Captain Tom's lake leaves me scratching my head

First the result of a Spratts match, on Six Island Lake, Decoy, which I couldn't fish. It was won by Neil Paas, who is on a terrific run at the moment. Joe Bedford, who is 95 in July, had 70 lb 4 oz for fifth spot. What a result for him.

Result: 

3 Neil Paas               136 lb 14 oz        1st

4 Mick Ramm           39 lb 14 oz

6 Bob Barrett            24 lb 4 oz

8 Martin Parker         66 lb 11 oz

9 Peter Spriggs          81 lb 13 oz          4th

10 Roy Whitwell        44 lb 11 oz

11 Rod Melnyk          36 lb 14 oz

13 Shaun Buddle       83 lb 3 oz            3rd

15 Dave Hobbs          59 lb 9 oz

17 John Smith            52 lb 8 oz

18 Mike Rawson         DNW

19 John Garner          50 lb

22 Trevor Cousins     89 lb 7 oz             2nd

24 Joe Bedford          70 lb 4 oz              5th

25 Wendy Bedford     25 lb 12 oz   

Peg 15, Sunday, June 9

Our first Fenland Rods match on Float Fish Farm, which had just been partly re-opened after algal and oxygen problems (like many other fisheries), and YET AGAIN I drew in the far corner, of Captain Tom's Lake. The end pegs, so we were told, tend to be the best, but today I saw, and felt, a problem - the wind, which had been in the West for days, had turned overnight to the East.

So often that puts the fish down, and today it meant that my swim, at the Eastern end of this 15-peg lake, was almost flat calm, while the others had ripple ranging from light to choppy. There were chuckles all round when I walked up and back, after the draw, and reported the position - because they all know I like a lot of raspberry ripple! 

That dratted East wind was coming from th left, and slightly behind.

The obvious answer!
Still, I had to make the best of it, and started on a feeder towards the far-bank reeds. I daren't go too close, because some were overghanging. And after half an hour I had had just two liners, so changed to a pole. I picked out two swims at eight metres, in he deep water, angled to the left and right. At that point an ice cream van drove past, behind us, very slowly -I couldn't imagine anybocy wanting ice cream, as the wind was cool. But later I realised I could have bought, from him, some RASPBERRY RIPPLE of my own!

First drop in, and the wind moved round very slightly behind me, putting a horrible skim on the surface, and breaking up the reflections of the far bank just where my float was settling. Unable to see it (and assuming I might have to change the tip from orange to black), I lifted it up...and found myself into a fish. Which came off...

The ripple started to my right,
where Roy Whitwell had just a little.

A rythmn of sorts
I managed to catch two carp in the next half hour, both about 2 lb, but lost three. Not a good start, so I moved to the left swim, nearer to the end bank, where another two-pounder took my bait. Then I swapped between the swims, baiting the lefthand one with just four or five small cubes, and fishing the right for a fish; then reversing the situation. And that worked well, with six or eight fish from each swim, before the bites died.

That was the end  of the decent sport, and in the next two hours I think I managed three more from that lefthand swim, and another three across on 14 metres in the shallower water. I also had a drop in the side on a top-two, and caught a two-pounder first drop - the only one I had there, apart from a foulhooked 4 oz crucian.

John Smith picked up some fish
on a waggler just past the middle.

Dead
Then, with 90 minutes left, everything went dead. I could feel it - flat calm, with horrible gusts of wind across the surface blowing my line about. I'd already had a walk up to Roy Whitwell, on my right, and knew he'd had fish on a small feeder cast right across, but he told me he'd lost eight in the reeds on the strike. So I tried a feeder again, but never had a touch. A quick check with him again, and he, also, was struggling now.

Just before the end I started another swim in the deep water round to my left, and in the last ten minutes hooked two fish, both of which seemed larger than the others, and both of which came off. That keeps happening, and I don't know whether they were foulhooked or not. So I ended with an estimated 40 lb, with no idea how the other eight had fared.

The weigh in

I was first to weigh, and indeed my fish went exactly 40 lb, and I was surprised that no-one had beaten that until we got to the last man, Martin Parker, in the corner at the other end of the lake, with the wind blowing down to him. He had taken advantage of that, winning with 57 lb 11 oz, leaving me a very surprised second.

Mel Lutkin, 29 lb 7 oz for a section win.

Marks out of ten

I kept to luncheon meat all day, though used only a small amount, because I just felt that the fish were never going to feed well. So I didn't try corn or worm and wondered whether I should have done so. But to be honest I don't think it would have worked - John Smith said afterwards that his fish went off at exactly the same time and he never had a bite for the last 90 minutes. So I give myself just 6/10. I am sure some one like Bob Nudd would have winkled out a few more, but I can't imagine how. However one or two had fish on a feeder cast to the middle right at the end.

Martin's 57 lb 11 oz winning weight.

Martin Parker brings in his first
net for weighing.

THE RESULT