On a roll...Yew, Decoy

 Peg 15, Friday, September 17

This bulletin is late, because on Friday, before I could put  pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard), the Gas Man cameth. He cameth after being summoned to investigate an offensive odour outside, right next to where gas is piped into our humble hovel.

The Gas man was very professional, and eventually proclaimed that whatever it was, it was not the smell of gas, and his equipment couldn't pick up any trace of gas. But before he went he would check our pipes and appliances. Accordingly he attached a water pressure thingy to the meter (I think that is the correct description) and dismally informed us that indeed there was a leak somewhere in the system - probably under our lounge floor. But not to worry, as our own gas man of choice would be able to dig the floor up and discover where the offending leak was.

But as a final check he would come in and turn the boiler off and on again, just in case the problem was there. In fact we had rung for the boiler to have its annual MOT only the previous week, when we discovered that our usual gas operative (must get the terms right) was enjoying a holiday in Spain, probably with Dominic Raab who, I understand, had earlier had his holiday cut short because of a problem which was probably not a gas leak.

With downcast eyes we awaited The Gas Man's verdict - it was not underground (heaven be praised) but a simple valve leak on the boiler. Our hearts soared with relief. Then, with a smile on his face, he disabled the boiler and the gas fire before turning off the gas to the property, so we have no central heating, no hobs on which to cook our meagre meals, and will have to use the immersion heater, which has not been turned on since being installed four years ago, for hot water. If it works.

Then, Hallelujah, our pet gas man arrived back from Spain, and will order a new valve, and will fix it at his earliest opportunity, which is likely to be in at least a fortnight!! Don't laugh....

The match
This followed a good run I've had recently, and when corner Peg 15 was picked out for me in this 16-entry Spratts match I was pretty pleased. I'd never fished the swim, and to be honest I would have preferred a peg on the Eastern bank, but when I trundled down to my swim I was very happy to see longish margin to the left which looked as if it might be shallow. And plumbing up showed Yes, it was a little less than three feet deep. I think it's the first time I have had a peg with a decent shallow margin on one of the four strip lakes for at least two years.

I couldn't fish right into the end bank because of reeds lying on the surface. but it didn't matter.
Yes, I know my gear looks like a builder's yard!

There was a Southerly wind, from my right into the end bank, but I didn't know whether that was a good thing, because this year so often good weights have been taken out of the wind. And I couldn't fish right into the end bank because the six-foot high reeds had ben basked about by the wind and were lying sticking out from the bank, making it impossible for me to get a rig right next to the bank.

Joe was opposite, fishing on both pole and feeder
(but not together).

The water, to be honest, looked dead, and after having five minutes in the margin with cat meat to see whether I could get an early fish, and then 15 minutes on a feeder, without any sign of fish, I went out to 11 metres with corn. I then changed to a 6mm expander, and then down to a 4mm expander, which allowed the float to trundle along into the wind, with the undertow.

To cut a long boring two hours short, this produced a missed bite, a foulhooked fish lost, and eventually a 1 lb F1. But I hadn't seen much action anywhere else.

At least there were fish in the swim
Next it was into the deep margin, where I missed a bite on corn, so at least there were fish moving. Cat meat then produced a near-10 lb common, and I was away. But to be honest I was scrapping about from swim to swim, and took one fish on cat meat in the shallow margin, and another in the deep margin, and missed two bites on corn in a small cut-out to my right, where I had to stand to see the float. Not easy.

Mike Rawson was on my right, fishing a feeder.

My brief prayers were answered
I also lost a couple of fish foulhooked, including a huge golden mirror. I had had a drop in towards the corner with corn and when the float twitched and dived I instinctively struck, thinking I had missed, but then to my horror realised I had hooked this golden beauty which briefly came up and lay on the surface before turning on its turbo-chargers and making for Joe on the far bank, opposite. My prayers were answered when the hook quickly pulled out. I really did not fancy playing that fish, which was obviously not hooked in the mouth.

Mussel works wonders
Things got better when I took two double-figure fish from the tiny cut-out, both of which took corn as it sank. So I changed to mussel, which sinks slowly and flutters down as it does so. This worked wonders and I had seven or eight more, all over 8 lb, in that last 90 minutes, from both deep and shallow margins. Unusually, I found that the fish were staying in the swim for long periods, so I didn't have to bait up before each one.

Trevor Cousins, second on Peg 11 with 81 lb 11 oz.

As has happened a lot recently I had a fish on when the match ended, which always means I am even later than usual packing away. But on Spratts matches Trevor very obligingly waits until we have largely all packed up before weighing in, so I can get pictures.

The weigh-in
It was patchy, with Peter Spriggs, one of the best anglers in the club, managing just three fish from peg 9, but Trevor two pegs away on 11 netting  81 lb 11 oz. My first net went about 40 lb, but the second one was way over our 50 lb limit. I watched as the scales went to 60 lb-plus, then back, eventually settling at 59 lb 8 oz. Eight ounces more and that net would have been disqualified! 

Mick Ramm, 45 lb 13 oz.

The last net brought my weight up to 131 lb 9 oz, which consisted of about 14 fish, and with no-one on the opposite bank managing to even beat Trevor's weight, I ended as the winner. Several fish were caught on feeder with Bob Barrett again putting an all-feeder net on the scales at 79 lb 13 oz for third. I don't know how he does it.

Bob Barrett, third with 79 lb 13 oz.

Me - top dog again. What can I say?
Modest as ever.

Peter Chilblain - 59 lb 10 oz on chick peas.

Wendy always manages to catch one of the biggest fish.
This one went almost 15 lb.

THE RESULT

30  Martin Parker          DNW (one fish)        1 Alan Porter        54 lb 8 oz
28 Mick Ramm             45 lb 13 oz                3 Bob Allan            45 lb 8 oz
26 Wendy Bedford        33 lb 10 oz                5 John Smith           52 lb 6 oz
24 Peter Harrison           66 lb                        7 Peter Barnes          DNW (nowt)
22 Shaun Buddle            68 lb 3 oz     4th      9 Peter Spriggs        17 lb (three fish)
20 Peter Chilton            59 lb 10 oz                11 Trevor Cousins     81 lb 11 oz    2nd
18 Bob Barrett              79 lb 13 oz     3rd       13 Mike Rawson       47 lb 6 oz
16 Joe Bedford             37 lb                           15 Mac Campbell       131 lb 9 oz   1st

So a satisfactory result, thanks to mussel again. Two days later we were on Kingsland Small Carp lake, which turned out to be one of the strangest matches I've ever fished (and where mussel was worse than useless).