my back was starting to hurt from playing the fish, and follow it up with my rig and corn, trickling in just four or five grains (no more) to excite the fish which were looking for my previous offering.

What a gorgeous-looking margin swim to my left.

Sometimes I had a cup of soup while I waited. The result was that I steadily added half-a-dozen fish - all carp from 6 lb to 10 lb - without losing any, and put in a fourth net with 30 minutes left. I had a look with cat meat at one time, dragged in to the bottom of the shelf, only a foot out, but the result was a foulhooked barbel, so I abandoned that and changed back to corn in an effort to target the carp. 

Alan Porter to my right was fishing towards me in the shallowish margin, and catching fish, but I decided not to change to fish towards him as I was pretty certain he wasn't catching as fast as I was.

A couple more fish approaching 10 lb each went into the fourth net, and then two smaller ones of 2 lb and 3 lb, before the match ended. I noticed that Callum hadn't put in a fourth net.

A great feeling afterwards
 I had had lots of liners to the left, but using my special method at times had enabled me to cut foulhookers down to a minimum. That was very pleasing. And I had managed to really get into "the zone " for that last two hours, which  is perhaps the ultimate feeling a match fisherman can get.

Callum finished 

The weigh in
I joined the scales partway down the opposite bank to see that Trevor was leading with 98 lb, and that stayed in front down to Gary Holmes, who I had not seen for years, on 11. Both his nets were well over the 50 lb limit we were fishing to, so he totalled 100 lb, having dropped 11 lb. He must have been on tenterhooks wondering whether that would have cost him a place.

Round to our bank and Alan Porter, on 16 next to me, weighed in 96 lb 11 oz, and I managed 165 lb 2 oz, despite having gone over in two nets! But since no-one else had more than three nets in I knew I must have won. 

Ken Wade, former Peterborough AA captain and tackle shop owner, fished on Peg 19 and was fifth with 90 lb 14 oz., with Callum sixth on 89 lb 13 oz, having had a terrible last hour or two.

So my first win of the year, and the £80 winnings will pay for a good few tins of hemp!

RESULT

East Bank                                                    West Bank

23 Dave Garner              76 lb 3 oz                   2 Andy (Joe's b-in-law)    47 lb 1 oz
22 Wendy Bedford         63 lb 14 oz                 3 Trevor Cousins              98 lb            3rd
21 Mick Ramm              36 lb 6 oz                   5 Shaun Buddle                81 lb 13 oz

20 Joe Bedford               37 lb 11 oz                 8 Mick Rawson                DNW

19 Ken Wade                  90 lb 14 oz                 9 Callum Judge                89 lb 13 oz
18 Dick Warrener           50 lb                           10 Dennis Sambridge       62 lb 4 oz
17 Mac Campbell         165 lb 2 oz        1st      11 Gary Holmes              100 lb         2nd
16 Alan Porter                96 lb 11 oz       4th     12 Allan Golightly            18 lb 3 oz
15 Mel Lutkin                  55 lb 5 oz                 
14 Peter Harrison             49 lb 15 oz
13 John Garner                54 lb 7 oz            

Next match is the John Garner Invitation, also on Decoy, on Six-Island, on Sunday. The forecast is for warmer weather and I hope for Peg 9, whatever the wind direction, but will be happy wherever I get drawn. I just hope no-one in our party gets spirited away on a spaceship.

Change of plan ends with a frame - Cedar, Decoy

 Peg 8, Monday, May 24
When John, at the fishery, said it had been fishing 'rock hard' and Winter tactics would probably be needed that confirmed my intention to start on a feeder. BUT when I plumbed up my right margin before the match started the pole jabbed downwards as if something had tried to take my plummet. So my plan went out of the window...

Seventeen of us fished, with the weather fairly warm but showers forecast later. The swims at the southern end of this strip lake, near the car park, were sheltered from the South-Westerly wind and calm. These swims on Cedar often fish a little better than the others (nobody knows why), but I was happy to fish anywhere, as I always am on Decoy. It's such a fair venue when compared with so many other fisheries.

I forgot to take a picture of my swim, But this was the bush on my left, overhanging the margin.

