The stretch itself was looking really good with a nice tinge of colour and not too much flow or rubbish on top, I plumbed my swim up and found 5 ½ ft down the track and around 2 ft tight over against the far bank brambles. My plan was simple, bread at 5m in 4ft of water, squatt across in 3ft, caster tight across in 2 ft and if I was in trouble I would start a new bread line down the middle in 5ft of water.
My bread rig was the normal DS14h on 0.12mm Cenex mainline to a 0.08mm hooklength of the same material, the hooklength is 4 inches long and finishes in a 20 B511 hook. This is set up on number 5 elastic through 3 sections of my Z9 so that I can swing as many fish as possible. My squatt rig consisted of strung no.13 shot under 0.2g Classic 6 on 0.09mm mainline to 0.06mm bottom and a size 22 B590 hook, this is rigged on number 3 elastic through 3 sections, this is so that it can be set pingy but still soft enough to prevent small fish from splashing and attracting Pike. My caster rig was a 4X12 thin dibber type on 0.12mm to 0.08mm line and a size 18 B511 to fish single or double caster, due to the fact that I was only expecting small perch or skimmers this was quite light and set up on number 5 elastic through 3 sections.
At the all in I fed a Satsuma size ball of bread and a small amount of loose at 5m, 5 balls of Browning Canal mixed with 25% Etang with a few squats and hemp on the 3ft line and 100 casters across. I shipped my bread rig out, lowered it in and it kept going. Roach number 1 was in the keepnet, this was followed by an awesome first 45 minutes that saw nearly a fish a chuck including a couple of small hybrids that I needed to net. However, after the 45minute spell was over it was down to trying to scratch a few fish out, I started my new bread line about halfway through the match and this produced a few roach, including a 4oz netter in the last 10 minutes. My Squatt line produced very little with my best run being about 6 fish at 25 to the pound and finally despite trying to nurture it my caster line did not even give me an indication. At the end of the match I ended up with 1kg 750, this turned out to be good enough for 6th in section but John, Dave and the others to my left had a really good day with a top weight of 4kg and 2 three kilo weights coming from barely 100 meters away.
Pez had another section win so well done to him and for me to retain my title I will have to really pull my finger out on the commercials that will start next month.
In Hindsight I should have concentrated on bread and not even taken squatt with me but since it would have worked on the last match I am finding myself in a catch 22 situation with whether or not I should take it again.
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