Wx Winter League Lechlade mixed fortunes

Take it up a notch today back on the team stuff cant let the boys down self pity like last week. In the Swan at Lechlade for the draw as opposed to the normal Bridge pub.  Greeted by team mate Bryan Jackson who having read my blog last week , had made me a float.  My initials one side and MSB for mid section blues on the other.  Get your MOJO back with a new float mate.  What a lovely gesture.

To add to that another gesture, Mark Russ handed me a new backlight for my van to replace the damage the unfortunate Brian Shutler inflicted last week. What good mates I have, typical of Pewsey boys the friendly club.

I asked Chris to draw for us as I have lost the touch for a good peg, and after a cracking fry up and a cup of tea for just a fiver we sorted all our bait orders out and were ready to rumble.  Chris drew peg 5  a Golden peg in 2 sections no less.  Just needed section c now to be in front of the Bridge pub for the favoured pegs.

No joy though Bri Shutler had C 5 in front of the pub, and I was down St Johns Lock end. Second field in two pegs up it didn't look promising. Shallow on the inside at roughly 6 feet deep I could see the bottom of the keep net and that being a long river net ! The river was very clear and very static no movement at all until 14 meters out where it was moving but as a slow as an asthmatic ant carrying my van

To make things worse I had a bloody nippy stiff breeze right in my face and slightly downstream.  My original thoughts of attack were changing rapidly.  14 Meters was the only weed free line and no cabbages.  There was no fish sign at all not even pipping Bleak.

I thought I would get in with the plat form in the hope I could get below the wind.  The bank was getting some grief from a Swan and on closer inspection I noted he was grazing on chopped worm, hemp and ground bait.  Clearly some one had fished this peg yesterday., not sure if that is good or bad.

There was the inkling of a protruding bush on the far side .  So when the match started I baited a small amount of choppy at 14 mtrs, on the basis there would be food in the area from yesterday.  Didn't want to ball it in so used a bait dropper and also added hemp.

Whilst that settled I baited a whip swim with a small amount of licky bread and some grains of hemp. Then fired a bomb rod against the far bush with a 10p size bread flake to try and snare a Chubb.  To be honest the far side looked the best bet but impossible to get bait too.  So after 15 minutes I came in over the 14 mtr line.

The float dipped and a Gudgeon was swung into hand. the next 6 trots saw 6 more Gudgeon.  I thought I would risk a small nugget of ground bait walnut size with a bit of dead pinkie in it. One more Gudgeon then nothing.  15 minutes of nothing saw me try the whip line with bread punch then Tares over the licky and hemp, but again a fruitless bite less 30 minutes.

I looked around and no body was catching.  It seemed nobody except the House of Angling guy on peg 1 in my section opposite the pill box was catching.  The match dragged on the wind increased and clouds gained a moody brooding look.

Holding the pole was difficult and it creaked and groaned as I tried to hold it still and inch through the bait again. One more Gudgeon.

Time to shake it up, not sit there like last week.  The tip rod came out and a change from bomb to swim feeder saw it sploosh up stream of the bush and settle at the head of it.  Forty five fruitless minutes saw me change to the waggler.  The was bait in there from the feeder , but it wasn't enough.

A tug back on the catty saw the elastic snap and the mag caster mix, drop in at my feet bugger.  How would I get bait there?  A root around in the bag and I found some sticky mag.  So I knocked up  or so grape size sticky balls that would fit in a smaller "pult" and pinged one after every cast on the waggler.

God was against me though as the wind was now right in my face. A change from 5bb to 7 bb waggler made it easier but the Normark Microlight was struggling against it.  What a glorious rod the Normark is and all though the fish were not biting I was enjoying using quality kit.

Surprisingly the last hour flew by and I was hoping against hope now.  It seemed nobody even in the section below and at least pegs up from me were catching.  Its normally about now someone hooks a a bonus to overtake me. I say overtake as the waggler work against the wind had been rewarded with 5 Bleak.  I was sure If I could get into far bank tight I would get a bigger fish. So an almighty heave Ion the whistle I whacked it out...............disaster the unwarranted pressure meant my middle section cracked of and the top section and part of the middle section landed mid river.

Utter shock was only broken by the end of match whistle and I was gutted that I had broken my rod.

Dear Readers if any of you have a middle section for a Mark 2 Normark Microlite I would be grateful if you could contact me.  Time to scour Ebay.

So after a lovely start to the day with a gift.  A crushing end to it by breaking a precious favourite rod.  The scales and boards came down the bank and I wondered just how many fish the bloke on peg 1 had?

Sure enough he had me beat.  That was not really the point though ISIS were ahead of us, so had I beat Pete Gilbert below me.  I was fairly sure I had, as he had struggled like the rest of us.

