A nightmare finish for me on Crow Lake, Pidley

Peg 5, Sat, May, 10
Things were looking up for me in the days before this match - a good game of bowls, when I seemed to be able to get them exactly where I wanted them; then the pelargoniums I have nurtured all Winter reacted to the sun and started blooming... well, blooming marvelously. Then I found myself all tackled up and ready to go in this Fenland Rods a good 20 minutes early, which is unheard of for me. We fished alternate pegs - 2 down to 24.

Then a great start - first drop with a 0.5 gm float and a 4mm cube of luncheon meat saw the tip a bit too high in the water. But a No 11 shot added saw it dot down perfectly about 9 metres out. There was a light facing wind, giving a nice ripple. Within seconds it had dipped and I found myself playing a 5 lb carp. What a start. With that fish safely in the net I went out again and promptly hooked a 1 lb F1; then a two-pounder. And after 30 minutes I had about 12 lb to my name.

When we started there was a lovely ripple in the ENE wind.

Blowing in the wind
Then things slowed down (as they so often do) and the wind, which was in my face and slightly from the left (as I had expected) got up quickly and soon it was really strong. At that point I should have just changed to a heavier rig, which would have enabled me to go out further if I needed to. I think I could have fished there even though the pole would have been blowing around. But I didn't!

No, I stayed in the same spot, with the same rig, and caught the VERY occasional 2 lb F1. To my left Allan Golightly was struggling, and to my right Dick Warrener had had a fish or two, but was also struggling. A look in the margin saw another F1, and then a bigger fish about 3 lb. Now almost half the match had gone and I reckoned I had about 20 lb - I thought that was good compared to what the anglers each side had, but I had no idea about the others as they were too far away for me to see properly.

Up the shelf
A move, in the really nasty wind, up the shelf at about 5 metres brought three or four quick F1s, and then I had a look in the margins. First drop with a mussel saw a big fish foulhooked and I came back with a scale. Then the odd F1 and I went back to the five-metre line. Beside me my bomb/feeder rod was all ready to cast, but I never even picked it up. I was regret that, later.

I miss bite after bite
That five-metre line then produced a series of bites - perhaps 25 or 30 - one after the other...and I missed every one. Almost every time the luncheon meat had ben talken off the hook. Corn brought one fish, then I had to change back to meat to get a bite. They must have been F1s and I wasted far too much time there.

Into the margins

So it was into the margins with an hour to go, and there I hooked, and landed, about three better carp and a big F1, on mussel or cat meat. That was followed by five big fish all lost in five drops - every one foulhooked. Even so, I thought I could add another 30 lb in the time left.

But in the last 20 minutes I landed just one 6 lb carp, and an F1, for an estimated 50 lb total. I had seen Mel on peg 1 land a couple, but I was sure I had beaten those either side of me on what I thought was a very difficult day.

Dave Hobbs had most of his 59 lb 14 oz
from peg 20 on bomb or feeder.

The weigh in

A bit of a shock - Mel on peg 1 weighed in 63 lb 3 oz, which had obviously beaten me. The next two had struggled, but my 57 lb 3 oz easily beat Allan in peg 7 who had just four fish for his 15 lb 1 oz. Then the better weights started - Martin Parker, my Vets National travelling partner, had fished mainly a feeder for  68 lb 14 oz. and on peg 16 Roy Whitwell had caught most of his winning 90 lb 1 oz on a bomb or feeder. Our current Champion Kevin Lee had struggled, though - five fish for 25 lb 13 oz.

On the next peg Dave Hobbs had beaten me with 59 lb 14 oz, also nearly all on a feeder. Then my mate John Smith was on peg 22. Halfway though the match he had wandered up to Mike Rawson on 24 and said that for two pins he would pack up and go home. He went back to his peg and caught a fish, and had a good late spell in the margins, ending with 73 lb 14 oz for second spot! I ended sixth out of  the 12 who fished.  

His best fish, taken from the margin.

John Smith - 2nd with 73 lb 14 oz.

Winner was Roy Whitwell, 90 lb 1 oz.

Marks out of ten

I must have had a brainstorm. I can't think why I hadn't gone out farther with a heavy rig. It would have been difficult but it now appeared that a lot of the fish taken were well out. And why didn't I try the feeder? It was all rigged up and ready to go. I've won on Crow on the feeder in the past! I had become so preoccupied in trying to hook those pesky F1s I knew were in my swim, instead of trying something else. I was worth just 2/10. Next match Thursday on Oak, Decoy, where the Feedermasters event ten days ago was won from peg 20 with 305 lb.

THE RESULT