Peg thirteen not lucky for me.

Peg 13, Damson, Sunday, Feb 16

To cut a long story short I caught about nine fish in this JV club match, weighing a total of 4 oz. They were mainly small stuff! The annoying thing is that peg 13, in the corner, is a very good peg normally, but in this match you needed to be able to cast a bomb or feeder well over, either to the far bank, or to the island...and this is the only peg where you can't do that.

No wind at the start, and when it did blow, it never gave
me any of that lovely raspberry ripple.

Steve Tilsley worked real hard for his nine fish.

To my right Steve Tilsley started slowly, but eventually caught a small carp on a bomb and sweetcorn. Then in the next four hours he winkled out a few from the second shelf down - about five feet deep - on a pole to his right. And the last 30 minutes saw him catch two more on the pole from the deep water, and one on a bomb. He must have been cold because while the first seven of us had mainly back wind, Steve had it in his face. His nine fish weighed 34 lb 10 oz.

Eddie came good in the last 40 minutes, adding 
two carp to his earlier fish, all on maggot feeder.

To my left Eddie McIlroy managed three carp on a maggot feeder. And the match, was won by Peter Harrison on peg 3, casting a maggot feeder over to the far bank, for 48 lb 1 oz. For the record I caught my fish on a pole in the deep water near the end bank. It's the first time I've ever been to Damson  and not had fish in the margins. I kept hoping that carp would come in to where the occasional roach took my maggot down in the depths, but they didn't oblige. Peg 13, you see?

THE RUNNER-UP

Steve was undoubtedly colder than any of us, with the wind in his face.
But these were his reward - nine carp for 34 lb 10 oz.

Next match is Sunday on Beastie - not particularly looking forward to that, at this time of year. It's the day after the Winter League final, so I'm not expecting much, and what is caught will be from the main bowl - sort of 5, 6, and 14 round to 23 or 24. The open saw peg 13 at the back of the spit, not weigh.

THE RESULT