Wx Winter kicks of with a mare.

For quite a while now I have been fishing well catching regularly and although I had to be coerced into fishing this years league.  I felt I could do well.

Nige Russell and Pete Gilbert took the money and did the admin whilst the rest of us took the piss out of each other; and people mused on not every ones favourite venue Sutton Benger.

I didn't draw where I wanted , but got D Section again. 4 Years in a row!!!!!! And never at the favoured weir pool end.  I do wish they wouldn't put the weir in ; it does make D Section really difficult. My peg looked OK cut out yesterday I hoped it would fish.  It was mighty tight to Eamon upstream if the tree wasn't in the way I could have touched him with my pole.  Eamon wasn't impressed and I don't blame him he only had a poles length to trot and he would be in my swim.  A complaint to the section steward (Pete Gilbert peg 2 in the weir) fell on deaf ears.  I too was not pleased , I felt for Eamon I felt he had a case, not only that it would be really easy for him to draw my fish.  I couldn't really fish down stream as the rushes to my right went so far out I wouldn't be able to see my float.

It was stagnant till half way across were it dropped of to 10 feet deep.  There was no movement at all as the swim was clogged with silk weed and cabbages, almost a still water.  Bleak pipped everywhere. Till the start and then they disappeared.  The match started with a huge commotion two pegs up.  Steve Dean had been smashed by a double figure pike.  Eamon struggled to get going with tangles and bumping fish.  Me I had a few 2 oz fish then two 6 ounce Perch on the worm under the bush opposite.  Then the minnows started, and despite using a big section of worm on a 16 hook I still couldn't shake them off.

I hooked a nice Roach which was nabbed at the net by a near double figure Pike which led me a merry dance stretching the 6 elastic to its limit before taking the fish and the hook length.  The Pike hung around for the rest of the day ramming my keep net every now and then.  Those who read the corresponding blog from last year will recognise a severe case of Dejavu here.

The Match dragged on in some horrendous down pours and near 3 hours without a bite.  Eamon had a little bit of flow in his swim, and after a slow start had overtaken me catching some nice little roach.  Me I had nothing but minnows and bleak that were not much bigger. I was staggered at the size of bait these tiny fish would take and I just could not get a bigger than 2 oz fish.  I tried hemp and tare, 3,4, and 5 mil punch.  Lobworm and double caster.  I dare not put on a maggot or pinkie it was suicide.

The end came round real quick and I knew Eamon had done me although he would only say he thought he had 3 lb.  I hoped I would be close with 30 bleak 140+ minnows and a few small Perch.  I weighed in 2 lb 11 oz and Eamon 3 lb 14.  His bigger roach doing me in the end.

Pete Gilbert in the weir one the section with 7 lb plus including Chubb (oh to catch a chubb) Brian Ballard on the first peg out of the weir was second.  My team did well with two firsts two seconds and a third before I let them down.  I will make up for it next time.  I would defy anyone to catch more than I did in the swim, and without fishing Donkey choker pellets on the hook you would have got nothing but minnows.

Thats the first one out of the way. Onwards and upwards.

Joining the Clan...........Open to all

What a beautiful day to go fishing.  Took up the offer of Clanfield Angling and attended the River Thames to fish an open match.  Left home at 7 met Ian and Leo in Pewsey and onto Clanfield , where the great the good and the ringers were waiting to do the draw.

After a little confusion as to which field gates were open and how we would get to our pegs we drew and got under way. I drew well down at 85, With Brian Ballard on end peg 91 and James the Legend Carty on 89 plus many other good anglers in the section it would nor be easy.

My Peg was beautiful but featureless on a straight and about 6 feet deep from my feet 90% across.  No real features except for a lovely up stream breeze.

Its a year since I fished the venue and I have always drawn up the other end.  But Today Leo and Ian were that end, in fact Spanners had the top end peg.  I had an inside whip line for hemp and squid  ink pellet (no Tares) .  Mid river ground bait Noire and River Black casters red and flouro maggot over it .  Far waggler line loose fed caster , yellow maggot on hook.

The match started well bites straight off, with the whip inside and 9 straight roach on the pellet.  Big swirl from Pike and that was the end of that swim.  At least for now.

Mid river now and just enough flow to pull a stick through with a nice upstream to help presentation.  I can see the legend JC bagging mid river fishing 7 meters to hand.  I gonna have to go some to keep up.  Brian too, is catching steadily. The fickle wind made me come of the stick and put out the pole on the same line just for accuracy..  The bites slowed so two bait droppers of hemp , spiced em up again and brought in the Perch.  Change to worm for bigger Perch brought one more nettable before it died again.  Downstream the boys are still catching but my bites are slowing - 1 hour gone.

An hour without bites well 4 bleak,  and a drop in wind , so I went across .  Waggler Caster spray and yellow on the hook.  Immediate chublet and another Roach.  The breeze has picked up and swung round in my face, causing the line to loop behind the spool on the reel.

