It's hot, and then c-o-l-d, on Oak (two matches)

 Peg 22, Oak, Sunday, Mar 9
Another good draw for me in this JV match, but the weather didn't help - flat calm and a bright sun after a cold night. In fact when I started driving to Decoy my van temperature showed 5.5 degrees; halfway there it had dropped to 2.5 degrees. And indeed, at the draw it was so cold I think we all suspected that the forecast for a hot day was way out. In fact by the time the match started it was actually quite hot.

Back to the fishing. Eight of us were pegged on the East bank of Oak, with seven on Elm. My peg  22 was in the area which is always favoured on Oak. Looks like my drawing hand is working pretty well. But actually not a lot was caught, which is hardly surprising considering the conditions. I started dobbing a single maggot on a size 20 hook, about 18 inches deep, because a few carp could be seen juist under the surface. After 15 minutes I had a bite...from a roach. I tried mugging the occasional carp I could see - but with no takers.

Looks like summer. No wonder it was hard.

Two carp at 13 metres
So it was on to a maggot feeder, then a bomb and corn. But I didn't catch until I went out to 13 metres on a pole with a bunch of dead maggots over just a few deads, and some micros. That had brought me two carp about 4 lb each after three hours, with Ernie on my left on three, I think, including a couple on a feeder.  Ernie had been slapping on a long pole for a time, but had no fish, which is so annoying when you can see them.

To my right Kevin Bell had, I think, just one carp. And everybody was struggling. Eventually I tried going out to 14.5 metres, though I'd not fed anything there...and I had a carp on first cast. That was about 7 lb, and within minutes of a recast I hit another - obviously fouhooked because of the way it stretched the elastic. Then the hook pulled.

Ernie Lowbridge on 24, to my left, nets his last fish, on a pole.

Two more lost
I lost two more foulhooked - one at 13 metres, and the other from a swim right against the bank. Kevin and Ernie and myself were all looking in the margins in the last hour, but with ten minutes left and no more activity in the margin I went out to 14 metres again, with a bunch of dead maggots. Amazingly, first cast I had another bite, fron an eight-pounder, and that was my last fish. Kevin had two fish fairly late, and Ernie had another couple.

Kevin Bell, on my right, had a couple of late fish. This one was on a feeder.

So Kevin ended with three carp, I had four, and Ernie had five. While I was fishing in the margins with corn a big carp drifted towards me and I dropped the rig in more than a metre away from the fish. As soon as the corn plopped onto the water the fish took fright. It didn't even have a look - it shot off straight away. That led me to believe that the fish were on a heightened sense of vulnerability in the sun, certainly near the bank, though Steve Tilsley reported that he'd had a carp or two fishing a waggler shallow well out. But he's good!

The weigh-in.
 It was a real surprise when Lee Kendall, on corner, weighed in just two carp, for 12 lb. He said they were the only bites he had had, fishing long pole alongside the end-bank reeds. Lee's got a fantastic record in local matches, so at that point I realised that it had been REALLY hard. Next to him was Ernie McIlroy, who managed just a barbel and a few roach for 3 lb 1 oz.

Kev's three fish went 24 lb, and at an 8 lb average that was the case for nearly everybody in the match. I totalled 32 lb 5 oz, and Ernie went into the lead with 41 lb 1 oz. But the winner was Peter Harrison, on next peg 26, who had some smaller fish, taken mainly on long pole, for 45 lb 14 oz.. And the next two also weighed over 30 lb, so in the end the fish were fairly even spread, apart fro the end pegs. Elm was also difficult, with Roy Whincup and Joe Bourn dominating  on pegs 21 and 23, at the car park end - I think they fished mainly feeder.

I was delighted, in the cafe, to be handed money for my four-peg section win. Things are looking up. Next day was the Spratts match, also on Oak, and I wondered whether the sun, which was balzing hot at the end, had warmed the water enough to set the fish feeding.

Kevin Bell, with friend.

Ernie Lowbridge - second on Oak.

Marks out of ten
A friend who lives locally told me he thought I'd often been hard on myself in the past when marking my performance. I stopped during the freezing cold, when there seemed to be no pattern to catching carp. But it's time to restart, and I give myself 6/10 for this match. Fish came into the margins very late on, so perhaps I should have dripped micros in there for an hour beforehand, so the carp get a sense of where there might be food when they decide to start feeding. I was pleased I startd shallow, and gave it up fairly soon when I sensed it simply wasn't going to work. No - seeing as how I sort of held my own with Kev and Ernie, who are both better (and younger) than me, I think I was worth 7/10.

