That North-Easterly grew stronger overnight, and colder. To be honest it was a bit of a surprise how cold it was when I stepped out of my van at Decoy, for a Spratts match, and I was glad I'd brought a hoodie and my Goretex jacket, because I wore them both for much of the match as my peg 9 had a head wind, from the left.
 |
| Trevor kneels on his prayer mat and meditates for a second before the draw. |
 |
| A moment in time in the heatwave - dull, grey, cold. After all, look on a map of the UK and you'll see there's nothing between Fenland and the North Pole! |
One F1 came to me in the first half of the match, after I put on an extra section, but nobody that I could see was doing much. So into the margins I came (I'd had a few quick looks earlier of course, and had tried feeder, but had nothing). My first drop now was into the left, with corn over a few grains, and seconds later the pole was almost wrenched from my hands and the elastic streamed out to the middle. Then...ping! A fish had foulhooked itself and then waved me goodbye.
Fish are there
A few minutes later I had what looked like a proper bite and this one stayed hooked for two seconds. But at least there were fish there. As they were, still, in Kev's swim!
I'd nothing better to do, so I got a shot of Kevin Lee in action 50 yards away!
So into my right margins, about a metre rom the tins, in slightly deeper water, and as I held the bait still the float dived down. Honestly. And another F1 charged all over the swim, as they have done this year on every water I've fished. But it ended in my net. Then a small piece of cat meat lured a bigger carp, about 8 lb. Meanwhile Rod might have lost another fish; but Kevin was still picking up fish, steadily.
Into the last half hour and a grain of corn fished over just four grains, and lifted an inch or so, picked up two more fish for me from the left, though another couple also came adrift. So at the end I had five fish and had lost four foulhooked. Rod also had a couple late, and I think he ended with four. I was a bit downcast, and expected to be near the bottom of the list, because there were better anglers than me round to my left.
One problem I have is that at Decoy there's so much reed growth that on many of the lakes I just can't see anyone else on the same bank. It's miles away from what some anglers disparagingly call 'a hole in the ground.' Of course it is - so's Rutland Water. But at this time of year it's really quite natural surroundings. I am reminded that fishing Damson the previous day I had trouble with my float going under...because damselflies kept insisting on perching on the top!
 |
| A big carp taken late boosted John Smith's catch, from peg 18, to 13 lb 13 oz. |
The weigh in
Just to rub things in the sun now came out. As it does. And the wind died down. As it does. Who organises all that???
Rod weighed first - 22 lb 4 oz, while my five fish went 25 lb 1 oz. Then I was astonished to see weights below mine. In the corner Neil Paas took 62 lb 3 oz to the scales to lead. Then the weights dropped again, right round to Kevin, who had not put a single piece of loosefeed into the swim all day. He'd just fished a mussel to the reeds and waited. His reward was a tench and about 15 carp for 133 lb 11 oz - a clear winner.
It was noticeable that most anglers had their best spell in the last half-hour. Roy Whitwell, who is almost unbeatable at the moment, had just one bite all match, in the last half hour.
 |
| The winner - Kev Lee never put any loosefeed into his swim and ended with 133 lb 11 oz. |
Marks out of ten
As Trevor Cousins walked past me at the end he said he wished he had brought a flask of hot coffee with him; actually that's excactly what I'd told my wife on the phone during the match. I always phone her - she worries so much, you know. She knows where the insurance policies are; if she didn't get the call at 1 o'clock I am sure she'd be rummaging through them, just in case.
But it was cold. I should have taken a flask - 1 point deducted for failing to prepare. However I stuck at it and didn't start filling it in, as the fish obviously just weren't feeding. It was a case of hoping that a carp took a bite at something which was annoying it, like salmon do when they come up the rivers to spawn. They don't eat, they take stuff out of habit.
But I finished third, so I give myself 7.5 out of ten. Second frame in a row. Next match Saturday on Crow at Pidley, when luncheon meat is likely to be my main bait.
THE RESULT
East bank West bank
20 Mick Ramm 7 lb 13 oz 11 Trevor Cousins 19 lb 2 oz
18 John Smith 13 lb 13 oz 13 Peter Spriggs 7 lb 14 oz
16 Roy Whitwell 4 lb 11 oz 15 Neil Paas 62 lb 3 oz 2nd
No comments:
Post a Comment