Sunday 30 June 2013

Teams of Four Summer League -Thames

We all met at the Esso station by the M4 before we drive on through Highworth and Lechlade to Clanfield near Brize Norton.  On into Bampton to a coffee shop and the draw. Mike Marsden kindly took the reserve place for Pewsey Blue as Martin couldn't make it.  Leave Bampton go down Marsh Lane (2 miles of the roughest track I've been down for a while.  Into the cow fields; and immediately swarms of biting horse flies descend on the new blood in the fields giving the cows some rest-bite.
Horsefly heaven.
As I get out of the van at peg C1, the flies dive in. Anglers close by suggest I need to cover up quick. Before I can get my bib and brace on, I have been bitten 6 times!!  Hop over the stile, and get my kit to the bank.  Frantically route through my bag for some bug spray or deet of some kind.

Rule Board
In the panic (bites are up to 11 now) I grab the spray and squeeze. Rubbing the stuff all over I realise with horror I have squirted pole elastic lube all over.  Disaster, now instead of being bitten every insect for a mile sticks to me like fly paper in a butchers shop.  Anglers around are p***ing themselves laughing which really isn't helping.  I try to tackle up but grabbing the kit is like try to get hold of an eel everything is slippy and sticky.  The whistle goes and I am nowhere near ready.  Another ten minutes and I get a bit of bait in, on a feeder rod into a small shallow bay (cattle drink)  down stream at the end reaches of my peg.
The Peg, Cattle drink top left
My Peg was on the straight section the pegs either side both on the inside of glorious bends slacks on the inside, and over hanging willows far bank - pure Crabtree.  Mine in comparison was featureless. The tip bounced as I hastily set up my whip for the Bleak pipping by my feet. Deja vu if you read last weeks, yes an American signal cray fish.
 I went on to beat last weeks total 13, by one. New record 14 in one match. So after an hour on the tip bashing the Cray twins. I had, had enough.  The Cray above is a little squashed and  missing its claws.  Dead obviously.  Its OK to kill aliens I am told, in fact the locals positively encourage it. The match was slow, and although a nice day the wind was horrific.

 Struggling with both waggler and lygnum stick , because of the straight downstream 20 mph wind, struggling with the pleasure boats, all trying to bugger up my day.  

The wonderful cattle drink feature had become the obvious "lets stop , paddle, play, swim , throw the dog in.  Get the dog to retrieve everything place".  So that swim was out of bounds now, as the humans churning it up were replaced by a herd of cows imitating a herd of elephants at a waterhole.  

Sometimes in blog world you have to think of things to write to make it interesting.  Today there is so much going on I cant believe it.  A boat has just gone by with a topless woman sunbathing!!! Sorry couldn't get to the camera in time.

With one, two ounce roach in the net and with 1.5 hours to go. I am panicking.  Can't see if its the same for everyone.  The wind if anything is worse and now straight downstream making , mending the line or putting a float through straight impossible. 

Last resort get the whip out.  Little cloudy ground bait and pinkie set the depth at 3 feet.  10 feet six foot out from the bank, sloping down to 12 feet in the middle.  Start bashing the bleak.  Need to get something in the net.

The "all out" is shouted / whistled and I have one roach and load of Bleak.  The board man (peg 2 Chris something) from the local club is keen to start weighing in, and pack up later.  So we jump in my van and head of to peg 8 to work our way back.  Swindon ISIS on peg 8.  The guy had caught a Bream on his toes.  It was full of spawn, but still weighed in at 5lb 2 oz -add in his skimmers its not going well 7 lb 4oz. that's torn it.    As we work back I don't feel so bad as its ounces all the way.  Eventually I weigh in a pile of Bleak and one 2 oz Roach for a magnificent 1 lb 12 oz for second in section.  Great team points.
Good points for Mike too, in A section. Beaten by a Tench. with 1 lb 2.5 oz
 Steve Dean, beaten into 4th with 12 oz
 Yours truly sunk by a slab. Still beat the local Clanfield lad, Kevin Chubb and Pewsey Reds Paul White.
 Typical "Spanners" has gone from ounces to winning the match with a 6 lb + Bream.  Bloody marvelous, Will T struggled to a 4 oz 6th place.
Results.


