Sunday 2nd April 2006

Same again, headed to Sessay to organise the Sunday Open Match.

I was hoping for a full turn out of 80 anglers as I had a full list of names and some people were going to turn up to try to get on the open match.

As it transpired, about 10 people failed to turn up, therefore I managed to get on all those that made the trek to try to get on. What can we/I do about non-attenders??? Ho hum.

The jackpot pegs were drawn, pegs 12 and 57 were the lucky pegs. As soon as these pegs were drawn and we knew which anglers were on them, we knew the kitty was safe.

The draw commenced, I could feel a good peg coming along due to the Law of Averages (and being an average angler and all that). I dipped my hand in the bag and peg 24 was stuck to my mitt. There were many howls of laughter. When I enquired why?, I was told that everyone was waiting to see how to knack up a good peg!!!! So much for thinking that I had some mates!!!

Andy (Perverted) Purvis was in attendance, the first time in many months. He had a bad shoulder by all accounts, too many five knuckle shuffles if you ask me. The 2 quid side bet was struck (prior to the draw I hasten to add), and he was already moaning about having to give me 2 quid, and that was before he wet a line, although that isn't entirely true as it absolutely pee'd it down all day. Pound side bets were also struck with Poison Dwarf, Flash Gordon and Orc. This was going to be an expensive day should I lose!!!!!

Albert (Grandad) Poole had 36lb off my peg the previous Sunday, so I was hopeful of a few.

I had Neil Lloyd (Lloydy - How original) to my right on peg 25 and someone Hibbert to my Left on peg 23.

Got my gear out of my motor and realised that I had left both my waterproof leggings and wellies at home. The rain was absolutely tipping it down. I rang the pond owner to see if he had some waterproof trousers, I was offered either; waders or Barbour trousers (what the hell are they?). Lloydy on the next peg was hearing my plight and offered me some Protak Exeat leggings. Top Bloke!!.

The match started (only when I was ready and shouted time), i went across to the island with a 4 x 10 float to .10 powerline and a size 18 Kamasan 611 barbless hook with single 4mm pellet. I tipped in my fruitshoot top of groundbait and settled down, for about 10 seconds. The float shot under and an angry F1 carp of about 2lb was trying it's best to run up over the island and to the peg at the other side of the high bank. White Hydro Elastic through the No.2 section only of my pole soon had the carp under control and it was soon in the landing net. Comments along the lines of "Mick, it must be solid", "Mick, slow down" and "Mick, have you spent your winnings already" were quickly being aimed my way.

Being deaf in one hear, I was having to have the messages relayed to me, so by the time the messages/comments got back to me it was a bit like Chinese Whispers and I thought they were all cheering me on and wishing me luck!

After catching 2 fish off down the same hole, I tried (being the operative word) to get a second line going to the right of my peg number. This failed miserably throughout the match, as I only caught 3 fish from this line. After approximately 1 hour, I would estimate that I had about 7lb (5 carp and 1 ide). My hookbait was 4mm pellet on a size 18 hook. After an hour and feeling as though I was going nowhere, I fed some micro-pellets and a couple of 4mm pellets down the middle of the lake at about 9m at the bottom of the slope. After 10 minutes (but it felt like an eternity), I dropped the deep rig over the bait at the bottom of the slope. The float settled and slid under very slowly. I struck with such vigour that even Zorro, oops, I meant X-man, would have been proud. A fat water filled F1 carp of about 2lb in weight and about 1.25lb in size was soon nestling in the bottom of the landing net. Not daring to touch or pick the fish up, should it lose a pound, I took the hook out in the landing net, then rolled it into the keepnet. I dropped in again down the same hole and waited all of 2 or 3 minutes and the float buried again, this time a 1lb'er was forthcoming.

I fished the deep line for the next 40 - 45 minutes and I would estimate that I had about 15lb. I then decided to rest the deep line and went back over to the far shelf, to my original starting point. I proceeded to catch the odd carp and after 3 hours would have estimated at having 25lb (if I was lucky). Perverted came and sat behind me for 15 minutes or so and kept me informed of the anglers around him. The Castleford Munchkin on Peg 6 had had 8 or 9 fish all of which were 2lb + and the lad on peg 8 was also putting a few together. I asked Perverted what he had caught, and he admitted to 4 fish. The excuses then came out, "not been for a long time", "my shoulder is hurting", "can't buy a bite across" and many more.