THE RESULT

OAK

ELM

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Peg 13, Oak, Mon, Mar 10

What a contrast to 24 hours earlier. Now we were facing a very cold Easterly wind which got colder as the day went on. My hopes that the fish might start feeding were dashed even before we started. At least there was cloud cover, and only a few spots of rain halfway through this Spratts match.

Eleven of us draw for pegs 2 to 15, and I fancied (as I imagine almost everyone else did) pegs 9 and 10, which are either side of a bit of a gap where the new banking has dropped a little.  I was almost opposite peg 18, where Eddie McIlroy had sat the previous day, and come plumb last on the lake.

We were huddled up against the East wind at the draw.

Some poles were out in the first couple of hours, but by the end I think almost everyone was on a bomb or feeder. To my left, in corner peg 15, John Garner had a nice-looking swim, where he could fish to the end-bank reeds, opposite to where Lee Kendall had been on the Sunday.

A slow start except for...

I started on a maggot feeder, then went on to the pole at 13 metres, using the same rig I'd used the previous day. They produced nothing, but on 10 Roy Whitwell caught some carp on a rod with what I was sure was a small hybrid feeder, casting right cross to within a foot or two of the far bank. 

Before I changed to a hybrid feeder, I had a quick look in the margins, where I dropped in a few dead maggots, and followed it up with a rig, in about three feet of water. The float dived down instantly - first drop - and I was attached to a double-figure carp. I know this because after about five minutes it rose to the top - a beautiful light-coloured mirror. But the hook pulled out, and I think I may have said a naughty word!

I was not catching, so I nipped up to Roy Whiwelll to take him in action.

No more touches in the side, so I changed to the hybrid feeder. I put in it a few micros, with a few dead maggots, laid on my bunch of deads, and covered the top with Method feeder groundbait. That worked, and after three hours I had two carp, about 4 lb each, while John to my left had a small perch, and Bob Allen, on my right, had nothing.

Once, when I was reeling back after a fruitless cast, I hit something that bent the rod, and a minute later that hook, too, pulled out. Obviously foulhooked. Not my day.

I try Sticky Syrup

In the afternoon I had another look on the 13-metre pole line, for not a touch, nor at 14.5 metres. I also started adding a touch of Sticky Syrup additive to the feeder, and with an hour to go I had added three more carp around 8 lb. I also had several line bites, all obviously by fish high up in the water - either a quick flick, or a long pull without a proper tug on the line.

Near the end Bob Allen had a good
run of three fish in about an hour.

To my right Bob Allen had a good hour when he hit three carp on his hybrid feeder. I had a quick look down the margins, only inches from the 'tins' which line this lake, and very quickly hd a bite on corn which I missed. I changed to a smaller grain and immediately hit an 8 lb carp, which I landed. I know that carp were coming into the swim during that last hour, but I couldn't work out how to present the bait so they took it. Very frustrating.

A purple patch for John

Half an hour to go and John Garner still had just that tiny perch. Then, suddenly, his luck changed, carp started to feed in his swim, and he caught three good 'uns on a soft pellet on the pole. He had no time for a fourth before the weigh-in.

John Garner from Zero to sort of Hero in 30 minutes.

The weigh-in

I was surprised how few fish the early pegs had - Bob Barrett on peg 3  led with 29 lb 12 oz, taken on a feeder and wafter, down to Roy Whitwell. Roy had obviously won, with about ten or 11 carp for 82 lb 1 oz,taken mainly in the first half of the match.

Bob Allen's three went 23 lb 15 oz, and my six carp weighed in at a satisfying 45 lb 11 oz - enough for second place, with John Garner's extra-late spurt giving him 25 lb 4 oz and third spot. I was happy with my result, but still very cold. And the forecast befor the next week doesn't seem to be much better. Perhaps things will have improved a little for JV's match on Sunday - no idea what lake it is on. They are all so different.

The winner, Roy Whitwell, 82 lb 1 oz.

John Garner - a late sprint
to get to fourth place.

