The first of two fish-filled days on Cedar

 Peg 14, Sunday, Oct 8
I was driving round the corner, past the entrance to the Raveley drain at Ramsey Heights, when I had a first - a deer actually coming out of the undergrowth beside the road. Of course I've seen the occasional deer locally before, and several on the concrete road from Warboys to the Forty Foot drain, feeding in the fields early morning. That's the short cut I have to take when roadworks divert me from my usual route - but if there's a better suspension-breaking road  anywhere nearby I'd like to know about it.

Not only does that concrete road contain good potholes, and gaps between the concrete slabs, but in places it's single-track, so you can find yourself having to pull in to the side to wait while someone roars towards you from the Benwick end; then it passes by, and before you can move off there's another bugger coming towards you. It's OK going home towards Warboys, as the pull-ins are on the right-hand side.

Anway, I consulted my fellow anglers when I got to Decoy, and they said it was probably a muntjac. In fact Chinese Water deer are larger than Muntjacs, but as their rear legs are longer than the front ones, and this little deer seemed to be on an even keel, I guess we came to the right conclusion. And from then on everything went well on this glorious, near-windless Autumn day. 

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness and spiders webs floating over the car park - my name was first out of the old cocoa tin, and 14 came next, which I have never fished before. Of course I would have chosen 26 in the other corner, or a high number, but Allan Golightly had had a bagful on 14 recently, coming second with 160 lb-plus. So I was a happy bunny, and I was drawn out as the £100 Golden peg.

Peg 14's left margin - I started on the hybrid feeder.

The match
Sorry to digress - now down to the nitty gritty. I started on a hybrid Method feeder while I put a few grains of corn in to my right, in the deep water just over the ledge which is a few feet from the bank, a few feet from the pipes. Soon Mike Rawson next door had a fish on the pole, and the Call Of The Pole took over and I went out to 2+2 with cat meat. This brought one carp about 6 lb quite quickly, but the expected run of  fish didn't materialise. So it was into the baited swim.

One fish came from there, and another from the left margin, but after an hour and 15 minutes that was all I had. From then on I worked hard with corn to the right, and every now and then I'd get a bite, and sometimes hook something, and sometimes land it! And they were all good fish, mainly 8 lb-plus, with a couple in double-figures I lost a couple, obviously foulhooked.

The right margin - I finished in that little cut-out at the
 end of the pipes. The main swim was about two metres
 out from the bank and two metres this side of the pipes.

I do an Ivan Marks

After a couple of hours I had about six for nearly 50 lb, and wandered (as Ivan used to do) up to Mike, who said he had only small fish, while Allan Golightly on 17 said he had three and later Kev Lee said he had about 40 lb at that time. Callum Judge was in the fancied peg 26, and I knew he was capable of getting a big catch, so I guessed he would probably win it, and told Mike Rawson that before the match. (Spoiler - what do I know?)

Back to my swim and I changed to my special method in an attempt to cut out the foulhookers, and it worked. But now bites had eased off a bit. Then in came green algae and scum. It didn't look thick, but a mussel would not go through it, and if the shot took it through the surface the bait was covered with slimy strands. I tried cat meat, which went through the surface OK, but then the scum drifted over the float, and  it was all a bit of a nightmare. It extended right over where I had been catching fish, so for a time I had to move to one side, and that wasn't as good.

Into the shallows

Then the scum vanished. Very strange, but bites didn't seem quick enough, so I put in some dead reds right next to the bank, in about three feet of water,  to rest the main swim.  A bunch of deads brought several bites, which I guessed were from roach, as some of the maggots were stripped off the hook. Then I hooked a roach, which confirmed it. so left the swim alone for a time, and went back into the deeper water.

Mussel now started working really well - I would put in a pot of corn, micros and hemp, cut a mussel in half and put it on the hook, and put in the other half, and another couple of halves, over the top. Then I'd have a cup of coffee and then put in the rig, after all the bait had sunk, hoping that would avoid liners.

I couldn't see the other anglers in my match, so took the opportunity to
get an action shot by swivelling round and shooting the angler on Oak 15!

A set-back

There was a bit of a set-back when one rig I had been catching well on had the top ring pulled out by an angry foulhooker (I lifted the bait half an inch and the float shot under immediately, looking for all the world like a proper bite), and I had to discard it for a new rig. That actually worked well, but in the time taken top change it over I could probably have hooked another fish. I find it unsettling when your rhythm is broken like that, but it happens to everyone I suppose. The new rig was again set up for my special method, but with a smaller float, and to my surprise it actually worked just as well with mussel.

Mel Lutkin had a comparatively poor day, with 30 lb 7 oz.

Allan Golightly then came along to see a man about a dog, and helpfully told me had had had a lot of his previous big catch in that shallow area. I put in some corn and hemp, and soon sent back to that swim with mussel, and indeed the carp had now come in, and I had some more near double-figures. To rest the swim I had a look in the left margin, but that brought only two decent F1s and a couple of tiny carp.

I beat the scum

The special method I use worked well, and I foulhooked only two more, one of which I landed. But then more scum came in, and with the light wind which was now blowing, it was pushed into the bay where I was catching. So I put in a put of corn and hemp, dropped in from above the water, and in the hole that made I would drop in my rig. Success! 

I missed Callum weighing in, but managed to get Peter Spriggs.
His fish, on peg 25, were much smaller than mine were.

