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| Mark Parnell with his last catch with us. |
Mark worked for the Ambulance Service for 36 years, and dozens of ambulances were driven to the funeral by his colleagues. It must have been quite a sight. I had to miss the club match when Trevor told the members, so I didn't go to the funeral, though Trevor and some others did.
Mark had been with us for only a couple of years, but it was obvious that he was a class angler, and a nice bloke as well. He last fished with us in June, and I took a picture of his catch in that final match.
It was good knowing you, Mark.
A LATE RESULT
Dog-sitting meant that I missed this Spratts match ten days ago on Oak Lake at Decoy, won by Trevor Cousins on Peg 16, in the North-East corner.
I am told he mugged half-a-dozen fish in the first hour, then started to struggle, but eventually found fish in the corner to his right to end with 112 lb 8 oz.
Peter Harrison, consistent as always, was second, followed by Sean Buddle and John Smith.
Peg 18, Beastie Lake, Decoy
Wednesday, September 1
Wednesday, September 1
Of all the pegs on Decoy the one which has been kindest to me is Peg 18 on Beastie. I won my first Decoy Open on it, 20 years ago, with 53 lb, breaking my pole in the process. Later I came second on the lake in a big festival with 110 lb of big fish - I remember that because I knocked Tony (Awesome) Dawson, drawn just to my left on the 'spit' on 16, down into third place when he had a big catch fishing shallow. I did not admit to him that I had lost about five very big fish as well when the hook tied direct pulled off - my fault, obviously.
But in 25 years fishing at Decoy I have probably drawn it only about four times - and have framed every time. Today was the highlight...
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| Peg 18 - a bit awkward but it's my favorite swim on the whole complex. A pity I so rarely draw it! |
Two other pegs I fancied were drawn before mine - Peg 2 (which I have always framed on, and where I took my first 100 lb on Decoy) and Peg 26, which can be fantastic or very difficult (I remember winning another Open on there some years ago). Then: "Mac" (Trevor fumbles in the draw bag) "Peg 18". And I whooped with joy: "YEEES".
The strange thing is that I have fished on the spit, over the bridge which is next to Peg 18, literally dozens of times, and Peg 18 has not often done particularly well. But you know how it is - some swims just appeal. Today the light wind was in the North, blowing towards the other end of the lake, and swims 14, 16 and 18 were very calm.
The fish were just there!
Although I have previously always caught in the channel which runs under the bridge, I remembered that John Smith had won a match on Peg 18 last year fishing to his right. So after putting out a little hemp and 6mm hard pellets on a top-two-plus-two out in front just a little to my left near the channel, and flicking a few grains of corn to my left near the scaffolding which holds the bridge, I started to my right about four feet from the bank, with my go-to Drennan Tuff-Eye float on just a top two. Some big reeds were overhanging, and I went roughly to the end of them in four feet of water.
Although I have previously always caught in the channel which runs under the bridge, I remembered that John Smith had won a match on Peg 18 last year fishing to his right. So after putting out a little hemp and 6mm hard pellets on a top-two-plus-two out in front just a little to my left near the channel, and flicking a few grains of corn to my left near the scaffolding which holds the bridge, I started to my right about four feet from the bank, with my go-to Drennan Tuff-Eye float on just a top two. Some big reeds were overhanging, and I went roughly to the end of them in four feet of water.
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| The bridge leads to pegs 9 round to 17 But you can see the problems if a fish hooked on 18 decides to go round the corner!!! |
In went half-a-dozen 6mm and 8mm expanders via a small pole pot, followed by my rig baited with a 6mm expander, and seconds later the float dived under and I was playing a fish of around 10 lb! It took a bit of getting in, but next drop in came a six-pounder, and next drop an eight-pounder. Twenty minutes gone and I had 24 lb!
Next drop and I foulhooked a fish which came off, and next drop another big fish was on. I played it for a long time and saw it clearly near my keepnets before the hook pulled out. It was way into double figures. But then bites stopped, and without wasting too much time I turned to my left where I had been flicking corn.
The bridge swim also produces
Immediately I had indications on a top two, next to the scaffolding - this went on for about 20 minutes, and they looked like roach. But I had a feeling that they were, in fact, carp. I remembered a day at Nether Heyford when I couldn't catch a fish, so tried up in the water for roach, and missed literally dozens of bites. Since nobody else was catching anything I decided to catch a few roach, if I could. but it turned out that they were, in fact, carp. And I was proved right today when I came a few inches closer to me into the slightly-shallower water and hit a common around 10 lb, which I eventually landed.
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| Shaun on Peg 14 had nearly 30 lb of bream on a pole. |
Next drop the same thing happened...and the next. As I played this double-figure mirror Sean Buddle came over the bridge to fetch 'a box of tricks' and his eyes opened wide when I said that this fish would go into my second net (we fish to a 50 lb limit).
Even as Sean was walking back to his peg I hooked another fish on a cat meat rig, on an orange bungee elastic, with a bigger float on. So far I had had no problem coaxing fish away from the bridge. Indeed this fourth fish from that swim obligingly swam into the main lake, and I played it there for several minutes. These fish simply would not give in - I wonder whether the absence of sunshine and the slightly cooler temperatures had really upped the oxygen content of the water.
