Peg 13, Friday, May 23
Yet again a swim I didn't particularly fancy in this 13-entry Spratts match, and the longest walk down to a corner peg at the far end of the lake. Thanks goodness I have a motorised trolley; even so I had to make two journeys because my bait bags won't all go on the trolley, and I had two cool bags as well (for casters and cat meat, since you ask). But I keep getting these long walks.
Yet again a swim I didn't particularly fancy in this 13-entry Spratts match, and the longest walk down to a corner peg at the far end of the lake. Thanks goodness I have a motorised trolley; even so I had to make two journeys because my bait bags won't all go on the trolley, and I had two cool bags as well (for casters and cat meat, since you ask). But I keep getting these long walks.
Yet again the surface here was calm, with only the occasional little bit of ripple when the West wind got up and turned slightly. It was one of those strange days when the wind blew my float back towards me, but the surface stayed calm. Dave Hobbs was opposite me, with a back wind which was probably no help at all to him.
Being positive
Not that I'm complaining - not when I see those pictures of poor sods being bombed and losing everything, including their family. Thank goodness I can go fishing and forget that side of life; otherwise it would drive you mad. And on the day the good news was that I had fish near me - I could see them. Cruising around and enjoying life. And in the corner the occasional reed juddered about, showing me that the fish were playing.
Not that I'm complaining - not when I see those pictures of poor sods being bombed and losing everything, including their family. Thank goodness I can go fishing and forget that side of life; otherwise it would drive you mad. And on the day the good news was that I had fish near me - I could see them. Cruising around and enjoying life. And in the corner the occasional reed juddered about, showing me that the fish were playing.
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| My right mrgin was flat calm for almost all of the match. |
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| This was taken about five seconds after the right margin picture. You can see that to my left there was some lovely raspberry ripple. |
Casters next on the menu
Inevitably the bites tailed off and I had a look in the margin swim where I'd been flicking out casters. I didn't get any fish deep, but when I shallowed up and had a look in the margins next to the bank, where a load of rubbish had built up, I found some slightly smaller carp, all of whch came out from under the rubbish and took four casters on a size 14. Yet again the fish became cautious after three or four had Come To Daddy, and I scrapped around deep for an hour or so, catching just two more.
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| Dave Hobbs' pole bends as he battles a carp. |
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| Carefully does it...that's when the fish is most likely to come off! |
I'm a loser
Anyway, whatever I did I couldn't catch a fish on caster, mussel, cat meat or corn, I probably should have tried pellet, but to be honest fishing away from the bank meant fishing over silt that had threatened to engulf my plummet when I had plumbed up at the start. Nasty, oozy, gluey stuff it was. Even so I should have tried the feeder. BUT I did hook fish - about ten, which nearly all came off.
Anyway, whatever I did I couldn't catch a fish on caster, mussel, cat meat or corn, I probably should have tried pellet, but to be honest fishing away from the bank meant fishing over silt that had threatened to engulf my plummet when I had plumbed up at the start. Nasty, oozy, gluey stuff it was. Even so I should have tried the feeder. BUT I did hook fish - about ten, which nearly all came off.
Up to that time I'd not lost a fish, so why did they suddenly go cagey on me? I'm not convinced that they were all foulhooked - I think some were probably just lightly hooked in the mouth. However, one was definitely hooked in the side - I know this because about ten or 15 minutes after I had hooked it, that fish lay in my landing net. It had first surfaced two swims to my left, in front of Bob Barrett,. I prayed that he was fishing his feeder down the margins, and I think he must have been. That gave me a definite indication that it was foul-hooked. Well, it would, wouldn't it?
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| Another one in the new Drennan landing net (picture courtesy of Roy Whitwell). |
New net helps
But that fish felt like a sack of potatoes with an outboard engine. No way of getting it to head towards the landingnet. It would come in sideways, flick its tail, and off it went again. I recently bought a new Drennan 20-inch landing net, which is slightly bigger than the old 20-inch model, and it's proved invaluable for getting these awkward ones into it. But that was the only high spot of a really bad two hours. It weighed about 12 lb.