The fish were feeding quite well, and were taking the bait quickly, before the scum moved the rig about. I guess I was landing a fish every ten minutes, which doesn't seem much, but when they are all approaching 10 lb, it soon adds up.

Fish on!

When the match ended I was playing a fish about 12 lb, and shouted "Fish On" really quite loudly. A second later Mike Rawson on 16, bless his heart, shouted to me, to tell me the match was finished. I shouted at the top of my voice:"I've shouted Fish On," and turned to the angler from Sheffield behind me on Oak 15, and said: "He must be as deaf as a post, like me."

He said: "Thaa's had a good daaay," in that funny voice that Yorkshiremen speak, and I had indeed.  I estimated I had 40 lb in each of my four nets, with the last one started with about 40 minutes to go.

The weigh in

As I walked back to the end, someone told me that several had got four nets out, so a lot of fish had been caught. On peg 26 Callum set a good target with his 147 lb 6 oz, with Peter Spriggs next door on 136 lb 2 oz. Then Shaun Buddle overtook them with 162 lb 7 oz - it had already been some match!

Yes! Shaun Buddle (centre) took the lead with 162 lb 7 oz.

But then the weighers-in told me that Kevin Lee's four nets probably each held 50 lb! They were nearly correct - 199 lb 1 oz and I insisted that I couldn't beat that, though there were some sceptical remarks murmered, because I have so often gone over my estimate. No - my etimates had been reasonable - my total was 173 lb 3 oz for second spot behind Kevin. And Calum with 147 lb 6 oz ended fourth, while Peter Spriggs' 136 lb didn't even frame! And my Golden peg money remains to be won.

Winner Kevin Lee's best fish weighed in at 15 lb 12 oz.

Marks out of ten

I think I was worth eight. I went into the shallows at the right time, and had managed to avoid foulhooking many - one angler told me afterwards that he had lost no end, I think I would have done better if I had been able to use the short tops all the time - but I havd just six, and two of them are set up with light relastics which were unrealistic to use today.

I definitely got the fish in more quickly using the short top and short Number Three than using the normal, longer top twos. But the elastics in the other short tops were just a little light for the size of fish I was catching - best must have been 14 lb. So I was happy with my compromise, but really must get more short tops. But I should have baited the laft margin swim properly, because I had some longing spells without fish in the main swim.

The next day I was on Cedar again, hoping for a peg at the car park end (low numbers or high numbers), or peg 14 would be OK...

THE RESULT

Coming from behind to frame, despite the wrong trousers on Six-Island

Peg 15, Six-Island Lake
I have long wondered whether Mrs Mac has some sort of supernatural connections - she always knows where I have left my keys, knows when I have surreptitiously nicked a biscuit when she wasn't looking, and recently she seems to have influenced my fishing. There was the famous occasion, very recently, when she told me, during my mid-day phone call, to change my bait to mussel, which immediately worked. Now in this match, I was fishless after three hours, and when I rang to report this her immediate answer was: "You've got the wrong trousers."

Images of Wallace and Gromit sped into my poor little brain, but then I realised that I had, indeed, put my old, grubby, grey fishing trousers out to be washed, and was wearing some clean, blue ones, though held up with the same pair of smart, red braces. "That must be the answer," I thought, and immediately told the fishes (quietly in case the othe anglers thought I was bonkers) that it really was me - but wearing different trousers.

Within 15 minutes, the first of a dozen nice  carp came sliding slowly into my waiting landing net. How Does She Do It?

My right margin looked great, but didn't produce much.

The match
Back to the start - 12 of us were on Six-Island lake, pegs 13 to 25 (24 was not drawn) and the wind was putting a fair raspberry ripple on all the pegs except the three in our corner - 14 to 16. Later it changed, and for a time we had a little bit of a blow on our pegs, but for much of the day it was calm, and overcast..

I had a small bush just to my right, and beyond that was Dave Hobbs. I started on a feeder to the small island about 20 metres away, and changed to corn pole-fished in front of the bush, where I had seen a fish roll. Two bites there resulted in two fish foulhooked and lost, while Dave had two early carp in the margin, right against the bank, in about 12 inches of water, and to his right I heard Mike Rawson landing a fish. Either that or he was taking an early dip!

Round the corner to my left, Kev Lee was still fishless at half time, but to his left Shaun McKenna had several fish on a pole and then feeder. Kev told me he had put our a feeder for an hour,without even a liner.

My left margin, where most of my fish came from.

An early  look
I felt I had to have a look in the margins, earlier than I had planned, but I got the impression that fish were moving there and not feeding.  I looked along the bank to my left, with just the odd liner, and in front at five metres, 

Then the phone call, and I changed to a top two, using my special method. It was difficult to use it properly, because of the conditions, but I bumbled along as best as I could, and 20 minutes after Dearly Beloved had rung off, I had that first carp on corn, about 7 lb.

I fished that same method for most of the rest of the match, using mussel over micros and hemp to take several more, best which must have been 14 lb. But the fish kept knocking the bait, and pulling it to pieces without taking it into their mouths. Two or three were hooked on the outside of the mouth, and two more were foulhooked, even though I tried desperately to strike only at what looked like a definite 'proper' bite. I thought the answer might be a smaller bait, like the cockles I had with me. So I took out the jar of cockles...and couldn't get the bloody top off!

Dave Hobbs' first fish, taken with his float almost touching the grass.