A brilliant start
Anyway, back to the start of the match, and following that plumbing up incident I started by dropping a piece of cat meat into the margin, but feeding nothing. I always start in a margin swim by putting in my hook bait before feeding. It was actually difficult to work out exactly where the put the bait as there were several different depths here, ranging from three feet down to 4.5 feet within a few inches. So I took pot luck, and pulled the bait up the levels until I could see the float.

Trevor with a barbel we weighed at 7 lb 7 oz. I didn't get any barbel. They
 seem to stay in certain underwater features, usually in the margins.

I had a bite very quickly, which I missed; next drop in and I foulhooked a big fish which came off. That was the pointer for me to put in three or four pieces of cat meat, to get the fish (if they were still there) focussed on food. Sure enough the float went under again and the thick red bungee streamed out so far I was convinced I had foulhooked a big barbel.

Several minutes later a beautiful 15 lb mirror rested in my net! Hooked in the mouth.

Next drop an ten-pounder came in, and then a seven-pounder. Half an hour gone and I had 32 lb. Then a lull, so I reverted to my plan of fishing the feeder, cast a third of the way out (anglers were fishing opposite) which quite quickly produced three more carp around 4 lb each, on a small banjo with micros and a yellow washed-out Wafter.

Wendy with a 12 lb 12 oz common taken on feeder.

Over to the long pole line
To my left Alan Porter now started catching on a feeder, but Joe Bedford on my right, who had had two or three early fish on a feeder, now couldn't get a bite. They also petered out for me, so I went out to a top-two-plus-four, which  I could manage fairly well in the wind, which had become colder and stronger. This produced four or five quick fish to 5 lb on expander and then corn, over pellet and hemp, the best spell I had all day.

When the gusts became too strong to present the bait perfectly out there I had another look in the margin. And as the wind was right to left fishing to the right was now much harder, so I looked to the left, near a bush which was growing out over the water. I put in maggots with a bait dropper, hoping for barbel, but although I had some tentative twitches my first fish was a 3 lb foulhooked carp. A couple of smaller ones eventually followed and I switched back to the feeder for one more, at which point the 'shower' started.

Alan Porter, on my left, with a fish hooked under that shrub between us.

Wet, wet, wet
The 'shower' saw rain absolutely pelting down for 15 or 20 minutes, and lighting flashed on the horizon in front of me. Bob Allen, opposite, had it partly in his face and spent most of that time stood behind his umbrella. In the middle of it I hooked a seven-pounder on the feeder and suddenly realised my hood wasn't correctly positioned, and water was leaking down my neck, but I couldn't do anything about it because of the rod bucking in my hands.

When the rain stopped the wind died and I went to the long pole line for another two fish. Then the rain started again, but not as bad. 

Broken by a big one
Alan had been catching on the feeder, switching to the pole occasionally. On the opposite bank, Trevor Cousins had also had fish on a feeder and was now fishing the margins, which I came back to. I got as close to the bush as I could, and first drop in with corn a ten-pounder hooked itself. I also lost a big fish when it made off with my rig, which broke a couple of inches from the elastic connector. I hate being broken, but I have no doubt that the barbless hooks soon drop out.

Steve Engledow on Peg 4 with his 92 lb for ninth spot.

Three or four F1s followed and with 25 minutes left the rain had stopped but bites had dried up. I had to make a decision whether to go back to the feeder or the long line, but decided, on a whim, to try mussel near the bush. Half a mussel looks rather attractive to me as it wafts about in the water as it sinks (I hoped it would look that way to a carp). and I had caught fish on it before so I had some confidence it COULD work.

I adjusted the rig to fish the slightly deeper water, on the assumption that the fish might have moved all the corn and pellet about, and first drop in a ten-pounder made off with my mussel. It was a beautiful common. Back in and after a few more minutes its cousin decided it liked seafood and also landed up in my net. That was 20 lb  in the last 25 minutes - a good ratio on the day.

The weigh in
As usual I was last back to the van, but missed only the first two weighs. John Garner had been on peg 6, two to my right, but there was a bush between us and I couldn't see what he was doing, except that I saw he had some fish long early on. He then came into the margins and weighed 138 lb 7 oz to lead up to me. He told me he had lost a fish he estimated at 20 lb because he couldn't get it into the net properly.  Poor Joe on 7 had had a torrid time in the afternoon after that good start, and managed only 14 lb 2 oz.

John Garner, who has had a slow start to the season, bagged
138 lb 7 oz for second place. But he lost a twenty-pounder!

