A visit to the Pidley Pensioners on Raven

To be honest I had put all thought of fishing on Wednesday out of my mind after seeing, on my mobile, Whats App messages giving me the news that one of our Cancer Exercise class had died. 

Val had been going every Tuesday, as I do, for probably three years, and you'd never have known there was anything wrong with her. She was a real live-wire, sparky, and seemed exceptionally fit doing the exercises and circuit training. And after Tuesday's class we all adjourned to the coffe shop to drink a toast to a brave lady, who knew that her cancers were terminal (she had several), but was always so happy and alive. Three months ago she went in for a six-week intensive course of chemo, and that was the last time I saw her.

I wondered about fishing the next day, but was too upset to contemplate it...until that coffee meeting. As we chatted about Val refusing to allow the cancer to stop her doing anything, I changed my mind, and decided I would go (a sort of personal homage to her bravery). So here's what happened...

Peg 13, Raven
It's months and months since I fished one of these Over-60s matches at Pidley, so I knew I would be struggling against those who fish it week after week. I drew 13 Raven, though I would have preferred Crow. I've fished Raven only three times in the four or five years it's been dug, and Chris Saunders, in the cafe, told me he had 14, which he didn't fancy. The end bank from 12 to 17 are probably the least rated allround. Roy Whincup always draws last, and as Chris and I tackled up Roy turned up in his car - the poor sod had drawn 12!

It's a bit over 14 metres to the far bank, but I fancied fishing over there for practice. So after putting in some maggots and groundbait to the left margin, over I went, with a banded pellet in about 18 inches of water a couple of metres from the far bank, using my short tops, and got liners immediately. After I had cad-potted in a few pellets, or catapulted some in, fish would start swirling, thought not immediately - they left it for a minute or two, which was very strange since the pellets were definitely sinking!

Roy Whincup had a good first half on peg 12, to my left.

Our local news bulletins have been consistently reporting that this was the hottest day of the year. That's absolute rubbish - it wasn't cold, but in hot, sunny weather I always slarr suncream on my arms and face, and today I didn't need any at all. It was just pleasantly warm, but what wind there was was in my face, so I couldn't loose-feed casters by hand as I had hoped.

A VERY slow start
After half an hour a 1 lb F1 took the pellet in the 18-inch swim across, and then a 5 lb mirror foulhooked itself in the stomach, but that, too, ended in my net. Eventually! A long time after that another F1 came to a shallow rig. I went as shallow as about six inches, at which point the liners stopped. Going back to 14 inches they started again, but no more fish, though I had lost four or five, almost certainly foulhooked. Over two hours had now elapsed.

Top my left Roy Whincup had latched on to several nice carp fishing cat meat in the margins, but Chris, to my right, had had hardly a fish. Satisfied that I wasn't going to hook any more across, I changed to the margins. Nothing on maggot! Back out to the 20-inch swim with luncheon meat and first drop a 6 lb carp came in, but then never a touch. So it was back again into the margins.

Hemp and caster sort of work
Now I started to get the odd liner, after feeding just a little hemp and caster, and suddenly cat meat produced an eight-pounder. From then on I concentrated on both margins, though the left was better, and a change to mussel saw six or seven more nice carp come in. In that last hour there was a lot of splashing from Chris' swim, but Roy had a bad spell. In the last three hours he had, he told me, just two F1s and two carp.

I lost several more in that last spell, but afterwards it appeared everyone on Raven had the same trouble. I had obviously been beaten both sides, but at least I had a respectable weight. Lifting the bait just half an inch seemed the only way of enticing a bite, otherwise it was just a matter of waiting.

Roy's 73 lb 10 oz included fish to almost 10 lb.

After landing a near-double-figure fish in my nice 18-inch landing net (which makes them easier to unhook) I put on a 20-inch Drennan, because if that big fish had flapped as I lifted the small net out by its grab bar, it would have gone straight back. I was pleased I did, as the next couple were also 8 lb-plus, and very lively!

The weigh in

Round to us, Mick Mister on peg 1 had 112 lb, and in fact that won the lake. Roy weighed 73 lb 10 oz, but didn't think it eould be enough to beat Chris, with whom he had a £1 wager. I was pleased enough with my 56 lb 12 oz, after having had such a slow start, but indeed Chris had beaten Roy with his 79 lb 10 oz, and in fact won that eight-man section. He had a lot more fish than me, but fewer big ones. I came nowhere, but was nowhere near last as I had feared,

Crow lake was won, yet agin, by the inimitable Pete Holland, who is in unbeatable form at the moment, with 220 lb 10 oz.

Marks out of ten
I was actually very pleased with how I fished across for the first three hours or so, though a change bait in the margins would have been a good move. In particular I should perhaps have put in some dead maggots. Otherwise I felt I had given myself a chance of overtaking both Chris and Roy. 