Like Old Mother Hubbard
I grimaced and grunted, but it wouldn't move, so back in the bag it went. Two or three more carp came in - all from he left margin in about 18 inches of water, although I was baiting the right margin as well, and clouds of mud were coming up from both. But the right margin, like Mrs Hubbard's cupboard, was bare. And the fish from the left margin weren't quick - I was getting about one every 20 minutes.

Across the corner from me Shaun McKenna had several early fish.

One, last despairing try at releasing the cockle lid was successful when I had thoroughly dried my hands and tried the old trick of reversing my left hand on the lid (ie thumb downwards). On went a cockle, and up came another carp, from the right margin! Just Like That!

Last fish landed late

But the method wasn't working particularly well with cockloe on the hook, so I reverted to mussel for the last fish, which I landed after the whistle - around 8 lb from the left margin. Using the short top and extending my landing net handle to the full four metres, helped me land most of them quite quickly. I had ended with 12 carp, for an estimated 80 lb, while Dave Hobbs said he had about 40 lb.

At last - Kevin Lee lands his first fish, which he had waited for three hours to hook.

Kevin Lee on 16 had his first fish at 1 pm, but hadn't had a lot after that. However, Shaun on 17 certainly had more than me. I had spoken to Kevin Lee while we were waiting for the match to start, and said that everytime I had fished on Six-Island lake peg 17 seemed to have produced fish, and I rated it one of the most consistent swims on the lake - I have had it twice and managed to win both times. 

John Smith watches while Kevin and Mel confirm the weight.

Today it had a bit of a ripple, as the wind was tending to blow from our corner past 17 and up to 24 and 25. But Shaun did himself proud, especially as I don't think he has fished much at Decoy, and had certainly never fished there before.

The weigh-in
I had several different rigs to pack away, and an assortment of baits, and as usual was way behind most of the others.  By the time I arrived at the scales several had been weighed in, and John Smith was putting his 52 lb 14 oz on the scales. I glanced at the weigh board, saw the top so far was 75 lb 4 oz, and said I though I could beat that. I was surprised, though, to see that the windiest swims, in the highest numbers, had really struggled, including Peter Spriggs, who could catch fish in an old soup can!

Shaun McKenna - the winner with 98 lb 7 oz after a very good start.

Then the scales moved to Shaun McKenna, who had had at least seven fish before I had my first one. I doubted whether I had been able to make up that deficit in the second half, though I had been concentrating so much I had seen him land only a couple of fish in the afternoon. But I think for most, the last half of the match was the best. Indeed, as I had guessed, he totalled 98 lb 7 oz for the win. Well done, Shaun.

Kevin Lee had 37 lb 11 oz, which was another surprising result, as he rarely fails to bag up. Then to me, where my 12 carp went 83 lb 7 oz, which held me in second place to the end of the match. Thanks to my Different Trousers. Now I have to make a decision about which trousers to wear for the next one. Decisions, decisions.

Kevin Lee had a really terrible start, like me.

Marks out of 10

I think I was worth 8. I did try different baits on and off (none made a difference) and I managed to land all the fish that were properly hooked (including those hooked outside the mouth). I was pleased the cockle took a fish, and I did try small pieces of cat meat from a sachet, even though they didn't take any fish, and in fact didn't seem to be as attractive, because I got hardly any knocks at all. That made me think that when I had what looked like a liner the fish were really going for the bait.

Sport was really very slow, with no ripple at all in the afternoon, and I felt all afternoon that if I had a really good spell for a quarter of an hour I could really add on some weight. Unfortunately that purple patch didn't happen - the fish wouldn't take a bait which was stationary for more than about 30 seconds, and most took it within two or three seconds of it hitting bottom or when I was dragging it into the side, right against the grass. And there was only one occasion when I took a fish immediately after landing one. Switching margins should have speeded up my catch rate, but for some reason that right margin just didn't work.

Dave Hobbs, to my right on peg 14.

My best fish must have been around 14 lb.

But all-round a very satisfying match. Next one is Sunday on Cedar, when I would like  a peg near the car park end.

THE RESULT

Undeserved success on Oak

 Peg 9, Friday, Sept 29
I must be deteriorating. I wrote last year about remembering Alan Scotthorne's advice to: "Don't just think it - do it!" Well, in this match not only did I not do it - I didn't even think it. But in the end I probably got what I didn't deserve...

Illness and the Call of the Wild (in the form of the Old Codgers Open on Beastie Lake) reduced this Spratts entry to eight. I wasn't unhappy with peg 9 on Oak, as it was close to the 10 or 11 I had fancied. Dave Hobbs was on my other favoured peg 1, with Steve Engledow on 11 (we fished odd-numbered swims from 1 to 15). Bob Allen was first out of the hat, with 15, which would have been my next peg to fancy. And Neil Paas was drawn out as Golden Peg.

My left margin - four feet in front of the reeds, but
only inches next to the bank.

Sun and more sun

The sun was out most of the day, which didn't help the fishing, and we had back wind. Trevor Cousins on 5 said there were hundreds of fish in front of him just under the surface, and he tried to mug some. He's very good at that, but not a single one obliged. I saw a few fish, and tried for about five minutes to mug them, later in the match, also unsuccessfully.

I had read a lot of my reports around this time of year on Oak, and decided to start on the feeder, as this has brought occasional fish. I used a full Method, with a red wafter. It's a long time since I used a proper Method feeder - recently my first choice has been a banjo, but within a few minutes, with the bait cast about three-quarters of the way across, the rod whipped round and I had my first fish on.

The right margin - unfishable for half the match
because of the sun shining on the water.