My fish weighed 119 lb 12 oz, with Alan on my left, weighing just 67 lb 9 oz - much less than I thought he had. But it turned out that his fish were smaller than mine, on average. Peter Chilton on 16 had three nets out for 103 lb 8 oz, and Trevor next door weighed 107 lb 2 oz. 

Then along to Peg 26, which is my favourite peg on Cedar as I have won there more than once, where Peter Spriggs thrashed us all with 175 lb 11 oz from the margins to his right. A good angler on a good peg...but you've still got to catch them!

That brilliant early start for me allowed me to hop over several other anglers and I finished third. 

Peter Spriggs with part of his winning 175 lb 11 oz taken on paste and cat meat from the margins.

The result

East Bank                                                            West bank

26 Peter Spriggs         175 lb 11 oz  1st              1 Mike Rawson         42 lb 3 oz
24 Shaun Buddle        71 lb 5 oz                        3 Bob Barrett             46 lb 5 oz

22 Mick Raby             94 lb 7 oz                        4 Steve Engledow      92 lb

21 Peter Barnes           41 lb 9 oz                        6 John Garner          138 lb 7 oz        2nd

19 Bob Allen               64 lb 9 oz                       7 Joe Bedford             14 lb 2 oz

18 Trevor Cousins      107 lb 2 oz     4th            8 Mac Campbell       119 lb 12 oz      3rd

16 Peter Chilton         103 lb 8 oz      5th             9 Alan Porter             67 lb 9 oz

14 Wendy Bedford        32 lb 14 oz                   11 Peter Harrison         98 lb 4 oz

                                                                            13 Mick Ramm           39 lb 14 oz

As always I found that switching around, but not wasting too much time if it isn't working, pays dividends. You have to believe that there are fish in your swim. But you must accept that if you are presenting a bait properly and they are not feeding for you, then they are probably not feeding for others either. The secret is that presentation, and the feeding (for which the golden rule is: If in doubt, don't!). My feeding is haphazard. and my strength is in the presentation.

Next match is the Bedford Invitation tomorrow (Wednesday) held on Elm, where Les Bedford died after finishing a match two years ago. Both his widow, Wendy, and his elder brother, Joe, the organisers, will be fishing. Normally I would expect sport to be very similar to that on Cedar, but today is cold, and so it could it could be harder.

I just scrape in the money - Yew, Decoy

Peg 27, Saturday, May 22
 By this time last year my wife and I had walked scores of miles, on our local highways and byways, in an effort to remain what passes, for us, as fit. This year we've hardly managed a quarter of that thanks to the weather - cold and windy and wet. But that wind and lack of warmth must mean that the fisheries are all now saturated with oxygen, which accounts for how hard the fish are fighting. They are definitely fitter than I am!

Overcast with a nice big ripple at out end of the lake. Luckily the rain wasn't heavy.

I was drawn 27 in our Fenland Rods match (entry down, unaccountably, to nine) on the east bank of Yew lake, which was at the Southern end, with a nice wave on it. However, when I walked up to the other end, towards the lower numbers, the water was flat calm and it felt five degrees warmer, being completely sheltered. Immediately I thought that, with the water in such good condition from the never-ending Fen blows, the fish might well choose that end to feed in. my choice would have been 20 or 21, or 16 in the corner, which also has a good reputation. Time would tell.

This won't last long! I started on a feeder and in the first 90 minutes took three carp approaching 10 lb on a washed-out wafter, cast about three-quarters of the way across the 40-years wide strip, and then lost two when the hook length broke. One of those was a very big fish indeed, and I played it for some minutes before the break. 

Kevin Lee, on my right, battles yet another big barbel towards the end of the match.

The hooklengths were self-tied bands, tied with the JB Clarke Match team nylon, about 5.5 lb. And after the second breakage I turned to some Guru bands tied to 7 lb. These Guru hooks, of whatever pattern, are the best tied hooks I've ever used. Two more fish came with no more breakages. I can't work out why the others broke. I now have complete faith in the Guru hooks.

A lovely-looking margin to my left. but it didn't produce.

Seems like I am doing OK
To my right on 26 sat Kevin Lee, who has won the club championship more times than anyone else, and he had four or five fish at this point on top-two-plus-two, including a bream and an ide, and I was definitely beating him.  Then I wandered up to Alan Golightly on peg 30, to my left, who had won a club match on 27 last year. He had just one fish, so I guessed I was doing OK.