So to the Results:
  1. Swindon ISIS again another 25 Points given them the lead with 52 points
  2. Equal first home side Clanfield 25 Points giving them 44 points
  3. Third Bankers with 23 Points giving them 36 points
  4. My Team Pewsey Blue 22 points giving us 41 Points (b and c points are round the wrong way but correct)
  5. Pewsey Red 20 Points giving them 42 points
  6. Lechlade A. 12 points C and D mixed up again but correct. Total 30 points.
  7. Odds and Sods, 10 points now totaling 21 points.  Kevin Chubb clearly the star here.
  8. New team "Retards" replacing Lechlade B 4 points.
Both Red and Blue drop one place being passed by Clanfield.  Pewsey B hanging in there.  Personally I am pleased , out of a possible 16 points , I have 13. So consistent.  In addition picked up £30.00 quid for default section.  4th in the first match fifth in this one, beaten by bonus fish (Tench or big Slab).

Although I was mid point of the entire stretch at least I wasn't Midsectionblues this week.  Midweek match this Wednesday.  Todber and Army match 9.





Saturday 29 June 2013

Tankies Tails: Dino Long Bream Floats

Tankies Tails: Dino Long Bream Floats: Just Received a nice selection of these and I am going to be setting them up for Skimmer fishing, set at dead depth with a double bulk the...

Sunday 23 June 2013

Baywatch at Lady,s Bridge

Lady,s Bridge
What a day.  Don't let the above sunshine fool you. It was more like October today, than June. This was as good as it got today.  The turnout was the biggest I have seen since my return to Pewsey Club.  I thought it was Pewsey DAA versus Calne AC but actually that fixture is at Lady's Bridge in August.  All attending hoped to draw in the bay.  I wasn't so sure.  I saw Kevin Chubb in the tackle shop yesterday.  He has had this past week of and had fished twice at Lady's bridge barely getting a bite.  Those of you that know, Kevin will know, he is a seasoned superstar and a tidy canal angler so if he struggles.................

Peg 1 was the first corner of the bay and peg 6 the last leading to Peg 20 in Wilcott direction.
The bay has changed considerably since my last visit of 35 Years ago.  There are posts to stop boats turning and as a consequence it is a shallow silt filled lagoon.  Me I drew peg 4 smack bang in the middle of the bay. Waggler everyone shouted. Had a tip rod and pole but no waggler, will anyone lend me one?  That's a no then, draw well and than ask for a rod to fish it , it ain't gonna happen.

Get to the peg to find I am so close to a boat, I can barely get my net in; and have a ash tree virtually bashing my head with the increasingly gale force wind is only just above me.  I going have to get into the edge to give me some headroom. So I test the depth, which is close to wader top depth.  Set up my platform and lower back legs first and then the front via a bungy.  It  works and I have a platform with out getting wet. Put my box on attached the side try, and generally laid out my kit.  Nearly all done with 15 minutes to go, and I note I have left my bread up the bank. Getting off the platform I almost stand in a nasty hole.  Carefully I push my pole to one side.  Don,t want to fall on it. Grab the bread, and then that's when disaster strikes.

Coming down to the platform I slip on some crushed bank side giant hog weed, put me foot in the hole twist my ankle and pitch headlong toward the canal.  Crashing into my platform, I knock tackle box, four top kits, wand tip rod and reel and all my bait straight in.  

Panic sets in and  a hasty de-robbing sees me in my orange boxers and waders getting in a flailing  and fishing around trying to salvage the mess.  I suppose my orange boxers and big boobs really did make it like an episode of Baywatch.  Although my boobs are bigger than Pamela Andersons it was not a pretty site.

So after getting the bib and brace back on (after getting out I sat in some stingers) giving me an itchy spotty ass, for the rest of the day.  

Take stock, disaster. All maggot, caster, pinkie and half my ground bait gone, a quarter kilo of worm, the remainder being soaked through and crawling in all directions.  Leaving me with a quarter kilo of worm some bread crumb and a slice of bread.  

My retrieved box is pouring water out of every orifice in all directions, like a garden water feature, and the draws had come open losing for ever their contents including shot, a brass punch set, some small cage feeders, my choppy scissors. Packs of hooks, plummets and other sundry items.

I do save a couple of buoyant  disgorgers etc. But in short I am in the brown stuff.  My tip wand, is soaked through and the reel is caked in blue clay. Fortunately still has hook length and tiny cage feeder attached.
The guy on the boat announces good morning to me, and he realises after my withering look that it really isn't a good morning in fact its s**t. He then says you don't mind if I start up do you?  Starts his motor and ducks back in.. The engine runs for three hours - Great what a day.

 After trying a little bread on the inside, trying to make my adapted flake as punch like as possible, I had no bites and we are over halfway through the match.  Boats are piling through , and I realize I am at the point in the bend where the boats are revving their engines to redirect on a new line , completely destroying and track swim I have.

