A confidence-builder with the JV club on Cedar

 Peg 5, Sunday, Nov 20
This was my second JV AC match of the season, and I wasn't particularly taken with Peg 5, as Martin Parker had fished it the previous Wednesday in the Spratts match and I believe he didn't catch a fish for the first four hours, finishing with three carp for 25 lb 3 oz, which was 10th out of 12. I would have preferred being from 7 down  to corner peg 13, or opposite.

BUT when I plumbed up I got a surprise - I had put on the rig from Peg 2 on Wednesday, and when I put it out to ten metres this swim was 18 inches shallower! Now that didn't mean it would hold fish, but at least it was different - I didn't realise it was that shallow in this area. So my plan to start on the feeder was now questionable. The wind was a stiff, cool breeze over my back - seven on my bank and seven opposite.

All match the wind blew onto the far bank; by the end it had died away.

My plans abruptly change
In fact I started in the left margin, the right margin being out of commission at that moment because the sun made it impossible to see. In any case I like to try rigs early on, to get them working right in my mind. The left margin was deep a metre from the bank - five feet or more, and just an inch or two shallower as I dragged the rig towards the reeds. I fished with corn for a few minutes, adding a No 12 shot to get the float dotted well down, and was finally happy that the rig was OK, even though I hadn't had a bite.

I was about to put out the feeder when Peter Harrison, on my right on 3, landed a fish. He was fishing a pole well out at about 14 metres, so that made my mind up - I went out with a banded pellet. I fished at only 11.5 metres, keeping the 13-metre section behind me. My GTI holdall has given up the ghost (another one is on order), so I'm using a smaller holdall- standard size - which is not long enough for my Browning sections, and I couldn't easily get the 14-metre section in, so I left it at home.

Fish on banded pellet
I went out to 11 metres, potting in 4mm pellets and a few micros, and fishing a banded 6mm, feeding each time with a pot on the pole. It didn't take long for me to get liners, but the first proper bite came after about 15 minutes - a 5 lb common. I fished there for the next couple of hours, taking perhaps one fish every 20 minutes. Two foulhookers came off, and it was interesting that I had to keep changing the shotting.

At one point, still getting liners, I came off bottom, and they stopped. Then I went back to full depth and pushed all the shot up under the 0.75 gm float, giving a long, slow fall. This brought a fish first drop, but then nothing. That happened several times - I would change the shotting and get a fish, but just the one. When the band came off I stuck on a 6mm expander and got a fish first drop, but then no more, so I put on another banded hooklength.

Steve Tilsley on 9 shows his biggest fish. It probably
weighed around 13 lb.

Jim catching on a bomb
Meanwhile Jim Regan, hidden behind a bush to my left, was landing fish, but I couldn't see his pole sticking out. Eventually I realised he was fishing a straight bomb, out in the middle, and with about seven fish in the net I also put out a bomb, with a yellow wafter.

That brought a 2 lb F1, then a fish foulhooked and lost, and then a 2 lb barbel. Opposite me Chris Saunders had just landed a small roach - his first fish. They had the wind in their faces on that bank, and must have been very cold - at this point, even with the wind on my back, I had to put on my Imax jacket.

That left margin comes good
With less than two hours left the bomb seemed to be my best bet, but bites were so slow coming I had a look in the left margin, where I had been throwing in a few grains of corn. That was a good move, as I found fish there. There was no pattern except that I only got a fish if I had just fed (corn and a little hemp). These fish were a bit bigger - around 8 lb, and I caught five or six on a size 16 Kamasan Animal hook. I have a horrible feeling that these are no longer made. But they never bend, in my experience.

With 15 minutes left bites had petered out here so I tried mussel (which I should have done earlier). This brought bites immediately, but the fish were shredding the mussel and not taking it properly. The float would pull down slightly and stay there and if I struck I would come back with still a little bit of mussel hanging on the hook. I felt I had to stick to mussel for the last five minutes and indeed at last a fish was on.

That last one was just in the net when the whistle went - 6 lb, and foulhooked! I told Jim I estimated I had 70 lb to 80 lb. Opposite, Chris Saunders had his first carp with about an hour to go and I believe he ended with three, on the pole.

The weigh in
I committed a faux pas, forgetting that the first three weigh in, and I was third. As I took the holdall back to the van Peter asked me: Are you not weighing in?" (meaning was I not helping with the scales?) I replied "Yes", thinking he meant weighing in my fish. Suddenly I realised, and apologised to Gus, who was also helping, but he just said: "That's OK." A very friendly club is JV.

