I forget to engage my brain on Cedar

Peg 5, Cedar, Decoy
Happy enough with peg 5 in this Spratts match, as the pegs nearest to the car park often fish the best. But the wind must have been bad for those on the opposite bank, because it was so strong; and while we were tacking up a heavy shower came past. 

At least the rain was on my back rather than in my face, although before the match I had thought I'd like a peg with the wind in my face, as our side of the lake was pretty calm. I should be careful what I wish for!

It was a dark, windy start, and then came the rain...

Onto the pole
The wind slowly came round towards the north, giving me a nice ripple, and I started on a feeder for 30 minutes. Opposite me Roy Whitwell had a bream, but I never had anything but big liners, as there were carp near the surface, out in the middle. A change to pole saw me land a 4 lb carp, a 2 lb bream, a 1 lb F1, and a 1 lb crassio. But to my left Trevor Cousins had started getting fish in the margin. That was ironic as he'd told me before the match he'd leave the margins until the last two hours!

Roy Whitwell inaction early on, on a feeder.

To be honest when I saw Trevor fishing against the bank that sort of put me off, and I came in myself. My margins, though, were around four feet deep, while Trevor semed to be fishing mussel in about two feet. A little later I swear he was down to fishing 18 inches deep. I looked for the shallowest area I could find, which was about three feet deep, to my left. But I wasted far too much time there as the area was so small my bait was probably falling down.

Trevor was in action on and off all day, catching right beside the bank.

Mistakes

Trevor kept on hitting fish, and I turned to my right margin, which was more comfortable because of the wind, and there I did find a few fish, mainly on mussel. I made a mistake by not plumbing all the way along the bank, as towards the end I realised I was fishing a foot or so away from a bit of a dip, where my bait had probably finished - pushed there by the carp which were rooting around. I never saw their tails, but they gave swirls on the surface.

So I landed the occasional fish, best around 9 lb, but every now and then I'd lose one for no apparent reason. I don't think they were foulhooked - they just came off. One of them was a 3 lb bream, definitely hooked in the mouth, which had jumped clear of the water when I hooked it, and departed a second after it hit the surface.

The carp seemed to just want to lump around for ages without making any more than the first big charge, though I did get one eight-pouder into the net in about 20 seconds.

Wendy, to my right, in action with a fish on the feeder.

Changing elastics
I changed elastics two or three times, but the result was the same - I landed about nine or ten carp and lost just as many. So frustrating. And all the while Trevor seemed to be playing fish - hooked in 18 inches of water in a little cut-out. I did land a 3 lb barbel, though, on corn. They must have been in the lakes for 15 years and are still in super condition.

About five minutes before the end, and desperate to catch another carp, I lost one and when I dropped the rig back the float didn't cock properly - I'd lost a shot. No time to fiddle about getting the shotting exactly correct, because it was one of my special rigs which require very precise shotting. So I picked up another rig, baited with mussel, dropped it in, and hit a fish almost immediately. That was on the rather nice Slik 14-16 elastic, and it felt perfect.

Yet another disaster
This was obviously a big fish, probably not foulhooked, and it was stretching the elastic out slowly. Then the elastic retracted and the fish came back towards me, but the fish suddenly shot off again, and the 6 lb hooklength unaccountably broke. That was my last action of the match, and I was very downhearted. I thought I had probably ended with 60 lb, and I expected to be almost last, because the conditions were pretty good for catching carp.

Joe still loves his fishing at 94!

The weigh in
I was third to weigh, after Joe and Wendy Bedford, and my fish went 66 lb 4 oz. Trevor had much less than I imagined - 139 lb 10 oz, and said he had, in fact, taken every fish on double sweetcorn in that tiny cutout. In the corner Neil Paas had fished to the end bank, with a pole, and won with 147 lb 3 oz - every fish taken on mussel.

I was beaten by Roy Whitwell, opposite me, who had a lot of his fish on feeder and hard pellet, but added some on the pole. And Kevin Lee also beat me (as he so often does). So in the end I had finished fifth, which I was amazed at, because I know I didn't fish very well.

Marks out of ten

Wendy, with 30 lb 12 oz, finished
1 lb 4 oz behind her brother-in-law.

If Trevor hadn't started bagging to my left I would probably have kept on fishing at eight metres, and I suspect I would have had more fish there. But once I'd made the move to the margins that swim was forgotten, whereas I should have gone back there from time to time.

Also I should have got my big special rig out at the start - I left it until almost the last hour and it worked best of all the rigs. I also realised I had not even tried out at about 2+2, where fish are often to be found. All I could think about was how Trevor was catching in the side - but I hadn't got any swim that shallow, so I should have just ignored him (!) But that's difficult when every ten minutes you can hear splashing behind you!

By the end the sun was shining - especially
for Trevor after a good day at the office!

I give myself 4/10, and console myself with the thought that I'd lost ten fish, and just a couple would have pushed me into the frame, and just four would probably have got me third. If I can come fifth fishing like a prat what could I do if I put my brain in gear?

Next match is the Fenland Rods on Saturday, June 21 which has been moved from Magpie, Pidley because Magpie is currently closed. Karen at Decoy had kindly offered us Six Island, which is my favourite lake there.

THE RESULT

East bank                                            West bank

26 Peter Spriggs       53 lb 15 oz              1 Joe Bedford           32 lb
24 John Smith           40 lb 12 oz             3 Wendy Bedford     30 lb 12 oz
22 Roy Whitwell    97 lb 5 oz     3rd       5 Mac Campbell      66 lb 4 oz
20 Martin Parker   56 lb 7 oz                   7 Trevor Cousins    139 lb 10 oz  2nd
18 Mike Rawson    23 lb 6 oz                  9 John Garner          65 lb 15 oz
16 Kevin Lee          72 lb 13 oz   4th     11 Bob Barrett           22 lb 6 oz
14 Peter Harrison   56 lb 6 oz                13 Neil Paas             147 lb 3 oz    1st