This leaves me just the tip rod across into the bay, past the posts in two feet of cabbage / snaggy / silty water. The half a bag of ground bait saved has been a savior; and I eeck it out to last the entire match, the worm is crawling all over me and everything but I am making it last.

To be honest I am being driven to distraction the gale force winds, dropping detritus from the ash tree above, occasionally tangling in the same tree when trying to cast out. I am cold very wet and now to add insult very blotchy and itchy from the giant hog weed that I had crawled over when getting out of the canal and up the bank.  My stinging nettle ass being the worst.

 Then it starts, cray fish!!! Really............... your kidding me, no it really is happening.  These American red signal crays were truly massive, one I measured at 8.5 inches long!!  Its claw alone over 3 inches. I had 13 bites 13 Cray fish.  In all by the end of the match, about 3 lb in weight.  No other bites or fish.

Peg (6)1st James Carty3 lb 2 oz
Peg (20) Kevin Chubb 1 lb 11 oz
Peg(18) Ian "Spanners" Spanswick 1 lb 2.5 oz

A blank, first blank for nearly two years, and disaster no points.  My only comfort being all the dry nets around me.  Kevin was right in his prediction it was incredibly difficult. James Carty (peg 6) won our section of seven with two big skimmers and 3 small fish for 3 lb 2 oz. Dry net on Peg 1, 12 oz peg 2, dry to my right and one Perch in the last ten minutes for half an ounce to my left.

Incredible really, almost July and if not for James's two big skimmers it would have been less that a pound from the entire bay! What is going on.  The best weights came from the end pegs, once again it appears the bank side noise had walked the fish towards Wilcott.

One final piece of bad luck to cap the day.  My platform had sunk a little into the clay bottom as the match had progressed.  Normally when this happens, especially in deeper water; I avoid getting in by hooking a bungy over the front of the platform and pulling it upwards.  Eventually the pressure tells and the platform tilts toward you and you can pull it ashore without getting wet.  Today needed two bungies.  I tugged so hard, and nothing moved.  Eventually and simultaneously the connecting bungy hooks straightened and at 200 mph one bungy whacked me in the head and another rapped my cold knuckles. Jeez IT HURT. If your gonna have a bad day do it in style I say.  Temper meant I ripped the platform ashore somehow without getting wet.

Dry nets and low ounce weights abound, long faces and complaints the order of the day.  Everyone it seems in the bay pegs had at least one crayfish.  For me it really was bay watch, I sat watching the bay in wet orange boxers ( to cover my shrinking modesty). Most depressing of all is that the lads think it will be tougher next week on the Thames at Bampton!!
The usual suspects Left to Right 1,2 and 3 James, Kevin and Spanners.

Kevin and Spanners incrementally increase their Championship cause.


Thursday 20 June 2013

Unless you are a fisherman you wont understand......

One of the huge pleasures of my hobby, is the mass of memories I have accumulated.  My brother has decided to write his memories down.  Clearly that is not my what my blog is about, but I thought I would jot a few thoughts on fishing memories.

You will know from previous blog entries that Fishing is not just about the sport for me; but everything around it as well.  A favourite author of mine Chris Yates (former Carp record Holder) once said;
" A river has been running through my head since I was a boy.  I saw the Hampshire Avon just once, when I was ten and immediately thought it was the most beautiful river in the world" 

I agree with Chris, being a born native of the City of Salisbury where the 5 rivers Ebble, Nadder, Bourne, Wylie and Avon confluence, it was inevitable I would be a fisherman.  The seed is sown early, you just cannot fail to walk over any bridge and not stop -  and stare into the depths.

Not being as eloquent or articulate as Mr Yates I was unable to explain my fascination or why the watery environment allowed the rules of nature to be bent. Yet again Chris posed the  question perfectly;

" in the bird and mammal kingdoms, you will never find a seventy pound badger, a horse fourteen feet high or an elephant twice the size of a house"  

However, in the water world you do see occasional fish that are massive for their species.  Consider, roach most of my early life I chased the elusive 2lb roach, always described as a rare thing.  Why?

Well it was rare because most (the biggest percentage) roach seemed to peak around 1lb 8oz  but there was an occasional biggie.  Clearly I was spoilt as the Avon had more than its fair share of really big roach.  So lets say Barbell or Carp, or Grayling (my favourite) or dace even the humble minnow.  Why do some grow bigger than others?  And why do we need to catch and hold - just for a moment -the big ones.

