Super League Newbridge

Today's match was the final round of the super league and the only one I would be fishing. The draw time was 10am with fishing 12 to 5pm, this was to avoid most of the rowers and of course usually the fish feed better late on. I think I said on a previous post, I'd like a short walk, a good draw, no pike and plenty of roach.... well I got two of the four as you will see! I did tell the lads I popped down the Crane the day before and watched a group of club anglers struggle for bites, with 3lb top weight.

The draw was done and Mark Harper came back with peg 63 for me, a good area as the week before 21lb had come off peg 61. However, it was a long walk to this peg from the Rugby club, although Martin Barrett carried my Rod holdall to my peg and Lee Trivett (I forgotten how to spell his name again) carried my mixed grounbait to his peg. I had a few stops on the way and was blowing a bit when I got to peg 63 and then found it covered in Norfolk reeds! Steve Hutchinson on peg 65 lent me his blade and I attacked the reeds with what little energy I had left, lol!

Tackle today was dictated somewhat by the weather as the wind was howling downstream, and the fact the river was very clear. I couldn't see a waggler working here and so set up a groundbait feeder with 0.128 Exceed to a 16 B611. Three pole rigs did for me, a 2grm and a 3 grm (pencil float was not going to work in this peg today) both with 0.1 and a 18PR311, also a chopped worm rig with 1.5grm float and 0.14 to 14 PR355 (I think!). Again I did not put a flat float up as I could not see me presenting it right. On the whistle I threw in 12 balls of black groundbait and went straight in with the 3grm rig. Thirty minutes later and without a bite I cast the feeder 3/4 over 8 times to get some bait in and looked for a quick response but none came.

To be honest I am going to struggle to make my match good reading, because despite scaling down on the pole rigs I never had one bite on them, and I thought it was going to be one of those days when I had as much chance catching a bream as anything else, so I spent the last 2 1/2 hours on the feeder. In fact I only had 1 bite all day long and that came just after 3:30pm on the feeder cast over my pole line with double red maggot. I was actually just on the phone to the wife and then noticed the rod hit my leg, and the tip was banging round! The culprit was a 4lb 8oz bream, and thank goodness I avoided a dry net, but it was very close!

I had to weigh the section in and on peg 58 Steve Priddle had 2 skimmers and a bream (the slab in the last 10 mins) for 12lb 15oz, on 61 the Norfolk reeds Kev Dicks was sheltered and managed 3 late bream for 13lb 7oz and won the section. I was 3rd in section as everyone to my left weighed ounces with between 1 and 3 perch, Hutchy having just the 1 perch of 11oz. Not a roach was caught in our section. So I had no Pike trouble, a good draw, but a long walk and no roach!!!!

The match was won by DGL angler Neil Richards with 60lb of bream from I think peg 6 at Rotork. 2nd was Shaun Townsend (forget how to spell his name too!) who moaned liked f*ck about his draw at Rotork and nearly didn't fish as there were pleasure anglers in some pegs when they arrived. Shaun had a few roach on the pole and then the pike struck and killed it so he caught some bleak on the wag and tried the pole on and off. On about his 7th look on the pole line with a pencil float Shaun then hooked a bream which after some time he landed and it was later weighed at 9lb 8oz! He then chucked a feeder on the pole line and had 5 more. Mark Bromsgrove of Thyers had a fantastic day on the pole just behind the pump house weighing 29lb of roach. Think they were shoaled up and Mark is to good to not take advantage.

On the day Thyers came 2nd but still won the league overall, Bathampton won and Thatchers were third and Bathampton took 2nd overall by 1 point from Thatchers. Chris 'Gappy' Parr was the top individual in the league, and his team mates took 2nd and 3rd to dominate the league.

I must say thank you to ex Hurricane Nadine for dumping all the wind and rain on us, I ended up wearing two coats to keep myself warm and all my gear was covered in slugs and snails. I doubt any of my gear will be dry by the weekend, but if it keeps on raining I won't need much for a flooded river, lol!