Jim Regan's fish weighed 105 lb 14 oz, taken mainly on a rod and bomb. You can see
the quality of the carp - it's fabulous fishing for this time of year and we are so
 lucky to have a fishery like Decoy on our doorstep.

Back with the scales (with my phone at the ready for pictures) my fish weighed 97 lb, which, not for the first time, surprised me. But Jim's fish went 105 lb 14 oz, for the win, and very well deserved. I ended second, which I was very happy with in that company, with Barry Webb in the car park corner on 30, third with 75 lb 15 oz.

It's the first time for a long time that I have been pegged in an area, on the strips, where the best weights have come from, and getting a good catch in those circumstances gives me confidence. The results show that the fishing towards the far end was indeed hard, with Roy Whincup, who is hardly ever out of the frame, struggling for 15 lb.

Landing the fish
Afterwards at the presentation of the pools money, Andy Gausden politely mentioned - with tongue in cheek - that I seemed to have taken a long time landing my fish even though I have recently had a session with ben Townsend on landing fish quickly. He must have spent a long time watching me instead of his float (!).

Actually Andy was largely correct - I didn't land most of the carp very quickly. I wasn't bagging, so I did take my time, losing just two or three obviously foulhooked. However several times I almost got the fish in very quickly, but missed with the landing net. I was quite happy that I almost got it dead right a few times, and in any case three of the fish I did land were foulhooked. My landing net is of carbon, and fairly light and very strong, Ideally perhaps I need one of those extra-light, flexible, landing net handles, but you also need a very light net to go with them, unless you have the muscles of Arnie. 

My muscles are from Tescos!

Result on my West bank

Result on the East bank.

Next match is Spratts big Christmas presentation match on Oak at Decoy, on Thursday, with 15 fishing all down the same bank. Trevor does an enormous amount of work for the club and getting the prizes for this match, helped by Rob Allen, and we are grateful to them. I'd like peg 9 or thereabouts, please, lads!

My new edge (and fishing the feeder on Cedar)

To win at matchfishing you have to have an edge - something no-one else has. Ivan had a natural ability; Alan Scotthorne has meticulous preparation, Andy Power has some sort of Paul Daniels magic...but I have socks.

Here they are: The secret weapon that will propel me from local pools fodder to local legend. 

I know they sort of work cos last week I wore just one - I needed a very thin sock over my foot blisters so I could pull on my boots. And I hooked enough fish to probably win the match, but lost most of them. If I'd worn the other sock I would have landed every one and would have been invincible. But in fairness to my fellow competitors I will probably be wearing thicker socks during the cold weather, and leaving the magic socks at home  - after all it wouldn't be fair to everyone else to wear them both!

Peg 2, Cedar, Wednesday, Nov 16
Twelve of us in this Spratts match, from 2 to 12, so I had the end peg. The wind was into our faces from the right, but not too strong and not too cool. I had calm water at the start of the match, while most others had ripple, but I doubt that made any difference. The fact was I started on the right method but didn't persevere, and paid the price.

Peg 2 looked quite nice, with a small bush overhanging the left margin.

First 30 minutes on a hybrid feeder with maggot saw liners but no fish, and I was itching to get onto the pole in the margins, where Lee Kendall had slaughtered fish from Peg 7 last Sunday. But while I was feeding the margins with 4mm pellets I went out with a banded 6mm pellet on the pole at 11 metres. Immediately I had what were probably liners, and eventually landed a 3 lb common. I was confident I would now start catching.

But just at that moment the wind got up, and became cooler, and I never had another touch there in the next 30 minutes! So it was into the left margins with a 6mm expander over 4mm hard feed pellets and I had a good bite missed and then a good fish hooked, and lost after about a couple of seconds.

Mike Rawson had fish on a feeder early in the match.

Fish play with the bait
No more bites came there, so I moved into the righthand margin with corn. By this time Mike Rawson on 3 and Dick Warrener on 4 had had several fish,. In fact Dick came up to me and said he had about six for 30 lb. But I was certain I'd catch on corn, and carried on with the pole. In the next hour I had a lot of very tiny touches - the float would lift up and then drift under the surface and hold there for several seconds, but when I struck there was nothing there.

Those tiny touches, definitely fish playing with the bait, went on and on, and eventually I had a 4 lb common. However I simply had to do something else, so with the match more than half over I went back on the feeder, but with a yellow wafter on a hybrid feeder holding a mix of micros and method groundbait. I have seen a very intersting underwater You Tube video showing that groundbait held better on a Method feeder than neat micros, so I use both. Around this time we had a short shower, but that was the only rain.