My lovely new feeder rod

I was using my new Guru N-Guage ten-footer rod. It's unbelievably light, and I loved handling it. I kept the rod down level with the water, and the fish came in nice and easily until it was within netting distance, then I lifted the rod to bring it up and into the net. Nothing happened! The reason was that my Matrix Method rods are much stiffer than this one, and they would have lifted that fish up a foot, to the surface. But the N-Guage just hooped round, and the fish stayed where it was!

That was disconcerting, of course, but I realised what had happened. Adjustments were needed, and I soon cottoned on to the fact that the fish had come in more quickly than on my other rods, and had more fight in it. So I had to be a little patient before the fish was netted. It was a common about 7 lb.

Operator error!
A cast nearer to the middle brought nothing, and the next cast flew uneeringly into a reed bed on the opposite bank. Rather than pull for a break I took my long hook round to the opposite bank, and managed to extricate the whole rig. So ten minutes wasted, but the next cast a few metres from the far bank saw another fish about the same size. 

When I had a slow spell I tried the pole in three swims - hard pellet at 13 metres, where I foulhooked a fish which came off. Then corn in the deep water to my left where I foulhooked another with the same result. And finally in the shallow cut-back to my left, where I never had a touch. So it was back out on the feeder.

Others were casting right across, but when I did that the feeder hit bottom in a split second, and although I gave it 15 minutes, I never had even a liner. So other casts were several metres from the bank, in the deeper water. By half time I had five fish, best around 10 lb. 

Pellet band with a 'pimple'
The first fish saw the hair-rigged band come off the hook, so I took a leaf out of Andy Finlay's book and hooked a band directly on to the hook. I still have some old ones that have a little pimple on the band specifically for putting the hook through, anbd that acounted for the final four fish, with an 8mm Robin Red pellet. The band stayed on and is still on the hook.

Behind me on Cedar lake Peter Maskell, who introduced me to mussels as a bait, was catching well, and he shouted out that he had ten carp. I was already thinking about  going on to the pole, and  when I saw others catching the occasional fish on the pole I felt I had to have a look. First drop with corn next to the reeds to my left, in about four feet of water, saw another double-figure fish come out. 

To my left on 11 Steve Engledow had an occasional fish early on, but more towards the last hour.

 Good old mussel...
A change to mussel was next, but it took ages to get a bite and I should probably have gone back onto the feeder. But I persevered and slowly I found fish - good ones, with the best probably 13 lb. Just one came from a two-foot swim near the keepnet on my left, where I had put just a few grains of corn, then suddenly all hell broke loose.

Steve made hay in the sun for the last hour.

Huge fish, over 15 lb, came charging into the shallows, stirring up the mud, heaving themselves around, and waving their tails at me. I hadn't put any feed in that shallow water, but they stayed there for ages, then left, and then came back. It seemed impossible that they wouldn't take a mussel laid on, but no. Nothing. I wasted no more than five minutes, and went back into the deeper water, but you can imagine how frustrating it was.

Yet on 11 I could plainly see Steve Engledow now netting fish obviously hooked right in the side, and I could see his rig was only about 18 inches deep. I must have been doing something wrong, but I plodded on using mussel and VERY occasionally would catch another nice carp. Steve was definitely catching better than me, though, and I thought he had probably overhauled me..

Last fish lost
With five minutes to go I had 12 fish, from 5 lb upwards, and then hooked another. It came quickly towards the net, but I couldn't quite get it in first time, and it went walkabout. The match ended and I shouted "Fish On." Two minutes later I shouted: "Fish Off" as the hook pulled out. By then I had realised it was foulhooked. Neil Paas on my right had also started catching better than me in the last 90 minutes, so I feared I had been overtaken after what had been a reasonable start on the feeder.

Dave Hobbs on peg 1 carefully empties his fish into the bag.

The weigh in

On 1 Dave Hobbs weighed in 104 lb 3 oz, which I now thought might win, as I hadb't seen anyone else with three nets in, except me. I esatimated I had nets of 30 lb, 36 lb and 12 lb - total around 80 lb, though I know I always underestimate. I think Dave had fish on a feeder casting to the aerator, and then had a good last hour rin the margins.

Trevor weighed in 49 lb 9 oz, so it must have been hard in that area, as he is so consistent. Next to me  Neil Paas, using hard pellet, had 75 lb 3 oz. I thought he had more fish than me, so they must have been snaller. 

My two fish weighed 15 lb; four in one net went 42 lb; and six smaller fish in the third net went 48 lb - total 105 lb 3 oz, so I had done Dave by exactly 1 lb, and that last lost fish hadn't cost me anything. On my left Steve Engledow must have wished for another half-hour catching in the shallows, as he ended with 92 lb 11 oz for third spot, and I ended the winner.

Dave was the early leader (obviously) with 104 lb 3 oz.

Marks out of 10
Honestly, I am worth only 4. The sun was shining bright, and low, from the right, so I couldn't fish to my right for the first half of the match. But afterwards I realised I had virtually ignored the right margin. I had had a couple of drops in there, but I hadn't plumbed up properly, and under the surface it must have been like the Himalayas - peaks and troughs everwhere , where the bank has fallen in. I should have looked for a flat piece to fish towards the end, or just fished the deep water next to the reeds properly.

Also I never tried maggot, even though I had taken the trouble to put a handfull in a small container on my try, so I only had to dip into it. Worms stayed in the maggot box, and I put on just one piece of cat meat all day. I stayed mainly in that one swim for the last three hours, but everybody knows that on some days just hooking a fish causes others nearby to scatter, and you have to look elsewhere. But I didn't.

