Peg 13 can be a cracking swim, although last time I fished there I didn't do very well. After that match I read that Ben Townsend had had a lot of big fish on a feeder casting towards peg 8, which was unoccupied, as it was this day as wll. So I set up a feeder as well as the pole in this 13-entry Spratts match..
There was no ripple, while the swims on the other side of the spit had a good ripple. I started out at about 10 metres with corn, using my short top, and had a small F1. A look in the lovely-looking deep margin to my left didn't even get me a bite, so I moved to the shallow margin just to my right much earlier than I had intended to.
I'd put in casters and hemp, and now I saw fish swirling somewhere beneath the surface. It's only two feet deep here, and I've had good catches in that shallow spot before. It didn't take long before a six-pounder was in the net on a short top, short number 3, and my number 4. Then I had a lot of liners, so got up to get another top out of my holdall, to use with one of my special rigs, which I was convinced would get fish.
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| Flat calm, so I was amazed when fish came into the shallows. |
I sat down, attached the rig, put in the short Number three, and looked for my Number Four. Gone. It had been laying beside the platform when I got up, but it was now definitely gone, and I'd not got another with me. In fact I wasn't sure whether I had a spare at home.
Two years ago I spent hours and hours scanning the intrnet for spares for my Browning Xitan Z9, and especially the Number 4, without any success. I bought a whole second-hand pole off John Pratt in the end, which had hardly been used, to ensure I had spares. But I know I had broken a Number 4 since then, and had a horrible feeling I'd not been able to get it mended. So I was in deep mire.
I walked back to the van, over the bridge, and got my long hook. I spent half an hour using this trying to locate the section, but couldn't feel it. Kevin Lee came over for ten minutes and had a go, but he couldn't find it either. And by then I guess we had scared all the fish away. I decided to go home, as fishing for big carp with tiny short tops seemed stupid. But I had a long Number three with me.
Then I thought that in fact the short top with Matrix 18-20 elastic was probably my best bet for landing big carp anyway, and I hadn't tried feeder yet. So I decided to stay.
The feeder plopped out nicely just in front on peg 8, but in the next half-hour I never had even a liner. So it was back to my short top and long Number three, and the match was half over. That set-up enabled me to go to the deep lefthand margin, and first drop I had a 4 lb bream which hurtled out of the water when hooked. As they do. And eventually I saw swirls again in the shallow right margin.
There I out out my special rig with corn over hemp and casters, and started to catch good carp, from 5 lb upwards. A couple of eight-pounders also came in, though two or three more came off because I just couldn't follow them out; they may have been foulhooked. I played one for a fair time only to see it pull off near the net. But generally I was landing fish hooked in the mouth in 40 to 50 seconds, thanks to the short top.
I think I may have overfed a little, as I was waiting for a long time for bites, even though I knew the fish were down there. I had one or two on cat meat, but none on mussel; I had an idea that a mussel was too big for them on this occasion.
The very last carp was the biggest at about 10 lb and this was in my landing net inside 30 seconds, just before the match ended. I heard some splashing from Kevin Lee's peg 15 and assumed that he would beat me; the rest I knew nothing about. I had clicked 37 lb for both my nets.
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| Kevin Lee included this cracking common carp in his 63 lb 8 oz. |
The weights in the early numbers were much lower than I had imagined, with Neil Paas leading with 52 lb. My first 37 lb net went about 49 lb, and the second about 43 lb; total 92 lb 12 oz, which was leading. Kevin hadn't beaten me after all - he had 63 lb 8 oz. But in the 20s two catches eclipsed mine - Peter Harrison on 23 had 99 lb 12 oz, and Roy Whitwell on 29 won with 102 lb, with several taken on a pole to the left point of the reeds. So I ended third, which slightly helped eclipse the loss of my section.
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| John Garner. He's the man who takes my picture for me when I catch something worth photographing! |
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| Bob Barrett with two friends from peg 18, against the bridge going over to the famous spit. |
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| Peter Harrison picks out his third net. This was before he performed his miracle! |
I'd followed the scales round, took some pictures, and still had to go back to pick up my nets which were drying on the bank. Then Peter Harrison drove past and stopped, asking me whether I would like him to try to find my section with his rake. Would I like it? Is the Pope Roman Catholic?
Third throw, well out, and he brought in...my section! I couldn't believe it. Suddenly I went from despondent to ecstatic. Thanks. Peter. I ought to get one of those double sided rakes myself; better still, don't lose a section! It was The Miracle At Beastie!
Next match on Crow at Pidley in our Fenland Rods Handicap. I was third in our Championship last season so I add on 20%. I love Crow, and will use luncheon meat as usual.
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| The winner, Roy Whitwell. |
THE RESULT
5 Trevor Cousins 2 lb 7 oz
13 Mac Campbell 92 lb 12 oz 3rd
15 Kevin Lee 63 lb 8 oz
17 Mick Ramm 4 lb 14 oz
18 Bob Barrett 68 lb 4 oz 4th
20 Peter Spriggs 64 lb 5 oz
22 Dick Warrener 48 lb 9 oz
23 Peter Harrison 99 lb 12oz 2nd
24 Graham Ward 4 lb 8 oz
29 Roy Whitwell 102 lb 1st
30 John Garner 42 lb 12 oz
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