In full Winter mode on Cedar

Spratts Christmas Match
This is the highlight of the Spratts year - prizes for everyone, and team events where everyone wins a share of the money prizes. All made possible thanks to the efforts of Trevor Cousins, who does such a brilliant job all year organising us rabble into a coherent fighting force on the bank. Such a pity that Christmas comes in Winter, when the fish are on holiday, probably ski-ing somewhere...

Twelve of us fished on Cedar, and I was on peg 5. The wind was a strong Northerly, and there was a big ripple on our end of the lake and Roy Whitwell, peg 2, said it would probably be dire in the lower numbers. However this lake often fishes better in the low numbers, near the car park, so I thought that with a nice cold raspberry ripple the fish might play ball.

Fishing in the Bahamas
Roy was still adamant that he fancied the high numbers and before the match started I walked up to Martin Parker on end peg 13, who was in my three-man team, together with John Garner, peg 9. Blimey - it was like the Bahamas up there! The high bank shielded those end pegs from the wind, and with the sun shining you didn't need a top jacket on, while at our end it was perishing. 

The surface up there was flat, and that brought to mind a recent comment I've seen on You Tube, I think from Jamie Hughes, that in these conditions carp will move up to where the surface is flat because there the temperature is more constant, and not being affected by the cold wind. 

Nothing to report
Back at my peg it now became obvious to me that the fish didn't like the cold water being pushed up to our end. A strong undertow confirmed that there was a lot of movement. And I sat there for four hours without a fish... And I'd forgotten my camera so when Dick Warrener on my left caught a nice carp halfway through, on a Method feeder and wafter, I had to just look and admire. A minute later Bob Barrett obn my right landed a carp, taken on a 6mm pellet, and my admiration turned to jealousy. 

Forty-five minutes from the end I had a determined look down in the deep margin with maggot and caught three tiny roach! In true Winter League mode I wanted to catch something for the team. And I was glad when I'd had enough and the match ended.

The weigh in
We started at the car park end. Roy Whitwell had two fish I think, Bob Barrett one, Dick Warrener one, Neil Paas three (or was it two?), the last at three minutes to three. Peter Spriggs two (or was it three?), Kevin Lee about seven for 29 lb 10 oz on a feeder to the far bank, and Martin Parker about six big fish for 44 lb 4 oz also on a feeder, those two being the two end pegs in the Bahamas.  And that was better overall than last year when only two caught fish. Oh, and my three weighed a magnificent 4 oz.

The prize distribution

Before the prizes, it was great to see Wendy and Joe Bedford turn up to see us - they haven't fished recently. Then the result was announced of the team event. And Martin had won it for my team on his own. So he didn't need my meagre 4 oz. Who cares? A healthy £25 found it way into my back pocket.  

And remember that Martin has only one eye. I tried doing some of the intricate stuff we do, like joining loop-to-loop, and whipping a spade end, and it's incredibly difficult with one eye closed. Respect (as they now say)!

Martin (left) inspcts the prizes before choosing.

I think Martin, as winner, chose the new Preston pole support, and I was eighth and chose a 9 ft Guru A-Class feeder rod. Eighth and I win a great rod. Yippee! Next day I set it up with the Preston ICM system (the small size) so now it is part of my three-rod Winter gear: bomb (with sliding stop to alter the drop length), the ICS, and now the ICM.

A happy Martin Parker, team money in his hand, about to choose his prize.

All the members contributed to a thank-you for Trevor. He does a fantastic job. And it was all rounded off with Karen's famous hot roast potatoes and sausages. I'm coeliac (non-gluten), so I made an unashamed pig of myself with the roast potatoes. And it ended a memorable day, with Roy taking pictures for me at the end. See you all next year!

THE MATCH RESULT

2 Roy Whitwell            23 lb 3 oz       3rd
3 Mike Rawson            DNW             9th =
4 Bob Barrett                6 lb 11 oz       6th
5 Mac Campbell                4 oz   😢   8th 😊
6 Dick Warrener           8 lb 3 oz         5th
7 Neil Paas              10 lb 15 oz          4th
8 Trevor Cousins            DNW            9th =
9 John Garner                DNW             9th =
10 Peter Spriggs            5 lb 9 oz         7th
11 Mick Ramm             DNW             9th =
12 Kevin Lee              29 lb 10 oz       2nd
13 Martin Parker        44 lb 4 oz         1st

TEAM RESULT