A strange match on Damson, Decoy.

 Peg 13, Damson 
This was a really strange match. Fourteen of us Spratts members fished, and I really fancied my peg 13, in the far corner, as I've won from there more than once, though I rate the pegs on the end bank (14 to 16) as better. And sure enough when I put my nets in, the disturbance brought lots of fish in, as usual. I could see them just below the surface. And my hopes were sky-high.

Peg 13, looking across the corner to peg 14.

First drop with a banded pellet saw a bite straightaway. Missed! And the next one. And the next one. The fish were crowding round my bait and knocking it, but after half an hour I had just one in the net. Eventually I reverted to corn, on the bottom, in the shallows (about two feet) and at last started to catch fish. But it wasn't fast, certainly not as fast as I would usually hope to catch in this lake.

My left margin. It was difficult to
fish right against the main bank
of reeds, which was 
where the fish were hiding.

Not fast enough, surely!
I had a good spell to my left, which meant fishing into the wind, and after two hours had only about 30 lb - much less than I felt I should have had. Then Dick Warrener came up to me and said that to his left both Roy Whitwell and Martin Parker were catching well on feeders dropped down into the shallows, really close to the bank. The wind was now quite strong, but I could see no reason why the feeder should be doing so much better than the pole.

Round to my right Neil Paas had started on a feeder, and he, also, started catching fish quickly, though now he was also catching on pole. I had left my feeder rod in the van and didn't fancy going to get it, so I poughed on with the pole, as I was enjoying it, even though it was frustrating, with the fish disappearing for a few minutes then coming back in force. And those two-pounders were fighting like absolute furies!

Neil Paas had a great start on the feeder before switching to pole, and then alternating between the two methods. He ended second, with fish to 8 lb.

Suddenly my fish disappear
The next hour saw perhaps another 20 lb added, and then the fish abruptly shut up shop. In the last three hours or so I had only about four close in, and then two more in two casts out in the deep water six feet from the bank, on corn. The only other angler I could see was Neil, and he had also had a bad spell, though towards the end he managed a few more. To my left Bob Allen had two or three late fish - I could see the ripples as he landed them surge round past the high vegetation between us.

The weigh in

Indeed Roy and Martin had caught better on their feeders, and Roy won with 130 lb 6 oz. In fact the top five weights all came largely to feeders in the shallows (Martin Parker's 93 lb 14 oz was all on feeder except for one roach). Neil was a close second with 128 lb 2 oz, and I finished sixth with 55 lb 1 oz. And I still can't work out why the feeder was so much better than the pole. 

I took a long time packing away, so managed to take
just pictures of Neil. here he watches one of his nets being weighed.

Neil Paas shows the general stamp
of the fish we mainly caught Small
but they fought so hard...

I was really looking forward to this match, using my short tops. My best fish was about 3 lb, but some of the others had bigger fish, and Neil had one or two better ones up to about 8 lb. I suppose I should have taken my feeder rod down with me, but then there's no guarantee I would have used it. Nevertheless I was top of the anglers who didn't use the feeder, so I was probably worth 6/10. My next match will be on Oak, where big fish can be expected, and I will use ,my long tops because of the extra elastic in them, rather than the short tops.

PS. Shaun Buddle has had to cancel the Ellis Buddle Memorial match due to have been held on Sat, Aug 9. But it will be resumed next year.

THE RESULT

1 Joe Bedford             46 lb 8 oz
2 Wendy Bedford       22 lb 6 oz
3 Bob Barrett             60 lb 15 oz
4 Trevor Cousins       44 lb 2 oz
5 John Garner            31 lb 9 oz
6 John Smith              33 lb
7 Mick Ramm            16 lb 14 oz
8 Kevin Lee               94 lb 14 oz      3rd
9 Roy Whitwell        130 lb 6 oz       1st
10 Martin Parker        93 lb 14 oz     4th     
11 Dick Warrener       21 lb 8 oz
12 Bob Allen              47 lb 7 oz
13 Mac Campbell       55 lb 1 oz
14 Neil Paas             128 lb 2 oz       2nd