My float had disappeared
Anyway, suddenly this fish had a new lease of life shot round under the bridge, while I was unable to hold it. I felt it go through the reeds on the other side of the bridge, and it was solid. I did the only thing I could, and added a section to alter the angle of pull. Amazingly this worked, and the fish swam clear and eventually - very eventually - came back from under the bridge. I then realised that although the fish was still on my float had disappeared!
Anyway, suddenly this fish had a new lease of life shot round under the bridge, while I was unable to hold it. I felt it go through the reeds on the other side of the bridge, and it was solid. I did the only thing I could, and added a section to alter the angle of pull. Amazingly this worked, and the fish swam clear and eventually - very eventually - came back from under the bridge. I then realised that although the fish was still on my float had disappeared!
That didn't make sense, until I guessed I must have used a top band on the bristle, rather than threading the line through the eye. Luckily I have a big store of these floats, which are no longer made. The end result was that the fish was about 14 lb and ended in my keepnet.
Bites then stopped in that left-hand swim and I turned round to the right, to find the fish back with a vengeance. I carried on here fishing with the meat rig, on 10 lb line, and although the thick line may have reduced the number of bites I carried on with it as the majority of the fish were between 8 lb and 12 lb, and the thick line lasts longer than the thinner stuff as it constantly rubs across the backs of these big fish while they are being played.
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| Shaun had just two carp, including this near-15 lb beauty. |
The smaller fish came in very quickly
At one point I had a run of smaller fish - a 4 lb carp, then a 2 lb tench followed by a 3 lb bream and two F1s of 3 lb and 5 lb and then a 6 lb mirrror. All of these came to the net fairly quickly, certainly in about a sixth of the time it was taking me to land the double-figure fish. I never did look at the swim I had baited out in front of me.
The big fish kept coming and I reckon that during the match I spent 10 or 12 minutes altogether adding a third, then fourth and fifth net in front of me on the keepnet bar, and then having to take one of those and screw it onto a bankstick to make room for a sixth net on the bar. It's a slightly awkward swim, with no bank into which I could stick the bankstick, but it went into an old piece of scaffolding protruding above the water.
Next time if I think a big catch is on the cards I will start with four nets.
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| Peter Spriggs - 181 lb 12 oz for second place on Peg 16, |
It had been fabulous fishing, but I knew that Peter Spriggs on 16, to my left, had caught fish in the second half if the match, and there was no guarantee that I was going to win. I often had to start a new net with only an estimated 40 lb in the old one, because so many fish were around 10 lb, so it was difficult estimating the total weight.
The tactics which had worked so well had been to introduce only a small amount of bait after each fish - the idea being not to attract fish to the swim, because they were already there, but just to get them looking at the bait falling in front of their noses.
I spy...mud!
I foulhooked about four, landing just one, and was using my special method which largely allows me to avoid striking at liners. And from time to time small clouds of mud appeared close to the bank, which told me that the fish were still there, so I had no need to attract them.
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| Me with one of my six nets, holding mainly the smaller fish. |
Twenty minutes left when I started that sixth net, and it seemed the fish had gone, because five minutes went by without a bite. Then a 2 lb common started the action, followed by two lost fish, then one which promptly shot under the platform and broke me - probably a big barbel. Even then there was time to put on a new hook and a piece of cat meat and hook another 8 lb-plus fish which I landed several minutes after the match finished.
The weigh-in
Landing that last fish put me behind in packing up, and I had no time to take photographs of the early weighers, but 93 lb 14 oz was top so far. Shaun Buddle on 14 had only two carp but around 30 lb of bream. Then Peter Spriggs weighed in 181 lb 12 oz, which I thought I would beat. And for once my estimating was good - each net weighing 40 lb-plus, and one holding just four fish for 48 lb. Total was 231 lb 4 oz for the win - and my best-ever match weight.
Conclusions
In all I used just over one tin of hemp, less than two tins of corn, and a little over half a pint of feed pellets plus one tin of cat meat. That's not a lot for six hours when the fish are feeding. So for once I didn't cock it all up. All I need now is a bit of tuition in landing fish more quickly. That can be the only reason these top anglers can catch 350 lb-plus.
THE RESULT
2 Mike Rawson 46 lb 4 oz
3 John Garner 30 lb 1 oz
4 Bob Barrett 69 lb 11 oz
5 Trevor Cousins 87 lb 7 oz
7 Peter Chilton 93 lb 14 oz
14 Shaun Buddle 49 lb 13 oz
16 Peter Spriggs 181 lb 12 oz 2nd
18 Mac Campbell 231 lb 4 oz 1st
22 Mick Linnell DNW
23 Peter Harrison 95 lb 4 oz 4th
24 Martin Parker 31 lb 6 oz
26 Mick Ramm 16 lb 2 oz
29 Peter Barnes 37 lb 14 oz
30 Mick Raby 109 lb 10 oz 3rd
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ReplyDeleteWell done, always nice to get a PB.
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