Neil Paas, who was Golden Peg - 75 lb 3 oz.

Also I ignored that famous 2+1 line where almost everyone else catches fish, and I never thought about putting in the dead reds I had, which might have snared at least one of those shallow-feeding giants. So I was lucky. As I said at the start, an undeserved win, but they all count...

Next match Sunday on Six-Island where the forecast is for SW wind during the day, blowing into peg 9. So I'd like from 6 to 9, or 11 on the opposite bank, which has a lovely bed of irises.

Bob Barrett - 56 lb 3 oz on a feeder.

Bob Allen didn't want his phote taken, so Trevor showed us Bob's best fish!

How cruel! Bob Allen wrote that comment on the board before we even started!!                                    

THE RESULT

1 Dave Hobbs        104 lb 3 oz             2nd

3 John Smith            44 lb 2 oz

5 Trevor Cousins      49 lb 9 oz

7 Neil Paas               75 lb 3 oz

9 Mac Campbell     105 lb 3 oz            1st

11 Steve Engledow   92 lb 11 oz          3rd

13 Bob Barrett          56 lb 3 oz

15 Bob Allen             50 lb

Corner pegs dominate on Cedar

Peg 21, Cedar, Sunday, Sept 24
I am ashamed to admit that at the draw for this Fenland Rods match, when Peter Spriggs' name was drawn from the old condensed milk tin, prior to his number being taken from the bag, with only a few pegs left, I actually said, aloud: "Oh, please. Not 26". Because Cedar 26 is, after temperatures drop, probably the second-best flier on the whole complex, behind the famous Lou's 6 (which often requires precision casting with a feeder for 50 yards).

Peg 26 is a corner peg, with a lovely bed of reds stretching out from the corner, and the end bank easily reachable on a pole, and it has won match after match in the Autumn and Winter. And Peter is a VERY good angler. So forgive me for my jealous, plaintive, outburst. However, I got my just rewards when Mel Lutkin drew out one of his balls, turned it over, and announced, almost apologetically: "Twenty-six." 

My lefthand margin was fishable on just a short top two.

Trying to be positive
So I realised we were probably fishing for second place, even though Decoy is so fair, and any match CAN be won from any peg. I was given 21, which at least avoided 24, which I had failed on so recently. There's no reed cover on that swim, and I pitied Dave Hobbs, who was sat on it. In contrast, my swim looked good - the corner of a reeds bed to my left, and to the right and nice stretch with reeds alongside the bank, ending in the corner of another protruding reed bed about ten metres away. But the howling wind from left to right was going to make presentation difficult wherever we all fished, though the higher-numbered swims had less than those at the other end.

As a general rule Cedar tends to fish better towards the car park end ie: 1-5 and 25 back to 22 approximately. But Allan Golightly was in corner peg 14, with the Southerly wind blowing down that way, so I thought that he stood a good chance of catching fish, even though it was very rough down there.

The right margin. There's a cut-back there which is
not obvious in this picture. The wind soon picked up.

Bre-e-e-am. Bream, Bream, Bream (apologies to the Everly Brothers)

I put in some micros and hemp on a top two in front of me, and some corn to the left corner. There was a small area cut back into the bank which gave me about three feet of water and I earmarked that for a bit later. A few casts on the bomb brought not even a liner, so I had a look with corn on the top two line, on corn over hemp and micros, with a 1gm Cralusso float (don't know if you can still get them - they have interchangeable different-coloured tips). My immediate reward was a leaping 2 lb bream.

A couple more bream came, plus a small F1, and I tried a worm, which brought just a small perch. How do they get those big worms in their mouths? Then I was tempted to look in the shallow swim. There was nothing there, so I put in some bait and had a look in the left corner swim, which produced another bream, around 3 lb, first cast. Then a 4 lb carp from the front swim, and finally a nice carp from the shallow swim, on corn. But although I was getting liners there, it took a long time for the next two or three carp, best 10 lb, on mussel and halfway through the match Callum, to my left, said he had about 40 lb, with Kevin Lee on his left on a little less.

Mike in action. We were often struggling in the wind at this end.

Problems with wind
At that time I reckon I had about 45 lb, and went back into the shallow swim to try again, although the increasing wind made it quite difficult. At that point I should have taken note that both Callum and Kevin were fishing about four sections out, but as I knew that there were fish in the shallow swim, I kept on there, trying to get my special method to work, but conditions were against it, and eventually after it brough a fish or two I gave it up.

The problem was that it took me about 20 minutes to get each fish, on mussel, altough they were good 'uns, approaching 8 lb. Meanwhile there was a lot of splashing from Callum's swim, and I realised I was falling behind, and I got the impression that he had come in a little closer. To my right Mike Rawson was struggling, and had only the odd fish. 

Liners
I kept getting liners, and briefly foulhooked three or four. But a lot of the time I am convinced that the carp were actually dragging the mussel off the hook, but not taking it completely into their mouths. Perhaps they were finicky because the water was shallow, though it had a big ripple.

I sneaked up on Callum, to find him unhooking a big one.

With 90 minutes left I put dead maggots into the shallow swim, and baited with a bunch of deads, which did produce two or three quick carp. But then a roach and a tiny carp forced me to look elsewhere with 30 minutes left on the clock. 

