Army 2 Chips are down again at Chippenham Avon.

Early start again to go across the plain through Devizes and onto Chipenham.  As normal, we met at the Wetherspoons on the bridge over the Avon.  Carl pegged yesterday and double checked this morning , so I collected fees and pools.  I drew A11, which was in the park up from town on the way to the Golf course.

The swim looked good 9 foot deep, at my feet, 12 foot down the track, shallowing up to 5 feet on far side.  The water was 5 degrees and clear in the edge.  The match started and I had a small roach first drop. Having ground baited with casters and hemp and a little squat. I was hoping for a good day.

A local angler squatted behind me and told me he had drawn my swim two weekends running.  I asked how he had fished it.  He said caster over hemp, he told me I was fishing the right line and that the pegs down stream would do better especially by the bridge (A5 , A6).  Finally he gave me the terrific news that my swim would fish well for an hour and then die!!!!!!!!!  If it goes well you will get 2.5 lb if bad it would be ounces.  Cheers I said.

Well he wasn't far out, after 20 minutes with only one bite I scaled down to a 22 and a pinkie, an got another bite.  The river sluice was automated and the fish fed better when it was running off.  I did catch for the first 1 hr 20 minutes. Then nothing for the rest of the match.  Nige came to weigh me in Rob to my left had blanked, the scales registered exactly 1 kilo (2.2 lb) but after shaking the water off, Nige gave me 0.990 grams tight git. So I guess the local guy was bang on.

I followed the scales down a few pegs, people like Jimmy Bond didn't have much more than me , but what they did have was a bonus roach or two.  All my fish were small just needed a bonus Perch or Roach but it wasn't to be.  Midsectionblues with 4 team points.

B Section The low weights continued on the pegs above me in this section. Until you got to the favored golf course end, with fellow Orphan Carl Amman picking up 3 team points.  Yoda (JD) and Mike Poolman proving their pedigree on this water.

C section was better still with Brian Shutler picking up 3 kilo +Kev East  maintaining his good start to the year 3 kilo+.  Fellow Dave Critcher 1.160 kilo and 4 points for the team.  Ivan Oakey weighing in a stonking 5 kilo 750 well done Ivan a cracking weight from Riverside Drive.

Nomads are flying with a team 3 point Total.

Ivan wins it, Dave Griffiths 2nd and Yoda 3rd. Weird sort of day, didn't feel like it much, the cold rain and hail dampened it further.

Still Fur and Feather to come in December.  Must book in.