A cold, wet Damson sees our last match of the season.

 Peg 5, Damson, Sunday, Oct 27
Winter gave us a visit on Damson for the Fenland Rods' last match of the year. The wind was in our faces, and rain was waiting in the wings. And for the first time ever on that lake I never had a fish in the first 15 minutes. Usually you get a few bites in the shallows and then the fish vanish. Today they did their vanishing act before we started!

Sun early on gave way to rain towards the end.

Nine of us fished and I had Roy Whitwell on my left. He foulhooked and lost three fish early on, then had a couple, then went onto the feeder cast just a few metres out. That brought him a few carp, while I stayed in the margins and had just one fish before changing to a feeder. I had just one on the feeder dropped out a few metres before coming back on the pole, where it took me about three hours top find three or four more carp. Then back onto the feeder cast to the far bank for two more carp; and finally two better fish, best almost 10 lb, on corn in the margins before we finished.

My left margin before  we started. My few fish on the
pole came from the very point of those reeds, on a top two.

This was my view many times during the match!

But a few pegs to my right Kevin Lee, Mel Lutkin and Martin Parker all found fish close in - Kevin was fishing 15 inches deep with paste right against the reeds. I actually went and looked at him fishing half way through the match, came back, did the same, and had nowt. And to rub it in, Roy kept catching on a feeder steadily the whole time I sat there looking at a motionless tip.

The light rain started a couple of hours before the end and carried on while we were weighing in. I wasn't unhappy when the match finished and we adjourned to the outside bar for our end-of-season presentations, by which time the rain had, mercifully, stopped, and the clouds briefly parted to show us what the sun looks like..

Roy - 57 lb 7 oz for third place.

Grey skies and rain as Kev weighs in.

Oh yes, Kevin won this match with 118 lb, to take the Bedford cup, fished in memory of Les Bedford, who died at Decoy several years ago after one of our matches. Kev won the same match last year. I thought Roy, with 57 lb 7 oz, would be runner-up, but Martin Parker on end peg 10 took that place, with Roy third. My eight carp went 28 lb 1 oz for fifth on a very strange day. The fish are definitely clumping up.

THE RESULT

The presentations
First were our Handicap medals - and Callum Judge was the only winner to be able to fish today - he was given his third-place medal. Callum also won the big fish trophy for a carp of 14 lb 2 oz, though we didn't weigh in any other fish during the year, and I suspect Mike Rawson may have had at least one heavier. I suggested we have a second weighing bag ready for next season which will make it easier to weigh single fish.

Then the Club Cup (first match of the season, on Six-Island lake) was presented to Roy Whitwell; then the Bedford Cup was presented to Kevin Lee. And finally the Big One - the Club Championship trophy.  Only Mel Lutkin knew the final results and announced the top four - 4th Callum; 3rd myself; 2nd Kevin Lee; 1st Roy Whitwell.  That ended a run of three wins by Kevin, and it was so well deserved, as Roy is so consistent. 

That ended our year on a day when Winter reminded us he can strike now, whenever he feels like it. My Sunday matches will be with JV until Fenland Rods start again in April.

Our 2025 Fenland Rods winners: Kevin Lee (Bedford Cup);
 Roy Whitwell (Club Cup and the Club Championship); 
Callum Judge (third in Handicap match and the Big Fish Trophy).

Autumn on Yew and Beastie

Micemass has arrived, and I've been having better luck catching the mice than carp! I realised I had a problem when I went to put my boots on at Decoy, shook some leaves out of one, and about fifty 8mm pellets fell out! But I had my revenge - seven in the next five days threw themselves onto my peanut-baited traps... Hee hee.

Temperatures are going down, so our expectations are much lower. But there has to be a winner!

Peg 26, Yew
Not a lot to report from this Fenland Rods match - carp were hard to find, but they are big in this lake. I went 90 minutes on the feeder without a fish, though Martin Parker on 24 landed an early carp on a feeder and yellow wafter. I then went out on to the long pole before having a walk. Five of the ten of us had one carp, and I was in time to see Mel Lutkin on peg 19 land his second. It fell for half a mussel on a bomb. Then it was back to my office.

