19/2/2014 AF Gp2 Match 4, K&A

Today saw an early start as I had somehow volunteered myself to peg the group match along the Kennet and Avon canal at Bishops Cannings, it wasn’t as bad as it used to be but I managed to get a boot full when I slipped in trying to get past a fallen tree, it was one of two and meant that I had to move a section from where I had wanted to put it and move it up to Horton Bridge.

Anyway I survived and managed to get my breakfast in plenty of time so calmed down no end quite quickly, for the day it was the team of Tidworth Tiddlers, Myself, Rocky and Tony again. I drew and it could have been better, Tony was next to the turning bay, Rocky was on A1 but there were 4 end pegs in his section and I was slap bang in the middle of C section.

It didn’t look too bad so I set up a bread rig for 2+2, a worm rig for across, a worm rig for down the track and another bread rig for 11.5m.  My day started well with a run of decent fish in the first hour but then bites faded for everyone and we were all left struggling, I think I over fed on the short line and the perch did not really show in enough numbers.

I ended up with 1.4KG and that was only good enough for 4^th in section the two end pegs had 1.8-1.9kg and John Dewberry led the way again with an impressive 2.5KG from the middle of the section. I was able to watch him all day and he managed to nurture his bread lines for longer by feeding less and more often so one to take away there.

Back at the pub the team had ended up with 11 points for 3^rd or 4^th and I took a quid back off Tony, so it wasn’t all gloom and doom.

16/2/2014- Viaduct WL rd 3

This week I was going to be sat on Cary, I was hoping for a good draw with loads of open water to go at as the weather running up to the event had been up and down to say the least.  I was on 20 hrs notice to move for flood relief duties (as was Rocky)  because of the amount of rainfall over the previous week but the Saturday night had seen clear skies, a full moon and a stiff frost(-3 deg C).

Trev came away from the draw with peg 79 for me, he was on 9 (not good) Rocky on 3, Ivan on 73 and Steve was on 113. Straight away we needed Rocky and Ivan to have a good day and my plan was to catch 3 carp as the cold clear windless conditions were not good silvers weather.

So I set up a waggler to fish meat or corn at a variety of depths, I also plumbed it up in case I ended up trying to feed some meat for skimmers and I set up a bomb rod to fish anywhere I could. To cut a long story very short, I cast out the tip on the all in and again every 15-20 minutes to no avail, I started to feed a meat line and managed a solitary skimmer at about 3 and a half hours. That was my day, apart from watching a lot of foul hooked fish getting landed from the far bank and having someone moan about me casting too far (Tom). I did get spells of liners but no matter what I tried I could net get the tip to go round, to my left a foul hooked carp and to my right Chris managed to get a properly hooked carp with 20 minutes to go.

My skimmer went 9oz and this was enough for 2 points (at least I didn’t blank) If I had caught 6lb of silvers it would have been good enough for another 2 points so I was right to go for the carp to get better points, it just didn’t work.

The others did not do much better and we ended up with a possible record low score, still it could have been worst I could have had a proper swim poacher:

Canal next so I should get a couple more bites…..

2/2/2014 Viaduct Winter League Rd 2,

So it was off to Campbell lake for Rd 2 of this quality winter league and after the breakfast at McDonalds I was given peg 127 to be my pitch for the day. Now my record with this lake is mixed to say the least and it tends to be feast or famine, this time with me sat just off the epicentre of the fish I was fearing the worst from the start, but having said that there were a few fish showing in front of me so who knew.

To try and hedge my bets I set up a waggler for fishing meat or corn, a bomb rod, a silvers rig for 14.5m and a meat rig for a top 2+2 line. I was ready for the all in and fed 4 balls of groundbait, caster and dead maggot on the long pole line, before casting the waggler and corn out which saw me missing a quick bite.  The next one was not so lucky but it was foul hooked and there ended any action on the waggler, I tried the bomb and had a few indications that I am sure was fish getting away with it and also managed a few silvers on the long pole. I had fed 8mm meat all day on a waggler line and in the last hour had 2 bites that resulted in a skimmer of about a pound, but it had been a very frustrating day.

Basically I got to watch all the pegs to my left catch carp, on the pegs 124 and 125 both had ton plus weights I had 8lb, a 5lb carp and 3lb of bits.  It was enough for 7 points and the end again of any hope of a good individual result overall.  The team had another grueller with John being the only one to have a good day from peg 64 catching 80 odd pound of carp on the wag.  Cary in a fortnight so let’s see what happens.