This is what I think we all look for when we stare into the depths off the bridge of  our choice.  Unless you are a fisherman, you wont understand the joy of strapping your Avon Mark IV rod and reel (Shakespeare Europa I think cant quite remember) to the cross bar of your bike balancing the wicker creel basket Tackle tin with treble hooks map spinners coffin leads and lead shot; on your back and racing off to Elizabeth Gardens.

 Hanging off the long wooden bridge, (town path to Harnham) using a wasp grub and a peacock quill to tempt what looks to be a massive 2 1b Grayling sat hovering in crystal clear water between the streamer weed and the yellow flag iris on the bank below.

 Its 5 am, and as a Milkman from Churchfield Dairies goes by in his silent electric float the glass bottles chinking together.  The early morning mist is lifting across the meadow and even though I didn't know who Constable was then, I think now how much he would have enjoyed painting the view before me.  It had barely changed since his famous painting of the Cathedral.

There was something in the air, no not my mate Neil s stolen underage fag, stolen from his dads roll your own baccy tin.  It was a tangible taste of expectancy that only a fisherman understands.  If the family are reading this then I admit now I smoked (coughed) my first "old holbourn" rollie aged 13.  Dad used to get me to roll his while he was driving and I pinched one without him seeing once.  Might as well get it all out now, I used to pinch his pale ale and mums Mackeson from the coal shed too. There I've said it.

Obsession meant that I couldn't wait for my brother Gordon to take me somewhere fishing. So many days were based around how far I could cycle, and getting the balance between travelling and fishing time.  I would always go for first choice a weir pool (my favourite if you could avoid the bailiff was 14 Hatches at Quidhampton Lord Pembrokes Estate).

But where ever you went there were stories of that elusive monster Pike or Perch.  Still to this day the "obsession" gets a grip and I have to drop everything and go fishing........it gets me like that still.

I have always been a tackle tart, well at least when I could afford to be. My first kit was hand me downs from my brother Gordon and a mixture of stuff from Woolworths. Can you remember your first good rod? I can it was a Bruce and Walker 12 foot float rod. First proper reel, Mitchell 300 brought from John Reids at Wilton (small tackle shop, next to his woodworking shop) from the second hand " trade in" bucket.

Oh how I wished to be like the big blokes, who match fished. Not the new breed of Carpies who stayed out under groundsheets (at the mystical Steeple Langford lakes) and filled the lake with par-boiled potatoes.

Match men, they wore Barbour coats, flat caps, coveralls or boiler suits covered in Bream slime.  Some had new fangled Italian poles. Their fingers were stained bronze by chrysodine or nicotine you could never be sure.  They went to far away Ireland where you used dustbin loads of groundbait and caught over a hundred pound -yes over 100 lb - of Bream its amazing.  This new bloke Kevin Ashurst son of Benny I think, he was the man of the moment at one point.

They fished with extremely fine Bayer Perlon  fishing lines and impossibly small hooks.  The match boys, didn't struggle with a picnic basket sized creel.  They had new "plastic" molded Drennan or Keenet purpose built lightweight match boxes to sit on or stand next to in their chrysodine stained bait aprons.

And the canal boys, well they had funny aluminium and wood Italian or French made boxes. With ready made rigs for their "6 meter long"!! Poles.  Another new arrival from Europe.Some even had custom made rods to aid the perfect cast of a copper wired dart float to far bank reeds on the canal.  Bait, well they used to get in the canal bay and drag a long scythe like implement through the silt and use microscopic red "blood" worm pulled from the blade edge.  They would do scientific things like mix breadcumb and milk powder.  This alchmey produced milky cloud in the clear water and draw in the massive 2 lb Bream.

Mustad hooks, Carbon and Boron rods were starting to replace the fibreglass which had superseded cane. My cane landing net handle with triangular net made of knotted string looked daft next to the mesh of a "round" landing pan of the match men.

Although it was unthinkable really to want to leave the five rivers, once whilst listening to Rod Stewart singing about running away with Maggie May and stealing his daddies cue and making a living out of playing pool.  I did consider running away to a place up in the Midlands called Redditch.  Apparently that's where all the good fishing gear was made.  Heaven.

Now I have never been a fasion-easta but, to me they looked great, the bad language, smoking, long hair flares (bell bottoms) tucked into wellies or turned down waders; or if you were really posh "Derry boots", with laces. It was a different exciting world from the constraints of a strict upbringing.  All that being one of the lads and piling on to the coach and off to the match.  Magic.

The banter that goes with it was great too, and though I didn't personally witness all of it, the stories of what Springsteen would call Glory days are still recounted.