Back to my peg and after one more fish on the feeder I went out to top-two-plus-three and in the next hour caught two or three F1s and three or four carp to about 8 lb on corn over hard pellets and hemp. Two big fish came off - not sure whether they were foulhooked. Halfway through, and I was still ahead of Kevin. But then the wheels fell off. I went the next 90 minutes without a fish while Kevin, after failing to catch in the side to his left turned to his right margin and immediately had a purple patch with five or six fish in half an hour, mainly barbel which ran to to 5 lb.

Kevin, with 130 lb 10 oz, gave me a bit of a thrashing!

Kevin carries on catching
His catch rate then fell away, but he still managed another half-dozen fish to 10 lb before the match ended.  I could see liners in my left margin, and tried corn, expander and cat meat, but could manage only one fish there - a 5 lb barbel foulhooked in the fin on a bunch of dead maggots. My mistake was to keep fishing there, as the fish were obviously not feeding properly.

I did manage to add a couple of F1s to 3 lb and couple of carp from the long swim in the last hour, but I knew Kevin had me well beaten.

Peter Spriggs, obviously happy with second spot.

The weigh-in
Alan on peg 30 had found fish in the margin eventually, totalling 46 lb 4 oz and I weighed in 82 lb 10 oz, topped by Kevin's 130 lb 10 oz. He told me he had been using double cat meat. I should have tried that, and I should also have made a determined effort to fish the right margin properly for a time. as it was I had a couple of half-hearted drops there, without any success. 

Current club Champion Gave Garner with friend.

I was surprised that Kevin's weight was not beaten by the anglers towards the warmer end, and that only Peter Spriggs with 113 lb 4 oz beat my catch, leaving me third. and the last man to be paid out. Interestingly most of the anglers found, like me, that they couldn't catch in the margins. 

So I hooked enough fish to have been second, and I can't beat myself up about losing some. For anyone to catch fish they have to get bites - that's the first requisite. If I get the bites I feel I haven't done too badly. Better to have hooked and lost than never to have hooked at all!!

Mike Rawson with a mirror we weighd at 12 lb 11 oz

Next match Monday on Cedar at Decoy. It looks like showers only, and I don't care where I get drawn. 

Our chairman/secretary John Smith was fourth.

The Vets National is on Lindholme in July, and I am seriously questioning whether to travel up to fish it. I just can't gather much enthusiasm, as I know that the lakes are all different, and that some are likely to fish better than others. Last year's match on Decoy was cancelled when there was really no need - and on Decoy it's possible to win a match like that on ANY peg. I was looking forward to that. I guess we are spoiled.

The weights were fairly well spread.

The carp tease me - Kingsland, Coates, Cambs

Peg 6, Sunday 16th May
Thirteen of us fished this Fenland Rods match on the small carp lake at Kingsland. It's not permanently pegged, and we put peg 1 in the first corner you come to, running to 7 on the righthand bank, 8 and 9 on the end (we left them out), and 10 to 16 back down the North bank, with 17 on its own on the West bank. That peg had probably won more matches than any other, and our club champion Dave Garner drew it.

My swim looking across to 10 in the righthand corner. Flat calm and sun - not perfect!

My peg 6 had four nice big concrete steps down to the large platform. Some of the pegs can be decidedly dodgy if the grass is wet, to the extent that some anglers won't fish here now because of the danger of slipping. My left margin had bare bank for the first few metres to the left and a clump of reeds about five feet to my right in the right margin. But I started out at about 10 metres, as did Kevin Lee on my left. But neither of us had a bite there in the first 30 minutes. Opposite, Peter Spriggs hooked a carp from his margin, and that was enough to persuade me to try mine.

My left margin had bare bank along to the dead reds. The platforms here are really big!

Fish on corn, but not many
I started to the right and after half an hour took an 8 lb mirror on corn fished over corn and hemp. Fish were cruising, but they wouldn't look at a bait, so I persevered with corn to the right and after three hours had just five fish for about 40 lb, four on corn with one on an expander, though I had lost a couple more. Five fish doesn't sound much, but I reckoned that was better than most, as these big fish were usually splashing while being landed and I hadn't seen much splashing. With the water almost flat calm, Kevin's fish, when he landed them, send big waves through my swim, and there hadn't been many waves from anywhere.

