Commercial House Final Round K&A Canal

The lead up to this match for me was one of concern for how it would fish, as everywhere seems to be fishing pretty hard on natural venues. Blanks on the river and blanks on the canal, with my team not in contention I was not feeling the slightest excitement for this match lol. 

I was the first of my team to arrive at the draw, so started filling out the team sheet and as the lads arrived took the pools money. As usual we were going to be last to draw, so young Charlie Isaacs was just going to take the last number and see what sections we got. There were four sections at Bathampton and two at Claverton, I was given F section peg 5 which was at Claverton, I was going to be 2 pegs past the Ferry Lane bridge, might be ok.

Managed to get to the parking field with no van issues this time, Dave Lewis was looking perplexed as he had left his keepnet and landing net at home! I helped him out with a landing net, and eventually he got a keepnet from Jon Tocknell. It’s a bit awkward getting to the towpath but  with 2 anglers per trolley it was easy. I finally got to my peg and couldn’t believe it when I saw Mike Kent on peg 6, that’s all 5 rounds in the same section, twice next peg and I was next peg to him in the Poppy.

Set up my std 4 x 14 bread rig with 18 PR 311 to 0.08, same size rig for bloodworm down the track. A 0.3g rig for bloodworm at top set and across. Also a positive rig for caster / chopped worm.

I started a few minutes late, plopped some liquidised bread in at top set plus two, some joker in the three lines. Twenty minutes in and I had not had a bite on the bread, neither had Mike or Dave Lewis on 7. However, on 8 Steve Skelton (who had to move up a peg due to moored boat in his peg) was getting a roach a chuck and on 9 so was Craig Pinker. The writing was very much already on the wall. Thirty minutes in and I caught a tiny perch on a top set to save the blank but no other bites. Searching my other lines I took another 2 perch, now I had an ounce lol.

After an hour Mike had a couple of bonus chublets across on caster, then Dave started to catch chublets 2/3 across over gbait and squatt. My caster and choppy lines were biteless. After three hours I had 6 tiny perch and it was clear I was off the fish, below the bridge was tough too. Word was the whole canal was fishing awful and Steve and Craig were probably first and second. Thinking I was never going to get enough little perch I gave the caster and worm lines a good chance, but it didn’t happen.

One hour to go and out of the blue three roach on bloodworm from across, ten more of them in the last hour would be brilliant I thought. Stupid idiot not another bite!! What a pile of 💩 

Andy Britt had the scales and said when he pegged the match Steve’s peg was the only one that he saw fish topping in. Craig on 9 had 4lb 10oz, Steve on 8 9lb, Dave on 7 3lb 21/2, Mike on 6 1lb 6oz and then me 8oz…. Well just to rub salt in the wound I was plumb last in the section as on the other side of the bridge Jon Tocknell had 11oz, guess I should have stuck with the bloodworm. Well that just about sums up my poor autumn, pretty pants lol!

Well done Steve an easy winner today, lots of roach, some chublets and perch.

Craig Pinker was second and young Kai Hurley was third with 3lb 3oz in E section and Dave Lewis 4th.

On the team front in A division Sensas Nomads carried on the good form and were champions, well done lads! In B division Sensas Lobby’s dominant display meant they were runaway winners, an awesome result.

My teams poor performances continued today, but I felt most sorry for Shane Robinson who was getting an odd bite from roach but his peg was infested by leaves..

The knockout winner was Andy Powell and the individual league champion was Dave Lewis. As Dave said to me he had drawn the fish every round, but you still got to catch them Dave and you did. Think he was a bit shocked by his win, though Jeff Surmon and I thought it was funny!

Some good news today was that my Thatchers team on the ATWL had a great day, they won the day and had the top 3 individuals! We are 3 points ahead of DGL with two rounds to go, one on the canal and the last one on the Avon at Keynsham. 

No fishing for me next weekend, hopefully the break will do me good 😂.

Bill Milton Memorial Poppy Match - Bristol Avon

 Pretty much the biggest match of the year, a 100 peg match if everyone turns up, and I always look forward to it.

Friday, Covid and flu jab in left arm, then out in town for nephews birthday. Saturday met at Premier Angling at 9am for pegging duty, I was putting 15 pegs in at Swineford. I pegged from the outfall to one below the beach. Boy did I fancy drawing here!!! Peg 46, the outfall.

Sunday morning and breakfast at Fry’s waiting for the draw. I was sure that with a clear river a bream or chub peg was required, so some pegs at Swineford and Newbridge were on my wish list. Well I drew a peg out up the Crane, first peg in the long ashtip field. I have won the Poppy match from this peg, but that was with water on and colour for bream. Today I wasn’t enamoured by it, but I was going positive.

