Bream to the rescue on Elm

Peg 22, Tues, July 21
I'm a bit late with this Spratts report. But the result hasn't altered. The wind was from the South, so my swim on the East bank had a left-to right blow. I like that bank on all the strips, as there's a better chance of a shallow margin, thanks to the prevailing Westerlies knocking the bank about. My left margin had reeds, but to my right there was just bare bank - not ideal. The good news was that there was a nice level bottom in the margin, about three feet deep.

Nice left margin, with reeds.

I plumbed up to find roughly the same depth of 3 ft along both margins, but started off on 2+1 with cat meat and then corn. Nothing. So a move to the left margin, near a small bush, was called for. First drop with corn and a 1 lb F1 came in. I went back there and couldn't understand what had happened - the depth seemed to have suddenly increased. I plumbed up more carefully and found that while the margin near my platform extended about four feet out, next to the bush it was only 12 inches wide.

The bream oblige
So I went into the deeper water and was rewarded with a 3 lb bream; then another; then another. Nice to see fish of that size. When bites slowed up I went into the right margin, just above the drop-off and eventually found some F1s and then some better carp.

I potted out into the bream swim, and surre enough two or thee more came in. Potting in before each cast didn't seem to put them off. Then after another couple of 5 lb carp from the right margin I had a look to my left, on a top two. Here there was a small cutout, and first drop with mussel saw a nice carp come in. That swim produced three or four more and I finished with a couple more bream, the last of which jumped out twice and was about 4 lb. 

My right margin was bare right up to the
next platform. Then Kevin had lu-u-vely
reeds out from the bank on 20.

Concentration
To my right Kevin Lee had a lovely little bunch of reeds growing a metre out from his left bank, and I kept seeing him fish there, and certainly he'd had carp from it early on. I hadn't been able to dsee what anyone else had caught. I'd seen Mike Rawson opposite on 1 get two early fish on a feeder and then one late; and Peter Spriggs opposite me had a fish or two. But I was so busy concentrating on my own swim that I'd missed most of the action, though I knew that Kevin on my right had had several more carp. I thought I had about 70 lb, best carp  10 lb.

Graham Ward -95 lb 15 oz.

The weigh in

Before the weigh in started John Garner told me that John Smith on corner peg 12 had probably won as he'd had fish 'all day.' Mike weighed in just 25 lb 6 oz, so I hadn't missed much of his action. Then as I followed the scales along the opposite bank it was clear that the weights became slowly larger. Looked as if the carp followed the wind. Peter Spriggs, who has won so many Spratts matches hd just 38 lb 2 oz. And the weights increased down to Graham Ward on 10, who took 95 lb 15 oz to the scales.

In the corner John had taken one or two carp from the end bank, then had to move, before going back to the end bank for another couple, and that happened all day - he could never get then lining up. But he did it all very successfully as he had 102 lb 4 oz. But he said that Neil Paas on the opposite bank had more than he did.

Neil Paas, deserved winner with 133 lb 2 oz.

Round to Neil on 14 and indeed he had beaten John with 133 lb 2 oz, taken on mussel in the marginds, and ended as an easy winner. John Garner sat on 16 and because of the high reeds hadn't been able to see Neil, but he had been able to see John Smith on the opposite bank, which was why he thought he had won. John Garner had 71 lb 12 oz, while on 20, to my right, Kevin Lee had 72 lb 11 oz. I didn't think I coulod beat that, but the net I'd clicked at 35 lb held 48 lb, and I ended with a total of 88 lb 6 oz. 

Mick Ramm with his one bream
 We both need to take lessons!

Me with a bream. Pity you can't
see it properly. I must take lessons.

To my left Mike Ramm had just one bream, but then he was in the lee of the end bank, with no ripple. So I ended fourth and was the best weight towards me end. I give myself 8/10; next match was on Sunday on Horseshoe - a Fenland Rods Pairs match. As I write I am about to leave for the Veterans National on Lindholme with my fishing partner Martin Parker, who won it about 50 years ago (!). Wish us luck.

THE RESULT

East bank                                            West bank

24 Mick Ramm        2 lb 15 oz               1  Mike Rawson        25 lb 6 oz
22 Mac Campbell    88 lb 6 oz  4th        3 Peter Spriggs        38 lb 2 oz
20 Kevin Lee        72 lb 11 oz                5 Dick Warrener      38 lb 6 oz
18 Trevor Cousins     58 lb 15 oz          7 Bob Barrett      29 lb 1 oz
16 John Garner        71 lb 12 oz            9 Roy Whitwell    65 lb 5 oz
14 Neil Paas             133 lb 2 oz  1st    10 Graham Ward  95 lb 15 oz  3rd
                                                              12 John Smith 102 lb 4 oz  2nd