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