Mike in action after about 90 minutes. You can see that there is now a big ripple.

Should have done it earlier
In the next 90 minutes I had four fish, best 7 lb, casting a little short of the far bank. Dick didn't seem to be catching much, and I then saw he had changed to pole - a sure sign he was struggling. But he landed a fish from the margin, Later he told me it was a bream. 

Dick Warrener - fourth with 40 lb 13 oz from Peg 4.

Then I hit a strange-feeling fish - I couldn't retrieve any line after striking, and got the impression it was foulhooked - how do they do that on a feeder? What felt like a sack of potatoes kited round to the right, 40 yards away, and was almost up to the next platform before the hooklength unexpectedly broke. But I'd landed four others on that rig, so why it broke is a mystery.

Half and hour to go and I couldn't resist having another look in both margins, using corn and expanders, but never had a touch. Ten minutes left and another cast with the feeder brought a 3 lb F1. By now my tiny brain had worked out that I should have taken note of how Dick had been catching in the first 90 minutes, on the feeder, and done it much earlier. I'm sure I would have had several more fish. That may be a lesson that stays with me during the winter.

The weigh in
To my amazement I weighed in 35 lb 11 oz, which just beat Mike, and was only 5 lb (one fish) behind Dick, who eventually came fourth. Better weights came  farther down, in the wind, where Alan Porter on 9 was way ahead of everyone else with 105 lb, all taken on a Method feeder cast right across, using white chocolate-flavoured wafters. 

Peter Barnes - all his fish came to a feeder.

Peter Harrison on 10 was runner-up, with John Garner, in the corner on 13, taking fish, which included barbel, from several swims, including towards the end bank, against a reed bed. His biggest barbel must have been well over 4 lb. I have been told that several around 9 lb have been landed this year on Elm and Cedar, with a ten-pounder to an angler from Doncaster. I reckon some of those I lost last week must have been in that category.

Winner Alan Porter with his 105 lb 3 oz of carp taken on white wafters.

So I ended sixth, but was not unhappy, as it gave me a bit of confidence that I CAN catch fish on a feeder. Next match with JV is also on Cedar on Sunday. There's a temptation to say I will fish a feeder...but experience tells me I must wait until I see the swim. However, I must not stay too long on one unproductive method - at this time of year fish tend to stay put, and you have to find them rather than try to bring them to your feed.

John Garner with a very nice barbel from corner peg 13.

THE RESULT

2 Mac Campbell            35 lb 11 oz
3 Mike Rawson            35 lb 8 oz
4 Dick Warrener            40 lb 13 oz        4th
5 Martin Parker             25 lb 3 oz
6 Peter Barnes               29 lb 3 oz
7 Bob Allen                   12 lb 13 oz
8 Trevor Cousins          25 lb 7 oz
9 Alan Porter              105 lb l3 oz         1st
10 Peter Harrison         61 lb 12 oz        2nd
11 Bob Barrett              35 lb 14 oz
12 Peter Spriggs            9 lb 9 oz
13 John Garner            59 lb 3 oz          3rd    

Another nightmare on Elm lake

 Peg 3, Elm, Sunday, Nov 13
A day I'd prefer to forget - the ultimate "He Could Have Done Better" report from the headmaster, and I had plenty of those!

The weather was perfect for the first JV Club match of my Winter Campaign, with 18 of us fishing on Elm and Cedar, at Decoy  - a light South-Easterly breeze with no sun, and not cold. I started on a maggot feeder which gave several bites, one small lost fish, but nothing in the net. Half an hour later I went out to 13 metres with a banded 6mm pellet and in the next 45 minutes the result was one 1 lb F1 (and I didn't know that was on).

Great conditions - overcast, mild and with a light wind.

Barbel in the margin

So into the margins, where I had been flicking corn. They were deep margins - well over six feet, and with a bush either side they screamed barbel. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes I hit a big fish from the right side. The hollow 17 elastic was set really tight - but the fish hung on for a couple of minutes, staying resolutely on the bottom, before the hook pulled. Obviously a barbel.

The elastic hadn't felt right, so I put the rig on a solid 13 and tried again in the right margin. Soon another big fish was on, and after a minute or so, even though I had attached a third section, it made a dash for my platform which I couldn't stop, and snagged me there. Hook gone.

Another change to a solid 17 and this time, even with a third section attached, a big fish was under that platform within half a second of being hooked. The power was incredible; obviously another barbel. I stayed in the right margin, but halfway through the match the score was: Barbel 5 - Me 0. The next two had pulled out. But the elastic felt as good as I could get, so I kept that on.

