The day started with a scrape of the windscreen as a proper frost had gripped all around. Got underway with the tunes blasting. After a chat yesterday with a friend ref generational music I had mixed a good playlist.
My friend was of the generation above me and was enjoying, Janis Joplin, Neil Young, Carol King Bob Dylan and many other protest music that had much to say.
Me well I came in a few years later with a bit of punk / SKA etc. So the tunes varied from SHAM 69 to Elvis Costello and "Pump it Up" through a bit of Madness , Bad Manners and Roxanne from the Police.
The beautiful crisp morning flew by the windows of the van and the music slipped into album mode. AC DC Back in Black bit of Meatloaf and then Rumours Fleetwood Mac.
Finally I pulled into the Radcot draw venue Clanfield Football club. Fish was in full flow and " Lavenders blue Dilly dilly , lavenders green when I am King you will be queen".
Sausage Sarnie swallowed and washed down with Tea, meant the draw was close and I ended up with E6. Bottom end of the second field below the Swan at Radcot
A boys peg by all accounts stuffed with monster Chubb and Bream. We all tackled up and Marc Kay and Chas Short came down to make a s much noise as possible behind me. We exchanged pleasantries. As the clock ticked down to the start . Marc was starting us with whistle so went on back to his peg. I had 14 feet deep in front of me and 10 feet across where the Chubb lived.
No flow and clear as gin. I could see the carpet of leaves that lay strewn on the bottom. More leaves showered down like confetti on the virtually still water and the grind began.
I started slow with bait dropperd licky bread and punch over hemp. and a worm line at 16 meter. Getting bait across to the waggler was hard with the first proper finger numbing north easterly straight in the face.
I saw Leo two pegs up swing in a couple of small silvery fish but no one was catching or even getting a bite. The only one who seemed to be catching was Chris on E3. In fact that was it until 3 hour mark when Fred above me thought he hooked the bottom and instead it was a 12 oz Perch.
Marc Kay up on E2 had six sections of pole in the air and was snagged in something. Other than that , that was it till the end. Apart from Leo offering me a a cup of hot sweet Tea, as he had a quick stroll to warm up. Of course the tea went straight through me and panic ensued as I desperately struggled with a stuck bib and braces zip and 20 layers of clothing to expose my cold affected privates before I wet myself. Nothing like peeing on your wellies, oh the relief.
So to the weigh in I was shot. I had to beat ISIS A, and I hadn't even had a bite - blanked DNW for the first time in ages. Relief , though as ISIS had blanked too. Marc's snag turned out to be a 2 lb 12 oz Perch , jammy bugger. Chris Bowen had 2 lb 10 oz of Gudgeon. So apart from Chris Leos, 2, Freds 1 and Marcs 1 bite meant there had been only "4 bites" in the entire bloody section.
Chris Rushton was our angler in A section but after getting a puncture and knackering his spare he didn't start fishing until 12.30 but managed a creditable third. Well done to Colin Weston getting third in the match and Brian Shutler for second. With good results from Brian Jackson and Graham Godwin , we had come from 2 points behind ISIS to 7 in front.
Last round on home water at Pewsey in two weeks. Can we hold on or will we be gazumped at the end. Squeaky bum time.
As for the massive Chubb and Bream in my peg, the locals tell (after the match) me the conditions were wrong, cold water a hard frost and a north easterly means they drop down to the section below. Lesson learned for me. Fish your own match, don't get suckered into going for fish that are not there. Well done to Marc Kay for winning his section as guest of House of Angling.
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