Strange how life will suddenly turn a corner, either for good or bad. Because after a long string of drawing pegs I didn't fancy - in many cases the very last swim I would have chosen - things have brightened up. The mice in my garage and shed have started throwing themselves onto my traps, I've started playing great bowls (my last game resulted in the opponents withdrawing after ten ends with the score 28-0 in our favour), and now I'm getting some pegs I really fancy in my fishing matches.
Of course the weather holds the trump card at the moment, but I'm managing to avoid the really dodgy areas at Decoy. After drawing pegs 12 and 11 on Six-Island in the JV club matches, the latest one saw me on peg 15 on Beastie. It's in the main bowl of the lake, at a time when the ends - from 25 round to peg 3, and the back of the spit (8 to 13) - are currently the spots to avoid drawing. There are fish there, but rarely enough to win.
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| The day started dull and cold, and it was easy to see where we were casting. Pegs 15, 16 and 17 can cast to the island, but 16 was left out. |
I had Pete Molesworth next to me on 17, and without doubt these were the coldest two swims on the lake, with the cold SW wind blowing into us from the right. I started on a small Method feeder cast to the island - 37 turns of my reel to retrieve if you're interested - but had nothing for over an hour, while Pete had two on a feeder.
I took another look at Pete's rig, which I had thought was a small Method feeder, but now saw that his bait was hanging free when he cast. I the realised it was probably a maggot feeder, so I changed. Within minutes I had a drop-back bite on two reds, and a 2 lb F1 came to my net, followed by two more in the next half-hour.
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| When the clouds blew over the wind became stronger, and the sun was in our eyes, and we were casting blind, unable to see our feeders as they went out. Here Pete Molesworth on peg 17 nets an F1, taken on maggot feeder. |
At that point Chris Saunders, over on peg 20, started catching on a pole. I didn't see it, but I had a quick chat with Roy Whitwell on 13 and he told me; he also knew I had some fish. How the hell did he know? He was sitting with his back to both Chris and myself!
Pete now put out a pole and had two fairly quick fish and then a blank spell. I tried a pole very briefly, long and against the platform at 16, but I had no offers, so stuck with the maggot feeder, which brought six more F1s and two small bream while Pete added another on his feeder rig. The last hour, though, was fishless for both of us I think. I had been leaving the rig out for 20 minutes, and while two took within seconds of the feeder hitting the water, some took after that 20 minutes.
Round to my left I had seen Lee Kendall catch fish on a feeder cast to the island, and he later changed to pole and had some fish. But behind me, on the back of the spot, sport was terrible. The match finished with Pete and I both cold, and behind me Shaun Coaten said he had just three F1s - and Shaun has been framing a lot recently so it must have been been bad.
Before the scales got to us Pete said I must have enjoyed myself, and I replied: "Beating Pete Molesworth on the next peg - yes I have!" In fact I'm happy not to come last in JV matches, as the standard is high, and they fish Decoy every week.
Lee Kendall was leading with 28 lb 2 oz from peg 5, but poor Dave Parsons on 8 told me he never had even a liner, and Russell Gray on 9 never had a fish either. My 21 lb 14 oz beat everyone else on the spit, and brought me just a section win, as the top three places came from the fancied pegs in the 20s - pegs 20, 22 and 23. Then, as happens often in the Winter, the famous pegs of 25, 26, 29 and 30 produced no big weights.
Then we were back to the warmth of the cafe and a hot coffee before the presentations. And we all agreed that the sudden drop in temperatures over the last two nights - down to freezing - had their inevitable effect. I expect things to be better by the time the Winter League final is fished here in late February - two full sections (approx 40 pegs) on Decoy, two on Rookery, and one on Float Fish Farm (plus five sections on the drains).
There's still a lot of luck in these Winter matches, but I felt I took a good advantage of finding a few fish. My casting was pretty good, especially considering that the low sun was in our faces, and both Pete and myself were, at times, quite unable to see our feeders as they were flying out to the island.
Basically we were often casting blind, and with an overhanging bush right in front of me I had to hit the clip nicely and bring the rod back to just the right spot to avoid hitting that bush, I managed that, never missed a bite, and never lost a fish - so I give myself 8/10. I perhaps should have realised sooner what Pete had his first two fish on and changed.
Next match was the Spratts Christmas match, the last of the year, moved to Cedar, which is where the next JV match is scheduled.
THE RESULT
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