Two really big fish came off late - one when it was right at the net. The Kaizan hook had broken at the bend! Never had a problem with those hooks before, but I really shouldn't have been using then for big fish - and that one was well over 10 lb. Stupid Boy! So 5/10. But next time I would  come into the margins more quickly if I couldn't catch right over.

Next match Friday on Damson, where I did OK last time there with 157 lb for second place. I will be hoping that casters do the business again, and keep the fish in the shallows for the whole six hours. Oh, and I would like a peg on the far end bank. Pretty Please...

THE RESULTS

Raven 1-22

The rest of Raven

Crow 1-13

Crow 14-25

Cock-up - Nobody Does It Like Me (on Yew).

 Hi, Gang. I've been away for a week, and couldn't update this blog on my tablet. To the Cotswolds, since you ask, and we visited Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water, both described as gems of the Cotswolds, and yes, they look amazing, even with hundreds of tourists milling round. Here's a picture of Arlington Row, Bibury, described as one of the most-photographed row of houses in the UK, and I can see why.

Arlington Row, Bibury, Glos. The river is the Coln.

I'm no longer a virgin
I also hit a personal milestone - I had my first burger. When I was young I couldn't afford one, and when I could afford them I didn't fancy them - cheese that looked like a sheet of plastic, and beef bits shaped into a round burger that was ultra-processed, with all the attendant bad publicity. And they always looked to me to be bread-heavy. So how did my first taste go?

I chose a crispy mushroom burger, which the waiter in the restuarant brought with great ceremony, after my daughter told him that I was a burger virgin. When it was finished he asked how I liked it. I had to be honest, didn't I? "I won't be having another in a hurry," I replied. 

It didn't help that the bun thing had to be non-gluten (because I am coeliac), because non-gluten bread often tastes like sawdust (and that's if you're lucky). This was heated, so even dryer than normal, and tasted like - err, dry sawdust. The middle stuff was completely overwhelmed by the bread, as I had always suspected, because the single mushroom was flat as a pancake, and I was glad when it all ended. I hope to forget the whole unfortunate affair.

Peg 30, Yew, Sunday, Aug 18
Another event to forget (if I can). I fancied this corner peg 30 in the Fenland Rods match - 14 of us, from 16 to 30 with 21 not drawn. My gut feeling at the start was that fish wouldn't feed, so I went out to 13 metres to the end bank, with a grain of corn, without putting in any loosefeed at all. The odd liner was caused by fish near the surface hitting the line, and it took 55 minutes for me to hook my first fish.

Lovely! But I never had a touch in that nice-looking bay.
I could get a bite only next to the reeds sticking out at 13 metres.

That first fish turned out to be a common of around 9 lb, and 20 minutes later the second fish was a 1 lb carassio. At that point I had a word with Callum next door on 29, who had lost a fish on feeder, but had nothing else. So back to the swim and after putting in just a few grains of corn another carassio came in. I  kept looking along the bank, right into the corner, but only ever had bites as far as I could reach along the bank. 

A good wind

By now the wind had moved round so it was blowing straight into my corner - it couldn't have ben better for me.

A couple of foulhookers then came adrift before I went out to the aerator with a bomb, and then a feeder, without getting even a liner. A long look in the margins didn't produce anything, but now Callum had a fish or two out on the pole at 2+3. Instead of following suit I went back to my original swim and eventually had another carp about 10 lb, on corn.

Callum had a good spell halfway through the match.

I stick with the margins

Callum now had another fish or two on the pole at 2+3 but STILL I didn't go out there, instead coming back into the left margin where I started getting liners. The bank dropped straight down to five feet here - no shallow margin at all that I could find. With about two hours left a big piece of cat meat lured another double-figure carp, and then I lost two more fish after playing them for some time. Perhaps they were foulhooked, but I had still expected to net them.

Another big carp around 12 lb came from the lefthand margin, in the deep water and then the nightmare started. In the next hour, using my special method, I hooked no fewer than eight big fish, and landed just ONE. I played all of them for some time, and while I know two were foulhooked, because I had a scale, I again fully expected to land them. One, foulhooked in the tail (you can tell those by the way the line jags from side to side) came almost to the net before the hook pulled. Usually if you can get them that close, you will eventually land them.

Just 15 minutes to go and in desperation I put in a couple of big pots of dead, manky maggots into the right margin and immediately had a carp on a bunch of about eight deads. Back in and straight away the float buried and another big carp was on...and then off. I think I might have said a naughty word. End of match.

Me - that fish does have a head and a
tail. Thanks for grabbing my camera,
James -  you get more marks for the
picture than I got for the match!

The weigh in

I was first to weigh - six carp and those two small crassio for 70 lb 15 oz. Callum had 91 lb 11 oz and said he never had a fish in the margins; Peter Spriggs next door had 89 lb 5 oz on a pole at 2+2 and said he couldn't catch anything in the margins. Then Kev Lee weighed in just five fish for  36 lb 2 oz and said he didn't have a bite in the margins! 

