Salisbury Pairs and a tear in the eye at innocence lost

Well this morning was a strange one.  Its really weird when you go back in time.  Today it was Salisbury Open Pairs.  On the Nadder and the Avon in Salisbury.

The Pewsey boys were to have jolly boys day out and a bit of fun.  For many had never fished the Avon in Salisbury or indeed a spate river like the Nadder, tending to fish the rivers north or west of Pewsey like Bristol Avon or Thames, maybe even the River Severn.

Town Path bridge crossing the Nadder just above where it joins the Avon

The 5 shallow fast flowing chalk fed rivers that confluence in Salisbury are a whole different kettle of fish. Its busy fishing watching the pacy river drag your float to the horizon at super fast speeds. I had to show a diagram of tackle needed, and puzzled faces looked upon the stick float like one of those weird pictures where eventually the picture object comes into focus.

 I was born spitting distance from the River Ebble, and grew up losing my fishing virginity to the River Nadder at Lower Bemerton recreation ground.  A beautiful 3 oz glimmering god sent Dace.

Attending St Johns school next to the rec, and Sunday school at St Johns church only yards from the dancing dace and Lady of the stream Grayling was at times to much to bear.  Many a rollicking from Mrs Thomas for staring wistfully out of the window and day dreaming of catching a Chubb, instead of doing logiblocks. Getting grief from Donald Gallagher and Gary Buckley for wanting to fish at Playtime instead of footy with a tennis ball. Screams of " and Peter Lorrimor (Leeds Utd) hits another unstoppable shot", or my hero Stan Bowles, or Rodney Marsh would inspire me to dance around the clumsy defenders and slot another hat trick. I could go on about happy days in Quidhampton fishing 14 Hatches but won't..  I would just hope to draw the swims my brother and I used to fish like Harnham Mill below

Or indeed a repeat of the day when I landed a 2 lb 2 oz Roach, and my Brother below landed this stunning 2 lb 15 oz Roach from Salisbury Rivers.

So to the draw in the County Hotel, what would it be today.  Rose tinted innocent halcyon days lost or repeated?  My partner for the day was Chris Rushton and we hoped to repeat our success as a pair in the summer league. Quids on with Spanners and Leo who paired up.  We hoped to catch but mostly enjoy the day.  

Some good anglers on Show today the local Salisbury mafia ready to take our cash. Dave George, Frank Gumbleton and his son Shaun, Kev "the Bread" Chubb,Colin Selwood, Barney, Dave the centre pin Docs Docherty, paired with my mate Brian Shutler and many more.  A big turn out nearly 60 anglers.  

Anglers from Tisbury like George gorgeous Stainer, others from Pewsey, Melksham, Portsmouth Eastleigh and Andover. Everyone enjoyed a breakfast.

Last time I fished this or any Salisbury river was 1986 with my brother.  I had 9 lb 2 oz of Dace (front of County Hotel) and bruv up above the boat house a nightmare almost blank.  Today will need a good weight from each river to triumph. Chris finally decided to fish the Avon leaving me with the Nadder.  I have been drawing badly so Chris drew for us. 

 He needed up in front of the Fire Station, me I was down stream from the Mill at Harnham.  Go to say I was reasonably happy (peg below), would have preferred the weirs behind and in front of the Mill but Kev Rowles got the one behind and my mate from Devizes Alan Brown in front of it.  Above me a chap called Jim, and down n the bend was Barney match organiser. 

Apparently there was a good weight of dace of this peg in recent weeks, so the omens were good.  First thing I did was slip on my ass, but no one saw my embarrassment.  The bloke up stream from me Jim was positive and fished the area regularly. So I was excited to get going.

Set up a Dave Harrell 12 x 4 stick and a feeder rod as back up no point fishing pole, it was blowing a hooly down stream making presentation difficult. All in, and the float dips into a minnow. Then another then another and another.  Treble maggot now and the first Graying around 4 oz . Fish are crashing on the surface above me as Jim seems to be bagging.

After an hour or more I have had 90 minnows, and changes to bigger baits like bread flake or sweetcorn normally a banker for grayling had produced nothing.  Jim wanders down to see how I am doing and its nice to know all his fish have been trout and Salmon par but no Dace.  Barney down on the bend has one fish a chubb about a pound and Alan Brown has wandered down from the front of the mill and has 1 x 4 oz Grayling like me.

So two thirds of the way through, and none of us are catching anything but Trout.

Kevin Rowles is bagging up behind the Mill in the big weir.  The rest of us struggle to catch anything.  In fact by the end of the match I have had 9 Trout up to 4 lb, 7 Salmon par up to 4 inches long one Roach, 1 Grayling and 121 minnows for a total of 12 oz!!!!.

Jim above me has 7 trout 9 Salmon par load of minnows and in the last 20 minutes two chubb for 2.5 lb.  Down stream Barney on the bend has had 5 or 6 chubb and a Perch in the last 40 minutes for 4 lb +  Alan Brown in front of the Mill finishes with one grayling  4 oz , Kev Rowles has found the dace we couldn't behind the mill in the big weir. With 27 lb +

So back to the Grey Fisher pub for the results.  My Partner had 6 lb + of Roach to beat Spanners on the Avon and I was dreading seeing Leo who drew behind City Plumbing in Churchfields.  Turn's out he too had had a ton of trout and finished with 8 oz. So Chris and I win our quid bets.

  So we have come nowhere, with Brian Shutler catching 24 lb of Dace by Crane bridge and other big weights of roach on the Avon 15 lb, 19 lb and more.  I have despite all, thoroughly enjoyed the day putting a stick down the river, and whilst it is a lovely sight to see a light stick float rod bend double into a hefty fish its a shame trout don't count.

Thank you to the Salisbury club for hosting us but it's back on the Lake next week, next week for the final match of the season..

One final comment, I titled this blog ....."a tear in the eye at innocence lost", I was slightly disappointed at the attitude of some of the Salisbury public, not as friendly as I recall.  The innocent happy sun filled days of my youth catching flashing dace and roach, were gone, never did I think I would see not one dace from those pegs below the mill.

As for the public ............plagued all day by ignorant dog owners who showed no courtesy to the angler.  At one point a woman and her incredible hulk sized husband threw a ball right into the middle of my swim for her three massive dogs to chase.

Turning to the lady I exclaimed excuse me I don't know if you saw me but I am fishing here, and thats not helping.  Almost in unison the pair said well f...k off and fish somewhere else then. Its a blood sport anyway............  I was so gobsmacked I had no reply.

The final moment was a woman threatening to sue me as her dog coughed its guts up after eating my unused ground bait.  Apparently I had shown no duty of care and her dog was now poisoned!!!  I replied this time,,  "if you kept the bloody thing on a lead and out of my kit it would be fine" She and her badly farting dog waddled off, as if nothing had been said. Strange very strange.

We finished the day with a mixture of sleet , snow and hail.