Marks out of ten

I felt I fished pretty well, considering I'm much better on the pole than on a feeder. But I took a lot of care with the bait in the feeder, and managed to tget the feeder right across to within a foot of the far bank at times. I rung the changes with the distance - sometimes a foot into the shallow water and sometimes two metres back, into the deep water. Both gave me the odd fish. So I think I'm worth 8/10. Things are getting better.

One thing I did was to use really manky dead maggots, which seem to me to be a better bet than nice plump ones. I still remember the time in Deeping St James (where I lived) when I was feeding casters to a shoal of chub from Jimmy Deeping bridge. The sun went in and I couldn't see the casters, so I flicked in a single white maggot so I could check where it was running down the river.

I watched the maggot as it flowed downstream, and watched a chub approach it (I could just see its light-coloured lips). Next thing was that the whole shoal turned tail, their sides flashing white, and they completely disappeared. That taught me a lesson that, at least sometimes, fish will take fright at a bait. Presumably because they have been caught on it. Who knows? 

THE RESULT

2 Peter Spriggs         15 lb 5 oz

3 Bob Barrett            29 lb 12 oz        4th

4 Neil Paas                21 lb 8 oz

5 Bob Walker            DNW

7 Trevor Cousins      24 lb 12 oz

8 Martin Parker        One liner

9 Mick Ramm           DNW

10 Roy Whitwell      82 lb 1 oz         1st

12 Bob Allen            23 lb 25 oz

13 Mac Campbell    45 lb 11 oz       2nd

15 John Garner        25 lb 4 oz        3rd

Two matches in glorious sunshine

 I've had the gremlins in, and am not a happy bunny. Spent an hour and a half writing this, adding pictures, and was just finishing when I lost the lot! Vanished. No idea how it happened, so here is a short version, with pictures.

Peg 1, Six-Island. Friday, Feb 28

Flat calm most of the day, with just a few clouds.

The Friday Old Codgers match on Horseshoe and Six-Island. It was the last day for using bread on Decoy, so I dobbed it in the deep water, at 13 metres and 14.5 metres, a foot off bottom for one big carp, and added a few roach later on maggot from the margin. Weighed in 11 lb 11 oz for a default section win.

Phil Stubley on peg 24

Phil Stubley caught one carp about halfway through, and another later, with a couple of roach, but didn't weigh. If he had he would probably have beaten me.

Ron Cuthbert in action late on, peg 22

Ron Cuthbert struggled for hours but eventually hooked three roach, two of which dropped off. The third he swung over the bank before taking his pole apart...and sure enough the one also fell off! On to the grass. Like a leopard Ron leapt off his box, snatched up the fish, and put it in his net, to avoid a blank. That was the most excitement I had in the middle of the match. Near the end his elastic stretched...and stretched...with a 2 lb barbel. End of match for him.

Gordon Parker, peg 3.

To my left Gordon Parker was blanking after about two hours, before putting a hybrid feeder and a wafter right across to the far bank. Normally that would not be possible because there would be anglers there, but not today, so Gordon took advantage, winning with 59 lb 1 oz, to win the lake. He never had a bite on the pole. Well done, Gordon.

Gordon - winner with 59 lb 1 oz.

Horseshoe

Six-Island result.

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Peg 3, Willows, Sunday, March 2

Calm at the start, with a little ripple later, and sun all day. I dobbed an F1 18 inches deep on two maggots in the first halfhour, and never had another doing it. Concentrated on the aerator to my left, and eventually had abut three roach, and then a 4 lb carp foulhooked in the tail.

My office for the day.

Peter Harrrison - winner of my
section with 23 lb 1 oz, all
taken on a long pole with maggot.

Concentrating there I picked up two or three F1s on maggot before going out to my second swim at 14 metres, were a single maggot up the shank of a size 16 picked up another small carp and another three F1s in the last 45 minutes. Weighed in 19 lb 5 oz, beaten by Peter Harrison for the section.

All together a lovely day in the sun - though I doubt if Chris Saunders agreed, and he packed up, having not caught much. As expected the better weights were in Deadmans Bay - 16 to 25.

Roy Whincup plays his first fish, an F1.

A very late 5 lb carp brought Roy's weight to 10 lb 10 oz.

Winner Dan Pettigrew, peg 24. He had
fish on a feeder until the last 90 minutes,
when he switched to a pole at 14 metres.
Final weight was 70 lb 2 oz. Sorry about
the picture - too much sun!!!