So powerful
The second half of the match was similar - one barbel took me to the platform to my left and broke me. Others pulled out, but I did land one of 2 lb and another of 4 lb on a bunch of maggots, which also brought a couple of small perch. I know the barbel here are big, and I suspect  all the ones I lost were well over that four-pounder's weight.

I don't recall barbel ever being quite as powerful as that (and I have caught them from the Severn)  But with the recent rain the water must be saturated with oxygen, and last year I saw one weighed at 7 lb 12 oz, so I am fairly sure they were big buggas!

Chris Saunders, a JV regular, with 64 lb 14 oz from Cedar 1.

Nine now lost
A quick re-look at the 13-metre line brought nothing, but when I came back, into the left deep margin, a 3 lb carp obliged, By now I had lost nine  fish, including one foulhooked. I knew they were almost all barbel by the way I was getting liners, and by the way they gave the bite - the occasional slow pull just an inch down, occasionally followed by a proper screamer of a bite. But it's possible even some of those were not proper bites, and that the fish were hooked outside the lips.

Forty minutes to go, and corn in the left margin brought a big fish that was obviously a carp - when I lay the pole tip under the surface and held it, the fish came to the top. Barbel don't do that. 

Anyway, that fish ended in my net and was well over 10 lb. I then had a brilliant idea - try mussel. Sure enough this brought another big fish which was obviously a foulhooked  barbel as I came back with a small scale.

Next drop with mussel and a big fish was hooked, which plodded around, deep, in a strange way - not quick enough for a barbel, so perhaps a carp foulhooked. No - it was another 10 lb-plus carp, hooked in the mouth, and it ended in my net. Fifteen minutes left and immediately another fish took the mussel. 

I have a watch on my side tray, so I know I played that fish for ten minutes, without it ever getting off the bottom. Then the hook pulled, and I sighed (as you can imagine)!!!!  That was my last excitement for the day. I assumed I would be last on the lake. And I still don't know what I did wrong to lose all those fish.

Lee Kendall had some big ole carp in his winning 199 lb 8 oz weight. 

The weigh in
In fact I wasn't last with my six fish for 34 lb 8 oz - top on the lake was Ernie Lowbridge on peg 20, to my left, with 70 lb 14 oz. If the nine fish lost but probably properly hooked had ended in my net, at an average of only 4 lb (and I think some were much bigger), I could have won the lake. So I didn't disgrace myself after all. Like Manchester United I made the chances but...

On Cedar, behind me, Lee Kendall had an incredible last hour, taking 83 lb in that time and ending with 199 lb 8 oz on Peg 7, fishing a 6mm expander on the hook over 4mm hard pellets under the bush to his right. The weights were a bit better on Cedar than on Elm. My next match is on Cedar on Wednesday.

One big blister and one small one, which has now grown.

Bites I didn't miss!
One unusual problem I had before the match was looking after two blisters which had formed on my foot on Thursday, with another on my knee - the result of some sort of bite. 

I lanced the feet blisters Saturday night so I could get my boot on (covering them with a plaster), and also the one on the knee. But while I was moving about fishing, the plaster on the knee was moved away from the blister. I tried to adjust it several times, but it always rode up.  I was worried the fishing trousers would be dirty and infect the bite, but afterwards the blister seemed to be OK, and had dried up fairly well. 

I once had a similar bite in Tenerife which the doctor thought might have been a spider. But how can a spider bite me three times while I was playing indoor bowls???

THE RESULTS

Camera operator error on this Elm result!

Cedar

The wind bloweth and the rain wetteth us on Damson

First, a correction. John Garner, who won last week's Spratts match on Yew 13 with 57 lb 14 oz, fished a pole not far out, in the deep water, and NOT on the feeder, as I wrote. His car companion Neil Pass, who fished opposite, did fish the feeder for 53 lb 4 oz and second place.

Peg 3, Damson
I was happy to get peg 3 in this Spratts match - the peg where Kevin Lee had won the last Fenland Rods match, mainly fishing the feeder over to the far side. So I had the feeder rod by me, but started on a top two in the side, as so often the fish will feed there at the start, before moving away.  The wind  was into us from the left, and rain was forecast at some time. As the match went on it picked up considerably.

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud. And it got worse once the wind and rain picked up.

To my surprise my banded pellet fished shallow didn't get a touch for five minutes, so it was over to a grain for corn fished on the bottom, in about two feet of water, two feet from the reeds, to my right. That did bring two F1s between 1 lb and 2 lb, in the next ten minutes. But it soon became obvious that the fish were not going to go on a feeding spree today.