Yes I had done enough.  I was never gonna beat peg 1 opposite the pill box so had the next best thing.  Graham Godwin came by and he had second too, but was bemoaning a lost Chubb, Mark came up from F section and he had third , but most important ISIS had had a bad day.

Had to get away sharpish so don't know the results. Lets hope we are back on level terms.  Two matches to go.

Post match brief news. House of Angling had 4 section wins and their guy "Elvis" won the day peg 1 D Section I think.  It seems we picked up on ISIS and are only 2 points behind now.

Piss poor preparation leads to poor performance

Piss poor preparation leads to poor performance its said; and that was borne out today.  I wasn't really up for it this weekend.  A long list of jobs to do at home has been building up and a day at it to try and get my wife of my back, meant I just slung my kit in the van with no preparation.

Old rigs on thicker summer line, bulky not fine wire hooks and a general shoddy approach was to be the undoing of me today.

It was chucking it down as I raised a weary head from the pillow.  A twisted ankle late last night out with the dogs (foot down rabbit hole) throbbed and smarted as my foot touched the floor.

Down stairs for a sausage sarnie and cup of tea.  Let the dogs out and put down the grub, the ox tripe and goat chunks the foul odour not putting them off as they gleefully gulped it down.  Rain was really hammering it down now on the conservatory roof and compounding my lack of interest in fishing today, nearly one the day as I searched for Leos number on my phone.

The thought of Leo out in this pegging ahead of the match, made me put the phone down and get the wet weather kit on for the day.  How could I not support him, if he was good enough to peg out I should support him and the club in turning out.

Parked up in Wilcot road and the rain was relentless, really slamming into the ground and all around .  To make things worse, the van took a whack.  What the bloody hell I shouted as Brian Shutler pulled in behind me.  Only he took it to close and bumped my van.  He was most apologetic, and to be honest Brian has had a bit on his plate lately so I told him not to worry.

We stood like 12 angry men in the pouring rain for the pay in and draw.  11 were to fish as Leo whilst he had pegged had hurt his back and had stuff to do at home was not fishing. I drew  6 in the middle of the section.  Leo came along to pick up the pegs and tried not to laugh too much as he looked at my Peg.

So solid with leaves that I would find it hard to get a rig in.

" It wasn't like that when I pegged honest " he said. See you later and went on his way.  The very cold rainwater run off from the 3 cottages opposite poured like a mini Niagara falls into the canal opposite.
With leaves falling faster than my stocks and shares and pension value.  I wished I had not come. Still Brian to my right and Spanners and a couple 3 lads to my left might as well suck it up princess and get on with it.  Even went a quid with Spanners even though he had drawn a prime peg near the bridge.  We are even on quids at the moment.

The cold water outfall opposite was causing a beautiful colourful vortex of leaves in front to of me.  A shame I hoped it would push the leaves into someone else's peg.  My poor admin was starting to bite as the set up was going badly wrong tangled and snapped rigs bread knocked into canal and frothy pinkies crawling everywhere in the sopping conditions.

The lads gathered noisily behind me to chat before the start and after a couple of minutes I said "which part of f**k off don't you understand".

Laughter accompanied them as they went back to their respective pegs and we started.  Bumped the first three fish on the whip and should of changed the rig .  Clearly the hook was blunt, but in the first of several mistakes I didn't change it.  Lazy plain bloody laziness was going to cost me today.  Do you ever have those days when you know you doing it wrong ....but carry on regardless.  Well that was me today.

Maybe because it was just for me instead of a team, but I couldn't be arsed today.  If I was team fishing, I would worry about letting the side down and would have sorted it straight it away.

But today I didn't.  Down the track now over the worm swim, and the float dipped and a 5 oz Perch came in.  Next another bigger fish tugged on the elastic only to be replaced by a branch and tangled rig.  The Canal River Trust have been along pruning and the canal was full of detritus, god knows how many sticks and branches I caught to day and leaves ..............tell me about it so many leaves !!

The match dragged on the sun came out the rain stopped , I was double boated ...again!!!!! And the bites were few and far between .  News on the bank was that the end pegs were going well but most were struggling.

The bloke on the boat next to me came out shaking all the leaves and crap of his boat into the mess in front of me and also emptied his tea pot. Morning he said cheerfully.  It is I said soon be afternoon.  He looked bemused and backed into his long boat.

A combination of gusty wind trying to avoid the leaves and get the rig across resulted in yet more tangles.  But eventually I lowered the rig into a bucket size hole on the far side and a fish took my white squat.  The overly tight elastic ( could have - should have - loosened it off) sprang back wrapping tightly around the top kit, fish lost.

