Still windy on Damson but I get fish

A quick glance and it looked like snow in the field as I drove past. In fact they are daisies - but  who would want to grow a field of daisies?

Peg 12, Damson, Decoy
Twelve of us in this Spratts match, and I am drawn peg 12; end peg; and Golden Peg. Well that ensured it would be a roll-over! Still lots of wind, into our faces and from the left, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the swim that the marginal reeds had grown since I last sat there, whereas peviously there had been mainly bare bank - not good for margin fishing. However, Peter Spriggs was on my left, and to his left is the stump of a small tree which has been cut down; but it's still growing, and there's a lovely little pleateau next to the bank which is a noted spot where carp congregate.

The wind was blowing into my corner and I 
hoped that the carp would be following it. 

The first few minutes on Damson are always feast or famine in the margins, and today things were very slow. I had a few liners in about two feet of water, and lost a couple foulhooked. A switch to banded pellet shallow brought a bite first drop...and that was also foulhooked and came off. Eventually I had one fish from the left margin on sweetcorn, and after an hour that was all I had. But Peter had had a nice carp or two.

Getting battered
The next hour was worse! Not a single fish for me. But Peter started to catch much better. In the next hour I managed six or seven carp around 2 lb on corn from the right margin, and halfway through the match I had about 15 lb, while I reckoned Peter had at least three times that amount. But then things got better and by carefully adjusting my depth, feeding two or three grains of corn every drop, and lifting the bait an inch to induce a bite, I started to catch occasional F1s.

Peter Spriggs on my left found fish early on while I struggled. We had 
a few showers but luckily, since the wind was in our faces,  nothing too bad.

Strange!
Then a strange thing happened. Heavy rain hit us for a few minutes, and as it started, carp started to show along the reeds in my swim. Proper carp, bigger than I had been catching, and fish I'd not seen before the rain started. And soon they started to take my bait.

One fish was about 5 lb and another couple over 3 lb. The left margin was now better, although this meant fishing into the wind and making sure my rig didn't get blown into the reeds where the fish were. But it was never easy, and I had lots of tiny liners, which at least showed me the fish were there somewhere.

 During this time Peter's catch rate slowed up, though I still estimated he had around 150 lb by the end of the match. I lost one really big fish which came off, which I didn't think was foulhooked, and I thought I had perhaps 70 lb.

Roy with part of his winning catch.

The weigh in
I had assumed that I would be quite possibly last, so was amazed at the low weights from the first few pegs - topped by Peter Harrison on peg 3 with 66 lb 5 oz. That may have been because it was more sheltered at that end of the lake. Then Roy Whitwell, who is framing in every match he fishes, took 114 lb 4 oz to the scales from peg 6, which I assumed would be beated by Peter Spriggs.

The weights continued to be below 50 lb, except from John Smith with 52 lb 2 oz, up to Peter Spriggs. Then I saw that his fish were smaller than I had imagined, and he had 'only' 95 lb 10 oz. My fish definitely seemed to have a bigger average. My first net went 38 lb, but the second one was 5 lb over our club's 50 lb limit. How did that happen?

Peter Spriggs checks the scales, flanked
by Peter Harrison and Roy Whitwell.

As it happens it made no difference to the positions - I totalled 88 lb 15 oz for third, though that 5 lb and the good fish lost would have bumped me up to second place. However, Roy had sparkled again, taking some of his fish on the feeder he loves so much, including some from the far bank of the lake. 

Marks out of ten
I was quite pleased afterwards, looking at the other weights. I actually had a nice assortment of rigs ready to use, which is essential when the depth varies so much as you move along the bank. But I didn't try in the deep water, and should have done that early on...just in case. I reckon I was worth a generous 8/10. 

But my estimate of Peter's catch was wildly out. I didn't realise, as I concentrated on my own swim, that his had largely dried up. Next match on two-Island on Float Fish Farm, where everyone tells me to use feeder or bomb. 

THE RESULT

1 Neil Paas                30 lb 10 oz

2 Martin Parker         29 lb 11 oz

3 Peter Harrison        66 lb 5 oz        4th

4 Trevor Cousins       34 lb 10 oz

5 Bob Walker             39 lb 4 oz

6 Roy Whitwell        114 lb 4 oz        1st

7 Graham Ward          31 lb 14 oz

8 Mick Ramm            29 lb 6 oz

9 John Smih               52 lb 2 oz

10 Bob Barrett           29 lb 13 oz

11 Peter Spriggs         95 lb 10 oz        2nd

12 Mac Campbell       88 lb 15 oz        3rd

And finally: after the rain, in my village...