All along the line the story was the same - Mel Lutkin 101 lb 15 oz and had to catch all his fish well out; then in the far corner, 15 pegs away from me, Roy Whitwell did eventually manage to catch some fish late just out from his left margin and won with 113 lb 12 oz. I finished fifth.

Mel Lutkin - second with 101 lb 15 oz.
That big fish weighed 15 lb.

Callum soon overtook me once he
started catching on the pole.

Marks out of ten

Honestly I was worth 3/10, and that was just because I started cautiously and had a fish or two before most of the others. I'm convinced that if I could catch (or at least get fish interested and hook them) close-in when nobody near me could, I could have caught out on 2+2 or 2+3. Talk about a cock-up. Still, I've just watched a Premier League goalkeeper give the ball away to an opposing forward (who scored) which was probably even worse than me. All part of life's rich pattern!

Roy Whitwell included two tench and some barbel 
in his wining 113 lb 12 oz from peg 16.

Next match Friday on Damson, at Decoy. I don't look forward to fishing Damson, but I nearly always do OK. It's a Funny Old Game.

THE RESULT

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

And so to the Spratts match on Oak, which I missed. Eleven fished, and a lot of big fish were caught in the high winds - biggest was the 16 lb 4 oz carp they weighed, caught by Mike Rawson. But he didn't win - that honour went to Neil Paas on peg 11, who was also Golden Peg and took home enough money to buy lots and lots of burgers! (Rather him than  me).

THE RESULT

5 John Garner            39 lb 13 oz

6 Trevor Cousins       96 lb

7 Peter Harrison        85 lb 10 oz

8 Martin Parker        DNW

9 Peter Spriggs         159 lb 9 oz        3rd

10 Mike Rawson        50 lb

11 Neil Paas              179 lb 8 oz        1st

12 Dave Hobbs           99 lb 13 oz

13 Roy Whitwell       164 lb 12 oz      2nd

14 John Smith             36 lb 5 oz

15 Shaun Buddle       148 lb 4 oz        4th

The draw is kind to me (at last) on Cedar

 Peg 22, Wed, Aug 14
A good start to this Spratts match on Cedar, for me - I didn't get peg 24! I had it last Summer, and was walloped by Peter Harrison on 22. Peter's peg had reeds both sides, while peg 24 is mainly bare bank . I fancied that in daytime the tall reeds offered enough cover to give the bigger carp confidence to feed, with the deepest water being less than two metres out here. Even better, I was drawn on peg 22 myself this time (and only a short walk), while Peter was on 24. Time would tell whether  my reading was right, and whether I could reverse the roles.

Looking back, this was a pretty straightforward match for me. I didn't catch all the time, but on the other hand I didn't have any really silly moments, like losing big fish at the net, or tripping over and falling on my pole. For me that's success....

Fourteen of us fished, and it was good to see Bob Barrett back in action after his heart attack. Seeing Bob with rod in hand after his problems makes you realise that there are some things in life more important than fishing.

Peg 22 is a swim which fishes itself. Some fish came from the 
deep water on the right next to the corner. But the best area was right
 inside that, in the shallow water only inches from the bankside reeds.

A bad start

I started on the Method feeder, but after half an hour with only liners caused by fish cruising around on the surface, I picked up my pole. I put in a little cat meat and corn, with micros in the deep water just to my right, and put in a rig to the left, in the margin, where it was about three feet. No bites, but I was satisfied I had an idea of how the bottom was - a big hump near me and a very quick drop-off down to five feet.

By now Dave Hobbs, opposite, had a fish which I fancied was taken fishing shallow. That was my next port of call - caster shallow. But I never had a touch. The fish I could see were all solitary, and swimming quite fast, and they all turned away when I dropped the caster neat them. Fairly early on there was splashing to my left and I think I heard Peter Harrison say: "It's foulhooked" to someone.

Trevor having a ball
Down on corner peg 14 Trevor Cousins had calm water, sheltered from the Northerly wind by the high bank. He told me afterwards he could see the fish pretty well, and while some were on their own, there were enough swimming in twos or three for him to be able to mug them. He took 50 minutes to get his first one, then took three in three drops. He carried on mugging occasional fish until the wind changed and put a ripple on, and the sun went in, when he could no longer see them.

Dave Hobbs had a couple up in the water in the first half of the match.

On my peg I went out to the good old 2+2, using corn, but almost two hours had gone before I had a fish - a 1 oz roach. Immediately I mad the decision to put in maggot, as I reasoned that with not much being caught , anything would be better than nothing. I put in casters, maggot and hemp, using a bait dropper, in an attempt to get the fish down. First drop with double maggot saw a good fish on.