 I love to sit and listen and hear "can you remember when................ An example of banter was when several leading match anglers of the day were remorsefully pulling the leg of one lad as he creaked his way along the bank with his wicker basket ( the "lads" who all had the new plastic tackle boxes) would say "what you doing with that, have you got your cat in there, are you taking it to the vets"!! followed by roaring laughter.

Needless to say the lad in question hastily purchased a plastic box. No more the butt of the joke.  Harmless fun, a chance to laugh in this depressing world.

The posh blokes still used cane and centre pins, some aspired to be like them, waistcoat, trilby or hat with artificial fly tucked in the peak, puffing on a pipe. It was like the difference between your Dad or the clean cut pop star Marty Wilde or being Led Zep or Slade.  I wanted to be Led Zep.  The Match man.

I am older now and realise no matter how you dress or what kit you have it don't matter - just go fishing. As the t-shirt once said " Work is for those who don't know how to fish"

So it was pocket money on the Anglers times (the only fishing paper or the new Anglers Mail), cut out Crabtree from dads paper. I couldn't afford the books by BB, but Gordon gave me a book I treasured and read the print off it, by Fred J Taylor about Tench Fishing.  This was before the popular Crowood Press publishing house which has produced many a good fishing book since.  Think the publisher was Penguin or was it Ladybird.

Anyway it did turn me from wanting to be a match man to a specimen hunter.  This was compounded by a  book called the Specimen Hunter by a new Hero Tony Miles - what a book.

But early days meant scan the AT to see how Barnsley Blacks were doing, how the Beckham of the day "Ivan Marks" had fared.  He came to fish at Salisbury once, near the Fire Station, the fast flow and shallow water didn't suit and after a couple of minnows and he buggered off.  A sad day when your hero does that.

 Last week I saw two young lads at the same spot, hanging their rods into the river in expectation.  I wanted first to chastise as they were fishing the river out of season (before the magical 16th - remember that feeling), but I didn't dare approach for in this day and age it would probably look weird if an old bloke approached two young lads.

Shame because all I really wanted to do was recapture that excitement again of peering into the depths, looking past the Dace for the monster Chubb. At that moment I was not an old jaded man but a young innocent ten year old who would be boasting "my bruvver could catch that hes a match man you know".  Awe would descend over the group, which would be shattered, match men forgotten, as a battleship of a
3 1b Jack pike glided into view.

I stopped today on the bridge to peer into the gin clear water of my youth.  A couple of things have changed. One is me. I am ashamed to say bitter and twisted and too hard on myself.  That's got to change.

Second. The river was not quite as gin clear, the gravel bottom had silted over, the freshness, bubbling gurgling pace of the river all gone.  The slower tired shabby river had lost its rannuculus streamer weed, gone and been replaced by a shopping trolley "costa coffee" cup, and alien weed that was nitrogen enriched from the chemical run off of nearby fields.

Melancholic, I walked away. But then I walked back and looked again.  A flash from the Lady of the stream a Grayling and it all came rushing back.  Ive got get my gear and try and catch that fish.

I've decided, I don't know how many more opportunities I will get in my life to stop and peer into the water, but I am going to relish every chance; and unless your a fisherman you probably wont understand that.  I hope one day it grips you like it has gripped me I wish you all fishing joy.

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Pleasure session on Barneys peg, followed by working party

Monday 17th sees me at Witherington Farm.  I have a day of today and try to combine a number of things with fishing.  I have hours to kill between 9.00 am and midday.  Of to Withy on this cloudy but warm morning.  Arriving I find Barneys peg (peg 3 on Barnmoor Lake, called Barneys peg as only he manages to draw it!!) is empty.  Never fished it before and despite wanting to draw it in a match clearly never done that either.  So I lay my stall out and decide to start on the splodger to the island.

I need the practice, I don't use the splodger much.  I now own a little Browning wand at 8 foot long, it is perfect for the short chuck on commercial type fisheries.  In fact it is called a commercial king wand.  Starting on the method mix with a banded pellet the bites are finicky, and it takes a little bit of chopping and changing to realize its Rudd and Roach, not really having it.

I am reliably informed that Barney uses maggot, so I roll a couple of maggots on my thigh and ping the dead maggot with pleasing accuracy to the same spot time and again. A little bit of experimenting brings the realisation that yellow maggot is picking out the bigger skimmers ahead of red maggot.  This results in semi positive bites (not whacking round) but several 10 oz skimmers.

