I finish well on Cedar.

Peg 22, Cedar, Sun, June 29
Very happy that the heatwave had come to an end, but as a precaution I took an extra thick shirt, and a light hoodie...and I needed them, because the wind was in our faces and definitely cool. However I was Golden Peg, and on a swim I quite fancied. Unfortunately the grass here is so high (as an elephant's eye!) that I couldn't see Dave Garner on my left or Dave Hobbs on my right. No matter - a day's fishing spread before me. Martin Parker on 15 was second Golden Peg.

Behind us a visiting club from Kettering had arranged to finish at 3 o'clock, rather than the usual 4 pm. And I was told that some of our members had been talking about doing it. Finish just as the carp come on feed? I couldn't see the logic. Then I was reminded that there was a football match kicking off at 5 pm. Aaah, now I understood. But a quick check by our treasurer (and treasure) Kev Lee found that most of us weren't bothered, so we started at 10 am. for six hours.

For the record I would rather be fishing that watching England's mens team play football.  When I'm fishing I try to win, and show a sense of urgency, and I'm never bored while fishing, which is more that I can say about our footie team!

Behind in seconds
Forgot to take a picture of my swim, but I can describe it - reeds a netre or two either side and water in front. Then, seconds after I had cast out a Method feeder and pellet, Dave Garner on my left was playing a carp on his waggler. Minutes later There was splashing from Dave Hobbs' swim, and I could stand it no longer - in came the rod and out went the pole, to a short top, short number 3, and two more sections, which was as far as was really comfortable in the head wind.

Dave Garner, to my left, was in action literally within seconds of the start!

To cut a long story short, after an hour that had brought nothing so I had a look in a little cut-out a few metres to my left. It was an awkward bottom - it shelved down slowly to about three feet before dropping down to the bottom at five feet. But it brought two 2 lb-plus bream to corn. I perhaps spent too long there before switching back to the long swim and then into the deep water. The bream were really very warm, as all the fish were, even in that cold wind.

A barbel and two carp
Eventually cat meat in the deep water only feet from the bank, brought a 3 lb barbel, while Dave Garner said he had a bream and three carp, and Dave Hobbs had a bream and two carp (from memory). Back in my swim in the next hour a 3 lb carp came from the deep water, and after a long gap, a 10 lb carp which came in quite easily, from the bream swim, which then dried up on me (again). The strange thing was that I was getting tiny liners all the time.

I put on maggot and, as expected, had a roach. But I was certain that the liners on cat meat, corn or mussel, were from carp, so I plodded on hoping they would come on the feed. The wind was still cold, so I decided not to fish shallow with caster, even though occasionally fish came in close to me. Then there was more splashing from both Daves, and also from Kevin Lee's swim on 20. Halfway through and I had about 20 lb but was clearly behind those three. I had no idea what anyone else had.

Fish!
By 2 'o'clock sport started again with a couple of carp from the deep water on cat meat, and I had a look in the shallow righthand margin, only a top two to my right, and right against the bank. Here it was about two feet deep before dropping down a foot to a sloping shelf, and finally dropping straight down to the deep water. But first drop in the right margin, inches from the bank, saw what I thought must have been a liner. So at least fish were willing to come right in there.

In went hemp, micros and some 6mm pellets, and eventually I had a carp on corn! About 6 lb, it fought much better than the ten-pounder. More came from this swim, though I dropped into the deep water to my left occasionally to rest the margin swim, and another ten-pounder came from there. I then lost one or two - probably foulhooked, but landed some more on mussel. Dave Hoobs was still adding the occasional fish to his nets - I sometimes saw his landing net handle swish about as he sneaked some in with no splashing.  

Some of my fish came adrift, and I am sure most were not foulhooked - the hook pinged out as I prepared to net them . Perhaps I held them a bit hard. Half an hour to go and I'd clicked 43 lb for the first net and 35 lb for the second, and started a third, just in case.

Callum - third to weigh, with 75 lb 7 oz.

Last half-hour

In that half-hour I lost another fish, but landed three more carp to 8 lb. Dave Garner seemed to have dried up (at least his swim had), and Dave Hobbs and Kevin Lee told me they also had a bad last hour. 

Ten minutes left and I hooked a big fish on mussel which I thought I would eventually land, but it suddenly had the fishy equivalent of a glass of Guinness and came alive, stretched the 17 hollo elastic way out, and then it was gone! Rig trashed, I picked up another, heavier rig, pulled down the float, dropped in with mussel, hooked a big fish seconds later, and 20 seconds after that match ended.

Some minutes later I was confident this one would stick, but it didn't. Ping! I had lost ten, though I found out later I wasn't the only one.

The weigh in
On corner peg 26 Allan Golightly had done well with 104 lb 5 oz, and I didn't think I could beat that. Next to me, Dave Garner had had an horrendous second half (shades of the footie team lately?) and managed just 43 lb 10 oz. Shaun Buddle kindly offered to get my nets in. The 36 lb net proved difficult - and he's a well-built lad. But an extra heave helped put 52 lb on the scales (!) - I must have forgotten to click a big fish. Those screw-in clickers may be expensive, but if one was on a front leg of my box I could hardly miss it, could I? Food for thought.

Former chairman John Smith with a typical
 Cedar common, around  8 lb, from peg 17.

My 43 lb net was weighed at 48 lb, and the last three fish went 19 lb,  giving me a total of 118 lb 15 oz. Dave Hobbs next door had clicked 103 lb (on one of those screw-in clickers) so he is better at that than me - he ended with 108 lb 13 oz. But Kevin Lee on 20 had eclipsed all of us, as he so often does, with 163 lb 14 oz which would obviously win. The only other 100 lb-plus weight was from Shaun in corner peg 14 - 105 lb 12 oz.

So I was second, and the Golden Peg money was safe. Unusually, the top three weights were all in section 20-22, with three main prizes. So as chairman I made the executive decision that after the other sections were paid out the money would go to the next top weight ,which was Martin Parker - some slight consolation for the fact that when I went to book my place in the Angling Trust Veteran's National (with Martin also preparing to do the same) the site showed: SOLD OUT. That was b****y annoying, as the closing date is July 12, and there are plenty of pegs on Tunnel Barn.

Former Vets National Champ, Martin Parker,
with 89 lb 2 oz.  He does incredibly well,
considering he has only one eye.

Marks out of ten

I was pleased I switched swims more quickly than I often do. I found that allowing the mussel to fall naturally in two feet of water, with all shot under the tiny float, seemed to bring more bites. I was confident that eventually the carp, which were giving liners all day, would eventually take the bait properly. And if I hadn't lost as many fish as I did I might have challenged Kev for first place. 

I think that perhaps loose-fed casters did help bring the carp in, and hold them. So 8/10, with the added comment that I am a twat for leaving my nets, keepnet bar, and a bait holdall beside my van, forgotten about as I handed out the section winnings.Thanks, Dave Hobbs, for rescuing them. I trust there's nothing in the bait bag that will go off and start smelling, though I wouldn't bank on it! Next match Wednesday on Elm, where traditionally peg 8 or opposite on 17 may be the favoured area. Peg 12 in the corner also has form.

THE RESULT

Sections were 14-16, 17-19, 20-22, and 23-26. Martin won a
section prize  because all top three were in the same section.
Kev Lee  and Mel Lutkin swapped swims before
the start because Mel's platform wasn't ideal for his chair.