Avoiding the blank 19 pt 10 (Dorset Stour and Hampshire Avon)

Nov 19 AAF Group 2 Match 2 Kennet and Avon Canal

After the fun that I had been having on the river near Blandford of late I was a bit miffed when this match was moved onto the canal but due to the access issues I understood it completely. We were all back off to Bishops Cannings and the draw took place in the Wetherspoons in the center of Devizes, I know I lived there for a few months but I really dislike the place with its stupid car parking machines and rules and the traffic, don't get me started on the traffic.
I was lucky enough to draw one off the golden peg and just the wrong side of the swing bridge from where I wanted but it was a half decent peg anyway.  I had decided against taking bread for the first time in years on the canal, partially on advice from some people whom had been fishing the winter league up that way and partially because I hadn't had time since the venue change to prep any.

Despite my misgivings I knew I was in for a good day so I set up pole rigs for a short line, a couple fot the long 3ft line and  one for fishing worm down the canal to my left towards a couple of boats that should have provided some cover.  I also set up a 4m whip in case the short line was as good as it can be down there.  I had mixed my groundbait the night before to try and make it as inert as possible, I had also sieved it to remove all the bigger bits, i had pinkie, caster and worm as my main go to baits and I was ready well before the all in.

On the all in I fed a small ball of groundbait on the short line and then fed another 3 balls onto the long line, I chopped 20 worms added some crushed caster and shipped that down the canal alongside  the boat in the deeper water.  I shipped out the short rig expectant of a quick response and to be fair it wasn't too bad, i had 4 fish in 5 minutes and was soon switching to the whip to see if that could increase the catch rate. It was at this point that I started to think that it would not be my day as the boat closest to me where I had fed my worm line suddenly burst into life, the owners jumped about and set sail straight over the top of m short line.  Fortunately it only slowed the fishing for a few minutes and I was soon catching the odd roach again but their size had quartered, this was then compounded when the next boat left from my left had side this time with more throttle straight over my short line.  Time to go long I thought.

I shipped out onto the long line and there were tiny roach on pinkie there straight away, at this point I decided to try and catch a bigger stamp of fish so I decided to concentrate on fishing caster.  I would ship out and then toss pot 5-7 caster over the area and then allow the 0.3g rig to settle, after 20 seconds I would lift and drop and most put ins I was getting a bit by stamp roach doing that.

The only problem I had was that I was watching Nick and the guy to his right catching bonus skimmers and roach to 10OZ!!!!  I decided pretty quickly that I was just going to enjoy my day though and try to sort out the caster fishing as I can't remember ever doing very well with them on any canal.

I had the odd look on the worm line for a couple of slightly better roach and a perch of 4oz but I couldn't seem to keep them interested in the track so I started another caster line to my right and tried to work the two swims for maximum reward. It started to rain at one point and I even got my umbrella out of the rod bag for the first time in years, I think I'm starting to get old!  Come the all out even though Nic and I had been trying the Des Shipp school of moaning to be fair we had both had a nice days fishing.  I was weighed in first for the section and I had 2.325Kg of mostly roach, Nic had managed to moan  3.175Kg of roach, hybrids and some waspie perch onto his double pinkie hookbaits.  If we had taken away the bonus fish it would have been alot closer but such is life.  I was also beaten by the guy on the other end peg who had 2.4Kg, I saw at least 2 bream in his net so once again bonus fish had seen me off of the K&A.

So I ended up 3rd in section, Evo had a 3rd in section (By default) and Greg had 4th in section, this put the team 3rd or 4th on the day so just above bottom, still at least it was a nice day out of the office.

What would I do differently?
I will never leave bread at home again.
I should have put a worm line tight across.
I needed a lighter float on the caster line with a hairy fairy shotting pattern.

But all of this will change for the next match as we are on Todber, here is a heads up I am not re-elasticating my pole so will mostly be fishing the wag or feeder.

October 19 AAF Gp2 Match 1 Dorset Stour

So it is that time of year again when I try to get something down for the blog.

Last month I fished a group match on the Dorset Stour just outside Sturminster Newton, even though the weather on the run up to the match had done its best to try and prevent it from happening around 30 anglers turned up to a very colored and fast flowing Stour.
I managed to draw the golden peg and all I was told at the draw was that it was on Bream bend!!!  Well if that was the case I thought then I was in with a chance of a couple as the water would have been sock on, alas I was the peg downstream of the bend just as the river narrowed again, typical.

To be fair it wasn't all bad as There was a bit of slack towards the far side and some nice looking trees downstrream of the swim so I did fancy it down there for the possibility of a chub or 2 but only time would tell. 

I mixed my groundbait and then started to plumb up, I had a bit of a shock as it was about 6 feet deep at 13m and nearly 14ft at 12m!!  The flow on the long line was also problematic as it was still quite quick and I was being forced into setting up a 2g rig as my light rig, a 4g rig as a slowing rig and I also set up a 4g flat float if I needed to hold the bait still.  This was not ideal but if I came any shorter then I was not really able to fish a pole rig as the flow was to fast.  I also set up a waggler to cast down the swim in the vain hope that I might be able to get a few fish from under the trees on wag and mag and that was me all set up.

I finished prepping my bait and was actually ready for the all in, I had spoken to a couple of friends on the run up to this match and they both recommended cupping a few balls of bait in, but I knew better and decided to bosh in 6 baby's heads and then cup in 4 smaller feed rich balls over the top.

Straight after feeding I shipped out with the 2g rig baited with a red maggot confident of a quick bite, however, after an hour and with nothing to show I decided to pick up the waggler rod.  I had been trickling a few maggots down the swim towards the overhanging trees and much to my relief on the 2nd or 3rd run down the float went under withe a small bomber chub.... I hadn't blanked.  I managed to get a few bites by changing the depth, hookbait and exploring across and down the swim but I never felt like there were any big fish in the swim.   took the decision around mid match to quickly sert up a maggot feeder and cast it down next to the branches.

I set it up with a 0.20mm flouro hooklength and a size 14 carbon feeder hook and 2nd cast I hooked a decent fish, I hadn't seen the bite.  I cranked it quite hard as I was only too aware that there were old weedbeds in the flow and overhanging branches on my bank down stream, I got it to under the rod top and just as I was trying to get its head up it bit me off!

I am still not sure what had happened but I swapped to a 0.17mm mono hooklength straight after to to stop it from happening again.

It was coming into the last couple of hours now and by alternating between the feeder and the waggler i was still picking up the odd fish but they were all small.  Bri on the bream hole had had a skimmer and a few bits above me and I had been watching Mike down from me netting a few bonus fish from his short line so I was never really in the chase.  Anyway the all out was called and I ended up with 825g of small fish, this was just enough for third in the section as the river temperature had dropped dramatically with the infux of rain recently.  Bri had 1.3Kg and mike had 4.65Kg so I had been well and truly 'Harried'.

Still it was an enjoyable day in the sun and I cannot wait until the next time I can get onto the flowing water.

What would I do differently?

I would not have balled it in at the start and I should have set up a bolo for the middle of the river as my groundbait was getting washed down by the flow, I also think that a stick down the near margin may have been worth a few bonus fish.