Big fish feed in the cold on Oak, Decoy

Peg 15, Oak, Thurs, May 15
Typical English weather - boiling hot the previous day, but when we arrived at Decoy for this Spratts match the wind was a bitterly-cold North-easterly. I spoke to Pete Molesworth, a member of the JV club, before the match, and his advice was: "Keep it simple; fish close to the boards." That was fine with me, though peg 15, in the corner, has hardly any boards (which have recently been installed to stop the bank from caving in) to the left.

Trevor did the draw and Shaun acted as scribe.
But both had to go back to their vehicles soon after
the start and put on some overtrousers because of the cold!

Eighteen of us fished, so we were on both banks, but the two end pegs on our end of the lake were calm, while the rest had a ripple on, which slowly grew bigger as the wind increased. Later, though, the wind moved round a little to the South, and it meant that when I fished the shallow margin to my right I was facing the wind...and believe me it felt like Winter!

A cold wind, but calm surface - that was my swim before the start
(though it felt ten degrees warmer here than in the early pegs).

I set out to fish the shallow margin, about two feet deep, or over the shelf, where it was about four feet. I had no fish for a couple of hours, but Mike Rawson had an early carp on his feeder opposite on peg 19, and dead opposite me, in corner peg 16 Bob Walker had a carp on feeder, and a barbel and a couple of roach on the pole. Then to my right Peter Spriggs landed a good carp on pole; I think he caught that just in fron of him, on 2+1. I was still fishless.

Peter Spriggs, on my right, somehow kept catching fish from his left margin.

Mike Rawson was a long way away on the
opposite bank, But even at that distance I
could see that this fish was a real big'un!

A fish from the deep margin
But then...a fish - on corn over micros to my right in the deep water about five feet from the bank. It was a carp around 8 lb. There followed three hours without a fish in the net, though I did foulhook three on a pole, which came off. 

That eight-pounder took absolutely ages to land. I though it must be foulhooked in the snout, because it just kept plodding around. But no, it was in the mouth. meanhile several anglers had gone back to their vehicle for extra trousers, jumpers, or jackets. It really was cold. I tried several casts on a feeder with wafter or corn but had nothing more than a tiny liner.

The nearest we could get to see
Peter's best fish properly at
the weigh in - it was
probably near 15 lb.

During that fishless spell Peter Spriggs found carp in his shallowest swim, just a metre from the bank, using paste. I think he had about five, and lost a couple. I Came in close and had just a couple of liners. I had not tried farther out, though I could have fished out a fair distance even in the wind; instead I had a look to my left in the margin, where there was about four feet of water. And almost immediately I had a liner or two, just before the bait hit bottom. 

Two more
Then a carp took a grain of corn and this came in quite quickly - all 10 lb of it. Only a few minutes later mussel took an even bigger fish - a lovely silver common that was in beautiful condition, and around 13 lb. But that was my lot. I just couldn't get a bite anywhere until five minutes from the end when I hooked a great big carp from the deep left margin which leaped right out of the water and seemed to be hooked in the mouth. But seconds later the hook came out. So I finished with three fish and reckoned Peter Spriggs had about nine - so possibly around 100 lb.

Peter Harrison, 3rd with 101 lb 7 oz.

The weigh-in
Bob Barrett, on peg 1, led with 78 lb 5 oz, all taken on feeder, down to Peter Harrison on 7. He had 101 lb 7 oz, and Peter Spriggs didn't have 100 lb as I had assumed - he totalled just 68 lb, and had lost four. My three fish went 31 lb, beaten by Bob Walker opposite me, who took two or three late carp in his margin and ended with  57 lb 14 oz.

John Garner was Golden Peg, and
 was unlucky enought to lose
a near-20 lb carp when it
dropped through the
bottom of his landing net!

The winner - Shaun Buddle,
133 lb 12 oz. Note how seriously
he took his job as weight recorder!

Then came some much better weights on the East bank, topped by Shaun Buddle on 21 with 133 lb 12 oz, all except one taken out on a 2+2. That was the moment I realised I hadn't even tried out there towards the middle. What a terrible mistake on my part.

This was Kev's best fish - well
into double-figures.

Kevin Lee - second with  127 lb 11 oz.

Kevin Lee had six fish with an hour to go, then went out on a pole to 2+3 and found fish immediately, weighing 127 lb 11 oz for second spot, with Roy Whitwell framing yet again with 91 lb 15 oz, taken on a variety of baits on pole and feeder. So I finished nowhere.

That cold wind must have affected the fishing, after the hot spell. But well done to the anglers who found the fish in the end - it was not easy anywhere on the lake. And he weights were really quite tight.

Marks out of ten
My swim was calm for a lot of the match, but no calmer than Bobn Walker's swim oppoiste on 16. However my mistake was not to try farther out. Afterwards almost every angler I spoke to had caught most of their fish well out, and they couldn't catch in the margins. I kept seeing Peter Spiggs taking fish from his left margin (he said facing to his right left him so cold he gave it up). But I should definitely have tried well out. I can't think why I didn't. I give myself 5/10, which is generous. 

Off to Antiques Roadshow this weekend, to show a picture by Clive Dunn of Captain Mainwaring. I bought it 50 years ago in a charity auction. Of course none of the main characters in that Sit-Com are  still with us. I'll let you know the comments. My next match is John Garner's invitiation match on Elm next weekend.

THE RESULT

East bank                                    West bank   

30 John Smith        77 lb 11 oz              1 Bob Barrett        78 lb 5 oz        5th
28 Roy Whitwell     91 lb 15 oz  4th       3 Dave Hobbs        42 lb 8 oz
26 Kevin Lee         127 lb 11 oz   2nd      5 Mick Ramm         7 lb 4 oz
24 Dick Warrener     26 lb                        7 Peter Harrison   101 lb 7 oz    3rd
22 Trevor Cousins    73 lb 2 oz                 9 John Garner        77 lb 9 oz
21 Shaun Buddle    133 lb 12 oz  1st      10 Neil Paas             77 lb 7 oz
19 Mike Rawson      37 lb 1 oz                12 Joe Bedford        24 lb 9 oz
18 Wendy Bedford  36 lb 4 oz                 13 Peter Spriggs       68 lb
16 Bob Walker         57 lb 14 oz              15 Mac Campbell      31 lb