Set up a 4g bolo, waggler and gbait feeder. We started at 10 and I put 12 feeder fulls down the middle of the river. Threw 6 balls at 11m and fed maggots across to the boats. It was a slow start on the bolo about 1 1/2lb in the first hour then it died. Onto the feeder for an hour for 1 dace oh dear. Onto the waggler for not a bite, oh dear oh dear!

Things were not going well and I went for a quick walk, Mike Kent above me had some small roach, but down in the little ashtip Paul Elmes was catching a few roach and chublets. My section was from me below and so I was up against it with Paul catching. I tried the bolo over the river where I was feeding maggots, I caught 2 roach and then lost 2 hook lengths. I came a bit shorter and avoided the snag, but it was just the very odd bite from a roach. I did catch a couple of chublets and a hybrid from way down the peg but it wasn’t good enough.

Bank walkers told me my section was fishing ok, so I spent the last hour in the feeder looking for a bream or two, none showed which was not a surprise lol. Match over and I tipped back about 5lb for a DNW

My section was won by Paul Elms’s with 14lb 3oz of roach and chublets on the crow quill, well done sir. Above me it was not good weights either, but Dean Harvey won that section easy with 10lb on the feeder, 2 chub, 1 bream and 3 decent perch. I followed the scales down and one below the high wall was 19lb of chub, it included a 6lb 2oz chub! Sorry I didn’t get the anglers name, but fair play! 

Back to the results and the jungle drums had already told me the winner but seriously it was brilliant weights, the bream had shoaled and fed.

1st John Fuidge                161-4  39 bream Swineford Outfall

2nd Andy Richings            106-8  peg 59 Newbridge just one peg away from where he won last week!!!

3rd Derek Cole                     90-6 Bottom of Trees

4th Tony Goodland             32-8 Chequers and included 3 pike!

5th Dave Stiff                        29-8 peg 16 Newbridge 

6th John Smith                     25-8 one below beach peg

A massive well done to John Fuidge, I walked in to the results with him. He told me he put 8 feeder fulls in then on the first cast with a hook on he had a bream, and after 90 minutes he had 18 bream and never looked back. Derek Coles in third was close to packing up as he was blanking after 3 hours, then it was a bream every cast till the all out.

It needed nearly 18lb to get in the top 10 today (last year about 4lb lol) and pretty much it was either bream or chub got you in. 

The match raised over £3000 thanks to the efforts of organisers Ray Bazeley and Paul Benson. The after match banter was great as always with lots of laughs, and you can’t beat it. My lucks still out at the moment, but as long as you can keep laughing with your mates you’ll always have a good day out.

Commercial House Round 5 - Bristol Avon Newbridge

After another dry week and the river was going to be float fishable again. After the roach fest of last week most people were expecting to catch a few again. I put some more pole rigs in the box for this match. Didn’t have much time to prep as I was going out just after midday with Wendy to see our eldest daughter and her boyfriend, then watch Rovers, then go down Gloucester Road with some friends. Very good day out, I got home at midnight lol. 

I got to the draw feeling a little tired,  and got my bait from Rich Lacey who had kindly got it for me yesterday. In no time at all the draw was being done, I really wanted to be in A to D sections and avoid the trees. But oh flip the team draw put me in E section a few pegs to the left of the arch in the trees. In my opinion this was the worst part of the whole river, and I was cheesed off, I forget what Newbridge looks like!

Despite the poor area I would still have to approach the peg in the same way, so waggler, bolo, gbait feeder and pole were all set up. Lots of rowers out today it seemed, but they usually thin out after a couple of hours.

For neighbours today I had Craig Pinker on my left and Mike Kent on my right, that’s four matches out of four that Mike and I have drawn in the same section. Last week this part of the river only produced 6lb so I was expecting less, but the danger was Ivan Currie on peg 1 who was up by the stream on a peg that had 19lb last week. We started at 10:15 and I balled it in but didn’t put much feed in it. On the third run down I had a bite and swung in a little roach. That was the only bite I had on the pole. Went onto the gbait feeder and no knocks or bites, this was not looking good.

An hour in and Rich Lacey rang me to say he was blanking on the arch peg, and I said well I’ve only got 1 roach. As we were chatting and the boats were passing I noticed the tip drop back, I struck and felt a fish on, shaking its head. It was a chub close to 2lb and was a nice little bonus. I thought I met get another now but no more bites came.

