Pewsey Lake match .....sponsored by Night Nurse

My furious wife left behind me as I drove toward the Lake.  Frankly she couldn't believe I was going fishing after being poorly most of the week with manthrax. So dosed up with all manner of penicillin products and a cocktail of Night Nurse, I thought I would give it a go.  Also its to support the club and those who volunteer like Mark Russ to run these competitions.

Not the best of draws though with peg 5, its either a blinder or a blanker.  With my friends Brian and Mark either side of me , I huffed and puffed my tackle to the swim. parked up and vomited a load of fluid from my lungs.

The match was a drag we in the low numbers struggling for bites early doors . In fact after 45 minutes I was leading with 3 ounces 2 fish.  That was soon to change though as both Mark and Brian fishing their poles to the full extent tight under the far bank and starting to hit the bigger fish.

Try as I might with different shotting patterns and depths I couldn't get them going and soon I resulted to a comedic commentation on the efforts of Mark and Brian as alternately their elastic stretched to the limit.  If I was so bloody cold and frankly unwell it would have been funny.

I was getting bites , but for every half ounce fish that tried and I mean tried to pull my float below the surface the superstars either side of me had 8 oz to 1 lb fish.  I was being spit roasted and it didn't feel good.

A flapjack, banana and flask of hot tea made no difference.  A change to feeder, and a session on the method made no impact.  The cold ground its way into me and thoughts returned to my wife the fireside .  One thing was for sure, I would get no sympathy from her when I eventually made it home.

The feeling of hopelessness compounded a complete inability to attract a Carp. Just to keep warm I decided to scale down just to get bites knowing full well i would not catch anything that would make a difference.  Then the elastic stretched and a paper bag weight of a 2 lb Bream came slowly to the surface the barbless 22 hook just behind the fishes eye. I reached for the landing net just as the hook gave and bird nested around the end of my pole.

I wasn't even mad just resigned to the fact that today was not might day.  Oddly enough I then repeated the same trick, only this time the hook was between the eyes.  Maybe if it was a microbarbed or even fully barbed I may have got it in but no.

So it was with relief when Mark called it.  42 pissy little fish but sure I was rank last.

The weigh in was interesting with the bottom end doing well as always; the difference being that nearly all the carp had been caught in the last part of the match.  In fact Nic, had his 26 lb of Carp in the last 40 minutes.

The scores were good for such a cold day.

An expensive day for Jim he may have won the match, but he lost a load of Carp and he broke his pole. As for me (42 fish but so tiny), glad I held my own with  Mark and Brian in Silvers.  Well done to Bryan Jackson fairly new to the venue but a nice few skimmers .

So suck it up princess and come back fighting next week.  At least Flint and the new pup Fen were pleased to seem me when I got home .  Wife still not speaking .......chocolates required me thinks.