I have been pinging a little bait down the edge which results in a big swirl.  So I put on the tiger paste and drop it in. Bang straight away and the yellow hollow 17 stretches out.  Not the expected carp though it was a Bream, a proper Bream, thick enough in the shoulder to stretch my grip.  Black, really black and very gnarly /scarred.  Clearly an old fish.  I estimate between 4 and 5 lbs.

Nothing after that so out on the splodger again but the skimmers have left.  I keep feeding the edge, and go out on a choppy line at 6 meters.  The worm gets pulled side to side by small stuff until a proper, flying skimmer stretches the red 11 hollow elastic.

Three more 1.5lb skimmers then that line goes dead.  Meanwhile the edge is swirling again and in I go to repeat the Bream incident, another blackish  bream between 4 and 5 lb. So similar it could have, may have been the same fish!

Both lines are now quite. So back out on the tip to the island, and with no method mix left (didn't mix a lot for the short session), I am using sticky pellet powder on micro pellet around my 15 gram feeder.  Semi pop up pink krill pellet results in 3 quick fire "pasty" size carp around a pound , very silvery in colour and beautifully scaled.  This was followed by two more pound skimmers then nothing.

As the time had crept on past my planned midday finish; I decided to drop in the edge and use the last of the tiger paste, which resulted in a lovely reddish carp around 14/15 lb, a lovely fish to finish on.

1.30 pm. Popped into Reid's tackle, ordered my bait for Saturday collection (Canal on Sunday). Jumped in the flyer and sped away to complete some chores for the wife.  After the chores, I cooked tea (ate mine, put hers in the microwave) walked the dogs, fed the chickens and then went to pick up the wife from work.

Dropped her at home loaded the van with sledgehammer, spade wheelbarrow and other tools and sped of to Pewsey, to a work party on the Lake.  A few willing volunteers embarked on much chatting general banter and working in repairing broken and sinking platforms + building steps down to pegs.   Good three hours was had in waders or on the bank cutting scaffold poles or manoeuvring the heavy blue clay soil around.

 It is hoped that after a bit of work and a restocking of the lake; this century old club can rebuild a dwindling membership, so its a good cause.  Whilst I don't mind the work, I would rather be fishing so roll on Sunday and the match on the Canal at Lady's Bridge - Pewsey Versus Calne AC.

Sunday 16 June 2013

Dire Straights at Stonehams BBQ match

BBQ match at Stonehams today 1pm kick off till 6pm.  On this miserable fathers day, the rain accompanied DM and myself down to Stonehams.  Drew Peg 70, that's three matches in a row I have been in the damn wall section.  Its weird, winter time when you want the deeper water I draw the shallows, and vice versa in the summer I never draw the shallows.  This match is also where the trophy's for last year are dished out.  DM drew peg 80 on the muddy bank nice little cut out bay edge swim to his left.  Me, well I did try for the skimmers with no real joy.  Ended up with a few bits for 4 lb 8 oz third in section (threw back a 5lb pike and two eels around a pound a piece - eels and pike do not count).  Mick Hawkins to my right has had three skimmers and some bits for second with 5 lb 10 oz.  The section was won with one carp of 7 lb 6 oz.

DM won the match by 2 oz  with 27 lb something (two carp for 17lb, and 10lb of silvers).
Dave "Budha"Moody enjoying post match BBQ

So with picking up cash for first place, + cash for placing in last years Stonehams Championship; and the over 50's trophy a good day for DM.  The boy can still do it.
 The Trophy Table, a good spread of silver the Eastleigh motto being Nulli Secundus.  

And finally the scores on the doors. A dire day for all.

 Next week back on the canal at Lady's Bridge with Pewsey.  Might have a day at Withy tomorrow depends on the weather.  Oh a little higher than midsectionblues 3rd place today. Many didn't weigh in and most had only one fish a carp.  One day I will catch a carp at stoneshams

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Army 8 Groundhog day at Witherington Farm

Army match 8.  Witherington Farm.  This match and this venue is where I have cocked up the last couple of seasons, needing minimum 5 points or lower, but getting 9 and 10 respectively.

The day started cloudy and wet, and when I got to Withy I was greeted by a long queue for breaky and Tony Beeney struggling on his own with trying to sell and cook breakfasts.  Rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in, taking money, making brews and buttering bread rolls.  The lads remained patient and we got through the 30+ breakies.  Barely had time to wolf my own breaky down before the match brief and draw.

