August 1994

About time I got the diary out again..

Saturday 6th August 1994 and a bit of pleasuring fishing in front of the Chequers pub car park on the Bristol Avon. I fished a 10 no6 stick float feeding maggot and hemp, and to start I had a few perch but then got bitted out. I then fed just hemp and with hemp on the hook just caught roach and ended up with a bite a cast and 10lb. You don't hear of many of today's young anglers pleasure fishing, but when I look back I am sure the hours I put in on the river helped me learn loads. The following Saturday I was fishing on a lake called Gold Valley (rather famous now) for the Silstar Pole Champs final. I was way off the pace and ended with 10lb of roach and rudd, but I lost a big carp which came to the surface with branches trailing behind it, and then like jaws it gradually disappeared into the depths taking my rig with it, thankfully the platform did not get pulled in!

My next day out was another Saturday on the 20th of August, this time I was showing the Silver Dace juniors how to fish a waggler. For some reason I decided to do this on peg 28 at Swineford, well I suppose I was in the prime of my life back then! I didn't impress the Juniors early on when, trying to clear some lily pads with my landing net, I lost the net and top section of the pole! However, the fishing was better than my swim clearing. Fishing a waggler and feeding casters I was soon getting regular bites from roach and hybrids, and virtually everything I did and said worked in front of the young uns. They soon fooked off to go fishing themselves and not long after the odd better fish (bream) started to roll down the peg. This got too much for me and I set up a groundbait feeder with a 16 to 1.5lb maxima. Using 3 red maggots the next couple of hours were great; 7 bream, a near 4lb chub, a 2lb perch and a 3.5lb tench. It was just one of those days when they have a bit of a munch. When the kids came back to see what I caught my hero status was confirmed...OK I made that bit up lol!

As is usual in life what goes up must come down, and I spent the next day at Cardiff Docks (Superleague) catching nowt! I heaved 3.5oz onto the scales but did manage to beat one person, or was there a team short, I forget? What a rat tip!

The next proper match was Sunday week, the NFA S/West champs on the river Huntspill, a venue I like and seem to do OK on. I drew a peg at Withygrove on the North bank. I started by fishing the gbait feeder 2/3 over and spent 30 biteless minutes on it before a skimmer showed, then a 4lb bream, then a 2lb hybrid. and then nothing. Moving onto the pole at 11m where I had been loose feeding maggots I caught some eels for the rest of the match. I ended up with 12lb 2oz which won my section and was 10th overall, the team came 4th on the day, one out of the medals and money.

Sedges for me this Sunday, hoping I will regain some form on the commercials where I've struggled of late.