A terible start on Damson; but a good finish on Willows

Peg 11, Damson, Decoy, Sunday, Sept 26
Two matches in two days started on Damson, at Decoy, in a Fenland Rods match, on the last day of Di's tenure. We wish her well in her retirement. 

Di Band's and her partner John are on the road to retirement.
Thanks for everything over the years, Di - I know you will both miss
the buzz of getting up early every morning! We wish you all the best.

Damson has a shallow margin, which drops off very quickly, so you can fish seven feet deep on a pole's top two. And traditionally the fish feed for an hour in the shallows before slowing down. Well, that happened in this match - every single angler I spoke to had a great first hour...except me! For some reason I couldn't get any fish to feed, but on my right Peter Spriggs, on 12, started like a train fishing his usual paste.

Peter The Paste, on my right, won handsomely with 139 lb 5 oz. 

I could see some fish around 3 lb in the shallows, but as soon as I dropped in my rig baited with an expander, banded pellet or corn, they spooked. If I left the bait on the bottom, several inches overdepth, when they came back and got anywhere near my bait they appeared to see the line and spooked again. And after an hour Peter must have had well over 40 lb, while I had just four fish for less than 4 lb, on a 4mm expander.

A bait switch turns the tables
Peter was still going great guns in the margin when I made a bait switch, in about three feet of water, on the edge of the shelf, and started to get fish. That switch was amazing, with a 2 lb carp first drop. But to my left Dave and Kevin had both been landing lots of fish, as I could hear the splashing. Peter's fish slowed a little, and he found some in the deep water before coming back inside.

Good to see Matthew Lutkin back on the bank.

Anyway, I kept managing to winkle out fish mainly around 1 lb on paste and then cat meat, and at one point found some F1s right against the reeds to my right, and targetted then with corn for a few minutes. Unlike many sessions recently I found I had to leave the bait motionless, rather than to twitch it.

 Gradually I put together a decent catch, best a four-pounder, with a couple of three-pounders, and several around 2 lb, and I never had a really bad spell all afternoon. Mussel took two or three fish at the end. But Peter obviously had me beat. I estimated I might have 90 lb, in three nets, but it's difficult to estimate accurately when the fish are that sort of size.

The weigh in
Every single angler I spoke to (and that was most of them) had indeed had a flying start,. but their fish ten went off, though James Garner fished the deep water all day for 111 lb 7 oz, which led up to Peg 9, where Kevin weighed in 130 lb 9 oz. Next to me Dave Garner said he had a bad second-half, and totalled 80 lb 6 oz.

Kevin fished the deep water, and his fish were
much, much bigger than mine at Peter's.

To my absolute amazement I managed 120 lb 8 oz, which was enough for third spot, with Peter winning with 139 lb 5 oz. On Peg 1 Callum said he had 32 lb in the first hour...and weighed in a total of 33 lb 13 oz. Some others had similar stories to tell. So why couldn't I catch in that first hour? I should probably have gone into the deep water, but when the bloke next door is hammering fish out from the margin the temptation is to follow him.

THE RESULT

Peg 27, Willows, Decoy, Monday, Sept 27

Sixteen of us fished this Spratts match, with heavy rain forecast, and unfortunately the forecast was right. My peg 27 is between two small islands, and I quite fancied it, though my plans were thrown into disarray when the wind which came from the left before the start suddenly turned to come from the right. 

My peg 27 - the wind became too strong to fish out to the islands.

I still fancied fishing a spot just off some reeds to my right, and started with a small pole pot just putting in a few 4mm expanders and fishing one on the hook. The temperature had dropped considerably overnight, so I fancied the fishing would be hard.

My biggest fish must have weighed at least 14 lb.

In fact within a few minutes I had managed to land  a 5 lb common carp, which was quickly followed by a two-pounder. A third fish shot off and snagged me - I managed to get the small branch out, and unbelievable the 4mm expander was still on the hook, so it was probably foulhooked, although I hadn't thought it was. This lake, surrounded by willows, has lots of snags, all broken branches and twigs, but that's where the fish hang out!

