I get bad wind on Six-Island

Peg 25, Tues, Oct 13
I was happy enough with peg 25 in this Spratts match, as at the draw it was obvious that it would have the wind blowing straight into it, giving me some raspberry ripple. BUT when we got fishing that wind was stronger than I had realised. To my right Martin Parker had a little shelter from the island in front of him, but by the end that didn't seem to have done him any good.

I started by fishing a straight bomb and wafter at about 20 metres, without a touch. The wind was now not particularly cold, and carp were showing on the surface in places, so I though a big weight might be on. I'd also found a nice hard bottom about 6 metres out, so after the bomb I went onto the pole, with five dead reds over hemp and dead reds.

Gudegeon!
That produced a gudgeon, then another, then another, then a tiny perch. All on five dead maggots on a 12. Then the rain started, and how it blew! It was back to a feeder as it would have been almost impossible to even see a float; I glanced across to Martin and he was like me - head down facing the howling rain, peering at the rod tip. But mine never budged.

Half an hour later it stopped and I went back to catching gudgeon, all the while expecting a carp to appear...but one never did. So it was now into the margins, and suddenly I foulhooked a 4 lb carp, which ended in my net. But the match was now halfway through and I took a walk along the bank. The wind was the same, but it seemed a little less along there.

Dick lands his last carp after the whistle (actually a shout).

Worm for me
Martin had what I think was an F1; Dick had two carp I think, and John on peg 20 had just landed his second, taking both on worm. So when I went back I put on worm, and stayed on it for most of the rest of the match, mainly in the left margin. But it wasn't until 2.30 that I had another fish, a near-10 lb carp. Then a five-pounder; then another big one foulhooked; and then another smaller one.

I catch an orphan carp
Presentation was a nightmare, with the wind still gusting very hard, and an undertow away from the bank and left to right. No fish came from right against the reeds, where there wre a lot of snags, while floating reeds coming into the swim made things even more difficult. But I did manage several more fish on the six-metre line, all on dead maggots on a size 12 hook, including one small carp, which must have been an orphan because the rest of his family never showed. By the end I thought I had about 32 lb.

The match ended and Dick was playing another carp on peg 22, taking just out on top two plus one. He had side wind, so that must have made things really difficult for him. I had no idea what the others had, but as always in Summer and Autumn I fancied peg 6 to so well, as it has magnificent margins.

Kevin Lee's best carp was probably over 15 lb.

The weigh in

I thought Mike Rawson had done well on peg 3 with 9 lb 14 oz, condsidering he had the wind whistling down between the bank and the island. But round the corner the weights soared, and Kevin Lee had 113 lb 15 oz on peg 6 despite also having a head wind. On the opposite bank Roy Whitwell winkled 93 lb 10 oz from peg 13 for second. I was last to weigh, with 1 lb 13 oz of the small stuff, total 34 lb 11 oz.

Marks out of ten
Actually I thought I had done well from that swim. And to rub salt into the wounds, as I was packing up the wind dropped for a minute or so, and I could see swirls of fish somewhere under the surface in the left margin swim I had been fishing! I give myself 8/10, although I finished nowhere. I actually don't think I had a chance of winning in that swim on that day.

THE RESULT

3 Mike Rawson        9 lb 14 oz
4 John Garner          24 lb 6 oz
6 Kevin Lee            113 lb 15 oz         1st
8 Bob Barrett           37 lb 8 oz
9 Trevor Cousins    78 lb 2 oz            3rd
11 Mick Ramm       37 lb 14 oz
13 Roy Whitwell     93 lb 10 oz        2nd
14 Peter Spriggs       55 lb 7 oz         4th
18 Graham Ward        3 lb 11 oz
20 John Smith            11 lb 10 oz
22 Dick Warrener      20 lb 8 oz
24 Martin Parker         DNW
25 Mac Campbell     34 lb 11 oz