I persevered with corn, and had a look under the tree to the left, but the strong wind made any decent presentation very difficult. However, I began to see movements on the float when I went back to the right, so I knew that fish were there. That was when I made a crucial decision - I freeze my left-over bait, and now put a piece of corn on which I had thawed the previous day.

A little 'secret'
Freezing the corn makes it squishy, and the kernel tends to fall out, leaving a very light bait, but one which will hold on the hook perfectly well, and I have used it for F1s in the past. This bait brought several more indications, and when I dropped it a few inches farther out, so it was off bottom, I had a proper bite, and another F1. A second came immediately afterwards. 

The bait was just hanging off bottom, and it seemed the fish were taking their time to play with the bait, before eventually taking it properly. I was counting, as I usually do, and both those fish took at around 100. I carried on putting in just a few grains, and baiting with the frozen corn, and soon had a better F1 over 2 lb. Ninety minutes had now gone, and I had to see a man about a wee problem, then walked up to John Garner, on my left. He had just one fish!

Mike Rawson shows the size of fish we were catching.

Back to my swim, and I had three hooked in the side of the face - the fish were definitely hitting the bait several times before taking it. Eventually I went out to the deeper swim, on a 2+2, and had a 2 lb mirror first cast, laying the bait on the bottom - it was too rough to present a still bait at that distance off bottom. But the next half-hour didn't bring another fish there.

I was using a 1.5 gm float there - heavier than many would use, but it held beautifully in eight feet of water. Still, if it wasn't working, I had to do something else.

I act on a whim (as you do)

Next. halfway through the match, with possibly about 20 lb in the net, I had a cup of coffee and rang my Dearly Beloved We Are Gathered Here Together, to tell her I was still alive and the life insurances would not yet be needed. The feeder rod was ready to be used - on my right Peter Barnes had had several fish on a feeder, and I thought I might be getting behind. But on a whim, when I had finished the call,  I decided to give the right margin another 10-minute look.

In went just three grains, followed by my bait, and yes, the fish were still there, but I got the impression that they were moving up and down the very steep shelf, so kept moving the rig around. Again, I was having to count to 100 before the float would give a proper bite. But occasional fish kept coming. Then the rain started! It really pelted down, but although Peter Barnes had put up his umbrella, I decided against it, because some gusts were getting pretty strong. My Imax jacket and Goretex bib and brace kept me dry, but it was a bit miserable at times.

A change of float helps
Up to then I had been using a fairly thick-tipped float in the margin, dotted right down, but now the rain made it impossible to see it. So I changed to my favourite Drennan Tuff-Eye, which has a very thin antenna. This was set to show about half an inch above the surface, but when the corn sank, it took the tip down, leaving a quarter-of-an-inch showing. This worked fine, and I could read the bites better, and a couple of better mirror carp came in, plus a couple more F1s. I kept on putting in just about three grains at a time, hoping not to excite the fish too much.

I lost about six fish, which were probably foulhooked. To my right Peter Barnes now had an occasional fish on feeder, but I guessed that towards the end of the lake, in the higher numbers, where the wind was blowing, they probably had good catches. I was now expecting an indication about 18 seconds after I dropped in, but I still had to count past 100 before the fish gave a proper bite. Very slow, but at least it was interesting.

All hands to the pump as Martin Parker weighs in.

I nearly picked up the feeder rod (!)
Several times I was about to pick up the feeder rod, but seconds later I would get a proper bite, or a fish. So I kept on the pole, and when the heavy rain stopped it was very pleasant. I then flicked in a dozen maggots, followed it with a bunch of three on the hook, and took a nice F1; but next drop a half-ounce roach was my prize! 

I looked at the watch on my tray, and with eight minutes to go I took a chance and put in hemp and some corn, hoping for perhaps two more fish...and immediately Peter Barnes shouted to me, and waved his arms around to say the match had finished! That watch was slow - it must have lost a few minutes since the last match. I was annoyed with myself, because I felt that the fish were about to feed properly. Must remember to correct it before Sunday's match with JV on Elm lake.

The weigh in
I was amazed to see Bob Barrett weigh just 15 lb from fancied peg 1, with John Garner on 12 lb on 2. My net, which I had estimated at 40 lb, weighed 45 lb 2 oz, and next door Peter Barnes had 34 lb 13 oz. I didn't photograph him because I assumed that much better weights were to come.

Peter Harrison -a hard-won 28 lb 5 oz from Peg 6.

But as we walked along the catches were in the teens or 20s, and it dawned on me that it had been hard here as well. Martin Parker had three nets in, but had split his fish and totalled 32 lb 12 oz. Even Peter Spriggs, Trevor Cousins and Peter Harrison, who are our must consistent members, had catches in the 20s. 

