SSS4 Bee careful its the end

So to the last round of this years Sensas Spring League.  Hungerford.  I have to say I have enjoyed the comp even though I have saved up some of my worst performances in sometime.  Today we met at the Sun pub for the draw and the place was heaving with full English breakfasts being shovelled down.

I was pushed forward to draw, good said I believing it would change my run of midsection mediocre to rubbish pegs.

 It didn't work as I drew B8 Church Lane roughly the middle Ditch said .  Wonderful the despondent reply. I hoped it was near the wires and a chance of an end peg.  So having parked up we walked through the Churchyard and I said a little prayer to Ivan Marks, Kevin Ashurst  and Ian Heaps, not that they have all passed away to the canal in the sky but you know what I mean.

It could be another bad one and perhaps or maybe the graveyard shift and a late charge.

Got to the swing bridge and guessed left.  Turned out to be right and maybe I would be on the wires and an end peg.  As I got closer I saw Ray Mears prostrate (looked like he was drinking from the canal) but no it was my Beach master mate Leo Pocock having an intimate moment with a nice size hole he found in the tow path.

As I arrived it was clear I was 3 short of the wires on another shallow indistinct peg. Right on top of a Bees nest. Swarmed all day but didn't get stung once.  That said the fish were everywhere. Literally climbing the reeds and dougals opposite.  I was set to go half an hour ahead of time. I couldn't wait for the match to start convinced I was gonna smash it.  There was a particular large fish with its dorsal and an inch of its back stuck out smashing the stick ups.  The others quivering with excitement against it.  Surely they can't still be spawning!

The match started and I had set up a shallow rig which wouldn't have been out of place on a commercial (just for this very scenario).  The biggest elastic I had Middy 6 to 8.  I baited the track with worm line and bread line short then stuck the rig across onto the edge of the 4 sticks up and biggest dougal. Toss pot of choppy and dry ground bait and lowered the rig into the centre of it. The float dipped and lifted with the energy of fishing down the edge on a commy.  Only to launch a see through Gudgeon air borne.

Laughing to myself , I dropped the amoeba in the net and thought well I haven't blanked.  Across again and gently lowered half a dendro in. Wham the water erupted as a hybrid (3 lb ish) shot skyward out of the water; and bank wards into the dougals and brambles and fish flew in all directions.  I tried I really did to retrieve the fish from the tangled mess but only received a slime covered rig to the bank.

That was it for around an hour.  No more fish from the trashed swim opposite. So after a few boats and constant topping of the worm line, finally the Dino Genesis worm rig dipped positively.  The 4 elastic stretched and bounced a couple of times but as I started to retrieve the fish was gone.  It did this another two times and the swear words tumbled from my mouth.  Finally I got a fish to the surface - but no the culprit was a huge signal red crayfish.  Clearly after 7 of the blighters I knew my worm line was f**ked.

The match was a struggle for the first two hours as nobody around me was catching either.  Only the welsh fella on the end peg wires was catching.  Then a few fish from left as the Thatchers guy had several Dace and bleak, Leo to my right was starting to get a few snotties and to his right the fella had 5 sections of pole in the air playing a Pike.

At 12.45 I had my second fish a small dace .  The match dragged on and I rotated through the Team plan and 7 different swims trying desperately to catch anything. Leo the git was creeping ahead and Thatchers man had a Bream as he desperately tried to keep pace with the man from Wales.

Me well I was being royally spit roasted .  Salt poured into the wound as I bounced 3 fish.  With 10 minutes to go I had four tiny fish.  I was glad to see the end of the match, as "Run for Home" by Lindisfarne came into my head.

I walked up to see the weigh in.  Some very talented anglers were scratching their heads as to where it had all gone wrong and why they only had ounces.  There were good weights the Welsh fella on the wires had 10 lb + and Thatchers 6 and 3 quarters. Me well 6 fish for 4.5 ounces.  And that's how it went Leo did ok then there were ounces and then a good weight and so on.  That said as we headed back to the swing bridge the weights got better.  Wit 13 lb 13 oz on the end before the swing bridge.

My Browning squad colleague vying for section by default.

Back at the pub we realised none of us had set the world alight , Ian Madden and Kinger both doing well with 20 points.  But we smiled and joked and looked back on what could have been.  Crayfish had featured well for a few of us and the canal, flowing hard and dropping by as much as 6 inches for some had affected promising swims.

All in all, not bad and some good lessons learned for next time.

  It was clear to all of us Garbolino had not just won it but smashed it.  They had a flying start and kept it going fair play to quality anglers.

So the boys did the mathematics and the monies were handed out.

Pick up for my mate Kinger good on yer section by default.

So as the GBMV Gold team enjoyed their Sensas prizes there was a lot of back slapping and general drinking and having a good time.

Despite my last two horrendous rounds I enjoyed it, but cant wait to ditch the poor run and start catching again.  All that remains is to say a massive thank you to Ditcher .

You the Man