Mid match I was bored and a bit chilly so went for a walk. Ivan was well ahead with 6lb, I was next best, Rich had a little chublet but had been smashed up by a big fish. Either side of me had 3 little fish and were not getting any bites, it was grim at this stage and didn’t get any better for me. About an hour to go Rich rang me to say he had landed a 6lb bream hooked in a fin, oh jammy bugger I think I said 😂. Thirty minutes later he rang me again and now told me had a 5lb barbel!!! WTF 🤣. I was fishing the gbait feeder same as Rich, but I never had a bite after that chub at 11:15. 

Rich with his bonuses. Deserves a bit of luck does Rich.

I was quite happy to pack up today, and have not struggled like that for a long time. When the scales got to me Ivan was top with 13lb 7oz of chublets, and Rich had 11lb 12oz for his three fish. My 2 fish went 1lb 15oz, just 2oz off winning my B div section.

 There was another bream caught by Paul Purchase and he had 6lb. The board here shows the highs and lows.

The fishing up at Newbridge was ever so slightly better..

1st Andy Ritchings 88lb (bream peg 56)

2nd Jason Fearn 37lb (roach and chub peg 22)

3rd Kev Boltz 24lb (bream peg 50)

Sensas Nomads won A div and look to be favourites to win overall.

Lobby’s won B div and the only thing that will stop them winning the B div  is if they don’t turn up for the last round… and even then they could still be champions!

I certainly don’t feel like I’ve had a decent peg on the river yet this autumn, maybe I’ll get one next week on the poppy match 🤔

ATWL Round 2 - Bristol Avon Newbridge

 Due to the cancellation last week (badly flooded river) this match became round 2. My lead up to this match was not good, sore throat Tuesday that just got worse and by Friday I was feeling really crap due to lack of sleep and headaches. I was due to peg out Saturday and was not sure if I could do it all. However, come Saturday morning despite not waking up till 8:40am I did feel a little bit better. Myself, Shaun Townsend and Dean Harvey pegged the match out; 20 pegs at Newbridge and 20 in the trees. I went to bed Saturday night after helping Gary Etheridge avoid the Bath charging zone.

Lovely having the extra hour in bed, just what I needed as still blocked up etc. Got to the Crown at 7:20 so plenty of time for grub and a chat. Most of my Thatchers team had not fished Newbridge for ages, but once a river angler always a river angler? Rob Jones did our team draw, looked decent but on a dropping pacey river who knew. I was on H1 in the last section at the trees, got to be honest I was worried as usually the end peg wins and it gets worse as you go up river.

At the peg and I realised it was one I had in the pairs league in the summer, I won the match that day with a few breambut wasn’t expecting that result today. My peg was 14 feet deep at 11m, so with the pace set up a 4g pole rig, a 6m flat float, and a 6g bolo float, plus a gbait feeder.

I started the match chucking some gbait on the pole line and then chucking in 10 feeder fulls on the feeder at 2/3 over. I began on the 4g pole rig, trying various hook baits to no avail, 1 roach. Maybe the flat float would work, hmm, 2 roach on this. After an hour I had just 4 fish, DGL angler below me Tom Bolton was also struggling but the other three anglers were apparently catching roach. I was thinking get on the feeder but decided to try the bolo, well it was instant, a bite every cast virtually. Had to keep trying different hook baits and casting in different places but there were bites to be had and something to work at. 

I probably had 2 and a bit hours of bites on the bolo  before it went iffy, I tried the pole again and had a few on both rigs before that stopped. The Bankside information was that my section was really close, and I kept trying to eke out the odd fish. Eventually this line seemed dead so I went on the feeder, a good 30 minutes didn’t get me a single bite. Back on the bolo and yes it was hard but I could get the odd bite so I decided to stick with it.

Match over, Tom below said he had looked at his fish and had 9lb, I lifted my net up and thought 9lb+. The weigh in was done quickly by bank runners Guy Manton and Mark Treasure. I was taken aback when they said Tom had 15lb, not quite the 9lb he said lol! I had to beat 8lb 8oz by Ian Dunlop to get second in section, and was happy to hear 9lb 15oz called. Tom had a lot of chublets and a chub on the pole, whereas I had only had 2 chublets.

The next two sections in the trees my team mates Ian Paulley and Shaun Townsend struggled, both having real snaggy pole lines. Lee Trivett got second in section in E section. Up at Newbridge we had a better time, Andy Ottaway won the match with 23lb, helped by a 8lb carp! Martin Barrett won his section with nearly 18lb, Mat Challenger was third and Rob Jones only beat one.