Finally up to John Smith, who was Golden Peg, and who someone said had been catching fairly well, but even John, on end peg 12, could manage only 40 lb 2 oz...though he said he had lost a fish at the net which must have been around 5 lb or 6 lb. Oh dear - that would have beaten me, but lost fish don't count 😂 and I ended as the winner, with John second, and Peter Barnes third. Next Spratts match is  Wednesday on Cedar.

Although the forecasters are saying it's mild, I will soon have to start wearing my heated vest, as those Fenland winds don't half cut through you. I can't remember who wrote the poem "Welcome, Wild North-Easter" but sure as hell he didn't live in Whittlesey!!

It was still blowing a hooley down on Peg 12 when John Smith weighed in 40 lb 2 oz for second.

THE RESULT

1 Bob Barrett            15 lb
2 John Garner           12 lb 13 oz
3 Mac Campbell       45 lb 2 oz          1st
4 Peter Barnes          34 lb 13 oz        3rd
5 Alan Porter            12 lb 4 oz
6 Peter Harrison       28 lb 5 oz
7 Martin Parker        32 lb 12 oz        4th
8 Peter Spriggs         20 lb 2 oz
9 Trevor Cousins      21 lb 13 oz
10 Bob Allen            16 lb 4 oz
11 Mike Rawson      17 lb 12 oz
12 John Smith          40 lb 2 oz         2nd

The Good, The Bad, and ...me, on Yew

 Peg 3, Monday, Oct 31
The good was that I was Golden Peg in this Spratts match at Decoy, so I stood to make a small fortune if I won (£60 is a fortune to me). The bad was that peg 3 was the last swim I would have chosen on Yew lake. I tend to favour the swims from about 10 round to 22, on the opposite bank, and would nearly always choose a swim away from the  car park. Corner pegs 1 and 30, right next to the car park, can always produce fish, of course, because you have more options, and I know 30 has won in the past. But you have to be optimistic.

Before the start - plenty of Raspberry Ripple for me (unfortunately cold and in
my face). I soon put the Goretex jacket on!

The previous day, on Damson, we had been treated to a pleasant, mild day, though with some rain. Today as soon as I stepped out of the van at the draw the wind felt ten degrees colder. On the bank it was blowing into our bank (pegs 1 to 15) from the right, and still cold. However I thought that the water would still be warm, so I ought to be able to catch a few of the big carp which Yew is renowned for.

I started on the feeder - three five-minute casts with sweetcorn, without a sign of a bite. So I changed to the pole, with banded pellet at top two plus three, where I could hold the pole fairly comfortably in the wind. I spent 30 minutes there, during which time Peter Harrison, to my left, had taken two carp on the pole, fishing maggot. Opposite me, Trevor Cousins had his first bite at this time, taking a small carp on the feeder.

On the bank opposite, in the corner, Alan Porter sneaked
enough fish out to finish in third place.

A change to maggot
I decided I ought to change to maggot - no good working out how others are catching if you don't make use of the information! I trickled in a few maggots every drop, and after about 20 minutes I hit, and landed, an F1 about 3 lb. Naturally I carried on fishing the same way, and occasionally I would catch a small perch.

I kept hoping that the feeding perch would bring in carp, so I kept on fishing like that for the next four hours, during which time the wind became colder and I had to put on my Goretex jacket over the thermal vest, thick shirt, and two sweatshirts (one of which had a hood).

In that four hours I caught about ten perch, but lost two big fish, one of which was possibly foulhooked, but the second one didn't feel foulhooked. I also hit two others which, momentarily, felt bigger, but which came off within a second. I had changed from hollow 17 elastic down to 13 hollow, to avoid bumping fish which might bite very timidly, and I had changed down from a 12 to a 16 hook. I felt confident  with that tackle, but have to put down losing those fish to "Just one of those things".

I Spy...a barbel, in Shaun's net. That one fish would have beaten my
meagre catch on its own. Note that I was so pleased to see some fish
that I got over-excited and took pictures of almost anyone!

Slow right to the end

To my right, with half an hour to go, Dick Warrener had not had a bite in his swim, which was almost flat calm. 

Thirty minutes from the end I changed to fishing corn at 2+1, and in that last half-hour Peter landed two more carp, also fishing about 2+1, one of which was foulhooked. Opposite me, Trevor got his second bite 15 minutes from the end, and landed a 10 lb carp.