This fish didn't stretch the elastic right out, but it was impossible to get it up. Two or three minutes must have gone by before I saw the reason - it was a 2 lb barbel. I hoped there would be more around. No - next fish was a 1 lb F1. Then a small bream, and then a 1 lb ide. Five different species and still no carp!

My first good carp at last
After another roach or two a bunch of three maggots was taken almost as soon as it hit the sirface - by an 8 lb carp. Then came a perch - the seventh different species. After that only a 2 lb bream came in before bites tailed off and I had a look inside.

That went well - I found a carp in the deep swim I had baited, then another in the left margin, and after two or three carp on cat meat or mussel from each swim I had a look in the shallow water right against the reeds on my right, on a top two. That brought three or four fish to 8 lb on corn, and I had to bait with hemp and micros, and a few casters, before every fish or I never had even a liner. With an hour to go, and about 35 lb clicked for each of the first two nets, I started on the third.

Bob Allen on peg 7 plays a carp (very carefully, as bites were hard to come by).

Disaster, Daaarling

Disaster! I didn't have a fish for the next 40 minutes. The liners I had been getting all the time slowed up. I'd lost only two fish, I think, foulhooked, and had managed to avoid striking unless I was fairly sure it was a proper bite. But I had been getting a lot of liners, and now a bit of panic set in - I had expected that last hour to be brilliant.

Nothing for it but to carry on, and suddenly a 2 lb bream came in from the left margin. Mussel tempted the smallest carp of the day, about 5 lb, and with literally seconds left I hooked a better fish. I shouted the obligatory "Fish On" and fancied I heard a groan from someone. I landed that four or five minutes after the match ended - about 7 lb and VERY welcome. Dave Hobbs opposite on 5, I knew, had had several fish, and I assumed he had probably beaten me. 

It was noticeable that fish started coming past in pairs and threes in the last hour, and I did pick up the shallow rig with caster on, just once - the fish didn't even look at it!

The weigh in
I thought I had at least 80 lb, but had little idea what everyone else had, though I'd seen Bob Allen land two or three fish quickly at one time, and he's been doing well recently. Although I didn't know it, Roy Whitwell on peg 3 had 35 lb in the first hour, but he then really struggled, ending with only 52 lb 6 oz.

Trevor Cousins - worthy winner, yet
 again - with  125 lb 8 oz.

The weigh-in started at 1, where Bob Barrett said he was absolutely knackered after this match - not match-fit, obviously. But he still weighed in 45 lb 14 oz. Dave Hobbs on 5 was top on that bank with 91 lb 7 oz, and Peter Spriggs on corner peg 13, who was the Golden Peg, had  66 lb 7 oz, to the delight of our recorder Bob Allen, who happily wrote "ROLL OVER" on the weigh sheet. How cruel!

Our bank had better weights, with Trevor in corner peg 14 putting 125 lb 8 oz on the scales - 75 lb of them taken mugging before the wind blew up, with several around 10 lb. That was probably going to win - I guessed only Neil Paass on 26 was the person most likely to beat that. Shaun Buddle also had three nets, but with only one fish in his last net he ended with 88 lb 1 oz.

   Neil Paas prepares to take fish back   
 after the  weighing. Trevor is on the
scales - he is our  organiser, secretary,
 treasurer,  gofer, and weigher-in.
 We are all very lucky to have him.

My nets went about 42 lb, 39 lb and 14 lb - total 96 lb 6 oz, and I was amazed to see Peter Harrison on my left had only one net, because he's a much better angler than I am. His fish went 43 lb 9 oz, and I reckon that backs up my theory that when the light is bright the big carp sometimes tend to hug those reeds. Last to weigh was Neil Paas on 26, who had caught 108 lb 5 oz for second spot, taken mainly close in on the pole, leaving me third, thanks largely to that  last-minute carp I had hooked.

Marks out of ten
Although I was third, with the two top weights in the corners, I realised afterwards that, yet again, I hadn't tried a change of bait - worms and expanders left at home (!), a bunch of deads towards the end, and paste left in the bag. So 6/10. Next match probably Sunday on Yew, which has been fishing hard. I wouldn't mind another match where I didn't have to walk far from the van. 😀

THE RESULT

East bank                                                West bank

26 Neil Paas           108 lb 5 oz   2nd         1 Bob Barrett         45 lb 14 oz

24 Peter Harrison     43 lb 9 oz                   3 Roy Whitwell      42 lb 6 oz  

22 Mac Campbell     96 lb 6 oz    3rd         5 Dave Hobbs         91 lb 7 oz    4th

20 Mick Ramm          6 lb 4 oz                    7 Bob Allen             53 lb 2 oz 

18 Shaun Buddle      88 lb 1 oz                    9 John Garner         22 lb 3 oz

16 John Smith           60 lb 1 oz                   11 Mike Rawson      23 lb 13 oz

14 Trevor Cousins  125 lb 8 oz   1st           13 Peter Spriggs       66 lb 7 oz

        

The walk along Oak Lake was definitely worth it! (Ellis Buddle Memorial)

Peg 15, Oak
Saturday was one of the highlights of my angling year, when I got to meet some old mates from Wisbech at the Ellis Buddle Memorial team match. And the first was Barry Gibson. We go back a long way - to when we were teenagers fishing with the Blacksmiths Arms club, and travelling to matches in Jim Flint's van (remember that, Barry?) 