Excitement!
At around that time Bob Allen came charging down the bank, landing net in hand, trying to keep up with his top two, which was making good progress though my swim. I tried flicking my rig over the line, but missed, and by the time I turned round, to grab hold of my long-handled hook, the fish had taken a smart right turn and was out almost in the centre of the lake, where it nose-dived down, taking the pole with it. By the end of the match Dave Hobbs had somehow retrieved it, minus the fish, and was able to hand it back to Bob.

That was the most excitement I had had all day.

I should have fished the reeds
Later Kevin told me that he had had a really good last hour fishing the deep margins next to reeds, but I went out to the top-two swim with 30 minutes left, and caught only another bream and a 4 lb carp. That was stupid, because I hadn't been back to the margin swim where I had had a bream first drop and never tried it again! It wasn't difficult to fish - I could have done it on a short top two!! And I suspect I could have had four or five quick big carp there, for a grandstand finish...

I thought by the end I had 40 lb in each of my two nets.

Callum fished mussel all day for 129 lb 6 oz and fourth place.

The weigh in

By the time I had got round to loading my trolley the scales were up to me, with Allan Golightly leading with 162 lb 11 oz, taken mainly on a hard 8mm white Fujika pellet. That was more than I had envisaged, and I thought it a very good performance in difficult conditions - even playing fish was not easy in that wind.

I couldn't lift my first net out in the wind, so John Garner did the honours - 50 lb 3 oz. The rule with Fenland Rods is that we aim for 50 lb maximm, but there are so many double-figure fish in Decoy, it is difficult if you have, say, an estimated 36 lb in a net, to judge whether a big one will take it a little over. So we now aim for 50 lb, but will accept 60 lb, provided the ruling is not constantly abused (which it has not been).

So my extra 3 oz counted, and the second net was 48 lb 13, total exactly 99 lb - second in the first five pegs. But both Callum (who took all his fish on mussel) and Kevin (on cat meat) beat me, and inevitably when we got to Peter Spriggs, he had five nets in, and 197 lb 1 oz in them - a well deserved win. So I ended fifth out of ten.

Our current club champion Kev Lee - 159 lb 7 oz for third spot, taken mainly on
cat meat,  with a final flourish inside, in the deep margin against the reeds. 

Marks out of 10
I give my self a generous 6/10, mainly because I ignored the two obvious areas where fish can be always caught - out on four sections, and right against the reeds in the deep water. On the other hand I took at least some advantage of the shallower swim, but I didn't take into maccount that fish are more easily disturbed when you hook one than in deeper water. Sure I was putting some bait in there every time I landed a fish, but I should then have moved to another swim.

Peter Spriggs - winner with 197 lb 1 oz, 30 lb ahead of runner-up Allan Golightly.
Peter fished in his left margin, and lost several fish trying to stop them getting in the reeds.

My next match is Friday on Six-Island, where we have pegs 13 to 25, but Karen may allow us to fish the whole lake, if she has plenty of pleasure-fishing swims available. In any case not many pleasure anglers would willingly fish next to a match. 

The wind always dominates on this lake and the current forecast is for a Westerly, so if we have the whole lake I fancy 8 round to 12, which will be in the wind. Otherwise 13 or 14 if they have ripple, or 15, 17 or 25. But what do I know?

OOOps

No it's not - Friday is Oak with Spratts when I'd like 1 or around 10/11 or opposite around 20/21. Then Sunday is Six-Island with Fenland Rods. Get a grip of yourself, Campbell!!

The News - angling is good for you (who knew?)

I see articles appearing following the revelation that angling is good for "wellness" (a bloody stupid word) and that few anglers seem to suffer from mental problems. My wife (and many others) would probably argue that fishing like we do is a mental problem in itself, but I understand the concept. 

One of the articles was Craig Brown in the Daily Mail, who writes that fishing is "Holding a rod all day and doing nothing". REALLY?

On a serious note, he has it all wrong - fishing (no matter what your capabilities) involves decision-making all day, from making the decision to go fishing, getting ready, making decisions every few seconds while fishing, then physically packing up and going home. The result is that whether you catch fish or not, you have actually achieved something, as opposed to someone sitting all day and watching  TV. 

Achieving something is what keeps us being positive. Ask any psychoanalyst and they are likely to say that DOING something is the difference between feeling that life is worth living, and giving up.

THE RESULT 

I flex my mussels, on Willows, Decoy

Peg 18, Thursday, Sep 21
I'm pleased to report that my shed is now free of bluebottles and the maggot fridge is switched on and working perfectly. In addition, my Dearly Beloved is none the wiser about that unfortunate episode when a cloud of flying insects gave a spectacular imitation of starlings murmurating in the skies above our surprised village a week or so ago, of which no more will be said!

Twelve of us hopefulls turned out for this Spratts match - no doubt all hoping to draw peg 1 or 15; I know I was. But early in the draw 15 went to Peter Spriggs. He's won off that recently and is running hot at the moment (well, he has been for several years). The a minute or two later: "Peter Harrison, peg 1!" Peter has won off that peg as well (so have I, so it must be a good 'un). To cap it all, if my memory is correct, Peter Spriggs was drawn Golden Peg...

Fishing for third place
Now I am a realist, so I decided that on peg 18 I would be fishing for third place at best, and that actually relaxed me, and I determined just to enjoy the day. Not that I was unhappy with my draw, because I came second off 20 earlier this year, beaten by the flier 25, which was not in today. In addition I remember that John Smith won off end peg 19 last season in a Spratts match. Yet a few years ago that bay, from the point at 15, round to 23, used to be known as Dead Man's Bay, because no much was ever caught there!