Pete Molesworth was second on 27, casting a Method feeder up between the islands. Not easy to cast and not easy to land fish. Well done to Dan and Peter (and the rest of us, 'cos the water is like ice.)

Best bit was when I twice saw a kingfisher - second time it sat on the aerator for a few seconds. Magic.

THE RESULT

The sun had his hat on (briefly)

At the Winter League final
What a lovely day Saturday was, when I helped weigh in at Decoy, for the Winter League final. Warm, and even some sun, and Decoy fished much better than it has for weeks. I started on Lou's, accompanied by a Peterborough angler, and sure enough, the winning weight on the lake was 49 kilos from famous peg 6, taken on feeder, waggler, and finally a good last hour on pole. It was noticeable that on the last three pegs the carp were much smaller than on the opposite side (1 to 6) and on the end.

Andy Leathers, at peg 27 on Willows.
That fish must have been well over 15 lb.

Then it was round to Willows, which can be notoriously difficult, and again I was surprised by how consistent the catches were. I took one photograph - of Andy Leathers on peg 27 with a mirror that must have weighed well over 15 lb.

I know Andy Geldart won Decoy on Yew 15 with 70 kilos, with a 60 kilos opposite. That two-day break in the cold winds wasn't long enough to spread the carp out, and with strong winds forecast for the Sunday, I didn't fancy the JV match on Beastie to produce a lot of huge weights.

Peg 20 Beastie
Next day we were met with really strong winds, and I drew first - peg 20 with the wind almost in my face. And on that swim you can't cast to the island. Actually I think that I probably would have been physically able to land my feeder against the island reeds, even in that wind.

A big raspberry ripple greeted me - and it got worse.

I started on a maggot feeder halfway across, or a little farther, and after 45 minutes I had two roach, two small bream, and a 4 lb carp in the net. A good start (for me), especially since I hadn't seen much else caught - though Rob Goodson on 18 had a carp that looked to be 8 lb.

My new Guru maggot feeder
I used, for the first time, a small Guru maggot feeder, and really liked it - easy to fill and heavy enough to allow me to get well out. The only small drawback was that I had to prise open the cap with a pair of scissors, but I will definitely use it again - and no maggots were trapped when I closed the cap. 

The next hour or so saw bites dry up completely, so I had a look on pole. That was difficult - the wind was so strong I couldn't leave even the Number Three and Four sections attached to each other - the wind just caught them and rolled them along the bank. I had to wedge each section in my holdall to stop them being blown away.

Over to my left Rob Goodson had carp on bomb and bread, and F1s on the pole.

The wind was cold - though not enough to start me shivering - and luckily, despite the mild Saturday, I had put my normal cold-weather gear on. That consists of several layers, including thermals, and my good old Imax jacket. Without that I would have been in trouble.

Roach!
The pole produced a stream of small roach, and just one F1 in the margin, and eventually I went back onto a hybrid feeder, with corn, to look for carp or F1s. First cast and an F1 came in; next a liner; and immediately I thought that perhaps the F1s had started to feed, so I came in on the pole again.

I wasted an hour (stupidly) fishing corn for F1s, where I had caught the other one, without a fish, and went back on the feeder. The micros I had wetted were running low, and instead of wetting more I added some Method groundbait on the top. That worked like a dream...

A good run
In the next hour I had a couple of small bream, a 7 lb carp, and nine or ten F1s, up to 2 lb. The big carp had a terrible gouge deep into its side - obviously not just inflicted - which looked as if it had been speared by a heron. I can't think what else it could have been, but it didn't stop the fish fighting well.

With 30 minutes left the bites stopped. Just like that! Towards the end we had just a few spots of rain, and overall it had been difficult because of the wind, but bearable. Rob Goodson on 18 had the same sort of wind as me...so he must have been cold, as well.

Roy Whitwell - overall winner with93 lb 13 oz.

The weigh in
I was first to weigh, and happy with my 35 lb 11 oz, especially when Kev Bell, on 22, to my right, produced just six fish for 23 lb 8 oz. He told me I should have stayed on the feeder, and I agreed. But when I'd had an F1 in the margins the temptation was to target them, especially since I'm better on the pole than on the feeder.