But that fish felt like a sack of potatoes with an outboard engine. No way of getting it to head towards the landingnet. It would come in sideways, flick its tail, and off it went again. I recently bought a new Drennan 20-inch landing net, which is slightly bigger than the old 20-inch model, and it's proved invaluable for getting these awkward ones into it. But that was the only high spot of a really bad two hours. It weighed about 12 lb.
I have an idea!
Then, with 90 minutes to go I had an idea - I used my brain. To my left, hiding behind the long grass, was a cut-out which I hadn't yet plumbed. Why? Just a senior moment which lasted several hours. When I dropped the plummet in it was definitely shallower, though I couldn't find any sizeable flat spot. Nevertheles I put in some micros and corn and went out into what I thought was the deepest spot.
Then, with 90 minutes to go I had an idea - I used my brain. To my left, hiding behind the long grass, was a cut-out which I hadn't yet plumbed. Why? Just a senior moment which lasted several hours. When I dropped the plummet in it was definitely shallower, though I couldn't find any sizeable flat spot. Nevertheles I put in some micros and corn and went out into what I thought was the deepest spot.
I soon had a liner and for most of the last hour I messed around, using corn or mussel, and catching a few carp, mainly around 4 lb or 5 lb, constantly adjusting the depth and fishing sometimes right up to the bank and other times out to the edge of the drop-off.
Just before the end I had a bad biteless ten minutes, so changed back to corn, and seconds before the final shout I had a bite, and was able to shout out "Fish On," as loudly as I could (a sort of gamesmanship, but also to let the others know I had heard the final shout. Because they are very considerate of my deafness, and they always repeat the first and last indications for my benefit. Bless them - real mates.) That fish was about 4 lb, and I thought it brought me up to about 80 lb. I'd got 32 lb and 34 lb on the first two clickers, and 12 lb in the last net.
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| The winner! Trevor Cousins mugged all his carp on a banded pellet. |
I guessed that Trevor would have been mugging fish all day, and he had - to the tune of 120 lb 13 oz taken on banded pellet. He said that when the sun was out he hardly caught a fish, and he caught almost all of them when there was cloud cover.
Incidentally, I have a ticket for the Vets National on Springvale, where no mugging is allowed. Now mugging is simply targetting fish you can see. So how can that be enforced? Are you not allowed to drop your rig in anywhere near a fish that you can see in front of you? There's no standing allowed if you're fishing, either. Oh well, I will just have to hope I don't catch anything...
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| When he wasn't taking photographs Roy Whitwell had a go at catching fish, finishing second with 101 lb 7 oz. |
My 32 lb net went 39 lb 15 oz; the second 34 lb net went just over 41 lb, and the last two went 13 lb - total 94 lb 3 oz for third spot. Very happy with that considering I never had that lovely Raspberry Ripple.
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| I couldn't let Mick Ramm go without taking a picture of him and his biggest fish, which must have weighed well into double figures. |
Marks out of ten
All round I thought I scrapped around pretty well, and although I could have tried pellet, or perhaps worm, I honestly felt that if the fish were in a feeding mood they would take my mussel or corn. I had lost about ten - any one of those would probably have moved me into second, so I can't be unhappy - 8/10; "This boy could do better but is improving."
All round I thought I scrapped around pretty well, and although I could have tried pellet, or perhaps worm, I honestly felt that if the fish were in a feeding mood they would take my mussel or corn. I had lost about ten - any one of those would probably have moved me into second, so I can't be unhappy - 8/10; "This boy could do better but is improving."
THE RESULT
East bank West bank
23 Neil Paas 75 lb 9 oz 4th 1 Martin Parker 45 lb 10 oz
21 Mike Rawson 42 lb 1 oz 3 Wendy Bedford 9 lb 14 oz
19 Joe Bedford 6 lb 5 oz 5 Trevor Cousins 120 lb 13 oz 1st
17 John Smith 68 lb 8 oz 7 John Garner 57 lb 2 oz
15 Bob Barrett DNW 9 Roy Whitwell 101 lb 7 oz 2nd
13 Mac Campbell 94 lb 3 oz 3rd 10 Mick Ramm 42 lb
12 Dave Hobbs 44 lb 7 oz
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