I was really glad when the match ended, because I was on the verge of going back to the van and taking out my padded Imax jacket, as I was shivering with cold. Winter is definitely knocking at the door. My change to corn didn't pay off and I ended with that one F1 and ten small perch. Dick didn't get a bite all day, but I had no idea what the others towards the far end, had.

Four fish for Joe - and almost a frame.

The weigh in
I weighed 3 lb 9 oz, and Peter's four carp went 27 lb 12 oz, which actually gave him fifth spot, and last frame place. Past him Joe Bedford also had four fish, but ended 2 oz short of Peter. Then, on 13, John Garner took 57 lb 14 oz to the scales, taken on a feeder I believe, to win.

Most of the other best weights were down towards that end, with Neil Pass, fishing as a guest of John, coming second. We shall have to think seriously about whether to whether to invite him again if he's going to catch fish!

Alan Porter on 30 bucked the trend at my end of the lake, by taking five fish on a feeder, mainly by casting into the corner near the big pipe, and weighing 37 lb 8 oz. 

So another Golden Peg drawn for me went to a roll-over, but I couldn't be sad about that - local knowledge tells me that even Jamie Hughes probably wouldn't have won from my peg on that day.

My next match is probably not until next Tuesday, on Damson.

Neil Pass - second on his first match with us. Well done, Neil!

John Garner - winner with 57 lb 14 oz from peg 13.

John's best fish - probably over 10 lb.

THE RESULT

                            East Bank                                                                 West Bank

30 Alan Porter          37 lb 8 oz    3rd                            1 Dick Warrener            DNW
28 Trevor Cousins    13 lb 14 oz                                    3 Mac Campbell         3 lb 9 oz
26 Peter Spriggs        11 lb 7 oz                                     5 Peter Harrison        27 lb 12 oz    5th
24 Bob Barrett            4 lb                                             7 Mike Rawson                DNW
22 John Smith           24 lb 15 oz                                   9 Joe Bedford             27 lb 10 oz
20 Neil Pass              53 lb 4 oz     2nd                         11 Shaun Buddle         26 lb 14 oz
18 Bob Allen             37 lb 7 oz    4th                          13 John Garner            57 lb 14 oz    1st
16 Wendy Bedford   20 lb 5 oz                                     15 Peter Barnes           22 lb 8 oz

Fenland Rods 2022 - all the winners

 LADEEEES AND GENTLEMENNN

I PRESENT THE WOOOOOOOORLD CHAMPIONNNNNN

KEVIIIIN LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Les Bedford's widow, Wendy, was unable to present the Bedford Trophy,
fished in memory of Les. So her son, Callum, made the presentation to
Sunday's winner of the match, on Les' favourite lake, Damson, to Kevin Lee.

Next, our esteemed chairman John  Smith handed over the Club Cup, fished on the first
match of the season on Willows lake, to...Peter The Paste (aka Pete The Meat) Spriggs.

The shield for the biggest fish of the season went to Shaun Buddle, for his 19 lb 3 oz carp.

Top three in the Handicap match, fished on Six-Island lake, each receive a medal./
L-R Silver: Mac Campbell (me) - Bronze - Mel Lutkin; Gold - Kevin Lee.

THE BIG ONE

Already holding the Bedford Cup, and with his winning Handicap medal around his neck,
It's That Man Again, Kevin Lee, receiving his Club Champion cup from John.
Kevin is our treasurer (thanks, Kev) - gotta keep in with the treasurer!! The cup goes
to the best overall angler, with every match counting - no droppers. Well done again, Kev.

For the record, Callum went into the final match as the only angler capable of beating Kevin to the Club Championship, but Kevin's win in that last match ensured he won. Callum ended as a most worthy runner-up, followed by me, with Peter Spriggs fourth. I will publish the full result when I get it from our compiler, Mel Lutkin. Also:

The club decided to keep the system used to decide on the club champion - all matches to count with 15 points awarded to the winner, 14 to second etc. No droppers.

The club also decided that although we will all still aim for a maximum of 50 lb in our nets, for next season at least, we will count weights up to 60 lb, bearing in mind that we have to be able to lift our nets out of the water for weighing!

Covid having ruined our plans for a Christmas presentation night, with wives, for the last two years, we have asked Mel Lutkin to attempt to arrange one for next year.

See you all next season, lads.

Our club's final fling of the season, on Damson, Decoy

 Peg 1, Sunday, Oct 30
This was the last Fenland Rods match of the season, and the Bedford Cup, given in memory of Les Bedford, by his family. Les died at Decoy immediately after a Fenland Rods match in October 2018, and Damson was his favourite lake, so this match is always fished there.