I sat there and decided not too tackle up again but have a banana and drink and calm down.  It was clear it was nobody's fault but my own.  I was wasting time fishing parts of the swim that were not going to produce and I knew it, yet kept on fishing them.  Only a bloody idiot does that.  I should have baited a new area set up properly and made an effort.

The all out came eventually and I just couldn't wait to pack up.

For the first time in a long time I had / have no interest in fishing.  Those around me who had put in even a modicum of effort had something to show for it and fair play to them.  Pulled out my pitiful net and weighed in 1 lb  1.5 oz.

Walked along and gave Spanners his quid , that puts him one up on me now.  The end pegs had done well. And whilst there was not a a lot of fish caught today by most some people had some nice roach.. Everyone had stories of being leafed out and catching too many twigs were relayed by all.

Well Done to Simon on winning and Marc Kay on the ends.  80 + fish for Marc, still that's what fishing blood and tiny baits gets you. Punch did well., shame I tipped my liquidized bread in at the start.

If I had made an effort and knuckled down instead of wanting the fish to jump into my net.  If I had done some pre match work - basic stuff like tying hook lengths with new and "sharp" hooks .  If I had tied rigs with smaller diameter line then maybe I would have had that one or two fish then maybe I would have 10 points instead of 6.

Then again if my Aunty had Bollocks she would be my Uncle.

We can all moan about lost fish being leafed out or twigs, fact is I prepared poorly , fished atrociously and got what I deserved.

Those that turned up ready with the right baits - red maggot instead of bronze left over from last week. Blood worm instead of lob worm. a two mill punch instead of 10 mill meat punch, well they got it right and they took home the money.  Well done to them.

Round 2 Wx Clanfield Pleasure fishing.

First cock up forgot the camera today and the phone camera was out as the battery was flat.  Bugger .  So no pics peeps just a run down of what occurred according to my jaundiced view.

I drew for the time and drew peg 5 of 6. We quickly convened outside to gather our thoughts and draw on our team member Graham Godwins knowledge.  Graham knows every peg in this venue and was able to give a succinct report.

Whose in section A , that's me says I .  Sorry Gaz but you will be pleasure fishing for bits on perm peg 12 you just wont beat pegs 123 above the wooden bridge there are too many resident big fish; and even the bits are bigger.

Graham kindly filled in the rest of the team on the various features and ledges etc and where and hat they were likely to catch in their respective swims.

Off to the peg park behind the peg and scale the barbed wire.. Nothing funnier I would imagine that watching a fat bloke like me doing strictly come dancing on flexing barbed wire as I tried not to rip the goretex and catch my nuts, as I climbed precariously over .

The swim did not look inviting very clear very weedy and not much fish sign.  A swirl right under the bush to my right made me swing out a 4 meter whip the float shot under and a big Perch swam strongly into a tree root , I could see it swirling and twisting as the rig tightened around the snag.  Then it was off; and the rig was solid I threw the whip down in temper and left it snagged.

Not another sausage not even another  bite for the first hour, and then I got a small Perch.  I settled on mid river fishing a 6 meter whip to hand.  The light bait approach for bits did not seem to be working so I put in six balls of caster and pinkie laced river black and etang ground bait.

I got into a rhythm of a fish every three trots.  Fish were pipping on the far side.  So i decided to see if the fish were bigger , the low autumn sun made it difficult but a blagged a few Bleak.

My mate Chas Short slipped in behind me and sat quietly on the grass and off the skyline; and we exchanged an hours chat as I began to get one a chuck.  Chas is a good lad and the deep baritone voice and the puffing cigarettes made a nice distraction.  He was able to inform me I was doing ok as many others were on a few gudgeon.

Gary Davis came down from the peg above me to complain he had only had 4 minnows.  Gary and I had agreed to go a quid before the match knowing neither of us would I'm pact on the top 3 pegs.

Talking of them, stories of bagging on 1 and 3 with big Chubb and even a few 10 oz Barbel.  Oh to be on them pegs.

Still I must grind it out, and although Chas had to go, the rhythm of  one a chuck didn't change.  The match went surprisingly quickly always does, then with an hour and 15 minutes to go all stop.  Three boated didn't help, so I put two more balls in and a couple of bait droppers of hemp and pinkie.  It took another 45 minutes to get going again and in the last 30 minutes I had a few more.

All out called , and we packed away. News from upstream was not good they had bagged.  Downstream not much better as Nic reckoned he may have 4 lb.  Well I had 81 fish but they were small so I owned up to 3 lb ish.

Gary Davis came down and offered me the quid, because although he had caught more than minnows he reckoned he had a pound.  I refused and said wait for the weigh.