Back at the results we knew DGL had won but we were a bit gutted to come third, we tied on points with Devises but they beat us having one more third in section angler.

The river fished really well today for roach and chublets, just a few bream showed.

Andy Ottaway had 15lb of roach to go with his carp on peg 52.

Dave Micklewright had 21lb from peg 22 on the bolo.

Neil Richards had lots of chublets on 92 on feeder and float.

Teams overall to date Thatchers and Devises 4, DGl 6.

Next match next week on the canal, but for me I’ll be back here on the comm house.

Commercial House Round 4 - K&A canal

 Strange week, lots of rain forecast and I was supposed to be fishing the second round of the ATWL up at Chippenham and Melksham. Friday it rained so hard it woke me up, I wasn’t surprised that Saturday morning the decision was made to cancel the match on safety grounds. No fishing for me then, but then Mark Harper asked if I wanted to fish in his place for Thatchers on the commercial house on the canal just outside Bath, so I accepted. I had to do a bit of last minute prep for rigs and hooks of course, but got it all done before I went for a meal and a few beers with Wendy.

I woke up Sunday morning before the alarm, it wasn’t as wet and windy as I expected, but the forecast was dire. I was at the draw nice and early and paid the team pools, this was necessary as Rob Manns had forgotten to set his alarm and was going to be late lol. I asked team mate Guy Manton to draw, but as the draw began he was nowhere to be seen, and I had to draw. I pulled out balls A and 1, and that meant as I was first on the sheet I was on A1, end peg. I was going to be between the George and Meadow Farm, not the best area always but having end peg was mega. Guy was in B and so said he would follow me.

On the way out of Bath I had a bad feeling about the van, pulled over and saw my left front tyre was flat. Guy stopped and then together we spent 45 minutes getting the spare tyre fitted. Guy was a massive help, and I was glad the spare had air in it lol!

I finally got to my peg which was unfishable as a boat was moored in front of it FFS.. moved down to a small gap between two boats and had 45 minutes to set up, I was hot and sweaty from the tyre replacement and the walk from the George to nearly Meadow Farm bridge. I set up in double quick time and put just three rigs up, 4x14 with 0.08 to 18 PR311 for bread at top set plus one. Another 4x14 with 0.09 to 16 PR311 for fishing 10m with gbait, worms and casters, and a 4x12 for fishing across. The canal has a bit of colour in it today.

I started one minute late, and began on the bread line, it took me 5 minutes to get my first bite, a fairly small roach. A minute later another small roach, and after 15 minutes things got going with regular bites from 2oz roach. I had a good first 90 minutes on the bread getting 3 12oz skimmers in amongst the roach, but it then died.

I put another section on and went deeper on my bread rig and fished over a gbait and squatt line, hardly a bite, so over to 10m. I tried worm and had one 4oz roach, then had a couple more on maggot, but this was very slow. I came back to top set plus two and now started catching on pinkie, roach, and a couple of hybrids. Had a good run here before it died and leaves were a real problem.

I 

I had a bad 30 minutes catching very little I wanted to fish across but the leaves were a nightmare, causing me to tangle a rig. With just over an hour to go, the boat to my left moved off leaving my peg a tad messy. I went for a quick walk and a wee, I was beating the two lads to my left. Little video of the barge moving off and the lady waving goodbye 😂

Back on my peg and the far bank had cleared of leaves, meaning I was able to try my caster line, and gbait line. I had 1 roach on caster, but the gbait line was solid and it was a roach a chuck on pinkie. Then the leaves returned and it was back to trying to get a rig in, annoyingly another rig got tangled due to hooking a leaf that twisted up. I still managed to put a few roach in the net. 

Match over, I was left a tad frustrated by the boat and leaves, but I had only dropped one fish and bumped one, so that was satisfying. It was nice packing up in the dry and the sun was warm. I was weighed in first in the section and my fish went 11lb 3oz. That won the section with Dave Lewis coming second with 8lb by the old lock.

Many people endured a dire journey back as the ring road was closed, but I saw on my sat nav the issue and got back to the pub first! That was lucky!

Team faired ok but still not enough to get the better of Lobby’s who are romping B division.

A few pegs near the bay and brambles in D section produced the top 3.. 

Mark Bromsgrove 23lb of skimmers

Graham Hunt 19lb of skimmers 

Kev Boltz 2 ounces less than Graham. 

I didn’t get pictures of the results today, so apologies. I think I was 6th. A bit of an eventful day to say the least, at least I got home in one piece, even if a bit knackered 🤣🤣