Poppy Match Bristol Avon

It’s that time of year again when nigh on 100 anglers fish to raise money for the Poppy Appeal. Due to high tides this match was pegged 60 pegs newbridge and the trees, 15 pegs at Swineford and 25 pegs at the Crane. I pegged out Swineford and thought the river looked lovely here. Various people were asking me where I wanted to draw the next day, my reply was the three pegs by the pumphouse at Newbridge and Swineford. There have been chub showing by the pumphouse and that’s why I fancied it.

After an early night I woke up before my alarm on Sunday and was soon at Fry’s pavilion for the draw. Pools paid I caught up with a few people who I hadn’t seen for ages; Mike Shellard, Harry Muir, Nigel Wyatt, to name just a few. After the citation and 2 minutes silence Ray Bazeley got the draw underway. I was probably only about six or seventh to draw and pulled peg 9, this was I realised the first peg behind the pumphouse and one of the pegs I wanted. Wow that was lucky, but now everyone was saying I would win it, Shaun Townsend said if no bream fed I would win it. Well we would see, but I was excited.

No long walk for me as I could park by the pumphouse, but I needed some time to get my platform and box into the water, I wanted to get out as far as possible to keep any hooked chub away from the reeds (Rich Lacey had told me he had lost 5 in them on the last match here).

I set up a 4AAA waggler with 0.13 powerline to a 16, a 12BB crowquill with same line and hook, also a maggot feeder. My neighbours for the day were last years winner John Fuidge below me another great chub peg, and Jack Jones above me on 20, no chub here but Jacks a class angler and I expected him to catch a few.

We started at 10am and I began on the waggler fished about 5 feet deep as far as I could feed maggots and casters. It was a slow start with no bites and then I had a small roach and dace, not the target species. Paul Benson came along for a walk and at 10:20 I hooked a chub and got it out it was maybe 1 1/2lb. That steadied the nerves as I was hooking a lot of leaves which were a pain, and having to let lots of rowing boats keep me out of the water!

Ten minutes later and its brother was in the net. I then hooked another chub that felt a little bit bigger, but the hook pulled out right at the net. Paul carried on down the river and left me to it. Probably took another 20 minutes to get one of 2lb and then I pulled out of another at the net!! Disaster this time as the waggler went up in a tree and I snapped it. I had to put another waggler in the adapter and replace some shot, and I upped the hook length to 0.15.  This was a good move as my next two chub were close to 3lb. But I was fishing 3 or 4 maggots on the hook trying to avoid small roach which were a pain and still taking the bait! I tried corn on the hook but no bites. 

I think I had 7 chub halfway through the match, but was stepping up the feed to try and get the roach to bugger off, but it proved futile. I foul hooked a chub in the tail and eventually pulled out of it, this was the end of chub action and I flogged the waggler hard for just small roach, even going back to 0.13 but it made no difference.

I had tried the crowquill in close and over the waggler line, no chub on this but I found a number of roach were now feeding in close. I decided to take these fish and put something in the net and had a good 45 minutes on them. Back on the wag it was still difficult but I spent the last 15 minutes on it, and with 7 minutes left I had another 2lb chub to get to 8 chub

The match was over, I had a nice day but was disappointed that the last two and a bit hours were poor for chub. However, it seemed that the chub had not really been feeding as John below me only had 2 and didn’t weigh in. I hoped that the two I pulled out of would not cost me.  The scales soon arrived and Jack was top with 12lb of small roach, my net needed two weighs and came to 23lb 8oz. I knew that I was not going to win as talk was of some bream coming out in the trees, but felt I would do ok.

Back at Fry’s and it was time for Ray to get the raffle going and then onto the results.

1st was Liam Reynolds with 37lb 8oz of bream and skimmers from the trees. Liam didn’t even have a ticket but just turned up and got one as a few people did not turn up.

2nd Steve Cox 27lb 5oz he had 7 bream in the trees, nice to see him do well even if he does wind me up about the Rovers when I see him 🤣

3rd was me and I was pleased to get a nice pick up.

4th Jon Tocknell had some bream in the trees.

You can see the top 11 weights here, a couple of them were assisted by pike which count, but some nice roach and perch to over 2lb were caught. Mostly the river fished well.

Thanks as ever to Ray and Paul and the other helpers for running the match, also thanks to Ant Milton (son of Bill) who sponsors this match and is pictured here with the top three. 

Well I can’t complain about my drawing skills today, the win was possible but those pesky bream decided to feed in a couple of pegs and fair play to Liam and Steve. No fishing next week but hopefully get out after that.