Wet, Wet, Wet
Somewhere around this time the rain started for an hour, and it was really heavy, with wind so strong I didn't fancy even trying to put up the umbrella. I could see a few anglers from my swim, and in the next hour none of them seemed to be putting much into the keepnet - but neither did I!

After the rain I plumbed up carefully to my right, about ten feet out, and found a small drop-off, where in the next half-hour three more fish came on corn - a 4 oz roach, a 3 lb carp and another of about 5 lb. Every fish so far had come when I lifted the bait very slightly, and I plumbed up very carefully and adjusted the float by a quarter-of-an-inch at a time until I felt I had the bait just touching bottom.

Martin Parker with his biggest fish, from Peg 15.
It was well into double-figures.

Eventually the fish feed (but not a lot!)
I then set up another rig to fish in the same way in the righthand swim, and although I didn't catch fish immediately fish were obviously playing with the bait, so I carried on hoping they would eventually start to feed properly...and they did. Because of the wind I had reduced my lash - between pole tip and float - to four inches, which I felt was the best way of being able to lift the bait cleanly. The four sections of my Browning Z9 were stiff enough for me to hold the rig fairly steady most of the time - you have to make compromises.

Two or three fish on corn were followed by me switching to cat meat, and this produced a good-un of around 14 lb! I carried on, as I couldn't see anyone catching much, and another two or three around 3 lb came before the end. I thought I'd probably got 55 lb, perhaps more, all taken with the rig set to just touching bottom, and lifting to produce a bite. I didn't lose any more fish.

Trevor Cousins lifts one of his nets out. He beat me
by just 8 oz, for last frame place, and later said he
was sorry (but he didn't mean it!)

The weigh-in
End Peg Peter Harrison, on 35, was in the lead round to me with 106 lb 10 oz, with Alan Porter on 31 having 74 lb 12 oz - he told me he had his best catches in the margin. But I couldn't see either of those anglers from my swim. 

To my right Bob Barrett didn't weigh, and I totalled 67 lb 3 oz, with Wendy on my left on 26 having three fish for 17 lb 15 oz. When I looked at the sheet I saw that Peg 20 was against her name, so she possibly fished the wrong peg, particularly as 26 is usually left out, as it's quite narrow.

Peg 25 and 24 both had less than 40 lb, and in fact I was in third spot round to 15 where Martin Parker was fourth with 73 lb 13 oz, fishing out in front or to his left (usually fish are taken from the right margin on this peg). Then followed Trevor Cousins, who did me by 8 oz, and finally That Man Again, Peter Spriggs, who won with 145 lb 11 oz on paste on a top-two-plus-one on Peg 9.

Winner Peter The Paste with a lovely barbel.

 So I finished sixth, beaten for last frame place by 8 oz. But I was very happy, and rate it as probably the best match I've fished all season as I felt I'd done the swim justice. I kept wondering whether to come into the margin, but  without being able to see what others were catching I had no way of gauging whether I was doing OK  or whether I should leave the swims that were producing the odd fish and take a chance in the side.

THE RESULT

9 Peter Spriggs            145 lb 11 oz    1st
11 Trevor Cousins        67 lb 11 oz      5th
13 Mick Ramm           33 lb 14 oz
15 Martin Parker         73 lb 13 oz        4th
16 Peter Barnes          30 lb 15 oz
18 Mike Rawson        18 lb 7 oz
22 Bob Allen               54 lb 10 oz
24 Shaun Buddle         37 lb 8 oz
25 Peter Chilton           22 lb 10 oz
26 Wendy Bedford       17 lb 15 oz
27 Mac Campbell         67 lb 3 oz  
29 Bob Barrett             DNW
31 Alan Porter             74 lb 12 oz         3rd
33 Mick Raby             40 lb
34 Joe Bedford            27 lb 6 oz
35 Peter Harrison       106 lb 10 oz      2nd