Within half an hour Martin Parker had a carp.

Two hours later I tried a frozen grain of corn on the long pole. Freezing them makes them light, but you have to check that they don't float before casting out. Anyway, this brought two carp around 7 lb each in two drops. The rain started, exactly as forecast, at 1.15 pm, which didn't affect the fishing at all - still  nothing until I changed my feeder, which was set up with the Preston interchangeable system, for another rod with a simple sliding link and a bomb, and a longer fall. I cast that out on to the pole line, baited with half a mussel, and about half an hour later the rod wrenched round and something tore right up to Allan Golightly on peg 27 to my left. Thankfully he was now fishing the margin, and the fish didnt snag him.

Callum's lands his first fish.

It was a biggie!

It took me a fair while to get that carp in, hooked in the mouth, and about 6 lb. Strange how those smaller fish often seem to have so much energy. And in the next 90 minutes the only exciting thing was seeing a kingfisher dart through my swim. Then in the last half hour two more carp came to half a mussel on the bomb rig, the last one which I was unhooking as the whistle went.

Winner Kevin with a 'double'.

The weigh in
On peg 29 Kevin Lee had done his usual - he finds carp wherever he fishes. He had hooked 15, and landed ten; one of his lost fish had come off while he was playing it on a feeder. It must have been hooked very lightly in the mouth. His ten fish went 94 lb 6 oz, but it wasn't clear whether he had won, because both Mel Lutkin and Dave Garner towards the far end, each with a spare swim beside them, had also caught several carp.

Callum's fish weighed 14 lb 2 oz.

Mel Lutkin was third.

  Dave Garner was second with  
81 lb 14 oz on a waggler.

In the event Mel's fish went 70 lb 8 oz, beaten by Dave who had 81 lb 14 oz, for second place. dave has had an indifferent season by his standards (he has been a former club champion) so it was good to see him get among the fish in a hard day. My five fish went 34 lb 3 oz for sixth spot, but a section win by default, and I give myself 8/10 because I didn't do anything stupid, and lost no fish (for a change).

Yet again at this time of year I heard of not a single fish caught from the margins. Next match on Beastie where I expect the commons and mirrors to be caught from the main bowl of the lake. They seem to move away from the Southern pegs at this time of year (pegs 25 round to peg 2). But hopefully some F1s will feed if I'm pegged there.

THE RESULT

Sections were 29-26; 25-22; and 21-16.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Peg 29, Beastie, Wed, Oct 22

I hadn't fished peg 20 for years, and found it had changed. There used to be an overhanging bush to the left, on a small promontory just beyond the cut-out immediately next to the platform, but that bush has gone and there's another closer to the platform. On the right hand side there used to be a longish length of bank, with some posts in the water. Now there's a bush about four metres from the platform, so only a very short margin.

I didn't think that the pegs at this end of the lake would hold many carp for this Spratts match, so although I had my feeder rod ready I started on the pole with expander, hoping for perhaps bream or F1s. The wind was behind us and the water was flat calm at this end of the lake for most of the match, though a ripple did appear from time to time down the side of the island.

Into the side

Out at 12 metres I never had a bite, so after a long time I came in to the side, where the bush used to be on the left, fishing close to some reeds in three feet of water using my short tops. Eventually an F1 took the 4mm expander; it was about 3 lb (the F1, not the pellet!)

I found F1s near the reeds past the bush.

Next drop a fish took my 14-16 elastic straight onto the reeds and I had a kerfuffle getting it free. I had to wedge the pole on my box, walk round the bush with my long hook, and I managed to hook the elastic. At least I got that back, but the rig was gone. So, assuming the fish had been a big carp I picked out a stronger elastic, put on a new rig and tried again.

Next fish was a 2 lb F1 foulhooked, which came off at the net. Then I hooked another F1, which I saw, but which darted about in all directions until it finally dived into the bank on my right which is obviously undercut - my rig disappeared under the grass. I realised that that fish, too, was foulhooked, and the first one I lost probably had been, also.