There were some good anglers in that club, including Chris Webb and Roy Raven, who used to use brown bread flake for the bream.

Memories...
I remember sitting with Barry in the back of the van, back doors open as we travelled to somewhere in the Fens. Barry was smoking an illicit cigarette, and when it was finished he flicked it out through the doors. You'd think it would fly out and drop down on the road, wouldn't you? Not a bit of it.

       Roger Archer in magnificent action...      

That lighted fag end hovered near the back, in mid-air, and promptly shot straight back into the van where we sat. Funny how you remember the little things.

Roger Archer was also there - immortalised by appearing on the front of Allan Haines' book: The Complete Book  Of Match Fishing - a picture I took after a match on the Trent backwater at Syston. Roger's father, Peter, was one of the stalwarts of the Five Bells AC - he'd sit there smoking his Woodbines all night. And it was good to see other familiar faces, though I couldn't remember all their names.

The match
Anyway, my walk was to the far corner, peg 15, a swim I had never fished, though I know it has had some good weights in the past. Opposite me was match organise Shaun Buddle, fishing as an individual because the final entry was 31 - impossible to get teams from that number. So Shaun had 10 teams of three, and fished to enjoy himself.

The match had hardly started when I looked to my right to see Peter watching 
his neighbour land a carp! Two more followed very quickly.

I was teamed with Callum Judge and Steve Engledow, who were both pegged on Cedar, behind me. And for me (and for most, I think) the match started slowly. Two ten-minute casts on a Method feeder produced not even a liner, and by this time the angler two to my right, past Peter Harrison on peg 13, had what looked like a carp, followed soon after by two more, all on a pole. I changed to pole.

Peter was fishing around 14 metres, and I started at ten metres, with corn, but had had nothing after an hour. I'd been feeding casters and had a look shallow over the top, but although fish were moving on the surface, they never took my bait. So then it was down on the bottom, in that swim, with a bunch of casters.

Success...
Success! In came an 8 lb mirror. Then nothing, and I soon changed - I've ben changing swims after catching a fish much more quickly than I used to. Next it was into the deep margin to my right, facing the Southerly wind, from right to left. I kept feeding wth a little hemp, and micros, a few 6mm pellets and also casters (which I use most of the time now), and eventually had a bite. That turned out to be foulhooked, and it came off. But at least there were fish there.

I'd been flicking a few pellets in the side, right against the tins, which now line Oak lake, and when I saw a fish more there I dropped in, but nothing happened, so I left that line alone for the moment. Another 8 lb fish came from the ten-metre line on caster, and then another from the right deep margin on cat meat. I had also been feeding the left margin against the reeds, where it was a little shallower the closer you got to the reeds.

Shaun nets a fish opposite to me on peg 16.

A fish came from there, and another at ten metres, and with three-and-a-half hours gone I had just five fish and 36 lb on my clicker, having also lost another foulhooked. Peter Harrison seemed to have had a better start, and he had definitely hooked more fish than me. Afterwards he told me that several had come adrift.

Opposite, Shaun also had a better start than me, and I guessed he would eclipse my weight easily. Behind me on Cedar Trevor Cousins had hooked the occasional fish, and I know he lost some. 

In the last two-a-and-a-half hours I switched between the two deeper margin swims, and had about four more carp to 10 lb, before I saw Peter Harrison catching right against the tins, where it was about 18 inches deep. So I now included that swim in my repertoire, and my two best carp came from there - both around 12 lb; one on corn and one on mussel.

Trevor nets a fish behind me on Cedar lake.

I had to feed before every fish. If I didn't I wouldn't get a bite. I was feeding fewer grains of corn in the left margin, so used corn on the hook there, while the right deep margin saw me using cat meat (and not feeding much there); and inside on the right, mussel was best. One fish around 10 lb was hooked in the tail, but I landed it, after a hair-raising fight (you know how it is).

Two fish started to come in pretty quickly and then suddenly shot out and kept going as if foulhooked. But when I landed them they weren't foulhooked - except that both were hooked on the outside of the lip. They are so difficult to control when that happens.

Literally four minutes to go and I hooked a good fish from the tins swim, which came off leaving me with a scale. I glanced at the watch, saw two minutes remaining, hooked on another mussel, fed, and dropped the rig in. Down went the float and a fish was on. I admit I played it carefully as it would obviously be my last one. 