My home for the day - peg 18 in Dead Man's Bay!

When I got to the peg the light South-West wind was blowing from about peg 6 straight down the lake, giving calm water for the early numbers, but a nice ripple from about 11 to 15. On our swims in the bay there was a ripple, but it was a long way out, so I opted to start on 11.5 metres, just on the edge of it. The forecast was for possible rain later, but we had sun for much of the day, and all-round it was very pleasant.

Only two nets in
After the huge amount of rain we'd had overnight I didn't fancy my chances of catching a lot and put in only two nets, instead of my normal three. Next, Karen came down to the lake with the live maggots I had ordered. She had said the delivery to Decoy would be around 9.30 am. and she had some to take to Six-Island as well. That's service for you! Karen's doing a great job managing Decoy, has been very helpful to the Fenland Rods club, and I've heard no grumbles at all.

It was a slow start - the first hour saw a tiny carp or two on an expander, then a couple of F1s on corn. But there were fish there, as I was getting indications just as the bait was almost on bottom. Then I foulhooked an F1 on the top of the head, which meant it must have been rooting around on the bottom. So why wouldn't they take my bait properly?

Joe Bedford in action to my left on peg 16. Peter Sprggs, is to his left.

Fishing to the platforms
I had intended to fish hard pellet on that line  but instead decided to have a look towards the platforms either side, in the deeper water about five feet from the reeds. I chose to fish the deep water because the sun was out and the surface was flat calm. That brought a couple of bream and roach, and a small carp from the left. First drop towards the right platform, and I pricked a fish first drop - the elastic came out momentarily but the fish came off. That happened quite a lot in this match, and I must assumed that the fish were all foulhooked.

Back out to the long line and the occasional carp to 2 lb came in, and after two hours I had about 12 lb. I had seen Peter Spriggs, to my left, playing a fish or two, and about this time I saw Joe Bedford land a much bigger carp, fishing near the margins. That was obviously my next move, so after a quick look near the platforms I set my stall out to fish on a top two either side.

Joe didn't have many fish, but they were nice ones.

From the left I had a couple of bream on corn, best 2 lb, and tried worm, which bream love. But the result was a tiny perch, so it was back to corn  for a roach and another small F1. Bites were not easy to hit - something would tug at the bait (at least that's what it looked like) and then leave it, and perhaps sink slowly down, but there would be nothing there. Probably liners. Occasionally it would disappear under the surface and if I left it for two or three seconds and it didn't re-appear it would be a proper bite, and a fish would result.

My Get Out Of Jail card
But I felt that I should be getting more fish, so I changed to my special method, which I haven't used much this year because conditions haven't been right for it. They weren't ideal today, but I thought it worth a try, as it has got me out of jail many times. Basically if I can't catch on that in the margins I won't catch anything.

I had a spare short top with 8/10 elastic in, put a new rig on that,  and it worked a treat - a couple of quick F1s and then a 2 lb carp. That made me worry a bit - I didn't fancy playing big carp on an 8/10 elastic through a short top, so I put another similar rig on a short top with 16/18 elastic.

The result was instant - next fish was a mirror around 8 lb, and I was VERY glad I had changed the elastic. I immediately changed to mussel and soon after, I was attached to another good carp. It came in quite quickly, as I kept the top low and let the elastic pull the fish slowly in to the net, rather than constantly  trying to bully them in. It doesn't happen every time, but when it does, the result is very satisfying (though often the fish come alive in the net and are difficult to unhook).

Mike Rawson was on 20, to my right. There was a platform between us, hidden by the reeds.

Advice from a good 'un

Now during the Scunthorpe visit a fortnight ago Lee Kendall had given me some advice about feeding for carp, and today I put it into effect. Basically it was to keep feeding if the carp were there - don't let them drift away beause there's no feed in the swim, or no feed going in. We all know that even if they are not hungry, carp will often take an interest in feed falling through the water. And if they are hungry, then they are "Feeding Machines" (Lee's description).

Today I put that into effect, and scooped up a handfull of micros while  was playing the next fish, squeezed it, and plonked it in the swim. Then before the next cast I would out in a biggish pot of micros, hemp and corn or 6 mm pellets. It seemed to work, and slowly I started getting  carp mainly 5 lb-plus. I also kept hitting fish as I lifted the rig out. None stuck - they all came off immediately.

Best carp of the day

When I had 34 lb on my clicker for the first net I had decided to look in the right margin, where I hadn't put any bait. Within 30 seconds I hit the best carp of the day - over 10 lb, and put it into the second net, just in case it took my first net over the 50 lb mark (I tend to underestimate my weights and go over the limit, to my mates' constant delight at the weigh-in).

Next fish was 6 lb and that went into the first net, to bring it up to 40 lb, giving me a safe margin. I was really enjoying it - the short top combined with a short Number three means you can use the puller if necessary with the extra section attached, and I did so to land the better fish. But the shorter length of elastic means you have to be prepared to add a section or two at times early in the fight.

Even using my special method it wasn't all perfect, but at least it told me whether fish were still in the swim, even if I wasn't getting good bites. To my right Mike Rawson started getting fish farther out, but they were smaller, although he had one fish at least into double-figures. I couldn't see Peter Spriggs landing much, but I was sure he would have been bagging; and of course I had no idea what Peter Harrison had on 1.

