The Clanfield Tavern was the venue for the draw, and as normal it was the normal mash up of anglers wanting to get booked in, bait sorted and breakfast rolls (crap and overpriced) consumed. Soon off down Marsh Lane ( a roller coaster of a farm lane) then across the fields to our pegs. After yesterdays heavy showers the grass was a little slippery for my van which is prone to wheel spin. I had hoped for the lower number pegs (E or F section) and the hope of a Barbel or a couple of 6 lb slabs in that area, but I had drawn B6.
F 8 the very end peg went to Brian Shutler hope he makes the best of it. This is where the comedy of errors starts. Having driven to the peg. My brain had a meltdown and I promptly turned around drove downstream to C6. Why ? I don't know; I think I am losing it. Arriving at C 6 I was orgasmic what a peg! On the outside of a long bend and deep water at my feet with over hanging bushes that screamed Perch. Martin Aris looked me quizzically"you on that peg then?".
Yep says I. Having unloaded all my kit got it over the 5 foot barbed wire fence and started tackling up . Steve Trevett arrives what you playing at that's my peg you're on B6 you pillock.
You can imagine the air is blue as I get back over the fence load the van and drive back to B6. By this time I have lost 45 minutes and I am a sweaty bag of snot as I then have to unload the van get it all over the fence at my proper peg. So with minutes to spare I am ready, the guy upstream (bit of a local legend) wishes me luck and tells me he was third of my peg last week . Happy days.
Drop the cupping kit as the all in is called dropping a ball of bait and hemp at my feet. Bugger fine start. I thought I had broken it but it seemed ok , a right comedy of errors. Still be calm, and start again so I ship out. The plan was to stick 5 balls in at the start then top up conker size nuggets every 20 minutes. That's what the practice sessions for all of us had produced. But shipping out the third ball I get to the dropping point the cupping kit complete with screw in section becomes unglued and the cup pops onto the surface of the river and goes bobbing away down stream.
Really!!!!
Could this really be happening? As I examine the end of my cup top kit, I realise somehow its come unglued from the end and simply slipped off the end.
So after putting in the remaining bait with a dropper (slow process). I drop the rig in expectantly. Bang, in straight away and the first fish yes a pike!! from the pike man. Unbelievable one a week at the mo it seems.
At around a pound in weight it would have been a nice start. Still its 2 hours after the 11 o'clock start before I get another bite. Small Gudgeon (proper winter league fish) or not I was glad of it so I gave it a kiss and dropped it in the net.
So began the scratching and the hoping that everyone else was the same. Waggler tangles, hooking my foot , keep net and bank side stingers it got worse. So I grimly carried on. Lowered in the bait dropper, hook length snapped and the dropper disappeared. What the hell is going on??? (even as I type this the laptop is playing up , photos are not uploading and what should have been finished ages ago is going wrong). Even the reliable choppy worm was only producing crayfish (17 IN ALL!)
Cant be hypocritical though. Even if I don't do well at least I should stick to the team plan of getting small stuff in the net and aiming for good section points and an average of 6 points an angler (total 36 points) that should keep us in the running.
Glad to get to the end. So it was with trepidation that I awaited the scales.
Even in packing up, I dropped my net in, thankfully losing no fish! Somehow I had lost my worm scissors, knocked over the unused ground bait, stung myself on stingers, caught myself on barbed wire. Finally popping one of my ancient Ivan Marks waggler's in the float box , I shut the lid catching the tip of the float and crushed it. So angry, I went to kick the imaginary cat, and slipped twisting my ankle. What a day!
So to the weigh in. Pewsey 1, 2 and 3 had drawn pegs 6,7 and 8, with me on 6. So had I beaten my squad mates?
In short yes, Chas had 12 ounces and Chris Glover 2 lb. Me sneaking it with 2 lb 2 oz. There was some very close weights around the two pound mark, but I had beaten the two pegs either side of me.
It wasn't till pegs 3, 2 and 1 that the roach started to show and the weights were out of my reach. Still 4th and 5 points after that day, was a bloody miracle.
So to A section Ian Spanners Spanswick for team 1, Si Irwin team 2 and the waggler man Steve Hiscock for team 3. Worm had done it here with Si having a monster Perch, two weeks in a row the bonus fish man strikes. Still Spanners did him and team 1 keeps their nose in front. Worm had done well for 3 but crayfish had done him in.
C Section , not something Si Irwin wanted to hear said out loud today as his pregnant wife was about to pop, and he is waiting on the call. In this section Steve Trevett,( on my other peg C6!) Martin Aris and stand in sub Graham Godwin. Steve wins his section with nice Perch from the bush I mentioned earlier. Graham third, and the ever improving Martin Aris (sticking to team plan) scratched out a weight for midsection points. Well done him.
D Section and getting into the bigger weight Chubby type areas. Kev the bread Chubb P1 wins the section scratching out the small stuff. Steve Dean also a Clanfield member and effectively on home water, struggles to 11 oz. Lee Knight (fishing on last weeks 31 lb of Chubb winning peg) goes for it and ignores team plan and sits it out for Chubb. Paying the price with last in section.
E section and Slab Bream world, but as with most other areas today the roach were conspicuous in the absence. Perhaps the cold nights are tightening the shoals.
For the second winter league in a row, Leo draws a "mare" of a swim. Post match note. it was noted afterwards the pegging crew only decided flip of a coin to put it in last minute .com. Marc Kay and Paul Giddings fared slightly better, but Pewsey suffers in this section.
And so to the final F section. Brian Shutler P2 on the flier, with Pewsey club President sandwiched between him and P1 s Chris Rushton. Come the day and co-meth the man. Brian takes apart a great peg and wins the Match, well done to him.
Slight fly in ointment as Chris's "after match pint" story doesn't tally with score sheet. He said the Radcot angler had 1 lb 15 and half ounces, but the sheet says tied on 2 lb?
Sorry for the dark team sheet but the battery on the camera was fading ( another error on the day), but here it is. Pewsey One winners on the day averaging that important 6 points an angler.
Clanfield (home water and summer league winners) second with Radcot 3rd.
Brian Shutler wins it - well done mate. Picked up your envelope for you. PS spent it already - lol. Section wins for Steve Trevett, Kev Chubb and Spanners by default.
So after two rounds ( out of 5) it looks like this
1. Pewsey One = 71 points
2. Swindon ISIS A = 67 points
3. Radcot = 60 points
4. Pewsey Two = 59 points
5. Pewsey Three = 47 points
6. Clanfield A = 46 points
7. Swindon ISIS B = 38 points
8. Clanfield B = 33 points
Go Pewsey - yes.
Next week back on my lake duties. Jealous of some of the lads who have opted to fish on the Thames at Lechlade in an open match. Ahead of the winter league on the same venue the following week. Lets hope they share the love when it comes to anything learned.
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