The match ended, I shouted 'Fish On', and Trevor obligingly shouted (very loudly) "Mac's got a fish on". That follows a comment in a recent blog that I shouted 'Fish On' a few weeks ago and someone (forget who) kept reminding me the match had finished. Anyway that fish, about 7 lb, ended where it should. I had 15 carp in four nets, with only one in the last one.

Lots of excitement on the bank as John Garner
takes a long, last, lingering look at the golden
coin he has had to deposit in Bob Allen's hand. 

The weigh-in
I was several minutes late playing that last fish. And I had caught on four different rigs from four different swims, and also had a spare rig and the shallow rig to pack away, and an assortment of baits, so as usual I was way behind most others. I was just in time to see Rod Melnyk on peg 9 weigh in his three nets.

I had spoken to Rod as I walked to my peg, saying that peg 9 was the swim I would have chosen - I won from it earlier this summer, and the next time we fished Oak, Kev Lee won from it. There are perhaps 30 yards between pegs 9 and 10, because the tins have collapsed, and a platform couldn't be put in where it should have gone.

Rod certainly did the swim justice -  first net was 22 lb 9 oz, but the next two both went over the strict 50 lb limit which Shaun had decreed for the match, by about 3 lb on each. It's so easy to do when the fish are around the double-figure mark. Total 122 lb 9 oz, and in the lead.

I thought Peter Harrison on 13 would
beat me, but no - he had 107 lb 4 oz.

I estimated I had around 120 lb to 130 lb, so also took a great interest when Peter Harrison weighed in his three nets, and was surprised when he totalled only 107 lb 4 oz, but while I had lost just six fish Peter said he had lost a fair number more than that.

My first net of five fish went 42 lb, the next five were 47 lb, a net of four was 39 lb, and the last fish was 8 lb 15 oz - total 138 lb 9 oz. That was leading, but I was told that Bob Allen on the opposite bank had several carp. Before that, Shaun in the corner opposite me weighed in - 112 lb 7 oz, as I think he had a poor ending.

Then Bob Allen weighed in, and after partnering me to second-place the previous Sunday in our pairs match, he had another really good catch today - 121 lb 3 oz, with every fish on paste. Why didn't I try paste? There were no more 100 lb-plus catches on Oak lake, so I was the winner there. And in fact top weight on cedar was 112 lb 7 oz to John Garner, so I ended as overall winner.

The presentations

Shaun had arranged for food for us all, and announced the winners  as Mel Lutkin, Phillip Allen, and Bob Allen, who all had over 100 lb and who were the only team to all top their three-peg sections.

Shaun prepares to present all the prizes, but
where on earth is the winner?

Myself and John Garner received a great box of goodies and a trophy, and I picked out a lucky peg number, with the winner receiving cash. The lucky man was...none other than Shaun Buddle, which was perfect since he'd given up his chance of being in a team after two people had cocked-up the date of the match and dropped out the day before.

Never mind - take the runner-up's picture - he's
better-looking anyway. Well done, John Garner!

Great surprise

When I got home I opened the box and it contained not a trophy but a mug stating the name of the match. It was an excellent idea, and my wife will see it every day, every time I make a mug of tea or coffe!

Inscribed mugs instead of trophies - I really love that idea, Shaun.

Shaun Buddle (L) with the winning team (L-R) Phillip Allen, Mel Lutkin, Bob Allen.

Runners-up Neil Paas, Roy Whitwell and Rod Melnyk.

So ended a really good match, with Shaun's thanks going to all the helpers and weighers-in, plus the Decoy team for the food, plus Mum Buddle for making up the boxes of goodies (I've already started on the pork scratchings, which I haven't had since I was a boy). But most of all Shaun deserves our thanks for bringing us all together every year, and at the same time doing his Dad proud!

My marks out of ten

I thought I played those big fish pretty well, having opted for my long tops because of the extra insurance of the extra elastic. But given that I didn't try a bunch of maggots, or a worm, or paste, or prawn or pellet on the hook, all of which I had with me, I am probably worth only 6/10. However I bothered to buy and take casters, which appear to be a magnet for carp, so in the best tradition of the late Len Goodman on Strictly I'll increase that to SEVERN.

Next match on Cedar on Wednesday, where peg 26 in the corner usually holds fish. But I'm confident that at the moment I can put up a good show from any peg, especially if I have casters with me.

THE RESULTS

Shaun gave up his team place to fish as an individual, and caught
112 lb 8 oz. Then I picked him out as the Lucky Peg winner!

That's all, folks!

Catch-up, with a surprise, and the Damson result

This is several days late - courtesy of 'things to do at home', the Olympics, and a nasty three-day attack of vertigo which kept me in bed. And I must start with what is, for me, a little gem.

After our Fenland Rods  match on Damson (see below somewhere) Kev Lee showed me a couple of his pictures which he is about to frame, having already sold them. I've seen pictures of a dog and a kingfisher by Kev, which were quite outstanding. But these two landscapes were, for me, quite awesome. Here they are (quick snaps while Kev held them for me). I loved them so much I would have asked him to paint one for me, but my wife politely reminded me we have a dozen or more photos, taken and framed by me, ready to hang on our own walls, Still I think these are absolutely brilliant:

This what Kev does in Winter, instead of fishing!

