Pegged C Section at Horton bridge and then whizzed back to the Crown at Bishops Cannings for a lovely breakfast at the Crown the pub was heaving as 36+ gathered for match 3. My guest (fellow Pewsey Angler Ian Spanswick) arrived with James Carty of Pewsey and Devizes match group. JC was a guest of Danny Jones. After grub we chatted and waited for the draw. I drew A section peg 2, bit of a blow really A1 is a cracker at the end of the rushes before going under the cables. A section is the swing bridge section behind the crown pub. B section was from the Bridge Pub up to the turning bay.
Got to the car park to see my friend and former mentor John Dewberry first, then Ben Bentley Danny Jones and a few other good Anglers. John the jammy git and drawn the flyer just over the bridge and right. Good Angler , good Peg, Ben next to him. This will be a hard section to score points in today and as me and Critch are the only two Orphans turning out today; our team was already nowhere in the points table. So could it be worse..............
Don't know how Kev managed to get away with pegging this in the dark, but the 6 piles of crap in my peg looked to have not been disturbed. Lucky man to get away with not getting on his hands or boots.
The first 10 minutes was used to find a log that doubled as a shovel to remove all the carp from my swim. Trying not vomit I managed to get it clear and start setting up.
As luck would have it my guest Spanners was on the next peg. I did consider going along and asking for side bet of a pound, but as he took one of me a couple of weeks a go and Canals are his thing I bottled it.
Wished him the best of luck through the Fog, and shouted all in. The sun started to break through and the day looked promising. The canal was nice colour, and I was hopeful. Little kufuful to my left on peg 1 as Kev Evans was trying to swing in a decent Perch into his lap. The Perch bounced off him forward, and as he leaned forward to try and catch the fish and the bank gave way and he slid into the canal. As he struggled to get back up the bank he grabbed his box and nearly pulled it in. After 5 minutes or so he was all set again and I was trying desperately not to laugh and show some compassion for him as he shivered.
The match was a steady affair for the first 2 hours as I plugged away pulling in tiddlers. Still stick with it, might be lucky and get a big bonus fish. The float dipped and the elastic pulled away at last. No joy it was a Pike with my 2 oz roach in his teeth. The Pike was only maybe 2 lb and after a 30 seconds or so dropped my fish which I duly landed. Was that my luck for the day?
A bite less hour and a half then followed. I had roughly 60 fish in the net, Spanners seemed to be struggling as well but still getting bites. News had traveled down that John D and Ben were going strong, as they should be. The clouds came and went, I scratched a few more including a "Tommy" Ruffe . Haven't seen one of them in years. With 15 minutes to go decided to drop half a tin of hemp and some caster down the track for one final fling. Dropped a rig over it with a dendro on the hook. It lifted and slid away and a bonus fish moved purposely to the left. The Vespe 5 elastic stretched nicely away.
And so with clenched buttocks and holding my breath I eased it toward the net. Lovely a Chubb of maybe a pound and a half. I saw the the hook dead center of the thick white bottom lip. Then inexplicably it was gone. Cant blame anyone but myself but the line had not snapped, the hook had simply unraveled. I tie my own so gutted, annoyed, frustrated, fit to blow a blood vessel you get the picture. The all out came and I was glad to shout it, I felt like screaming anyhow.
The weigh began and I was on the boards. A section below, well done to JD still got the skills despite his age!
B section was won by James Carty with an impressive 4 kilo + on bread.
And as per last time we were on the Canal C section at Horton produced the better weights. Brian Shutler taking the honours with another 4 kilo weight. Again the better weights from the pegs either side of the bridge.
So back to a heaving pub for the results. James Carty toasting his happy day.
Kev handed the winnings out to all to end a pretty reasonable day, to JC and Brian S grateful for the funds should pay for this weekends coming matches for both.
My bag of nearly 70 fish. Way to many tiny fish to win my section on weight, so its mid section blues again.
For me though the delight of the day was seeing a rare sight these days little "Tommy" Ruffe. Great to see em!
Roll on the weekend. Spanners has shown weakness on the Canal might just go a quid!!!!!!!!
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