Peg 1 is the swim everyone fancies, and on this occasion I got it! I've never fished it before, so I was surprised, on plumbing up, to find that the lefthand margin was very deep, at nearly four feet, while the right margin was only about 18 inches, which is typical for the margins on this lake. The weather was lovely - overcast but with a warmish wind, with Peg 1 well sheltered, so the water here had very little ripple, and was flat calm most of the day. That's my excuse, because I can tell you now that I didn't win!

Peg 1 - sheltered but with lots of features. The peg everyone else wanted...

A slow start
I started shallow on a banded pellet, to the right, and got several dips of the float, but no proper bites. A switch to the left also brought nothing. An expander was knocked off the hook so I changed to a grain of corn, which at last brought one or two F1s from about two feet of water, a little out from the right bank. Dick Warrener, on my right, had already had some fish on what looked to be the very edge of the shelf, at about four feet.

Dick Warrener in action next to me on peg 2.

I was certain I would get fish in the deeper left margin, and had been flicking corn in there, but the fish were slow, and after about an hour I had only about eight F1s. I then had a brilliant idea, and flicked in some maggots. This had a miraculous effect, and brought fish in within seconds, fighting just below the surface for the sinking maggots. I dropped in a hook with three maggots on...and promptly came up with a tiny roach.

I foulhook some
It was very frustrating - I could out in four maggots and the fish would be in a frenzy, but mainly ignoring the hook bait, and I foulhooked two or three. However, I was at least putting odd fish into the net, and a switch back to corn also brought some. Halfway through the match I had caught about 40 lb, all F1s, up to about 2 lb. I didn't think that would be enough, as Kevin Lee, two swims to my right, was catching on a feeder cast to the far bank, though Dick appeared to now be struggling.

At last - a decent picture of John Smith, our chairman, on peg 9,
who arranges all the fixtures for us. Many thanks, John.

I had one particularly galling incident, when I hit what seemed to be a big fish and found the line had caught round the pot on the end of the pole, and the fish broke me. I can't remember that ever happening before.

'Proper' carp from the deep water.
Soon I went out into the deep water - about eight feet deep -  next to the aerator at six sections of pole, and immediately caught mirror carp of 3 lb and 8 lb, followed by two more F1s. I wasted a bit too much time there, trying cat meat which produced only one fish, but had only a few F1s in the next hour, though I did get broken by a particularly big fish. The deep rig, which broke at the loop, was made up some time ago, on 5.5 lb line. I must remember that now the fish are much bigger, I will have to remake those rigs on 10 lb line if I use them in Summer. I will probably get away with it in Winter, though.

Martin Parker had 84 lb 5 oz and you can see that his fish were 
mainly mirrors unlike my catch. Martin does fantastically
well considering he is completely blind in one eye.

Mike Rawson then came along the bank and reported that Martin Parker and Mel Lutkin were catching 'a fish a chuck,' which cheered me up no end! Then the rain started chucking it down. I couldn't see the float properly in the maelstrom, so came back inside, on corn, and the fish went mad!

In about 20 minutes I must have landed ten more F1s and one 3 lb mirror on corn - every cast the float was dipping, though some were obviously liners. Then the rain stopped, the surface became calm again, and bites tailed off. Minutes later the match ended. It reminded me of a recent match when I caught in the rain but the fish went off when the surface calmed down.

The weigh in
I was first to weigh. I estimated I had about 80 lb, but in fact the total was 96 lb 4 oz. Kevin had fished a banded pellet on his feeder, and said that when it landed, the far bank - about 35 yards distant - became black with carp. He ended with 119 lb 12 oz; but to his right Shaun Buddle had been matching him fish for fish, on the pole. It was quite tense as Shaun weighed, but he finished exactly 1 lb short of Kevin's catch.

Mel Lutkin on end peg 13 also had lots of mirror carp in his 89 lb 10 oz.

I walked along with the scales, and it slowly became apparent that the farther I walked the more 'proper' carp were in the catches. Peter Spriggs, on 5 with 94 lb 12 oz, said he had, like me, mainly F1s. But you can see from the catch pictures of Martin and Mel that they had mainly mirrors and commons. Perhaps this is proof that the fish are slowly moving into their normal Winter areas, as happens every year.

Anyway, I was mightily surprised that I ended third. Well done to Kevin - the most consistent angler in the club. Next blog will show the presentation pictures.

The next day...
Next day was a Spratts match on Yew, and if the weather was going to be anything like it had been for this match I fancied that it could be a good day. Alas, Winter was about to remind us what might be in store around the corner...

THE RESULT