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Spratts match on Beastie, Monday, July 29.

I couldn't fish this match, and the general consensus was that I didn't miss much. Trevor won with 81 lb 6 oz from peg 23, fishing a pellet waggler right across to the island.

Result:

3    Bob Allen            14 lb 8 oz

4    Peter Spriggs       50 lb 12 oz

5    John Garner         53 lb 14 oz       3rd

22 Shaun Buddle        59 lb 5 oz        2nd

23 Trevor Cousins     81 lb 6 oz         1st

24 Mike Rawson        43 lb 15 oz

29 Roy Whitwell        11 lb 4 oz

30 Neil Paas                30 lb 4 oz

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Spratts match on Yew, Tuesday, Aug 6

Another match I had to miss, with Addenbrookes phoning to give me the most recent update on the cancers on the lung. Unfortunately the scan results were not yet in, but in the meantime I was able to confirm that I am still alive (!).

Peter Harrison won this from peg 29 with five carp on the Method and pellet, followed by a few more on a top 2+1 fishing meat. As is usual on Yew the fish were big, with most around 10 lb.

Roy Whitwell's best fish was 14 lb, and he ended with 88 lb 8 oz taken on Method and wafter, and again on 2+1, putting him second. 

John Smith was third with four carp on pellet waggler and pellet cast across ot the far side, folllowed by four more in the margins on meat. His eight fish went 77 lb 8 oz.

Result: 

16 Neil Paas             68 lb 11 oz        4th

17 John Garner         39 lb 9 oz

18 Dick Warrener     60 lb 3 oz

19 Roy Whitwell      88 lb 8 oz        2nd

20 Bob Allan              5 lb 14 oz

21 Peter Spriggs       42 lb 11 oz

22 Dave Hobbs         40 lb 4 oz

23 Mike Rawson       13 lb 2 oz

24 Martin Parker        39 lb 9 oz

25 Mick Ramm           7 lb

26 John Smith            77 lb 8 oz        3rd

28 Trevor Cousins      49 lb 1 oz 

29 Peter Harrison      116 lb                1st

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Fenland Rods, Damson, Decoy, Sunday, Aug 4

Ten of us turned out for this match on Damson, and it was voted that we run it as a pairs match. The day was cloudy with a warm wind, and I reckoned it could be a good day. 

I walked past peg 1, and immediately didn't fancy it. This peg is on the end, very sheltered, and can be a flier in Winter. But today it had no wind on it, and the water looked dead. Mike Rawson had drawn it - just his luck!

The pegs I fancied

Peg 2 is a noted margin swim, but it wasn't pegged today. I was on peg 10, and was glad peg 11 was left out, as a lot of big weights have come from there - it's so easy to fish under the bush on the left with a top two. Allan Golightly had 13, which I also like, and which has often won that bank, but the best swim by far looked to be 15, where John Smith set up. I had a wander up there before the match and there are stick-ups to the right, and a reed bed to the left, protruding about two feet out into the lake, with odd reed stems around, giving a cracking area for fish to back into.

Peg 10. A light breeze at the start blew harder towards the end.

Back on peg 10 there were fish milling around in the margins before the match, as there were in most swims. Sometimes they disappear five minutes after the match starts, and sometimes they hang around for an hour or longer. The depth right against my bank was about eight inches, so I decided to start about two feet out, with banded pellet set at 18 inches.

Fish immediately

It took a couple of minutes to get a fish, which was far too long, and I quickly decided to go with casters. That had an amazing effect - fish came in immediately, and I had one within seconds, an F1 a little over 1 lb. That first hour was hectic, and at the end of it I must have had over 40 lb, best fish less than 2 lb, and I could see some of them actually take the banded caster as it fell.

The best thing about the whole day, for me, was that I could see how fish were responding. I would put in about 20 casters and fish would usually be there in two seconds, milling around. A bait dropped in among them was hardly ever taken - they were just too excited. If I waited until they had dispersed (about ten seconds) and dropped in just half-a-dozen casters to entice one or two back, and immediately dropped my bait down, that was the best tactic to get a fish.

 Alternately I could drop the bait in and feed half-a-dozen casters over the top. But they had to accurate - absolutely spot on. A foot away and bites often never came. Surprisingly if I dropped thre bait in front of a fish I could see, without fgeeding, more often than not the fish would have a look and turn away immediately.

A good 'un for Roy in the first half-hour, but it was his only one.

No big fish

To my left Roy Whitwell started well, though not as well as me, but soon after the start he had a big fish, about 8 lb, which is big for Damson. I never had one that big all day, taking F1s and small commons up to this point.