Frozen corn best

For most of the rest of the match I stayed in that swim, except for an occasional foray out to the 12-metre swim, where a couple of bream came in. Frozen corn was the best bait for the F1s, fished just off bottom, or just touching bottom. An unfrozen grain took my float under when it was off bottom - the frozen grains, being lighter, dropped the tip down to a mere pimple. And even then the float didn't always go under when a fish took.

Sport was never fast - just an occasional fish every ten or 15 minutes - but I quite enjoyed it. I'd had a walk up to Trevor Cousins on peg 30 earlier in the match and he said that Mike Rawson, on 23, had had a big carp and some smaller ones, apparently on a pole. But I never saw a common or mirror, and I finished with about 15 F1s) two or three foulhooked), and a couple of bream. But I hadn't bothered to click after 12 lb as it was obvious I wouldn't be near our 50 lb limit.

There's not much of a margin to the right.

Near the end I put hemp into the right margin and the bottom started to boil with clouds of silt. I wasted a little too much time there - it was strange, as the fish came in just once, but never appeared there again. And I didn't catch any there. I never used the rod.

The weigh in

As usual I was way behind most of the others packing up, and caught up with the scales at Roy Whitwell's peg 18. He had 34 lb 14 oz which was top weight so far (which surprised me, as pegs 3 to 5 so often produce lots of fish), and I said I thought I had 20 lb-ish. Then the scales got to Mike Rawson and he had obviously won with 52 lb 4 oz taken mainly on mussel, including one big fish which could have been 14 lb, which took a hard pellet. But we never weighed it. He accepted many congratulations. Well done, Mike on a difficult day.

Joe Bedford on 24 had only 6 lb 1 oz, but Wendy on 25 never had a bite. I wasn't that surprised - it's a great Summer peg but with flat calm water and the temperature cooling down it just didn't feel right there.

Roy Whitwell had mainly F1s.

So round to my peg came the scales and Roy Whitwell generously offered to take my "20 lb" to the scales, which turnedout to be 36 lb 14 oz, beating him by 2 lb. But I said I was sorry, and put on a sad face. Not sure whether he believed me. 

On peg 30 Trevor had had a nice ending, and pipped me by 3 lb with 39 lb 11 oz. Annoyingly a couple of those early lost fish, or perhaps just one, would have shot me above him. So I ended third.

 

Marks out of ten

Probably worth 8, because I felt even before we weighed in that I had actually done OK. The fish were so timid, and I had expected to be beaten by peg 30, especially with Trevor on it. So to almost beat him was very pleasing. Next match Sunday on Damson when a cold Westerly will be in our faces, and light rain is forecast all afternoon. I will buy some maggots before we start.

THE RESULT

Mike Rawson won, 52 lb 4 oz.

3 Bob Barrett       DNW

4 Kevin Lee           28 lb

5 Mick Ramm         6 lb 8 oz

15 John Garner        7 lb 11 oz

17 Peter Spriggs     17 lb 4 oz

18 Roy Whitwell    34 lb 14 oz 4th

22 Neil Paas           19 lb 4 oz

23 Mike Rawson    52 lb 4 oz    1st

24 Joe Bedford         6 lb 1 oz

29 Mac Campbell   36 lb 14 oz  3rd

30 Trevor Cousins   39 lb 11 oz 2nd

Sticking with what I know pays dividends on Six-Island

Peg 10, Six-Island, Sunday, Tues, Oct 14
This report is very late - sometimes stuff interferes with fishing and writing. It shouldn't...but that's life, I guess. Currently I've a bad back, but I've been able to bowl a few times (had some very good results) and I think I will be able to fish this weekend on Yew with Fenland Rods. Now the match I am writing about was on Six-Island, at Decoy, with Spratts. The lakes are so different - not much more than three feet of water on Six-Island, while I expect six feet or more on Yew on Sunday.

So I used my short tops, and was happy enough with peg 10, in the corner. A tiny bit of ripple came to some swims, but the lake was largely sheltered from the North-Easterly wind by trees, and my swim was flat calm all day. And yet again the light was poor, with no sun, and I think the pressure was high - the water felt dead. 

