I fancy Roy Whincup tut-tutted and shook his head when he saw I had drawn peg 17, on the spit, in this JV club match. Roy had sat there on Friday and won the lake with a little over 100 lb, but he was good enough to tell me how he had fished - a feeder to the aerator then into the left margin. Next thing, when I am at my peg, Roy walks down to me - he had drawn next door on 18, next to the bridge.
The wind was already strong, but Roy said it had been worse than that on Friday (a day when Lee Kendall lost three Number fours, two of which were blown in). During the day it did get distinctly stronger, coming from the front/right, and it was very difficult to get decent presentation on a pole rig to the right.
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| A bit rough for those of us facing the wind! |
I started on a maggot feeder towards the aerator, and within a few minutes a plump 2 lb F1 was nestling in my net; I had chosen to use the small net because of the wind. In the next hour just two gudgeon came to that tactic, so I had a look on the pole, using a 1.5 gram rig. I gave up fishing to the right very quickly, and had a look in the left margin, where it was about five feet deep, but with a nice hard bottom two metres out.
Two bream
That margin swim brought two bream and and a 3 lb F1 in the next hour, but then I went almost three hours, fishing a small piece of cat meat or a grain of corn, with nothing except two gudgeon, foulhooked on the cat meat! I also went on the feeder, with a hybrid and wafter without result - not even a liner. However I was sure that there were fish around as every few minutes when I was on the pole the float would dip, and even in the big waves I was sure it was a bite, or a liner.
I was using short tops, which definitely stiffened the pole in the wind, and I made a mental note of that for future reference.
A swim farther out
I'd seen Roy catch on both feeder and pole, fishing to his right margin, where I fancied there was just a little shelter from the very worst of the wind. To my left Peter Harrison had struggled, but then he had three or four fish fairly quickly, fishing farther out than I had been doing. So I had a look out at four sections, and first drop with a small piece of cat meat (in silver sachets from the Co-op), the float slid under and I was playing a common about 9 lb.
I hadn't bothered to add the short Number Four, and actually ended holding just the short top to land the fish. With five feet of rig it wasn't ideal, but I got away with it. I didn't fancy moving to get my short top out of my holdall in the wind, as it was so easy to dislodge the gear behind me, which was wedged down to stop anything blowing away, so I carried on regardless (now there's a good name for a film!)
I try a bigger piece of cat meat
No more came from that swim, though, so I went into the left margin again. But I was never sure exactly where my hemp and corn was finishing up, as the wind was so strong. Still, I fancied I could see occasional movement on the float, and I wondered if the wind was creating an undercurrent next to the bank and moving my bait around. So in something approaching desperation I put on a really big piece of cat meat, sure that this would hold bottom, though not confident at all, and Wad'y'know, I had a bite!
That turned out to be another carp, about 8 lb, and now there were just about ten minutes left. On went another big piece of cat meat and I missed what looked like a good bite even before it hit bottom. Next drop saw another bite and another good fish on; seconds later the match ended.
It was several minutes before that fish was in the net, played on 14-16 Matrix Slik, and its tail was hanging over the edge as I pulled the net in. It must have been at least 12 lb.
The weigh in
Playing that fish had made me even later than usual packing my stuff away, and I had no idea what anyone had weighed when they weighed me (or rather my fish) at 39 lb 12 oz. Then Roy told me he had over 70 lb. And it wasn't until the money was paid out that I found I had won my five-peg section by default, as Roy ended second and I had beaten Peter Harrison (pleased about that) and the two to Roy's right. Kev Bell won the lake from peg 30 with 78 lb 15 oz.
Nine fished Horseshoe, won by Ian Frith on 13, fishing to the bank on his right! That's unusual, as it's a very short stretch of bank, but peg 12 wasn't it. He used casters and took all but three of his fish there. Chris Saunders weighed two carp for 25 lb 13 oz, and the biggest was weighed at 17 lb 13 oz!
Marks out of ten
I was pleased, afterwards, as although I finished well down the list, I feel that anyything won in a JV match is a feather in my proverbial cap. But later I realised that I was lucky in that I hadn't thought about the underwater turbulance enough. I could have used paste, and I should certainly have tried heavier lumps of cat meat earlier. I didn't try worm, either, nor a bunch of maggots - anything would have been worth trying. I did try mussel, which was probably too light, and it never brought me a bite.
My excuse is that in these high winds, when the platform is over the water, it takes time to stand, turn round, and carefully walk back, over pole sections, landing net handles, and assorted bags, to get stuff, and it wasn't possible for me to have everything with easy reach. But at least I had two rods made up, and several top kits, so I had done my best before the match started to give myself several options.
Bearing in mind the conditions I have to give myself 5/10, and say I was lucky to look around and pick up that first big lump of cat meat. But everybody has luck at some time (even when it's perhaps not deserved). Next match Friday on Cedar when I think I will concentrate on my short tops sgain (though I always have a few long tops with me as well).
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