Within an hour both Roy and I were remarking that every time we looked over to John Smith he was playing a fish...and that went on until very late in the match. He definitely would weigh in a proverbial shedful.

Eventually my caster fish stopped responding in the same way and I tried three banded maggots, which brought a few, then I went on to the bottom with corn, which kept fish coming steadily but more slowly, but still feeding caster. These fish tended to be mirrors, of 2 lb-plus, up to about 3 lb 8 oz. Then bunches of caster on a size 12 worked, then paste, then cat meat. 

Big fish in the side

I did have one more hectic spell on banded caster shallow, close-in. One or two nice carp over 2 lb came from under the bush, but the bottom was like a silhouette of the alps, and it was difficult to decide where the fish were. And all day better fish of 4 lb were coming into the side, and seemed to be sucking the side of the bank. Perhaps there were some trace elements in the earth there. They never even looked at anything thrown to them.

Roy was landing his fish so quickly that I never
managed to get get a really good action shot.

Roy went on to the Method feeder when his fish tailed off and had fish immediately - they were taking within 30 seconds of him casting out. He had two or three short spells like that, which whittled down whatever lead I might have had, and each time he came back on to the pole and caught again. Towards the end I found that mussel brought slightly bigger fish, but after five hours they definitely slowed down.

The last half-hour

The wind seemed to affect the fish more than I would have expected - when it blew harder, putting a bigger ripple on, the fish went down to the deeper water, which is about three feet on the top of the shelf. I never tried the bottom of the shelf, which is about seven feet deep.

That extra blow also messed up my lefthand swim, where I had had a few, because it meant fishing into the wind. So that last half hour became quieter and quieter - I put about 9 lb in that fourth net in the last 30 minutes. I estimated I ended with  nets of 40 lb, 45 lb, 40 lb and that last 9 lb - total 134 lb.

Bob Allen, my partner for the day, did really
 well from peg 3, taking 91 lb 11 oz and
 coming second in his five-peg section.

The weigh in

I'd had seven rigs out - two shallow, three margin rigs with different sized tops, a cat meat rig, and the seven-foot rig I never used. So I was a bit late packing up and arrived at the scales after Mike Rawson had weighed just 29 lb 3 oz - as I had sort of half-expected on that flat-calm peg. 

When I got there the weighers had just weighed in my partner for the day, Bob Allen. He was on peg 3, mainly on paste, and had 91 lb 11 oz, which I said was a really good, solid weight on the day. In fact he finished second in his five-peg section, beaten only by Kevin Lee.

Dick Warrener extended his good
recent run, taking 86 lb 15 oz from
the peg next to Bob Allen.

Kevin had 127 lb 8 oz. Roy and I hadn't been able to see Kev all day because there was a bush in the way, but we had heard a lot of splashing going on, so guessed he had done well.

Roy was the first to weigh in my section of five - 121 lb 8 oz, and I thought I would definitely beat that...and I did! My nets went 47 lb, 51 lb, 47 lb and 9 lb - total 157 lb 6 oz, best fish less than 4 lb. I'd no idea what the two to my right had, but John on end peg 15, on the end bank, said he had 200 lb.

Roy Whitwell and I had a really
good battle from the start (but
I beat him!) 😀😀😀

Mel, next peg to my right, had 65 lb 15 oz, and Allan Golightly on 13 had a great start before the fish completely deserted him, leaving him with just 37 lb 5 oz. Then John weighed in his five nets - a magnificent 204 lb, which gave him top points in our section. He took a lot on prawn.

Unfortunately for the rest of us he was pegged with Kevin Lee, so they finished with just 2 points, and won the Pairs event. Bob and I were both second in our sections, though, so we had 4 points for the second prize. I ended second overall.

Marks out of ten

I felt I had kept everything simple, and had lost only four fish all day, all foulhooked. I wasted no time trying to catch the bigger fish I could see in the margin against the bank, and switched methods and swims several times quite quickly when bites tailed off. So I thought I had caught  pretty well on an average peg, worth an unusual 9/10. Next match is the Ellis Buddle Memorial on Oak and Cedar - 11 drawn teams of three at the time of writing.

Ellis, as I have written before, was an inspiration to me. For the last couple of years all we had to do was get him to his peg, make sure that he could reach everything from his box, and leave him to it. There he would sit, plumbed in to his oxygen mask, and he would catch fish - lots of 'em. He told me it was smoking that had given him his emphysema. A lovely man. Remembered thanks to his son Shaun's determination to get this match underway each year.

Team Result:      Points

John Smith - winner with 204 lb exactly.

1 Kev Lee, John Smith             2 

2 Bob Allen, Mac Campbell      4

3 Dick Warrener, Mel Lutkin     7

4 Mike Rawson, Roy Whitwell  8

5 Dave Garner, Allan Golightly 9

Note - the club pays three-peg or four-peg section prizes, by default.