Sure enough the top pegs had done well with big Chubb and smaller Barbel and good quality roach for 12 lb + and 8 lb + respectively although peg 3 had around 3 lb. So hope of creeping up the points.  Fishing for 4th or 5th in our 6 man section I was delighted to weigh in 5 lb 14 oz pipping Nic who had 5 lb 7 oz and beating peg 3 and 4 as well.  In fact Gary was fishing for ISIS so I was glad to beat him as we are 2 points behind ISIS as they lead the comp.

So I took quite a few plaudits from the locals as they congratulated me on my weight saying it was a very good weight from that swim; and I made my way home.  I had to leave quickly having the longest journey home and so had little time to socialise with the lads.  Will post the results when they appear on line.

I did hear that Paul from ISIS had done well down in section D.  With an almost 3 lb Perch!! and 3 x 3 lb Chubb for 12 lb + as well, so it will be interesting to see top weight.

PS with some sections being won with less than 3 lb , I didn't do too bad at all.  Pleased.

See you next week.  Sorry about lack of Pics.

Pewsey and Still water Blue.

A very cold night meant the first match of October would be a interesting.  Would we scratch?  It was disappointing to see only 6 turn out.  I am glad I came I was going to attend a dog show in Devon.  Its difficult when you want to support 2 friends .  I do hope Kims show went well in Devon.

Mark my friend and team mate in the Wx Winter won over so it was fishing instead of dogs.

Still it was nice to see Martin Aris and even the Legend James Carty showed.  Pre match wish list included pegs 3,10 and 15.  But I ended up with 11, a peg I have never fished even in pleasure conditions.

With only 6 Mark decided on 15 back to 9. So he and James drew the end pegs respectively.  The match started well for me with a fish of around 10 ounces in the first 10 seconds. Followed by a copy cat 30 seconds later.  Then a lost fish of around 5 lb hooked in the dorsal.

Then Simon to my right had a run of fish and Mark and Brian to my left started catching.  I made a school boy error in my excitement, in firing in a fair bit of bait.  The thought behind it was I had caught quickly and the others were going just as well the fish must be on it.

Big MISTAKE.

It killed my swim stone dead .  Well not quite, it filled my swim with small fish and for the next 2 hour it was small fish, and I mean small minnow sized Roach.  So as the match progressed those who were more conservative with their feed edged further and further in front.

So that age old dilemma should i sit it out on the big fish line or keep putting fish in the net.  The lake answered it for me in giving me 2 hours without any sort of bite.  I then had 3 puppy carp on a new unfed line.  Proof further that I had over fed.

So there I sat you could have named me after my favourite float - Still Water Blue.  Constantly changing depths trying to find fish anywhere in the 7 foot of water in front of me.  Simon and Brian either side of me; in fact all of us were losing 5 lb plus fish and language levels were rising all around me as those pushing for first place got tighter and tighter .

Both Brian and Mark were fishing the extremity of their poles . Giving them the precision of lowering a rig against the far bank.  Brian in particular was showing a masterful display of fishing 17.5 meters.  That would have killed my back.  It was not possible for me as the lake widens to around 22 meters in my peg.

Brian however was losing out to Mark, because his unshipping point was next to a tree in the water snag.  If he struggled to unship the fish dived straight into the snag; and he lost several elastic stretching fish.

I decided to sit it out on the method I had no choice I was so far behind.  I nearly choked on my scotch egg as the tip belted around and I lifted into a a powerful fish.  I clicked over the anti reverse to play the fish on a back wind instead of the clutch, not normally my style and I don't know why I did it.

What I do know is, in trying to find a place to place my scotch egg down , I took my eye of the fish and my reel .  Resulting in line going behind the spool!!!

A quick unscrewing of the spool under pressure meant the fish went solid in a snag.  Not a bad thing it gave me time to untangle and put back together.  However, the fish was never to come out of the snag but a straightened hook did fly past my ear.

A fitting end to an abysmal performance riddled with basic errors.

The weigh in with James first far end peg. Will next, then Martin then Simon.  

We will not talk about me, it was Brian next.

Some Chubb and Skimmers first followed by his carp. Setting the target for Mark to beat.  So to Mark on the other end peg and he started his weigh in.  He too had Chubb in his silvers but many more Carp

So to the scores on the doors.

Great weights from Brian and Mark .  With Team Russ overcoming an in form Brian.  For this time of the year 70 lb+ of fish in those two pegs is excellent and proof the lake has fished well this year compared to previous years.  A quick word to the committee for keeping the faith and their longer term plans coming to fruition.

Even a guest appearance from the Legend results in a pick up.

I must focus on next week now and Clanfield (Thames) being positive I have fished well really well for 10 weeks ( but I fished like a Knob today) or more so I must stop the rot of the past two weeks.

Bring on the River.