The sun never shone all day, and the wind never gave me any raspberry ripple! My
first swim was at 13 metres out in that little cut-out.

One fish!
I started at 13 metres to the end bank, which was the obvious place to start, using expanders. The reason was that on Crow the previous weekend the fish would take only small baits, and I used 4mm cubes of luncheon meat to win. Luncheon meat is banned on Decoy, so I thought 4mm expanders would be best. 

The expanders did work, but I lost the first fish. The hook came back with a tiny silver scale, so I guess it was a foulhooked barbel. That was followed by a 1 lb 8 oz F1, and I was up and running.

Tiny touches
On peg 14 to my left I saw Peter Harrison catch two or three early fish, but between us Martin Parker was struggling. Meanwhile that first swim went dead, although I could see tiny touches on the float. The next port of call was in front of the bunch of irises to my left, and that produced a nice carp. I soon had to change the tip from orange to black, as the light was so dim. But I could see more tiny movements of the float on and off all day.

In the middle of the match I took about half an hour off to watch a banknote auction I was particularly interested, and managed to successfully bid for the one note I wanted for my collection. Resting the swim seemed to pay dividends, and things were better when I returned.

The inevitable foulhookers
I caught in the iris swim about eight metres to my left for most of the rest of the match - just very occasional carp. Every time I put in hemp and micros I would get what looked like proper bites, so I knew that fish were then in the swim. But if I didn't get a bite within 30 seconds of the bait hitting bottom I had to lift it or recast. Twice I lifted the rig a couple of inches to induce a bite...and found a foulhooked carp on the end; both came off.

This picture was taken before it got really dark. The best swim was in front of the bunch of irises, less than 3 feet deep. Martin Parker is setting up on peg 12.

 I landed four or five more carp in the next three hours on expander or a small piece of corn, but I lost as many. However I did land one sic-pounder hooked in the tail.

Several times a 6mm expander came back, after a bite, with half of it missing, so I knew that the fish were actually hitting the bait. Big fish were also occasionally splashing on the surface, which kept causing me to look up to see who might be landing a fish. It was very disconcerting.

I switch to a corn skin
I had to feed first, drop the bait in, and hope for a decent bite within a minute. If that didn't happen the fish would move away. Occasional forays out into the first swim brought nothing, so I concentrated on the iris swim, although I did have a few looks to the right margin. Towards the end fish started to boil there, but I had only one fish there until, with ten minutes left, I made a switch to a corn skin.

I prefer to use corn which has been frozen, as it tends to float, but I had none so I simply squeezed out the kernel from a grain of corn, and hooked the skin alone (on a size 12 hook) - a tiny bait, but it sinks slowly. Incredibly I had a carp first drop; then another fish on which came off; then with two minutes left I went in again and hooked a ten-pounder, which I landed. What a finish!

I ended with about ten carp and about three F1s, and thought I had about 50 lb. But I had no idea what the others had.

John Garner shows the size of the carp
which made up our catches. He had 23 lb 3 oz.

The weigh in
Yet again I was amazed that the early weights were so low. Mick Ramm on 6, which is a swim I just love, had 24 lb and John Smith on peg 8, which we both fancied, had landed just four fish for 17 lb 15 oz. Opposite me John Garner on corner peg 9, which he and most of had fancied to produce a good catch, had 23 lb 3 oz.

The army descends upon Trevor on peg 22.

My  fish went 60 lb 10 oz, and the only one to approach that was Peter Harrison on 14 who had 42 lb 7 oz, those early fish being caught well out and the rest in the margin. So I ended as the winner, with 95-year-old Joe Bedford taking third with 27 lb 6 oz from peg 25 next to the car park - he's having a really good end of season.

Marks out of ten
Afterwards I was thinking that although I had a quick try with worm and cat meat, and had one fish on mussel, I didn't really persevere with them. On the other hand the fish on Crow had definitely wanted only a small bait (Callum said after that match that he could catch only on a small grain of corn), and I brought that knowledge forward. In the end I was probably right to stick with what I knew. So I give myself 8/10, 'cos I did win even though I always rate those pegs 10 to 14.