Then it was round to Roy Whitwell, on my bogey peg 24. You can't see that swim from where I was, so I was suprised when he said he had 80 lb to 90 lb, all on feeders with maggot or corn. Roy's total was 93 lb 13 oz for the overall win. Well done, Roy.  Last to weigh in our section was Peter Harrison on 30, which has fished abominably the last few weeks, and today was no different - he had 10 lb 7 oz, nearly all small roach and gudgeon, with just one F1 (there might have been two).

The other section fished rather better, won by Lee Kendall, back from his recent trip to Thailand, with 63 lb 9 oz of Siamese carp on peg 5. I ended up winning my four-peg section by default, and was happy enough with that. Next match probably JV on Sunday, which is currently on Lous and Willows.

RESULT:

4 Eddie McIlroy        51 lb 2 oz
5 Lee Kendall            63 lb 9 oz
15 Sean Coaten        48 lb 15 oz    
17 Chris Saunders      21 lb 5 oz
18 Rob Goodson        44 lb 4 oz
20 Mac Campbell      35 lb 11 oz
22 Kev Bell                23 lb 8 oz
24 Roy Whitwell        93 lb 13 oz
30 Peter Harrison       10 lb 7 oz

Peg thirteen not lucky for me.

Peg 13, Damson, Sunday, Feb 16

To cut a long story short I caught about nine fish in this JV club match, weighing a total of 4 oz. They were mainly small stuff! The annoying thing is that peg 13, in the corner, is a very good peg normally, but in this match you needed to be able to cast a bomb or feeder well over, either to the far bank, or to the island...and this is the only peg where you can't do that.

No wind at the start, and when it did blow, it never gave
me any of that lovely raspberry ripple.

Steve Tilsley worked real hard for his nine fish.

To my right Steve Tilsley started slowly, but eventually caught a small carp on a bomb and sweetcorn. Then in the next four hours he winkled out a few from the second shelf down - about five feet deep - on a pole to his right. And the last 30 minutes saw him catch two more on the pole from the deep water, and one on a bomb. He must have been cold because while the first seven of us had mainly back wind, Steve had it in his face. His nine fish weighed 34 lb 10 oz.

Eddie came good in the last 40 minutes, adding 
two carp to his earlier fish, all on maggot feeder.

To my left Eddie McIlroy managed three carp on a maggot feeder. And the match, was won by Peter Harrison on peg 3, casting a maggot feeder over to the far bank, for 48 lb 1 oz. For the record I caught my fish on a pole in the deep water near the end bank. It's the first time I've ever been to Damson  and not had fish in the margins. I kept hoping that carp would come in to where the occasional roach took my maggot down in the depths, but they didn't oblige. Peg 13, you see?

THE RUNNER-UP

Steve was undoubtedly colder than any of us, with the wind in his face.
But these were his reward - nine carp for 34 lb 10 oz.

Next match is Sunday on Beastie - not particularly looking forward to that, at this time of year. It's the day after the Winter League final, so I'm not expecting much, and what is caught will be from the main bowl - sort of 5, 6, and 14 round to 23 or 24. The open saw peg 13 at the back of the spit, not weigh.

THE RESULT

Another good draw for me, on Horseshoe

Peg 13, Horseshoe
It looked as if I was going to have a good day in the JV match on Horseshoe, at Decoy. This is roughly how it went...

8.30 am The cafe at Decoy is buzzing with a load of anglers fishing the Open, while we hold our draw. My sticky fingers stick to Horseshoe 13 - a dream draw. It's a noted swim, though I have never managed to draw it before. And the last two matches I know of were won on it. I am a Happy Bunny.

10 am Its lovely and warm on the bank at 13 - back wind, and sheltered by some bushes. When I walk round towards the lower numbered pegs it is several degrees colder, with the wind in their faces. 

Famous peg 13 on Horseshoe. Aftewr the match started
I had some nice raspberry ripple, and we had a little sun.

I am so confident I put in two keepnets, and start on bomb and bread, cast to the spinner in the corner, hoping for one or two big carp to give me a good start. I note that the water is clear - probably clearer than I've ever seen it, and I can see the bottom, when I throw in a couple of grains of corn, in about two feet of water.

11 am I've seen Roy Whitwell, on 16 to my left, land a couple of fish, but I haven't had anything yet, and have changed from bomb and bread to a maggot feeder, on which I've had two small liners.

