As I have said it is a cause of great frustration that plans I make are often blown out of the water by my lack of ability and anyone else's ability to control every detail. Perhaps I should relax a little and let the butterfly effect (chaos theory) happen just smile and let it wash over me.
Take today's return match with Andover Fishing club. The point behind this event was an attempt to encourage or reignite local rivalries and refresh the club angling scene. To give all club members a chance to fish, and dispel any unfounded thoughts that match fishing is for the elite only.
We had won the first leg away and were hoping to do the double. Some like myself had taken it seriously and got in a few practise sessions. Others just did their normal turn up and fish, which is equally fine. With Leo and Chris and a few others preparing for the Pewsey pilgrimage to Ireland it fell to me to organise; and as normal I wanted (pride) to make sure it was a success and everyone caught something.
So having tried several pegs to get a feel I decided on the pegs and spent a couple of hours cutting out the pegs through the 5 foot high nettles and bank foliage. Pegged from Wilcot Bridge (peg 1) down to Iron Bridge, I was certain the top six pegs would probably produce the winner but everybody should catch even down to Iron Bridge.
Plans laid I arrived to actually peg it and yes you've guessed it Boats had moved in yesterday and blocked the first 4 pegs. I was smiling and a boater asked why and I told him how I had sweated cutting out the swims. Thanks he said we chose this spot to moor, as there was a "nice gap!" in the bank side foliage.
So as a couple of the lads joined me on the towpath, I was frantically trying to maintain the "right spacing" between the pegs , make sure they had a feature opposite to fish to. A little real estate behind for shipping the pole etc etc.
Next set back and change was that Andovers Team turned up, well I say Team. Two members had showed. Whilst they were never going to have a massive squad, I was disappointed with two! Thanks to Gerry Blunt Blunt and Les Thirlaway for showing. It seems the sponsorship scene and the open match circuit in the Andover area has bled the Club dry - what a shame.
Pewsey also welcomed back after a long gap Mr Dave George, a former successful Pewsey team angler from the last century. Lol. I do him a disservice, despite now being retired he is still a quality angler producing the results. In fact he is friends with my mate John Dewberry (Yoda); it is true they share similar Jedi skills.
Still we all agreed we might as well fish. Paid our £10 pools. So it would be our best two weights (from 10) against the two Andover lads. Prizes would be 50 for 1st 30 for second 20 for third and £10 for section by default. Draw done I drew peg 8 next to Spanners
who had a lovely little feature opposite. Don't know why, especially considering his flying looking swim but I offered a side bet of a quid. Big smile from him and a go on then.
Started the match and inevitably the boats started coming through; but I did get a few fish on the inside whip line before the boats had done the damage. Wilcot Road is quite shallow (probably the shallowest of Pewsey waters) so the fast speed the holiday boaters were doing was flinging up the silt badly. Still I did have about 12 inches deep across at 14.5 mtrs as a good get out. Whilst the canal looked fantastic there were fish topping and rolling everywhere we were struggling for bites.
A local lad had told me on Friday that the fishing was far better early and at dusk it really turned on; a point that seems to be more and more prevalent lately. Perhaps I should have made these evening matches. Whilst the better weights are coming during pleasure sessions, match days we are struggling to be honest. Our club matches have gone with an earlier start, but today's was 10 o'clock to allow the lads from Andover plenty of time.
Spanners was sneakily dragging the fish in from his "bay" swim, but insisting I was in front and he was beginning to polish the pound coin.
The day was pleasant enough, sun shone and the warmth of the summer sun on my face which was most welcome. Just needed a few bites. Still the pleasant "thwack" of willow on leather from the cricket pitch opposite as Wilcot village took on Burbage, and the ripple of applause provided a nice distraction and a pleasant backdrop. Some of the bowling though was atrocious but it was the quintessential english scene.
On my left was new club member Lee Knight, he seemed to be catching a few but also losing a few. In fact he lost two roach around 6 oz that he tried to swing in!!! You're gonna regret that I said anything over 2 oz has got to be netted my friend. His withering but nice look told me he had got the message.
News from along the bank was that Brian had had a bonus hybrid and dropped/lost a decent fish maybe 3 lbs. How true this was I didn't know but I didn't despair. I was in a different section so was fishing against the others in my section. More boats kayaks and dinghies came through and I managed to sneak a couple of fish in the last two minutes. I blew the whistle for the end. It was tight between me and Spanners (19 fish) me 23 fish.
Brian and Dave G, came through to start the weigh in and work back to their pegs 1 and 2, and Gerry Blunt looked heavenward in search of assistance from the man upstairs in boosting Andover weights.
Still the scores on the doors don't lie, and gods assistance or not I had taken Gerry's scalp. In addition a quid from Spanners - most welcome. Lee Knight was now cussing the wisdom of trying to swing in 6 oz Roach. Lesson learned there.
Well done to Kev "the Bread" for his third - amazingly he used a whole slice of bread today! Just show 40p worth of bait, third place and £20 thank you very much.
Well done to all for catching something, even Steve Dean who had caught but had went home after tangling three rigs and having a teddy in the corner moment.
So to the top three, cruel age comments aside,I think it shows with age comes experience and the Jedi skills of the old masters.
1st Brian Shutler (right)
2nd the evergreen Dave George (middle)
3rd Kev "the Bread" Chubb
And the winners are Pewsey, doing the double over Andover. Total weight for Andover 1 lb 8 and half ounces. Pewsey (best two) 5 lb 14 oz.
Pewsey total weight on the day averaged a pound a man totalling 11 lb 3 and half ounces.
See you next week on the lake.
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