Todber and a New disease identified

Thought I would pop in to Porton Chemical Research Center on the way home tonight from Todber Manor.

  I thought it was essential I was checked out, clearly I am suffering from a brand new / virus / infection, disease.  Sure enough the men in the white coats led me down a long corridor, fluorescent lights above cracked and fizzled, dimmed and sparked. I was put in an isolation chamber, where I was left alone.

Eventually after bouncing around the padded walls of the isolation chamber, two more men came in and strapped me on a gurney. Many cables were attached and 'x' rays taken, along with blood, urine and stool samples. (That bit was easy they got all three from my Boxers!).  Eventually I was taken back outside and sat by a small lake.

Where upon the water in front of me boiled with feeding fish , F1s, Mirror, common, grass, leather and Crucian Carp all surfaced in a long line in front of me to smile and frolic.  Pass me my rod I implored the man in the white coat.

All the best fishing gear in the world was laid before me , the latest poles, floats hooks and formula baits.  All presented by Ivan Marks, Will Raison, Kevin Ashurst, my brother Gordon, Dave Moody, Mark Blake, John Dewberry and James Carty as they all stood by and offered tips and advice.

But all this was to no avail.  They all shed a tear as the head of the Porton Down Establishment, gave me the news.  I was infected by a brand new disease.

"Carpus non Bitus"

Apparently its terminal, and the only cure is to sell all your gear and take up Golf.  Whilst the idea has merits I think I will pass.  Joking aside I did nearly kick all my gear in the lake today and walk away from Angling for good.  I know people have bad luck, but I am suffering big style at the moment.

I was invited today by Mr Moody to join him at a tackle trade match at Todber Manor.  Brilliant I thought.  Chance to have an end of summer bash and bag on the Carp before the cold and struggles of the Winter League.  Todber Manor owes me one too.  This year I have fished 3 times ( have in the past years done well on this venue) at Todber Manor.  This year, has been dire.  I cannot buy a bag of Carp from the venue.  Silvers yes Carp no.

The day started badly as a drove toward Salisbury through floods and surface water.  The previous night, had been horrendous stormy rain.  The day had dawned and still was miserable.  Picked up DM and drove on through the drizzle and gloomy conditions to Todber.  We had a A5 piece of paper with rough match details on.  Dolphin Pub in a suburb of Gillingham; and a phone number.  DM assumed I knew where we were going and vice a versa, so it was with frustration we asked several locals for directions.

Having driven around aimlessly to the amusement of the locals , who thought it would be great fun to keep sending us in the wrong direction, we decided to ring the contact number of the match organizer.
He in turn thought it would be a good idea to turn his phone off, and was on voicemail!!

We eventually found the pub, to be told help yourself to breakfast.  Great nothing left.  The landlady informed , said she would supply more but had already used her entire stock of beans.  Tea was in the pot, please help yourself to toast.  Well the Tea was empty, the Coffee was the same and the toaster well my armpit is hotter and could probably toast the bread quicker.  Eventually the new food arrived.  At the same time as the draw was about to begin.

  DM and I rammed the volcanically hot grub down and slurped our Tea.  The Toaster popped, to the delight of all, it had broken the pub record and toasted in 13 minutes flat.  The Landlord celebrated with a dance.

The draw began with DM in the loo, couldn't here what was being said, but have an idea of the rules. So hand went in the bucket and I drew Park Lake 15.  See picture above.  DM inevitably drew White Posts lake and peg 11.  Bugger sharing a vehicle and fishing miles apart is not fun.  Got DM and whizzed of to Park Lake. Car park was full and all the fishery nets were gone bar two, which were older than me and that's saying some thing.

Chris Perry (Colmic), popped along from peg 7 to shoot the breeze and borrow a plummet, I wished him well and the match started.  Straight across and fishing 6 mill hard pellet over micro.  5 Roach.  Kept feeding the short 2 plus 2 line with 8 mill Meat. Tried that line 5 roach.

You can see the pattern forming cant you.

That's the way the day went back and forth silver after silver, not one bloody Carp.  Still I didn't know I was suffering from Carpus non Bitus.

Fed the edge both sides all day  - pellet one side meat the other.  The guy on my left peg 13 (the Willow tree was bagging big style).  A leg stretch and walk in his direction to see what he was doing.  Weirdly he didn't suffer from the new disease, and he could freely fish the exact same methods as I was doing without fear of catching silvers.  In fact the Carp were practically crawling up his pole.

We both came in to the edge for the last hour and a half.  The Carp queued at his peg, and the silvers queued at mine.  Should I weigh in???  Well I did.  20 lb Silvers bloke to the left 80 lb Carp.  Two guys to my right had also struggled, although they had carp they had less weight than me, and did not weigh.  The guy on the end was thought to have around 100 lb + but I was already on my way to White posts to pick up Dave.

He was ready to go having struggled to nearly last on his lake with 40 lb, including breaking his number 7 section on his brand new pole.  So we headed home and didn't bother applauding the winners.

I have fallen out with Ivan Marks, he doesn't answer my prayers.  So I need a couple of days to sulk, and then with renewed vigor I will attack the Bristol Avon this Sunday.  Bring on the Roach!