12 noon I'm still fishless, so walk up to Roy Whitwell, who says he's had four F1s on bomb and maggot. Roy Whincup, on my right has had one small stockie, but he says the Peter Harrison on 8 has had four carp. I go back and change the maggot feeder back to a bomb, with maggot.

1 am I've had a 2 lb F1 and a small roach on the bomb and maggot, and now go out on the pole with maggot. In the next hour that brings just two roach. I spend half an hour fishing the deep margin to my left with corn, where I know there's a lilly bed, but don't get a touch of any sort.

2.30 pm I've changed my bait to from live maggots to five dead maggots. Suddenly I turn round and see Roy Whincup landing a big carp on his feeder rod. Twenty seconds later my rod pulls round and I'm attached to a big fish myself. It turns out to be a mirror carp around 9 lb. I resume fishing full of hope that there will be more.

3.30 The match ends. All I've had in that last hour are two liners in the last ten minutes.

Peter Harrison won with 38 lb,
taken with maggot on both
pole and bomb or feeder.

The weigh in
Blimey, it really is cold in those early pegs, while I've been pretty comfortable. Dave Parsons managed to fish 16 metres, assuming that in the clear water the fish would be as far from the banks as possible, and in the deepest water. He weighs 34 lb 8 oz, but Peter Harrison on 8 has added some more, on both pole and feeder, and totals 38 lb. To my left Roy Whitwell had eight fish in the end, for 24 lb 6 oz...but never had a bite in the last three hours. 

Roy Whincup with a beautiful common.

My fish have weighed 14 lb 5 oz (that carp must have been almost 12 lb), but I'm not last - Chris Saunders has already gone home and Eddie McIlroy has been fishing a single maggot for two F1s and a load of roach - hard work for 9 lb 13 oz. Roy Whincup wins the prize for the prettiest fish - a common about 8 lb lb.

Eddie McIlroy - last to weigh and probably
had more fish than the rest of us put together.

I don't know why I didn't catch more. I had ripple for most of the day. The water must be so cold, because we've not had a warm wind for weeks. Disappointed, especially since the noted pegs in the Open - Oak 15 and Yew 15 - both produced over 180 lb. Oh well, there's always the next one to look forward to - Elm on Sunday.

THE RESULT

Winner Peter Harrison - sections to Dave Parsons and Roy Whitwell.

I draw a sort of flier on Oak

Peg 21, Oak, Sunday, Feb 2
I was scraping the ice off my windscreen at 6am, put on the heater for a few minutes...and when I actually got in to drive to Decoy I had to scrape ice off the INSIDE of the screen. The temperature never got above freezing on the drive, but then the sun came out and shone on us all, and the first hour fishing was quite pleasant, until a stiff breeze got up, and then it was BITTER.

When we arrived at the lake the water was like glass.

We fished back-to-back on Oak and Yew, while the big Open was on about five of the other lakes (some of the results are included here). And I was sort of on a flier! Peg 21 is opposite Oak peg 10, which is a noted area. Trouble was nobody had told the fish. Ernie Lowbridge was on my left, and started on pole at 14.5 metres while I went onto a bomb and bread. 

A good start for Ernie, but ooops...
About 20 minutes after the start Ernie had his first fish on his pole - around 10 lb. Wthin minutes I changed from bomb to pole, and no more than 20 seconds after I had made my first cast the float went under. A fish was on. No more than 20 seconds later it came off. Bother. 

Some time afterwards Ernie lost a big fish which he played for some time - probably foulhooked. Two hours later, despite changing from bomb to Method feeder, then hybrid feeder, then back on the pole, I hit my first fish, on a bomb and maggot. It was about 4 lb, but Ernie had had another lump, on a bomb or feeder.

That raspberry ripple
Nothing much else seemed to be happening that I could see, which wasn't surprising considering the temperature, except that behind me on Yew lake Chris Saunders hooked a couple of fish. At least we had had a nice ripple for much of the match, after a start when the water looked like glass. 

Chris Saunders on Yew 11, behind me, finished with a carp, a tench and a roach.

Forty-five minutes to go, the air temperature had definitely risen, and had Ernie landed another big fish on his pole.Then I suddenly  started getting liners on my bomb - the tip was moving every few seconds. I changed to a very small bomb, which hardly made a plop when it landed, and that seemed to work better. A big fish was on...err, actually it was a five-pounder foulhooked, but I managed to get it in.