Several bream were caught - they have shown well
at Decoy in the past couple of years. This one
is in Trevor Cousins' net.

Right margin best

The righthand swim gave me fish more quickly than from the left, all on half a mussel, and they were mainly 6 lb-plus.The only one I lost was down to me - I thought it was an F1, and that I didn't need to add a third section. Then the fish surfaced and I could see it was in double figures, but before I could add a section the fish obviously remembered it has an urgent appointment and shot off, breaking the hooklength.

Soon after that I put in a third net, but stupidly, because it was in the last hour, I didn't click properly.  

In the last half hour the fish seemed to have vanished in the righthand swim where I had been fishing, and I had been coming slowly closer to the bank to get bites. I would have liked to drop in right next to the reeds, but there were several reed stems laying out a couple of feet from the bank, parallel with it, and I daren't risk moving them because it was the only cover there. 

Wendy Bedford, fresh from her Spratts win last week
had 30 lb 5 oz from peg 11.

So I switched back to the left margin, which I hadn't touched for an hour. But I had been religiously feeding it constantly, and that paid dividends when I found fish there straight away. They were mainly big F1s, but a couple were better carp around 8 lb. Then the match finished, and I had clicked 40 lb in two nets and probably had 20 lb in the last one - total around 100 lb.

The weigh-in
I missed the first few weighs, but Peter Harrison was way out in front with 99 lb 3 oz, on cat meat and hard pellet mainly from the right hand side of the swim. I was surprised at how low the other weights were - below 50 lb, up to Dave Hobbs on 13, who had 54 lb 13 oz. Next was Peter Spriggs on the pont on 15, who had not emptied it after all. He totalled 59 lb 3 oz, and said he must have lost at least ten fish. From his description of how the fish took off I am sure they were all foulhooked.

Dave Hobbs waits patiently while his first net is weighed.

Joe Bedford had fished well on 16 to land 40 lb 9 oz (he's 93), and I was next to weigh. 

My first net I struggled to lift out - sometimes a rig gets caught under the platform - so John Garner came to my rescue. He lurched up the bank with the net and immediatelynearly everybody suspected that my 40 lb net was overweight. Indeed it was - that was obvious. If it went over 60 lb it would be disqualified.

My heart was in my mouth as I saw the digits shoot upwards to...56 lb something. So I would get 50 lb for that net. The next one (40 lb in my estimation) had 48 lb-plus (phew) and the last one which I hadn't been clicking because I thought there would be no need, went 46 lb; I was lucky there! Total 144 lb 5 oz for the win. 

Then the rain, which had been just spots, came down a little harder and, ironically, gave us a bit of ripple where it had been calm all match! To my right Mike had slowed up after a good spell fishing long, and had 48 lb 13, but on end peg 22 Bob Barrett had worked his magic with his feeder rod, down the margins, and ended with 57 lb 1 oz. He really can fish that feeder.

Peter Spriggs' fish were a lot smaller than mine.
The better ones seemed to be in our bay.
But he always enjoys himself, win (which
he does a lot), or lose. And he did come third.

The rain had started before Mike Rawson
 was asked to pose with his fish.

Last to weigh was Bob Barrett,
 fourth from peg 22.

Mike shows fishes his best, double-figure,
fish out of the weighing bag.

Marks out of 10
I give myself only 7, because I never even tried maggot on the hook, and I had both live and dead with me. Nor did I try hard pellet or paste for those big carp, nor worm once I knew they were in the swim. So often a change of bait will tempt a fish when they seem to have wised up to the bait you are using. Mussel was fine, but I wasn't getting fish that quickly - I really should have tried something else.

However I did play the fish well, apart from that one blip. And I was chuffed that I took Lee Kendall's advice to keep feeding. Previously I have tended to take the advice in so many magazines, and fish for 'one fish at a time.' I got through two tins of hemp, two tins of corn, a pint of 6mm and nearly three pints of micros.  Plus some mussels, usually putting five half mussels in each time, with a half on the hook. Happy days.

PLUS it seemed the fish our side of peg 15 were bigger, so Dead Man's Bay was the hot area to be in, even though there wasn't much of a ripple. But you've gotta take advantage of that sort of luck when it comes along.

Next match on Cedar on Sunday, when it would be nice if corner pegs 1 or 26 stuck to Mel Lutkin's fingers when my name is pulled out!

Bad News
Trevor told us that Mick Ramm won't be fishing with us for the forseeable future. He missed fishing all last year because of one hip being so bad he could hardly walk. He had an operation on that in January, and fished with us early in the season, when he was absolutely fine. But when he fished recently he was hobbling, and now apparently he can hardly walk again, because the other hip has gone, and at the time of writing no date had been set for an operation. And with millions of appointments and operations in the NHS pipeline who knows when we shall see his smiling face again? I know Mick is the same age as me, because we went to Junior school together when we were aged about 7-10.

THE RESULT

1 Peter Harrison        99 lb 3 oz        2nd

3 Neil Paas                32 lb 8 oz

5 Martin Parker         22 lb 3 oz

7 John Garner            24 lb 8 oz

9 Trevor Cousins      48 lb 11 oz

11 Wendy Bedford    30 lb 5 oz

13 Dave Hobbs         54 lb 13 oz

15 Peter Spriggs       59 lb 3 oz        3rd

16 Joe Bedford         40 lb 9 oz

18 Mac Campbell   144 lb 5 oz        1st

20 Mike Rawson      48 lb 13 oz

22 Bob Barrett          57 lb 1 oz        4th