If I had a choice I wanted peg 44, consistently a good peg.  Peg 24 was drawn for me, a reasonable peg, of out of the wind nice little bay at 14.5 meters, I was chuffed.  That is of course till I walked to my peg.  Talk about section of death.  Mayo, Chris Perry, Mike Poolman, John Dewberry, Keith Armstrong and the in form Mick Craddock.  Still I am coming in off the back of a win, confident and with some local knowledge from the ever helpful Reid's tackle, I set about my task.

The match starts and I go across to try and mug a carp.  Micro pellet choppy worm and a little corn.  Four quickfire 10 oz Crucians and then nothing for 25 minutes.  My mate John is already bagging with some early skimmers.  I come back down the track and settle over a meat line I have been feeding.  Nothing.  Flip right and go over a maggot line.  Maggot down the middle has been doing well and I have 3 very quick roach.  Then nothing.  The advice is to keep feeding maggot use a light skimmer rig with a heavy duty on hand for when the Carp arrive.  John is into his first big carp, he thinks its foul hooked.
As I click the shutter John bumps the fish

Back across and 7 Rudd around 5 oz one after another then nothing.  That's how it went for the next hour rotating around the swims trying different baits.  No movement on pellet, corn taking a couple but worm and maggot being the most successful.  Mike Poolman walks along to John, to see how hes doing, as Mike only has a few silvers.  Keith next to me is getting tiddlers like me and Mick Craddock to the left of him has just had a couple of Carp.  But from Peg 18 round to 26 we are in a Carp desert.

The rain turns the day into a miserable drag as I try up in the water, laying on.  Lighter lines, smaller hooks but no Carp. Just the irritating rudd and roach.  Not even a goldfish.  The last time I fished this peg I had over a hundred pound, I just don't understand it.  I keep the maggot going in as advised surely the Carp will feed soon, but just more roach come to the net.  Before I know it, there is only an hour left, so I come into my edge swim which I have been drip feeding all day.  With half an hour to go no further bites.  So time to pull out the tiger nut paste, always a sure fire winner.  Not this time. Worm down the edge to finish but still no movement on the float.  All out is shouted and we have all struggled round the bend pegs Mick C has done well and John says Mike Poolman had, had a good second half to the match.

The weigh in.........



Mike Poolman has taken the section. Mick Craddock and Mayo third and Chris Perry not far behind
A Section inner snake, has fished patchy, oddly the same corner us on the outer snake produced very few Carp either; Peg 86 Dave Farragher taking it.
 Mark Higgins  to the left of Mick Craddock but in the next section wins B section , clearly the carp were in the middle of the leg not at the corners.
I manage to pip Keith and Gary Black either side of me, and I equal my Jedi masters (John Yoda) silvers weight; but his one carp keeps him ahead of me.  

Mike wins the match of Peg 16, with 24 kilo 150 gramms.

For me it really is Ground hog day again.  Army match, its raining, no Carp and Midsectionblues again. One ray of light 5 points for the team

Sunday 9 June 2013

Pewsey Lake - Just a Perfect day..........

You will recall my previous blog explaining the need to catch up in the Championship points stakes with Pewsey & D A A.  So game face on lets do it.  Drew peg 9, mid way down the lake.  Not the end peg (where the carp are).  Full house despite a couple of the lads swanning off to Ireland on a bagging trip.  Will T was adapting local equipment too get his kit to his peg, bringing a new meaning to the term "fishing barrow"

a real "fishing barrow"

  The Pewsey Lake is  a funny place , its only the second time I have fished it.  Its fairly featureless, canal like in shape about 18 meters across at my peg, 3 foot ledge either side and seven foot in the middle.  I started on the choppy worm as it was rumoured biggish perch were the order of the day.  A ground bait line sprinkled with pinkie for the small stuff and the splodger across the far shelf.  First and only mistake of the day was to forget to bring two nets (one for silvers and one for carp).

Jimmy hollered the all in and I dropped in over the choppy line.  10 minutes in and apart from the float being pulled from side to side by tiny, tiny fish too small to pull the float under or take even the smallest piece of worm.  From memory in my first match here six weeks ago; Ian Spanswick built a weight of silvers (tiny silvers) to frame.  So I decided to "canalise my set up" and risk missing the bonus fish.  Couldn't risk it, needed fish in the net and definite points not blank net and what could have been again.