A switch to the left margin, though this didn't look as inviting, brought another fish or two on a small cube of luncheon meat in the slightly deeper water about four feet from the bank, and when I changed to two small pieces, to fish more positively, my catch rate went up. In one really good hour I landed about six fish around 5 lb, while Kevin seemed to be struggling, and I reckoned I was ahead of him. 

Kevin Lee with a lovely light golden common around 10 lb.

To my right, guest Roland Butcher started hitting a lot of fish on his waggler, but he told me afterwards that on his rod he couldn't stop a lot of them dashing into the thick reeds and coming off. I prefer to use a pole in swims like that as you can tighten the elastic to hold the fish, without having to keep it at rightangles to the pole, whereas with a rod you risk it breaking if you have to hold everything hard.

Everybody seemed to foulhook carp
Foulhooked fish were a problem, and I lost some more. Strangely there were three instances when I gently lifted the bait, followed immediately by the float diving under in a typical bite, only to find that I hooked a fish which immediately came off leaving me with a scale. Then a fish, possibly foulhooked, took the whole of the rig which had been doing the business. A Disaster, Daarling! So I reverted to the rig I'd used in the right margin.

Dave Garner on Peg 17 was fifth with 83 lb.

With my estimate of about 100 lb in two nets I went for a third with 45 minutes left. Now the fish should really start biting! Kevin had just landed a fish or two on cat meat, so I tried it. But I couldn't get a bite, and reverted to luncheon meat in the left margin. A 2 lb carp came in, but then I had a terrible half hour fishless, while Kevin had five or six big fish, and I guessed he was catching me up.

A disappointing end
Hemp seemed to have an immediate effect and everytime I put it in with meat big fish came swirling in, but they now left very quickly, instead of staying a few minutes as they had previously. I felt that just a couple of those big fish would give me a chance of possibly winning, though I couldn't see what everyone else was catching.

In the last ten minutes two more fish came in  of 3 lb and 6 lb, the last one being my only fish on cat meat, but I knew I had possibly fallen behind Kevin just when I expected to have my best spell of the match. The substitute rig hadn't worked as well as the lost one, but I didn't think I had time to mess about getting a new rig to work just right. I should have gone back to the righthand margin, or put in dead maggots, which would probably have kept fish in the swim for longer.

This was my first net - six good carp for 44 lb mainly on corn.

Again, as had happened before, the spare nets provided are not large enough for the landing net provided to be pushed inside to release the fish. But I had read my blog before going, and that reminded me that I needed to use the spare net I keep in the van to transfer the fish into it, so it could be popped into the keepnet.

The weigh in
James Garner on Peg 2 was leading with 116 lb 6 oz when the scales came to Kevin. James fishes very few of our matches but always seems to be in the top two or three. Kevin weighed 104 lb 10 oz and I thought I might still beat that. But for only the second time ever I had OVERestimated my weight. My three nets went just 99 lb 5 oz - only about one fish short of Kevin's weight.

The result - quite patchy, perhaps because the fish seemed
to want to be spawning, but the water isn't yet warm enough.

Those weights dominated right round to Dennis Sambridge on 15, the oldest angler on the bank (I think he's about 81). He put 138 lb 8 oz on the scales for the win. Dave Garner on his own on the West bank was broken four times on his waggler rig when fish took him into the thick reeds which stretch out a long way from the platform, and was fifth, leaving me in fourth spot and the last in the money.

A good day's fishing, so I was very happy. Those fish wouldn't give in, and I felt I had played them OK. I think that just one that I lost may have been properly hooked, but can't be certain of that.

Next match Saturday on Yew at Decoy, pegs 16 to 30. Pegs 20 and 21 have traditionally had a slight edge, but our last one there was won on Peg 27 I think. As usual I am happy anywhere, fishing with mates. Life doesn't get any better than that.

Good conditions but difficult on Damson, Decoy

 Peg 15, Friday, May 14
Eighteen of us turned up for this Spratts match on an almost windless, cloudy day. Damson is like an inverted triangle, with Pegs 1 to 13 running from the bottom point up the right hand side; then 14 to 17 across the top, and 18 to about 26 down the lefthand side, stopping short of the narrow section. We fished 1 to 20, with 7 and 14 left out, having dodgy platforms.

