So it was a drive through a sleepy Bath city center at
0730 for me followed by a meet for the second round of the South West WL on the
Bristol Avon. My team again was Premier Amalgamated and even though we had been
joined by fellow Fosters Team Army stalwart, Kev, we were still down 2 anglers
come the draw. I was team captain for the day and due to the fact that we had
waited so long for the last 2 anglers we were the last to draw so I couldn’t
even use my magic drawing hand.
Kev was sat on the bridge itself so had the chance of a
good day, I was on permanent peg 24, and this looked good for a few of the
target species but I ended my match near enough whilst setting up. My Z10 had
been delivered a couple of days before and I was soon sat on m y box plumbing
up a couple of rigs for a long roach line and a short lobworm line at the base
of the near shelf 10m downstream. I also decided to try and catch bream or
skimmers out of my peg so set up a groundbait feeder to fish just short of the
far bank foliage. I was ready for the all-in even having had to mix two
different groundbait mixes without a drill as I had left it at home, but as it
sounded out went 8 babies heads on the pole line followed by 8 cricket balls
onto a line just short of the far bank tree line.
I shipped my 2g roach rig out onto the longer line and
managed 4 fish in 5 run downs but then the swim started to wain almost straight
away and by the end of the first 30 minutes I had only managed another roach
and a couple of small perch. I decided to give it a couple of small balls of
groundbait and then chucked the feeder across the river, this was a nonstarter
really and only produced 2 small chublet and a few small perch all day, and I
spent a long time on it in between the canoes.
Speaking of canoes, I don’t mind sharing the water with
other people but they were sooo bloody minded it was unreal, on more than one
occasion I was unable to cast or fish due to a line of boats coming through or
they would stop in front of you for a rest/chat….. Not too happy.
Back to the fishing, the pole gave me a few perch on the
short line, including some wasps on half a lobworm and I was able to scratch a
few more roach from on the pole line but at the end I was glad to finish,
especially after not putting a fish into the net for the last hour.
The all out was called and after a wait the scales
arrived, the two downstream pegs had pound weights, Andy power had 7lb odd
mostly on the wag and the guy to my left had 8lb+. I had guessed at 3-4lb and
was spot on with about 3 1/2lb for third in section. Kev walked up to see me
after he had weighed and he had managed a section win with 8lb 10oz I think,
and we had another second in section in the next section, unfortunately the
missing anglers cost us and we were the strongest team on the day propping up
the whole table, this last also put us into last in the league.
Off on exercise for a few weeks now so I will let you
know how I get on when I am back.
What would I do different?
I should not have balled in on the feeder line, it had
been a cold night, I should have gone softly softly to see if any fish were
there.
I should have set up a crowquill/ bolo for the pole line
so that I could explore more of the swim, the guy downstream managed a few nice
Hybrids on the crowquill over the pole line.
Should have set up a wag to fish across as it appears
that it was a better wag peg than bream peg historically.
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