Frustrating

Half an hour now left and I was getting liners almost before the bomb hit bottom - well before I had tightened up. There was nothing for it but to wait until the rod was almost pulled in, but that did eventually happen, and a fish nearly 10 lb ended in my net. Yet another followed, about 6 lb, but that last 15 minutes saw my tip hardly still for more than a few seconds. Ernie had two more fish, finishing with five. I went back on to the pole for a couple of minutes, with maggot, but got nothing. I reckon if we'd had another half hour the fish would really have started feeding.

Ernie Lowbridge had just five carp, all around 10 lb.

The weigh in
The first four pegs on Yew never had a fish! That lake was won by Roy Whincup on corner peg 15 with 105 lb 13 oz on a maggot feeder, with next peg 14 second. Our lake was won by Ian Frith on corner peg 16. He dobbed bread about a foot off bottom near the end-bank reeds, and took most of his fish early on. Peter Harrison, who can't stop catching fish at the moment, was second (just) on peg 26, taking all his fish on a bomb, with Ernie third (just). His five fish went 49 lb. My four weighed 25 lb 4 oz, and unexpectedly won me the section by default because the two anglers on my right didn't weigh in.

Marks out of ten
It's worth analysing my performance because later I realised what might have worked. The fish were obviously off bottom, and probably, milling around my hookbait (dead maggots was the best).  A pop-up might have worked, but I have a slow-sinking bomb in my box, and I reckon that maggots fished on that might have worked,. But I never thought about it. It would have taken only seconds to make the switch.

Ernie with a great fish for the time of year.

Not sure whether a better angler would have had a load on my peg. I seemed to be at the end of the fish. I fished it with confidence all day, and had that first fish stuck I might have had another 10 lb. I thought I fished the pole perfectly alright - at 13 metres and 14.5 metres. But  the results on both lakes were patchy, so I just have to chalk it up to not getting that extra bit of luck I needed. Worth 6/10. At least I caught some fish on a cold, bright day. SOME OF THE OPEN RESULTS ARE AT THE END.

JV match - ELM

JV match - YEW

OPEN - Six-Island

OPEN - Horseshoe

OPEN - Elm

Bream to the rescue on Elm

Peg 5, Elm, Fri Jan 31
Fridays is the day when the famous Old Gits match takes place at Decoy, and I was granted a place in this one, fished on Elm and Cedar. And the weather wasn't too bad - cold but not too much wind. Everything would have been better if I had managed to pick a peg farther down the lake, but peg 5 was my office for the day.Chris Saunders was on my right, and his recent results suggested that we would be either in a very good area or a very bad one - Chris doesn't do things by halves.

A cold, dull day. This was John Crouch, peg 6.

Halfway through the match and things looked bad...and stayed that way. Chris hadn't had a fish, and neither had John Crouch on my left...and neither had I. I'd wasted the first couple of hours on the bomb with bread and corn, and had a long look on the pole at 13 metres, with maggot. I think Shaun Coaten, on Chris' right, had a fish on pole, and Chris made up his waggler rod, with no success. Then I found a real fish!

YES!

With nothing doing farther out I looked in the margins with maggot. I doubt if anyone had caught a fish there, but my options had run out. However, first drop on a top two I had a bite. Honestly! Next drop, and my float went down again and a 2 lb bream came in. Chris saw this and also had a look in his margin, but after half an hour when neither of us caught anything he went out on a long pole.

So  that's  what  a  carp  looks like...

A minute later my float went down again - a 3 lb bream. A little later another 3 lb bream came in. Meanwhile John Crouch on my left had a carp on a bomb cast well across, and I saw that on his left someone else just past him also had a fish...then another. John had two more late carp; I had nothing more; Shaun had two or three late ones...and Chris ended with not a single fish. A day to be forgotten.

Winner on Elm lake - Keith Smith with
32 lb 7 oz - second overall on the day.

The weigh in.

Shaun won our four-peg end section with 21 lb 4 oz; I had 8 lb 6 oz, and John Crouch 15 lb 10 oz. The best weight was 32 lb 7 oz by Keith Smith, all on a bomb and corn I think, cast right across.

On Cedar, Peter Harrison won, also on a bomb - one carp on bread and the rest on maggot, for 42 lb 6 oz - the best weight of the day. I was happy enough, even if I am now definitely an Old Git..