Strangely, when I got out of the van in the car park I remarked how cold it was, but by the time we'd drawn and driven to the lake it was much warmer. Peg 1 was the favourite, and that went to Bob Allen. There was a tiny amount of ripple at the end, while I and 16 and 17 had back wind, so it was flat calm, except for the ducks!

Almost flat calm at our end. The fishing was very hard all round the lake.

 

Brilliant start

You get seven feet of depth on a top two on every peg, but it's usual to start in the margins, and that's what almost everyone did. Almost everyone also had a similar experience as me - two fish for 3 lb in the first three minutes and then Zilch. Gone. Vanished. Just Like That! Trevor had five in five minutes, while others admitted to two or three. Usually the fish stay around the margins for an hour or so, but this was a new experience for most of us.

After that some turned to the feeder, while others, including me, went out to the deep water. I managed to snag four or five, mainly small but with the best over 4 lb, on corn by pulling the bait along very slowly. Leaving it just didn't produce. Eventually I had to have another look in the margin, in a small cutout in the reeds to my left, where to my surprise I found three F1s on corn fished a few inches off bottom in 18 inches of water. They fought like fury, probably full of testosterone, or the fishy equivalent.

My Special Method gets me out of jail
Clearly hardly anything was being caught - Peter Harrison had some on a feeder and I could see Trevor catching on rod and line. It turned out he was fishing a waggler right across and had to get within 18 inches of the reeds to get a bite. In desperation I turned to my special method which at least usually tells me whether there are fish in the swim. Today it didn't bring a fish for 40 minutes, but I could see that there were fish down below, so I persevered.

Alan Porter, second  by 1 oz after fishing a feeder in open water.

My reward was a few fish around 2 lb, but it was hard going. Being able to see tiny signs of fish in the swim keeps me concentrating. There was no question of putting out a feeder as I'd deliberately left my rods behind, intent on just fishing the pole. Anyway, I kept putting the occasional fish into the net while I knew that Peter and Mick, to my right, were struggling. At one point I turned to the righthand margin again, which had not yet produced a fish. I threw in half-a-dozen grains of corn, dropped in on top, and immediately hit a 2 lb carp. but I never had another touch there.

Things became more difficult, and over the next hour I landed about one fish and lost five. I think one may have been foulhooked, but I'm sure the rest weren't. Others told me they also lost fish late on, so I have to assume the fish were getting finicky. I saw Martin try up in the water, and he may have had one. Several times I dropped my rig, with corn, in front of cruising fish, but none of them took it. The water felt dead all day, though the sun stayed away and conditions were pretty good.

The End
I estimated I had 40 lb, but really had no idea how the early pegs had done. I assumed that one or two would have 100 lb or more. I was wrong...

Peter Harrison could catch fish in a bucket of concrete!
He ended sixth today, having taken almost all his
fish on a feeder cast to the island.

Bob Allen on 1 weighed 47 lb 2 oz, and I caught up with the scales on Peg 5, to see that Trevor was second with 40 lb 13 oz. Then Alan Porter on Peg 8 weighed just 47 lb 1 oz. I watched as the scales refused to move upwards, and it left him in second place by just 1 oz! He caught his fish on a feeder cast to the middle of the lake.

Peter Harrison on 11 was opposite the island and had caught fish by casting right across to it with a feeder, but he managed only 35 lb 11 oz.

I weighed 43 lb 1 oz, which was third round to Terry Tribe who beat me by 7 oz, and left me in fourth place. I rued the lost fish, which certainly cost me the match, but hey, that's fishing for you. It's a Funny Old Game (apologies to Greavsie). So well done Bob - I don't know how he fished. Obviously well!

Next match Sunday on Kingsland's small carp lake, which has been in tantalising form recently - some days terrible, other days great.  The corner pegs have an edge, and so does the swim on its own on the West bank, but I'm happy anywhere. The fish can be hefty, and I'm expecting close-in fishing, next to the reeds, will win. But sometimes the first four hours can be almost fishless, so I mustn't fall asleep.

