Oh what a witty set of anglers we have in the Fenland Rods. When, as chairman, I suggested the 12 of them might like to have a rover they seemed more interested in the exact model of Rover car I was giving away. As if! Anyway, they agreed, and we drew on the bank of Lou's.
First name out was John Smith, who said "Six" almost before Allan Golightly had called out his name. It's a noted peg, and always seems to produce, to both feeder in the corner (though it's a long chuck) or pole. It would have been amazing if he HADN'T chosen it. Kevin Lee chose next door on 7, which is also a good 'un. And so the best swims went, and went, and went, and I was called tenth. I chose peg 5, because there was a little Raspberry Ripple there.
Forgot to take a picture of my swim.
Peg 5 is next to peg 6 (as you might have guessed) and I've always wondered why it doesn't do better than it often does. There's a nice bank of reeds going out about eight metres from the bank between pegs 5 and 6. Now I had my chance to have a go myself.
Last was poor Mike Rawson, who hardly ever seems to get a swim he fancies. He had said before the draw that whatever happened he did DEFINITELY NOT want 2, 3 or 4. Now, last out of the cocoa tin, (that's his name, not Mike himself) the only swims left undrawn were 2, 4 or 15. Mike chose 15, end peg; flat calm; lots of reeds out in the swim; but I thought it would possibly hold lots of carp because of the reeds. But with no Raspberry Ripple he'd need luck to hook those wily old fish.
Now my focus was on peg 5, and after putting out a few micros in a pole pot at 8 metres I put out one of my special method float rigs, added a grain of corn, dropped it in the left margin...and five seconds later I was playing a 1 lb F1. But it was a false dawn, and though the float kept moving around it took ages to get a second fish, which was a roach!
After an hour I had about 4 lb of bits, and went out to the eight-metre line. Here a 4mm expander got me a fish or two - small bream, but with one at about 2 lb - before a 3 lb carp came in. A 6mm expander, and 8mm expanders didn't even get me a bite - I had to drop to 4mm. Meanwhile I could occasionally see John Smith's elastic stretching out as a big carp wallowed on the surface. Frustrating!
I'd been flicking a few casters into a swim to the right, near the reeds, and after more than two hours decided I really had to take a look there. A couple of 3 lb carp came to corn, and then mussel took one or two from the left margin.
I was getting bites on-and-off all the time. I am certain that these were nearly all carp playing with the bait. A couple were hooked in the side of the mouth and afterwards several other anglers told me they had the same thing. Anway, mussel seemed to be the only bait the carp would now take properly, and I persevered with that, though they didn't want a big one, and I had to cut them on half on the hook.
With little more than an hour to go I reckon I had only about 30 lb, and John and Kevin had caught a lot more than I had. Then suddenly the air seemed warmer, and I felt that the fish might start feeding properly...and they did! The left margin was better - the fish came in to a pot of a few casters and some hemp, and I got bites every time I did that.
But while a lot of the bites still came to nothing, or resulted in a foulhooked fish (all of which came off), occasionally the elastic would stretch and a carp, or sometimes an F1, would be on the end. They dashed around all over the swim, which was frustrating as I just wanted to get them in the net and hook another.
One of the better fish came off (I know it was bigger because I saw it flash under the surface) because I was too firm with it, so then I simply had to take my time netting them. One was 5 lb; another was 7 lb (hooked in the side of the mouth); the rest were all less than 4 lb. That was strange because next door, John's fish were nearly all much bigger.
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| When I turned to my right I kept seeing Kevin Lee's orange elastic stretching out, with fish like this on the end! |
It hardly seemed worth having another go, but I did. On went half a mussel; in went the rig; down went the float; out went the elastic; and 'peeeep' went the whistle. All in ten seconds. I shouted "Fish On."
Ten seconds later I shouted "Fish Off", because the bugga had got away. Not my day. It didn't seem to be foulhooked. But I just wished I'd got another half-hour, because they were now really coming on. Altogether I think I lost about seven fish, at least five of which were foulhooked.
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| Dick Warrener - 64 lb 8 oz for 7th place. |
The weigh in
Martin Parker had chosen peg 1, which I know he has done well from in the past, and he weighed first - 69 lb 3 oz. Now Martin and I have travelled together to Vets Nationals many times, so there is inevitably the feeling of a little competition between us. No money invoved; nothing so sordid. But I thought I had abouter 70 lb, so this was going to be interesting.
Allan Golightly had 36 lb 4 oz, and I realised that if I beat Martin I would win the four-man section by default, because John had obviously beaten me and would certaibly frame.
My first net seemed quite heavy - somewhere around the 46 lb I had clicked. In fact it went 44 lb, which was unusual because I tend to underestimate. Now I needed 25 lb-plus to beat Martin, and I'd clicked 26 lb. Drum roll; bugle fanfare; the verdict was 29 lb, for a grand total of 73 lb 13 oz. Bragging rights were mine (not that I would).
Then came John and Kevin, with each certain that the other had beaten him. John's fish went 124 lb 2 oz, and Kevin was proved correct when his own fish weighed in at 112 lb 2 oz, and they took first and second spots.
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| Kevin ended second with 112 lb 2 oz after having a real fish-for-fish battle with John next door.. |
Roy Whitwell on 9 ended the day with 87 lb 3 oz and a top two which was attached to a branch he pulled in, though he also lost a feeder on a snag, so unless the top two fits his own pole, which is highly unlikely, he ended up on the wrong side of that exchange. Third spot was a small consolation.
Callum was fourth with 77 lb 2 oz and I was fifth. The last section, which had no Raspberry Ripple all day, was won by Dave Garner with 31 lb 10 oz. Callum and myself were the other section winners, and I cocked it up by handing them the wrong brown envelopes, so I owe them £2 each.
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| A good day at the office for John Smith! |
Marks out of ten
My main mistakes were not going back to the long line between the slow spells in the margins; and then not trying worm. I did put on a bunch of casters in the righthand reedy swim (sorry, I didn't take a picture of the swim), and that took a tiny perch, so I gave that up. I should have tried it again, because I have found that casters will often tempt carp when other baits are not taken properly. Nevertheless I felt I had done fairly well when pegs 6 to 9 are rated really very good, and was I was worth 7/10. Another few minutes and I could possibly have pulled myself up to third.
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