What a roller coaster ride this match fishing lark can be can't it. One minute you are bagging up, framing week in week out and then just when your confidence is at it's highest, you suddenly receive a swift knee to the groin !!!!Following sundays Leatherhead DAS match at Willinghurst where I had 126lb, I really couldn't wait to get back there for Wednesdays Open. With the weather overcast and supposidly a "bit breezy" it looked like ideal conditions for a right bagging session.
When Don picked me up in the morning, it was raining on and off but by the time we arrived sat the fishery the rain had stopped and wouldn't return for the rest of the day. However, on my pre draw wander around the lake, it appeared that the "Bit breezy" weather was a bit like Michael Fish and his famous "There wont be a storm" statement all those years ago as the wind was howling straight down John's Lake and across the Top Lake straight into Pegs 15 and 16 with 3 inch waves in those two pegs. The rest of the lake was either sheltered by trees or the pegs had the wind behind them so I made a quick mental note of pegs not to draw.
Many a match is spoilt for you by those few split seconds where you put your hand in the draw bag and this appeared to be my turn as after a brief bit of rummaging about, out came...........PEG 15 ! Oh dear I thought (or words to that affect) although the peg has been producing a few fish (my mate Ross had 77lb from it on sunday and lost a load of foul hookers as well) the wind was really going to make it a challenge.
Fishing wise, there was little to report, I realised it was going to be difficult when tackling up as eveytime I put anything on my bait tray it blew straight off ! From previous results I knew that if I was going to catch then it would be on the pole as the lead doesn't seem to produce a lot in the peg (in hindsight this was probably a mistake !). Anyway, rather than dropping, the wind seemed to get stronger as the day went on, the only place I could hold the pole was in the edge by the rushes where I actually fancied catching a few fish as it looked very fishy and was a decent depth. After retrieving my cap for the third time, I then tightened up the velcro bit at the back so that although it was never going to come off (or so I thought) I then ended up with a head ache ! oh and a big gust of wind still managed to deposit the cap in the back spit behind me !
After catching one of the lakes smallest carp, a fish of about 2 pound, I then sat biteless for the next hour. Bob Poulton (Bag up Bob) on Peg 16 lasted about 90 minutes before he'd had enough and left for home, whilst the rest of my mach was made up of:-
5 Trips to see Don catching wherever he chucked his lead on Peg 20
2 Toilet breaks
1 Cheese Burger Break in the cabin
1 Tea Break in the cabin
The most enjoyable part of the day was after I packed up with half an hour to go and went and laid down in the sunshine on the platform of Peg 21 (which wasn't pegged) and watched Don's float going under as he fished in the edge.
Congratulations to Mick the Bookie for taking my pound, his tactic of lobbing out a lead and standing nowhere near his rod seemed to work well as three of his five fish hooked themselves when he was leaning against the fence about 9 metres behind his peg chatting !
Result
Don Garnish Peg 20 112-8-0
Woody Peg 19 52-12-0
John Clifford Peg 4 52-0-0
Mick Keeper Peg 8 50-0-0
Ged Cooper Peg 18 38-0-0
We're off to Gold Valley on sunday for Round 1 of my club league where hopefully we'll all catch a few fish. Come back Monday to see if it is an up or down match for me !!!!!
