The boys had decided to meet in Hungerford as our normal A 4 route in also had diversions. So Leo led us convoy style across Hungerford Common and through the beautiful Berkshire village of Kintbury. We all gathered in the railway station yard and headed to our hosts Captain to pay in.
A biting wind heralded this last day of Jan 2015 and every angler was dressed accordingly. After the last two weeks disaster and my drop to third in the club championship. I nearly didn't turn out today thinking a break was due. However the lure of the K and A with the addition of the River Kennet flowing into it was too much to turn down. I had enjoyed the corresponding fixture last year although I had struggled to get a weight on the higher number pegs.
Pewsey was looking forward to trying to extend our dominant form over Kintbury. Last season it was home and away victories; and this season we had won the home match and wanted to do the home and away again. A good turn out of 34 meant a long walk for someone. We all wanted the pegs in single figures as they are well known fishy areas. Especially where the Kennet joins the canal (peg 4), a moored barge being a favourite.
By the time I got through the scrum for pegs I had three to choose from and low and behold I had peg 31. Bloody hell a long walk and not even the end peg. Kintbury had drawn most of the single figure pegs so we had our work cut out to match their weights today. On the back foot already....
I got to my peg and three guys trudged by me. Puffing and panting. Leo had 33 and Paul Giddings the end peg master had drawn yet another end peg number 34. A lovely looking peg with a boat moored nearside.
The water was gin clear and I could see the bottom of my keep net easily, so no inside line at all. This was not going to be easy. I was five or six pegs along from where I was last year. So hopefully not so many trout. The canal was pulling hard fro right to left, so I opted for 1.0 gram float to go with the flow 4 inches of bottom. A 2.0 gram flat float to fish over depth 6 inches and hold, and a shallow rig for the far ledge.
Bait well bread seemed the most obvious but for some reason I cant find my bread. Bloody hell. I know I had it earlier but I just cant find it. One or two of us had brought blood worm and joker, but were informed at the draw it was banned. Bugger it.
The long walk had left us little time to prepare so the 930 start found me not ready. I cupped in a ball of ground bait and 5 bait droppers of chopped worm and caster and hemp. Ten minutes late I lowered the run through rig in and it dipped at the end of my swim and a roach was swung in. Followed by a Perch and another Roach., one more two ouncer before the elastic pulled back hard and the first of two trout came to the bank. The bronze maggot was producing well.
Spoke too soon. A quiet spell of 20 minutes without a bite saw me put in another ball of ground bait and switch to the 2 gram flat float. A couple of minutes holding against the flow saw the float dip and a lovely Roach about a pound + was gingerly brought to the bank. Gingerly as it was just and just hooked at the side of the mouth. The look of panic in its face when it saw the landing net made it flip on the surface and catapult the rig toward me which stuck in the peak of my cap. Gutted at the site of its flash of red fin as it slid through the icy green / blue back into the depths of the flowing canal.
Tackled up again I went another 20 minutes before the next bite another small roach. So I went long to the far side and immediately struggled to find a gap in the sub surface brambles and detritus of recent storms that had ensured much of the bank side foliage would have a watery grave.
Simply unfishable I decided to come back to the three quarter line. Leo had had a trout and Paul on the end peg was filling it in with worm and had been rewarded with a 3 lb + perch plus two around the 2 lb + mark.. It was clear the rest of us in the section were struggling. Maybe just maybe I was section default at this stage.
The float dipped and my double pinkie was taken by the obligatory weekly Pike. This Esox Luscious was predatory perfection in miniature at around 10 to 12 ounces.
What to do??? I had a pound in the net and others were walking the bank with struggling tales of ounces. Mike Marsden was going well on punch. Knew I should have bread. Chris Rushton had had a skimmer and Leo was netting a few roach.
Bugger go for it what have you to lose. Its not a club points match. So i chucked in half a pint of bronze maggot in the bowl and a few pinkie. As it was flowing well I packed the orange size balls tight and cupped in 5 in a row along to the right end of my swim.
The water coloured slightly and began to fizz as the ground bait dissolved . I lowered the flat float in at the left end of my swim and held back. Straight away a small fish. Then the elastic whipped out and I a fish bore deeply into the bottom and started away to my right up stream against the flow. I added sections to the pole to try and turn his head back to me. Didn't want another rig trashed by the energetic trout or pike or whatever it was. I was bullying it , which was ridiculous I just wanted the 22 hook to pull so I could get back in over the baited area. Leo called down, what is it mate. Trout I think.
As I said it I was gobsmacked to see a large daddy Chubb roll majestically in the clarity of the water. Suddenly the arse clenched and everything became careful and gentle, and I mean very careful and very gentle. The thick white rubbery lips gaped wide and gulped in some air. You could have thrown a golf ball in that mouth this was proper Chubb. I guided it up stream of my feet and lowered the net out of view about 4 feet down stream. It rolled worryingly and the hook which was down its gullet sprang forward and latched just inside the lips. I was going to have one go at this or lose it.
Suddenly my shallow small fish landing net seemed wholly inadequate. The black tail of the Chubb entered the net then its midrift and it realised I was springing the trap. It started to bolt and I lifted one angry Chubb bucked and flipped in the net the rig (hook straightened) sprang free into a perfect birds nest and I quickly shipped in the landing net. A lovely Chubb of just over three I thought disgorged around a hundred bronze maggots into my lap and lay looking angrily back at me. That's a four pounder said the guy next to me. More like three I said I can get my hand around its neck.
I cut off my rig and put the birds nest in the bag. New rig (duplicate) on, I lowered the rig back over the area I had the chubb, and had another roach. Swung it in and decided to change the bait to double pinkie. The float dipped and lifted and I lifted into a nice skimmer. And that was it, the last two hours went bite less. I tried running a stick through , mid depth, well over depth etc etc , but nothing. Paul on the end had continued to catch so must have the section. When the all out was called we quickly packed away as the weigh in began. A boat came through and I photographed my catch
Paul was first with cracking Perch and 13 lb + on the end peg. Then Leo and the Kintbury lad tying on 2 lb 12 oz each. Then me, the Chubb went 3 lb 4 oz and my total 4 lb 15 oz. We trudged back on the long walk to hear the results. When I got back to the van I found my bread on the floor by the back door, must have fallen out of the bag.
Kintbury Captain Pete Whaley was totting up the scores and the money.
He had drawn the flyer Peg 4 opposite and done it justice by winning of it. It wasn't enough though, Pewsey top ten against Kintbury 10 had triumphed 47 lb + to 31 lb. Yes a team win and the double home and away again. In reverse order the sections were called and the three sections had winners all Pewsey Mike Marsden with a cracking bag of bread punch roach. James Carty and yours truly - yes back in the money. Then the top three. Pete first (Middle) and two Pewsey boys Marc Kay 3rd (left) and Paul Giddings right in second place.
Back on the Lake next week.
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