Pewsey end of year bash day 2

Man was it another brutally cold night.  I wont bore you with the bumper car icy road antics of the minus 3 drive; but glad to say I was relieved to sit down for breakfast.

Much banter and jest was abound as yesterdays fun continued as if we had never been away.  All got stuck into hearty breaky and tea and coffee.  Chris collected his quid of Marc Kay but declined a £10 side bet.

Above the finishing positions after day 1.  No surprise to see most of the Bowdens swing bridge section in the bottom third.  A little surprised though to see some of those who drew Milk house below me.  The draw had been bought forward to 8 am and the match itself from 10 til 3 so we didn't weigh in in the dark.

As you will be aware I am desperate not to end 2014 on another mid section draw.  Preferably an end peg and if I was to choose; I would have Milk house first followed by the boats (as long as I can get something other than peg 3 or 4) and last choice Wilcot Rd.  Fair play to James Carty he has organised it to give everyone a chance and a fair bit of variety.

It was with crossed fingers, toes and everything else that I dipped in the bucket saying "not Wilcot not Wilcot".

It was the boats - phew. Due to the wires running through the middle, there was a chance of 4 possible end pegs.  Brian Shutler was in my section so that was surely one of them gone. From the remaining 12 pegs I had a 4 to 1 chance. But I didn't get one. Nic Worters had 2 with no one on 1. Other end of section Nigel Russell had the far end on the edge of the turning bay.  Brian had indeed got the first peg on the end of the rushes past the wires.  Alan Brown had the Wharf side of the wires; and I wonders will never cease had got past 3 and 4 and up to 9.  Opposite a dilapidated craft that some joker had put a 10'k price tag on.

With Alan favourite on my left I decided just to enjoy.  Try a few things I wouldn't risk in a club match stay warm.  Zak Phillips was on my right fair play to the juniors I thought they wouldn't stick out the two days in the cold but they did.  Keen as mustard, with Morgan also in the section bragging rights were up for grabs.

Martin came along the boat in front of him so he was pissed off with nothing to fish to but that's the luck of the draw. To compound his problems he had pole sections stuck inside pole sections that just would not budge.  So he could only fish to the middle.  I could see he wasn't up for it and any enthusiasm was draining out of his wellies. Next to him he another junior from Devizes club a young Master Cranston. Man he had some kit. A Preston absolute box and literally all the trimming and a top of the range pole. Clearly his parents think a lot of him.  Confident lad to seemed to know what he was doing.

Then it was Buzzer Mike Bernstein still coughing his chest up and wrapped up against the still brutally raw day - below.

I called the all in and we were away I had a fish first drop and then another then another and again. 4 fish in a minute. Then a boat came through.  So across to the boats to let my track swim settle after the boat had churned it up.  It took ten minutes to settle before the churned silt disappeared.  So I potted in a bit more bait and hoped the fish were still there.  Sure enough 2 fish in the first minute 3 in the second , 1 in the third and then another boat came through.  Another 10 minutes across tight to the wreck parked opposite with only a bumble bee of a perch to reward.

15 minutes this time before it settled, and I decided against more bait except 20 grains of hemp.  Good job too, as the constant swirling detritus from the boats dragging the bottom had meant a compost heap of foliage had settled over my original baited area. Bugger it was the only area that had plumbed up 4 inches deeper than anywhere else.

Clearly the fish fancied this area as for the rest of the match the only bites I could get were near it. Also with so many snags now littering the bottom it was difficult to lay on or be dead depth.  Time for a re-think.  After much trial an error I hit in a steady little and often feeding regime. Had come four inches of bottom and on the now moving canal trot by right to left past the bonfire of crap in front of me. It was now half 12 and Martin was walking the bank. It was dire to my right with only peg 2 catching steady and Dave Kirk fishing blood worm on peg 3 also catching.

Alan Brown on the flier end peg to my left was not pulling away so I had hope.  That is till Martin came back from the end pegs past the wires.  Brian Shutler was catching just past the rushes and Nigel Russell on the edge of the bay had fish crawling up his pole.  He was admitting to about 5 lb, which when you have a pound in the net is soul destroying.

I wasn't going to give up and kept ringing the minute changes to my set up to try and buy as many fish as I could out of my swim.  Alan was now catching across at the boats, so I made my only mistake of the day by coming of feeding fish to chase a faster catch rate against the boats.  Big mistake 15 blank minutes and six more fish to Alan putting him I estimated 5 oz in front of me.  The last 20 minutes saw us fish for fish again but I needed a bonus fish to make up the lost ounces.

So the all out was called and the weigh in done. Nigel had blown us all away from the end peg, with a smashing 8 lb 15 oz which included a Crucian of 1.5 lb.  Brian was full 3 lb behind him but surely up in the top 5 on the day.

Now back down toward the Wharf under the overhead cables and to the first past the rushes Alan on the next end peg. 2 lb 7 oz including a couple of 4 ounce Perch I think he had me.  I lifted out to see it would be close. Sure enough 2 lb 2 and half ounces the decision to try and catch fish faster had cost me the 4 and half ounces I needed to beat the end peg. Bugger.  I was also close to Dave "Bloodworm" Kirk at the other end. just off the money again by probably 4 fish.  Nice to have taken Buzzers scalp.  Morgan had the bragging rights over Zak by half an ounce. Young Andy Cranston had also pushed Buzzer hard.  There's a talent for the future.

The other sections now.

Milk house a blow out today after the great weights of nearly every peg yesterday. 

Chris Rushton didn't weigh don't know why. Gary Etheridge wins with a straight 3 lb. Mick Hale and Pete Collins on the end pegs again doing well.

Our host and organiser JC  winning with 5 lb 9.5 oz.  Liam Bradell taking another second in section in consecutive days. Well done Mike Marsden also with 2 x 4 th in section.

A lovely raffle arranged by James and his Wife Teresa after words , beer and choccies , biscuits and wine, didn't win there either - never mind.

The final sheet and the winners and the end of a good but bloody cold two days. Liam Bradell wins it with 24 points, 2nd Nigel Russell 23 points Paul Passmore, Nic Worters and Gary Etheridge tie for third but Paul takes it on weight.  I was pleased to redeem myself with another 7 points taking me to 12 ahead of many friends and mid table blues.

Paul Passmore Left, Liam Bradell center and Nigel Russell on the right