Better weather, but difficult fishing - Elm, Decoy

 Peg 8
There were 13 of us in this Fenland Rods match on Sunday - unlucky for me because I forgot to take my mussels, and my mobile battery was flat, so no pictures. But I was happy with 8, as often 8 to 12, in the corner, have an edge.

The wind was quite warm, and the sky was overcast, so conditions seemed ideal, in fact so good that my plan to start on a feeder went out of the window and I fished pole all day. That was partly because when I was plumbing up in my shallow lefthand margin I had a definite liner. So I started by putting some expanders in that swim, but starting fishing out at 10 metres with a 6mm expander over expanders and hemp. That immediately produced some liners and I considered fishing shallow. it was noticeable that my pellet felt ice cold when I felt it after I'd had it in the swim.

The fish were teasing me
Next I came back to fish the shallow margin, and to my amazement I never had a touch there. Not all day. The fish had obviously been teasing me and then buggered off. And since shallow fishing in the open water is not what I am best at I decided to carry on fishing near the bottom at 10 metres. Ninety minutes later all I had was a 4 lb mirror, and a bump-off the next cast.

Back to the shallow margins for nothing, then out to 10 metres for a 6 oz bream, and then into the deep lefthand margin, only about a metre out. I put in some cat meat, because I had seen both Dave Garner on 11 to my left, and Kevin Lee on 6 to my right, catch and I guessed they would be using cat meat (luncheon meat is banned here).

First drop in with meat and the float went straight down and I hooked...a 2 lb bream. Nothing else on meat so I tried a grain of corn on a lighter float and after ten minutes hooked a 3 lb mirror. The match was half over and I had about 11 lb! From then on I stayed mainly in that swim using corn, and slowly started to contact fish - bream to 3 lb, two carp around 10 lb (one of these was foulhooked), several others to 6 lb, and three F1s towards the end. Worm took a 3 lb bream first cast but I never had another touch on it.

I had to use the tow against the wind
There was a considerable tow from left to right, and I had to get the bait just moving with the tow, bumping along the bottom, to get a bite, except for the F1s which took the corn laid three or four inches on bottom. I tried the right margin, and took a fish first drop, but no more came there.

I foulhooked and lost several fish, as did Peter to my left. It wasn't that there were too many fish in the swim - it was that there were so many swimming around. One of these I played for several minutes. It was obviously a very big fish hooked in the tail, and I decided to take my time, dipping the pole in the water and letting the elastic bring the fish to the surface, but it never came close enough for me to net it and in the end the hook pulled out. That certainly cost me a place.

The weigh in
Not that this has anything to do with the match, but I took my time packing up, particularly as I realised I couldn't take pictures, and felt much better than I normally do. I had five top kits and the feeder rod to put away. 

I was then surprised to see pegs 1 and 2 had done really well on a difficult day. Then Kevin on 6 had  107 lb 10 oz, including a fish they weighed at (from memory) 17 lb 6 oz. He caught only in his right margin - couldn't get a bite to the left.

I estimated I had 40 lb plus in the first net and 30 lb in the second; in fact they went 44 lb and 36 lb, plus some ounces, for 81 lb 8 oz total. That was fourth at that point, but Alan Golightly, who fished on the opposite bank alongside Dennis Sambridge, had a magnificent 133 lb 4 oz, to win his second match of the year. I think he caught mainly in the margins. I finished fifth.

THE RESULT

1 Callum Judge        91 lb 4 oz      3rd

2 Dick Warrener        85 lb            4th
3 Mel Lutkin            20 lb 9 oz
4 Joe Bedford            20 lb 4 oz
6 Kevin Lee                107 lb 10 oz   2nd
7 Wendy Bedford        20 lb 4 oz
8 Mac Campbell          81 lb 8 ox
9 Peter Spriggs            39 lb 14 oz
10 John Smith              60 lb 9 oz
11 Dave Garner            55 lb 12 oz
12 Mick Rawson            28 lb 4 oz
13 Dennis Sambridge    79 lb 11 oz
14 Alan Golightly          133 lb 4 oz.    1st

Conclusions
I wasn't unhappy. I was top weight in the bottom half of my bank, and Peter, to my left, who is a very good matchman, had just 39 lb 14 oz. I am still wondering, though, why I couldn't get any more fish on cat meat when others were catching on it.

The water was cold, but it seemed to me the fish are itching to spawn, so they must be frustrated. Like me. Next trip will be with a friend from the village to Fields End, Doddington.  I'm setting him up with a pole and will try to show him how precise plumbing up, feeding and presentation should help him increase his catches.