Blow me, yet another long walk, to a swim on Yew which I've always found a bit awkward, though I know I have won from it. Two names left in the cocoa tin, including mine and that dreaded peg 16 still in the bag. Out comes my name and Mel says: "What peg do you want, Mac?" " Not 16," I replied as Mel unfurled his fingers to reveal PEG SIXTEEN. Oh, well, it's all good excercise making the two trips I need to make to my swim.
And when I got there I immediately had another regret - why did I bring just water to drink rather than coffee? Because the strong head wind was decidedly very cold. At least I had one hoodie on, and the Goretex jacket if I needed it. My plan was half-formed when Roy Whitwell. next door on 17, said he'd be starting on a feeder, and I decided to do the same, even though I'm much better on the pole.
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| Windy, and the tall reeds on the left made fishing that side anywhere near the bank quite difficult. |
The rumour was that fish had been added from the stock pond, so I was hopeful that someone, at least, would get a good weight, even though fish were mooning about on the surface in my swim, presumably waiting for sex. I remember the feeling. After we had started I flicked an expander in front of some of those fish - they completely ignored it.
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| The float I 'caught' was covered in spawn. |
I'd cast three-quarters of the way across, probably 40 yards away, and immediately the fish kited towards Roy. I shouted a warning, so he knew there might be problems. But it never fouled his line, and quickly came back towards me. Then it seemed to sulk, and just went back and forth, or tried to get under the platform, but never more than a few yards away.
I looked at my watch and it was 10.20 - it had been on ten minutes. I was tiring, my back was aching, and I shouted to Roy that I still had it on. Back and forth it went, never making any sort of run to use up energy. I held the rod below the surface many times, and then at last there was a swirl on the surface and it had come off the bottom. Even so it was 10.30 before it finally rested in the net. All 12 lb-plus of it. Hooked in the mouth.
Into the net it went and I was knackered, so walked up to Roy, who had two carp. Refreshed, I walked back, cast out again, an ten minutes later a four-pounder joined its mate in the net. A good start...which quickly faded away. The next hour saw just a few liners, obviously from those fish near the surface, and I decided to have a look on the pole.
I spent ten minutes in the lefthand side deep water (the swim became deeper the farther to the left I plumbed), and I used corn over micros and hemp and never more than four or five grains of corn. I fancied I had a touch or two, but I stuck to my new plan, and went back on the feeder for ten minutes, without result. Ten minutes back on the pole with a size 14 hook and I definitely had a bite because the corn was gone when I struck. Then back on the feeder for ten minutes. Back on the pole and I foulhooked, and landed, a four-pounder on the corn, so now I knew there were definitely fish there.
I put that in the net, re-fed the pole swim, and wandered up to Roy, who had, I think, four, but he hadn't had a bite on the feeder for ages. Martin Parker had five carp for 30 lb, and John Smith had three carp and a tench, taken well out on a pole. Knowing that, I went back an went out, into the wind, at about eight metres, with corn. First drop the float (one of the lovely Cralussos I bought last year) went under. It was a 4 lb foulhooked carp, which almost went through Roy's swim before ending up in my net. So I concentrated there for a while, with no more bites.
The match was now more than half over, but I was confident that I would catch. I had a quick look to the right, about two metres out, with mussel, just to get the rig working right, and concentrated on the lefthand swim. It was getting difficult at times to see the float because the tall reeds kept blowing back then rushing forwards, at which point I lost sight of the it. I lifted once to retrieve the rig and hit a fish, obviously foulhooked, which thankfully came off quickly.
Then things got better, and three or four big fish, around 10 lb, came to the net, though I lost a couple more. One of them took several minutes to land, but others came in quite quickly on the Matrix Slik green 16-18 elastic. To have a look in the slightly-shallower water closer to the reeds I used the spare rig, with the lemon-yellow Slik 14-16, and almost regretted it when the first fish seemed to take me into the reeds. I held as tightly as I dared and lo and behold it came out.
In the high wind I had to pull a lot of the elastic back into the top to land that fish - leaving too much out meant it caught the wind and it was very difficult. Then, with about 35 minutes left I put some pieces of mussel, plus micros, corn and hemp, into the righthand swim and followed it up with my stronger rig, with a size 12 Animal hook. This rig had the Slik red 18-20 in it, which meant I would need to add sections as soon as I hit a fish, rather than expect the elastic to stretch.
Almost first drop with a small mussel, and I was into a fish about 8 lb, which came in quite quickly. Next drop I hit another, but while I was adding the sixth section the fish came off. I was annoyed with muyself because I han't concentrated on playing the fish the first few seconds. After that I added the section before I dropped the bait in. And yes, I had another fish very quickly - probably underserved.
Seconds after I hit that last fish Roy shouted that the match had ended. I certainly never heard any other shout. But I shouted "Fish on" immediately. A few minutes later a lovely double-figure mirror lay in my net, and Roy walked up in time to see me unhook it. He said that he was sure that some of his fish must have been from the stock pond because they looked so perfect and fit, and I agreed. He estimated he had about 90 lb.
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| No chance of holding these big fish as they were so lively. So Martin Parker shows his biggest, which must have been near 15 lb. |
I was plumb last getting my stuff packed away. How do these others do it so quickly? Incredibly John Smith ended with three carp and a tench - he never had another fish after I had spoken to him halfway through the match. Kev Lee had over 100 lb, mainly on mussel on pole at ten metres, and allegedly a couple of his fish were around 15 lb. I saw Martin Parker weighing the last of his 83 lb, which included some really big'uns.
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| Roy Whitwell - two for 26 lb-plus. |
I had lost about six fish, just one of which would probably have won me the match. On the other hand Kev told me had had lost six carp, all definitely hooked in the mouth, at the net. I had only about ten fish for my 94 lb - a great day's fishing. And although the reeds had made it difficult for me to see all my bites in the lefthand swim, I felt I had scrapped around OK while other struggled.
I thought that sticking to a smaller bait for the first four hours was more likely to get me a bite from fish that obviously weren't go mad for food. I never fished right against the reeds, because I know that when fish are spawning near the bank, or preparing to do so, other fish tend not to feed there. And afterwards most anglers found that they couldn't catch right in the margins - Kevin had just one fish there, an F1.
So I give myself 8/10. I forgot to bring any worms from my wormery, and I didn't set up one particular rig which I am sure would have caught me more fish in that last halfhour. But again, I felt that I could probably have had a decent bag from any swim in the match, though of course I can't prove it. Confidence quite high at the moment.
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| Don't panic! Don't panic! |
Next match on Float Fish Farm, on Captain Tom's lake, which I have fished once, but most of the others in Fenland Rods have never fished it. I see from my previous blog that it was seven feet in the middle, and five feet in my margins.
THE RESULT
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