Andy then decided to go back to his peg after a little pep talk. The wind had died a little and I felt that I could probably get away with putting another No.13 shot on my float rig across. The first drop in with the additional shot added, and the float dipped. I struck and the white hydro stayed where it was and the pole tip was reaching near and near to the sun. After a little tussle, just to get it off the far shelf, I then played it for about 3 or 4 minutes down the middle. Perverted and Magnum had created an audience from afar. After a brief fight a common of about 3 lb was in the bottom of the keepnet. I then proceeded to fish this line for the next 45 minutes.

At 3:30 pm, with 45 minutes of the match left, I went back down the deeps with a 6mm expander pellet on (not 2 of them, as some people may think). The float buried and a battle ensued. I could not get the fish off the bottom using 1.2 latex elastic through the match kit (minus the number 1 section). The fish then came off bottom towards the landing net and went round and round in circles. Ah, a Barbel, this one was about 1.5lb. I then caught a procession of barbel from down the middle for the next 35 minutes.

With about 20 minutes to go, Perverted came back and sat behind me. Perverted informed me that Racingh (think about it) had a right beast on and had been playing it for some time now. After keeping an eye on Ray, I was starting to pray to him upstairs for Ray to lose the fish. My prayers were answered. Ray's line snapped and he lost the fish. Perverted watched how I missed 3 liners/indications in a row. I let the bite develop a bit more, and another barbel followed. For the last ten minutes of the match, I went back over to the far side and caught 1 more fish (could I have had anymore down the middle?).

Had I done enough. Rumours were coming round the lake that Tala on peg 31 had caught steadily all day and Robbie Larkin indicated that he had about 50lb. I said to Perverted, that I estimated that I had between 35 - 40lb and possibly, if the scales were kind, just over 40lb.

By the time the scales had got to me Age Concern on peg 10 had 48lb odd, and the next best was 33lb from the Castleford Munchkin. Peg 23 to my Left weighed in 25lb odd, mostly caught next to the aerator. I picked my net out of the water and weighed in 42lb 3oz, this put me second overall out of the first 24 pegs. Lloydy on peg 25 weighed in 32lb, so job done for a start, not to get beaten both sides. As I proceeded to pack away my rain sodden gear, (why do rod bags weigh twice as much at the end of a match than at the beginning?), I was informed that Tala on peg 31 only had about 30lb, so this still put me second on my half of the lake.

I packed all of my gear away, and drove round to pick up Flash Gordon, asking for results on the other side of the lake as I went. The best weight weighed in on the high numbers of the lake was 40lb by Grandad.

I had done it, I came second!!! A brown envelope was on it's way to me. All I had to do now was to see if Age Concern had had a moment of senile dementia and had forgotten to put his name, and his quid, on the list for the optional winner take all. Oh well, there is always next week.

The result as follows confirms my second place:

1st Bruce Poland (Age Concern), 48-13. peg 10 (with peg 9 empty). Pellet across to the island.
2nd Me (Oaks/Bob-Co), 42-03. Peg 24 (with no empty pegs).
3rd Andy Bennett (Garbolino Elton), 41-11. Peg 36.
4th Bert Poole (Oaks/Westpark), 40-08. Peg 68.
5th Craig Ebbrill, (Mosella ?), 35-15. Peg 54.
6th Dave Topham, (Waterline Wibsey), 34-12. Peg 33

Sections:
S1 Pegs 1 - 13 - Dave Sharpe 33-04. peg 6
S2 Pegs 14 - 24 - Mal Bailey 32-03, peg 18
S3 Pegs 25 - 35 - Dave Topham 34-12, Peg 33
S4 Pegs 36 - 46 - Pete Rambow (Snr) 32-12, peg 44
S5 Pegs 47 - 58 - Gordon Poole 34-00, peg 53
S6 Pegs 59 - 69 - Andy Middleton 32-04, peg 63
S7 Pegs 70 - 80 - Johhn McGarrell 26-13, peg 74

With the above in mind, I can only say one thing. Good job that I haven't got a Fisho ticket!!!