Birds nest sorted and back in sees another  three roach and one more 4 oz chublet.  I can hear Brian and JC discussing the lack of bites.  JC is looking upstream to me , so I try the mind games and net a 6 ounce Perch, could have swung it in but trying to apply pressure.

A baron couple of hours for our section left 1 hour to go before people started catching .  Up stream the guy above me had just had a nice Chub so was looking good.  Me I couldn't get a bigger fish but had started to catch big bleak and small roach on the wag.

Brian called it for the end and the weigh began , clearly I was not gonna win the section but had not disgraced myself.

Brian had 8 and bit pounds.  JC 6 and a half , a did not weigh below me (4 fish ) me 4 lb 5 oz

I knew I wouldn't pick up by default as the guy upstream Chub had given him 6 and half too.

So round to see Leo weigh in 2.5 lb

and on up to Spanners who reckons he might add three pound.  Then headed for home.  The journey home was the only bad thing on an excellent enjoyable day fishing in the sun, most relaxing.  A big thanks to my hosts Clanfield.

The locals did do well on their water.

Left at 5 got home at 735, after traffic in Lechlade, Highworth, chucking out time at Honda, 20 minutes getting over m4.  Traffic jams in Marlborough, Collingbourne and Tidworth!!!!!!!!!

Going to the Clanfield Facebook page now see who won.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=clanfield%20angling%20club

September Lake and the far end at last

For my regular readers who enjoy when I have a bad day , then your gonna love this.  September at the Lake can be a funny time of change to its winter coat ; but not this year the continuing nice weather is stretching out the fishing.

I virtually ran to my peg having drawn 14 at the Carpy end and also it being the golden peg.

  Had many a good pleasure session on this peg, but never drawn it in a match. Set up the method rod and a couple of wagglers one for up in the water and one on the bottom.  Two pole lines left and right one ground bait over maggot and the other micro pellet and meat over the top.

Nic too my left was preparing his meat and the match was just about to start.

For the second club match in a row I had Mark Russ to my right on the end peg

The match began and I fed the pole lines and then went across to the bull rushes for the Carp.  The tip whipped around and the first of several 10 oz puppy carp came to the net.  One hour in and I have a 3 pounder and Mark and Nic are starting to get twitchy at the lack of bites.

The pole lines have erupted in bubbles akin to those caused by eels , but there are no eels in the lake?  I decided to come of the feeding fish and try the pole/  Big mistake.  Several finicky roach bites and nothing of any size.

Mark has just lost a clonker at the net and left of Nic Will and Jimmy Broomham are now bagging.  Time to stop pissing around and get back on the rushes. Cast out only to catch the line around the tip breaking of the quiver tip end too eyes.  Bugger. After 15 minutes of piddling around  got going again and some how although I had clipped up, The line came out of the clip and the whole package sailed straight into the bed of reeds.

Whilst laughing and looking heavenwards the bait was taken and the resulting fish ploughed deeper in.  A straightened hook and a lost fish later I tackled up again and cast only for the line to get caught around the reel handle and the feeder cracking off and heading alone to the horizon and freedom.

Meanwhile Mark had lost another lump , hung three floats and two feeders in the trees opposite and yet finally hooked a good looking double. It pulled his black hydro for sometime before he nearly lost it under his peg and the peg to his right.

Finally he and not to my pleasure he gets it in and its over 10 pound

For the next 3 hours I fished like an idiot and lost fish after fish as did Mark.  I have to say I became quite perplexed as to how I was going to get these fish out of the rushes.  Fact is I wasn't prepared .  Having gone so long without drawing that end of the lake, I only had 5 lb line and hooks that were not man enough.  Poor admin was costing me dearly I should be fishing at least 8 lb line and Guru strong carp hooks.  I only have myself to blame.

 Whilst I was getting in the right place and actually hooking fish but they dived straight into the rushes and every time I lost them.  I became very despondent and my brain went and I started chasing swirls and bubbles anything for a bigger fish in open water.

Mark had lost more fish too but now had one out in open water and was inching it to the net.

Time was ticking away, Nic lost a section of pole in the Lake, Will had a couple of lumps and Jim was still bagging.  Me I awarded myself twat of the day for cocking up a good swim, and the match end was called.

Nic went in for the pole section

Nice Boxers Nic.  Lol.  Having recovered his section we started the weigh in and it was clear straight away my poor preparation and subsequent poor fishing had cost me.  I have been fishing really well and catching loads lately, so much so that I had become blase and thought I could just turn up and catch anywhere.  How wrong can one be.

Well done to all the others who did have a good day.  Jimmy for WINNING.  Mark for second but probably lost 25 lb plus as did I.

Also well done to our guest Robin Pearce, his 3 lb Chub helping him to a section win.