Next match Sunday on Yew, where I expect we will fish pegs 16 to 30, giving us a bit of a back wind, as rain is forecast. The early pegs will be favourite, plus peg 30 in the corner.

THE RESULT

3 Mike Rawson              DNW
4 Dick Warrener            DNW
6 Mick Ramm                24 lb
8 John Smith                `17 lb 15 oz
9 John Garner                23 lb 3 oz
10 Mac Campbell          60 lb 10 oz        1st
12 Martin Parker           27 lb 4 oz         4th
13 Peter Harrison           42 lb 7 oz        2nd
15 Bob Allen                  13 lb 1 oz
17 Peter Spriggs             16 lb 9 oz
18 Roy Whitwell            25 lb 6 oz        5th
20 Neil Paas                   19 lb 5 oz
22 Trevor Cousins         21 lb 9 oz
24 Wendy Bedford         19 lb 13 oz
25 Joe Bedford               27 lb 6 oz        3rd

A mystery solved, and a good day on Crow

I mentioned in my last two pieces that the fish seemed to be weighing light , and I overestimated my weight in the last two matches, which is unusual for me. The fish seemed normal, so what was happening?

The mystery was solved by Kevin Lee, who simply checked our digital scales, which have served us well for a long time, and they were weighing light. Mystery solved, and a new set was acquired. Thanks, Kevin. 

Peg 14, Crow, Saturday, Oct 11
So armed with our new, sparkling scales, 12 of us Fenland Rodders descended on Crow Lake at Rookery Fishery. The day felt sort of dead - overcast with very little wind - and the surface flat calm except that the anglers towards the higher-numbered pegs reported lots of fish turning over on the far side. That used to be the kiss of death on many of the Fenland waters, especially Ten Mile Bank. If fish were turning there on the surface, especially in cool weather.

A pleasure session
I'd had a quick recce on Crow on the Wednesday. I'd not fished for ten days, and had a really bad back, so I thought a short session of moving about would help it. Accordingly I set up on peg 23, and I was the only angler on the lake. I wanted an easy day so just took my pole with short tops, and pellets and luncheon meat for the hook.

I was amazed at how deep it was at that end - I had 4 ft 3 inches just over the shelf. Will Hadley told me how he fishes hard pellet, so I followed his advice just over the shelf and quickly had a 5 lb mirror. Then nothing, for 45 minutes, after which I changed to 4mm cubes of luncheon meat on the shelf, about four metres out.

I saaw littleaction around me. Here Allan Golightly, on peg 12, to my right, lands his second fish. Heavy cloud hung around all day, and sometimes it was so murky it was difficult to see the float. I had to keep changing the colour of the tips.

That switch to the shallower shelf brought a few carp around 3 lb, followed by a long biteless spell, and I finished up fishing a short top and short Number 3 just to my right, and had around 30 lb in the last hour, best fish 10 lb on the last cast. The wind was over my back, so no ripple, and it felt dead - similar to the start of our Saturday match.

The match
I found just 3 ft 2 inches a metre past the shelf (which was less than three metres out) on peg 14 - the deepest water I could find - and the anglers in the low numbers were saying that they hardy had two feet. Quite a big difference along the lake. I have a lot of confidence on luncheon meat, so started over the shelf, putting in four 4mm cubes at a time. 

The first fish came after an hour, on the shelf to my left, in my second swim. It was about 10 lb, and I also had two 4 oz F1s. After 90 minutes I took a short walk; Mike on my left had four small fish on a feeder; Callum had one; John Smith had one, and Martin Parker had three nice carp, while Paul Smith on our end peg 24 had lost a six-pounder at the net. So it was hard.

A slow start
But I persevered, not feeding much, and slowly began to see touches on the float. And in the next two hours I managed about four fish to 6 lb - not brilliant, but similar to my Wednesday outing. I also lost a couple which seemed to be properly hooked until they suddenly turned on the turbos and shot off, pulling the hook out and leaving me with a scale.

