September 1993

I thought I'd better chuck in an old memory as I don't know if tomorrows match will be on, although I'll need to use the bait so will probably go some where even if it is called off.

After the high of the NFA champs it was back to the Drennan Superleague with my team holding a slender lead, today we were on the Avon at Crane and Swineford. My home for the day was just below the boy holes at the Crane, not brilliant in the section I thought. Back all those years ago balling in was not even considered so it was a maggot and hemp job on the pole at 11mtrs. The river fished very hard and I was soon on a 22 to 0.08 trying to scratch out bites from small dace, roach and skimmers. I finished the match with 3lb 15oz which secured 9 points and the team came 3rd on the day, though some teams near us dipped and we ended 23 points in front with one round remaining.

Saturday 18th Sept I spent pleasure fishing on the Avon in Bath Town 2 pegs above the destructor bridge. I fished my favourite waggler and maggot with a 20 to 0.10 about 2/3 the way across the river. I fed 2 pints of maggots and found a bronze and red on the hook best. I caught from 7ft to on the bottom (13ft) later and had 18lb which was made up of 90% hybrids from 6oz to 1lb. That was a nice day and set me up nicely for the Commercial House on Sunday where I had a long walk to peg 49 up the Crane. I fished a gbait feeder to start with an 18 to 1.5lb maxima and in the first 2 hours had 5 small chub and 2 skimmers. I then had no more bites until 3 eels in the last hour on a maggot feeder. My final tally was 4lb 10oz good enough for 10 points and my team romped it.

The following weekend I decided to try my luck at Bath Town again but a few pegs away, but this time my approach was to try the pole with maggot using a 22 and 0.08. I struggled for 6lb which included a chub of a 1lb but below me Bob Sheppard fished caster and hemp on the pole and doubled my weight with quality roach, perch and hybrids. We were both fishing the following day at Newbridge for the final round of the superleague, and with the river remaining clear we anticipated a tough match, but it turned out really tough! I was drawn behind the pumphouse on peg 22 and set up waggler, pole and feeder but in the end only caught on the wag. I loose fed maggots down the middle of the river and during the day altered my depth from between on the bottom and 5ft to try to get bites, with either 22 to 0.09 or 0.08. I picked up small roach for 3 hours (on and off) and then late on caught some more right over. I knew it was fishing hard from the bank runners and so thought I was doing OK and my 3lb 7oz was good enough for 2nd in the section. On the day 3lb 14oz was 5th in the match, that tells you how hard it was! The team had done well on the day and we managed to win the league overall, I had contributed 51 points from a maximum of 60 which I was chuffed with, but most importantly we would be taking part in the Superleague final.