Proceeded not to miss a bite for the rest of the match.  Well, I say match, the first two hours because between 12 and all out at 3pm I had two bites and they amounted to around two ounces.  But in those first two hours it was tiny fish after tiny fish, and I reckon I had around two pound.  Rumour has it, Ian and Simon Burden were catching down in carp bay; but every one else was struggling to get the float too move.  Mid day saw bites slow, and the float just gently and slowly started to go under.  It was like the float was waterlogged and gradually sinking it was so slow.  I let it almost go under and struck.  Damn it got the bottom, hang on a minute the bottom is moving right and the number four elastic is stretching out.  5 Minutes later and I have a nice tench around a pound and three quarters.  I cant believe it me with a bonus fish , wonders will never cease.

10 Minutes to go and I here Will Tapper has a carp. Bugger that's torn it still I might still frame, I reckon I might have 3 and half pound.  The weigh in begins , and as normal Simon Burden 2 lb 2 oz, and Ian Spanswick (local superstars) weigh in.  Luckily no bonus fish, but as normal a mass of tiny fish (Ian had 102 fish) for 2 lb 4 oz.


Scores on the doors
Kev managed to exactly match, Ian and Jimmy (club chairman) managed to exactly match Simon so tight all round.  Wills last gasp one and only Carp, took second with 2 lb 9 oz.

Me well I had one Tench 2 lb 2 oz and 1 lb 13 oz of tiny silvers.  Yes you are reading this correctly I,ve won the match! Not only that I picked up the silvers pot and the section as defaults are not paid on the lake.  I cannot tell you how happy I am.  Thanks to my mate John for his faith, that one day I would get there.  Well John I did, I actually won a match.
Will Tappers Carp, 2 lb 9 oz the only Carp of the day.


Left to right - Ian and Kev tied for 3rd, Will T second, and yours truly the winner
PS Maximum 8 Points No Midsectionblues this week.

Sunday 2 June 2013

Stoneham Championship no progress made despite 50 fish

First , what a wally after posting the last blog "playing catch up" I realised I was wishing my time away and was one week premature.  I was at Stonehams (Eastleigh) today not at Pewsey.

You will know from previous blogs I am not keen on the venue; but I will keep plugging away one day I will suss the place.  I wanted to draw the bottom lake but once again drew on the big lake at the top.  Peg 74.  Not a bad peg, high bank behind covered in sharp holly and brambles , not easy for shipping the pole.

Some would say why bother with pole, as the tip long with method / mini boilie / pellet or cage feeder sweetcorn or maggot is the local attack of choice.  

On this beautiful day, the woodland surrounding is full of azalea's. I had the golden peg to my left and Rich Penney to my right.
 I banged out the tip with a method feeder on and a semi buoyant pellet.  There was about 50 nice size bream and carp circling half way across just under the surface. Should I try for them?  I am reliably informed half an hour of casting every five minutes is enough time to put in enough bait to get them going.  It never has worked for me yet.  A bite less hour later, nobody is catching apart from Dave Moody and Tappy across on Trojans bank, racing each other  with roach.  Rumours are drifting down the bank from the dam wall shallow end peg and the muddy bank that some carp have been caught.

Fifteen minutes with the pellet waggler chasing the surface fish and not a touch.  You could see the fish swim up to your float, get around 18 inches away then spook away.  So off the method and fishing cage feeder with dead maggot.  Another bite less hour.  Long pole now with ground bait in ten feet of water.  No bites on the bottom but I am getting knocks on the drop.  Take the deep rig off and stick on a mid water rig.  Fix a toss pot and start sprinkling caster.

  Rich Penney to my right (not in my section) has just had his skimmer after nearly three hours on the tip.  This was followed with similar size skimmers x 5 every 20 minutes or so finishing with around 26lb. Me I had a a reasonable final hour and a half with fish after fish in mid and shallow water.  Problem was they were all small; I couldn't buy a skimmer or even a fish over 4oz.  Surely one day I will catch a pound + fish in this lake!!!  Did try last 15 minutes on pellet wagg again trying to hook a big surface fish; but ended up with 50 fish for 6 lb 12 oz. Midsectionblues again 4th out of ten.

  The section had three DNW including two blanks to my left.  As normal the end peg in the narrow shallows one the section with Carp.  Rich Allen had a 7 1b of silvers and a couple of bigger fish.  Maurice Townsend had a few big fish.  Peg 59 had a late Carp.  Perhaps I should fish, float only or Silvers on this venue.


Our section was probably the lowest scoring, other sections fared better with 40 lb weights taking the section.  I think 50 lb + of Carp won it but I am not sure, as DM had, had enough and wanted to go home.  He was puffing well and didn't look at his most healthy.

And yes it is Pewsey next week followed by a mid week Army match at Withy; then back to Stoneham for the late afternoon evening BBQ match.