I switched between the shelf and the longer swim, and even tried out at up to 13metres, but never managed to string two fish together - just the odd one took the bait. I took about 20 minutes off to watch a banknote auction I was particularly interested in. My earlier bid was completely eclipsed, and the notes made about four times their auction estimate - the best quality notes might now be a very good investment if you can get them at a reasonable price.

I've another auction coming up on Tuesday, when I am fishing on Six-Island lake at Decoy, and I will be partaking in that one for a short time.

Two hours to go
With two hours to go I tried sweetcorn on the shelf to my right, putting in some hemp, and to my surprise I had a quick F1. I was using a rig I'd made specially, with 5.5 lb line straight through, following an experiment I'd tried on Wednesday. Simply, all the shot was under the float. But the fish didn't take on the drop - they took it from the bottom. Why this worked I have no idea, perhaps it behaved more naturally on the bottom with no shot close to affect its movement as the fish swirled around in the swim.Or perhaps the loop near the bait on my previous rigs had been spooking them.

This rig slowly started working, though there was a price to pay. I could get fish, but was broken twice on the lighter line, probably by foulhookers. Nevertheless every ten or 15 minutes I would bait up, follow it with my new rig, wait for a couple of minutes, and get a bite from a good carp or a nice F1.

John Smith had this in his 22 lb 12 oz.

Big fish in the margin!
At one time I put bait into the left margin only a metre out and there were boils of mud coming up very quickly, and tails waving to me, and backs cruising the surface like sharks. Just a few cubes of luncheon meat would bring the fish in. I had one on mussel, but I'll be damned if I could catch any more!

 Other anglers had the same problem, but I didn't waste too much time there - perhaps 20 minutes, before turning to the right shelf swim with corn,  a little farther out from the bank; perhaps that was the key.

Callum, who uses mussel a lot,
 never had a single fish on one!

Another couple pulled off there, but yet again the fish came on late - two nice ones landed, and one lost, in the last ten minutes. I think I lost six all together during the day, but other anglers later told me that had also lost a lot - Paul Smith lost 16! The fish were definitely coming to the bait but not taking it. That's happened a lot this year.

The weigh in
Kevin and Roy passed me as they took the scales to end peg 24 to start weighing. I said I thought I had about 50 lb, but's it's difficult to be exact when you split the fish between three nets and don't click.

Dave Garner - third with 44 lb 9 oz.

My dodgy back slowed me up packing away and when I looked at the board while John Smith was weighing (his fish, not himself) I was amazed at how low the weights were. Martin Parker was leading with 43 lb 11 oz, which I thought I could beat. And indeed I did - 63 lb 11 oz was my score, consisting of three or four F1s and about eight carp from 4 lb to 10 lb. I'd lost six.

To my right Allan Golightly had lost three, and landed three for 14 lb 10 oz. It seemed that everyone had lost several, probably foulhooked, as the fish were coming to the bait and mooching around it, but not taking it. Dave Garner used his usual wagglers (he doesn't have a pole), to catch 44 lb 9 oz, which placed him third.

My first fish was the best, at about 10 lb.
Mel Lutkin watches to see if I drop it (I didn't).

Roy Whitwell, who had 49 lb 12 oz on pole and feeder, was the best of the rest, ending second, and leaving me as the winner. 

Next match is a Spratts event at Decoy, on Six-Island, where I always fancy pegs 5 round to 14. The forecast is for light NNE winds, so it will be sheltered and probably no ripple - a bit like this Crow match.

When I got home I made up a straight-though rig on 9 lb line (O.20-something mm in diameter), with no shot down the line, for that match.

THE RESULT

I frame in the rain on Six-Island

Peg 18, Sunday, Sep 28
Not unhappy with my draw in this Fenland Rods match, though I think peg 18 is a better Summer peg than later in the year. The margins are nice - 11 inches to 14 inches, then dropping down quickly to two feet-plus. The deepest spot I could find in the swim was exactly 3 feet, just in front of the bunch of reeds to my left, so that is where I started. 