RESULT

1 Bob Allen              47 lb 2 oz     1st
2 Mick Ramm         26 lb 8 oz
3 John Garner          17 lb 8 oz
4 Trevor Cousins      40 lb 13 oz    5th
5 Bob Barrett             8 lb 4 oz

6 Wendy Bedford       16 lb 3 oz

8 Alan Porter              47 lb 1 oz    2nd

9 John Smith              16 lb 9 oz

10 Peter Spriggs         10 lb 12 oz

11 Peter Harrison        35 lb 11 oz

12 Shaun Buddle        12 lb 8 oz

13 Mick Rawson        DNW

15 Mac Campbell      43 lb 10 oz    4th

16 Martin Parker       34 lb 10 oz

17 Mick Raby           27 lb 5 oz

18 Mick Linnell        DNW

19 Terry Tribe           44 lb 1 oz        3rd

20 Joe Bedford          21 lb 12 oz

Here endeth lesson Number Two - Fields End, Cambs

 Wednesday, and the forecast was reasonable, so I took Alan, from my village, for his second lesson. He owns only a rod and reel (perhaps two) and the first time he used a pole, on Decoy, he got some good fish, including his first barbel. I thought it would help him catch more in future if he saw just how precise your fishing can be if you use a pole.

The first - and most important - job of the day was plumbing up. I sat on his chair and I hope he watched carefully as I plumbed up in front, moving slowly out, until I found a definite drop-off at about eight metres. Fields End is an irrigation reservoir, with basically slowly-sloping sides, though I don't know how deep it is in the middle as it's about 60 yards across - probably about 12 feet I guess.

I then set the rig to be two or three inches overdepth and swung it out, letting it fall back to the spot where the drop-off was. First cast, on corn, I hooked a roach. At least Alan could see that the system would catch fish. That's so important in fishing. No amount of You Tube video will take the place of watching someone actually doing it!

I sat in the swim on his left.

Alan with his first-ever ide - a beauty of 5 lb.

Story of the day
Nothing much to report for the first four hours, though we both had two or three fish over 2 lb, plus some lovely roach averaging several ounces each. I was beginning to be a bit embarrassed, having taken Alan here, though no-one else seemed to be catching much. I tried a piece of cat meat and a 3 lb chub took it on the drop first cast, followed by another next cast. But they were flashes in the pan.

Later I came in towards the side, fishing a top three, and hit a couple of fish, so I went over to Alan and rigged him up with another top for fishing inside, and gradually we started to catch fish - carp to 4 lb plus the occasional ide. Alan had one of 5 lb, which he was mighty pleased with, as so he should have been.

A shower started and everyone on the bank stood up and put on their waterproof jackets; ten minutes later the sun came out and everyone stood up in unison and took them off again. Monty Python would have been proud.

Alan loves taking photographs. Me with fish!

Losing fish
At one point Alan lost seven good carp in a row. That was largely because a) he's not used to playing fish on a pole (though he did very well) and b) he was using my old Browning Sting, which is a put-in pole as opposed to put-over (ie you slide the bottom section over the smaller one in front, as opposed to slipping it inside).

These put-in poles are lovely and light, but very slim, making it a specialist job to insert a puller. So the elastics are fairly tight, the top two are fairly short (so of course is the elastic) and you have to add pole sections when you need to lessen the pressure. Not something which is easy on these put-ins.

Alan in action. The pole is so slim that the small pole cup is attached lower down than I would have liked.

The answer
The answer was to go over and swap the rig over to a top-three, with elastic running through all three. He got on much better with this and didn't lose any more. He ended with 10 or 12 carp to 4 lb and two or three chub or ide. I was pleased to see he kept feeding, which was undoubtedly a big factor in his catching fish.

I had more, best 7 lb,  because I came right in, to two feet of water, where the bigger fish seemed to be. I suggested Alan came in closer, but he said he was happy out at about five metres, so I left him to it. There's only so much anyone can take in in a single day.

Me, on messy platform, with a nice chub.

Conclusion
There's no magic in using a pole. but I lent him my Sting in an attempt to show how precise you can be. How easy it is to plumb up and feed properly, which is not as easy with a rod and line if you're fishing beyond the rod tip and feeding by hand. That's because most anglers will skimp doing it properly because they have to keep reeling in, adjusting the float, and casting out again to the same spot. It's so much easier with a pole because you're back, bang, right in the same spot (provided you hold the pole in the same place).

So if he plumbs up carefully next time he goes floatfishing I will be satisfied that the day was worthwhile. He later sent me a message saying he had enjoyed his 'lesson.' So it was a good day.

Here follows a video that Alan took during the day. Sorry about the angler!