By this time rain was falling and it kept on for a couple of hours. However that didn't stop a family fishing three different spots next door on Four-Island lake from walking along the bank to each other every few minutes. It didn't affect my swim at the start - a 7 lb carp came on a 6mm expander very quickly from the reed swim, and I immediately switched to fishing the far bank, at 11 metres.

My left margin - most of my fish
 came from just in front of the reeds.

Disappearing carp
I had a missed bite right across, then promptly landed another seven-pounder on corn. Back to the reed swim and a little later my third carp came in - a better fish approaching 10 lb. Back out to the far swim, and I had a liner or two, but couldn't work out where the fish were. Sometimes they seemed to be right across in the reeds, then in the deeper water a couple of metres towards the middle; then they would disappear. And it took me a fair while to think that perhaps the walking about had affected them, though the walkers kept close to the far side of the bank.

I find F1s
Whatever it was, I never had another fish from the far bank, and concentrated on the reed swim. That brought an occasional carp, over 4 lb, and then a few F1s, which wanted the bait either just off bottom or just touching it. So I put the rig out over the deepest spot and let it drift a few inches towards a shallower area, and that brought bites. I foulhooked just two - both times a scale came back to me. Otherwise I felt I was managing to avoid the liners.

The right margin was also shallow, but
carp came to the maggots I put in
about a metre from the bank.

With an hour to go I put dead maggots to my right. I hadn't been able to fish that way at the start because the wind and then the sun both came from that side. Now the sun was round behind me and I could present a bait OK. Fish came swirling in quite quickly, where the depth was about two feet, and I was confident I would catch there. Neither paste nor a bunch of deads produced anything, but then corn brought a 4 lb common.

A good finish
Unfortunately I wasted the best part of an hour trying to catch more fish in that right margin swim. The carp were creating big vortexes in the water, but I never had another. Then, 15 minutes from the end I went back to the F1s...and had five to 3 lb in that time! A big mistake on my part - I should have learned by now that if I can't catch a fish within ten minutes when I know they are there, I must move.

  Mike Rawson  had 32 lb 9 oz but  
was still packing his van when the
scales arrived, so I got Kev Lee
to hold Mike's biggest fish, which
probably weighed at least 10 lb.

The weigh-in
I was amazed that Kevin Lee on 3 had only 34 lb, though after the match Roy suggested that the bank-walkers must have affected his swim. Then the scales went round to two pegs I always fancy - six and eight (though they had rain in their faces for the first two hours). And here Dave Garner and Roy Whitwell had done the business, taking the first two places. Dave won with 76 lb (Well done, Dave) with Roy on 66 lb 14 oz.

I thought I had at least 65 lb, possibly 70 lb, but in fact this was one of the few times I had actually over-estimated the weight, and I totalled 60 lb 4 oz, for third place. It seemed to me that a lot of the catches were weighing less than they had looked like, and several of the anglers agreed with me. Why are the fish weighing so light?

To my left Martin Parker had really struggled, landing just three fish. I had seen Allan Golightly, on Martin's left, land two or three good fish late in the match; he told me afterwards that he got them from the shallow margin. Allan was fifth - a good result from that peg on the day, I feel.  I didn't try the really shallow swim against my left bank, where it was only about ten inches...but perhaps I should have done?

Dick Warrener with some good
carp in his 40 lb catch.

Callum Judge - fourth  from
peg 12 with 48 lb 9 oz.

Marks out of ten
Afterwards I thought that I should have tried worms in that right margin, when the fish were oviously there. And not trying that left shallow margin, even if only for five minutes, was another obvious mistake. But all-round on a difficult day, when the angler I could see best, Martin, was not catching, I think I am worth 7/10. I felt I would have done OK in the other part of the lake, pegs 6 to about 14.

A late hospital appointment for Sunday means I can't fish until next Satruray, on Crow, at Pidley. I'm happy with any swim there, no matter how hard it blows. I will be taking cuttings from my pelargoniums this week, but can't find any stems with no buds on, so I will have to just pinch the flowers off. 

THE RESULT