November 1996

Have had to run the eldest back to Plymouth for her second year of University today, so I missed the first round of the Commercial House at Keynsham. It seems it fished pretty well with plenty of small and very small fish feeding. Bathampton won the A div with Shaun Townsend winning the match from peg 29 at Swineford with 17lb of roach and perch. There were plenty of double figure weights it seems. Thanks to Glenn Bailey for picking up all my prizes and money for the league win last year.

My first match in November 1996 was on Saturday 2nd at Woodlands View on their winter league. I drew on Deans peg 26 and didn't catch a great deal at all, just 2 carp on the pole and 3 on a maggot feeder for 14lb 4oz. No record of points so I must have done crap lol! The next day I was back on the river for the local Angling Times Winter League, I drew at Barton Farm which is up at Bradford-on-Avon. I drew in the deeper slower part but with a clear river was not expecting a great deal. With no talk of bream in my area I fed a waggler and maggot line and a pole line at 10m with caster & hemp. It was very slow on the waggler with just odd small fish, the pole line was very hard too but when I caught here it was a roach of 2oz. Going nowhere with an hour to go and with a bit of bank runner info I threw in 5 balls of gbait on the pole and had my best run of fish of the match. 3lb 11 1/2oz  was enough to get me 2nd in the section, and the team were 2nd on the day too,

The following weekend was another double header, first up the Moorlands Farm W/L where I sat on peg 60 on Meadow. I fed finely chopped worms on the pole at 11.5m, left that to settle and chucked the maggot feeder for the first hour which I sneaked 2 carp on, I fished light with a 20 to 0.10! Mind you on the pole I fished a 22 to 0.09 with small hook baits, 1 skimmer, 1 carp and 3lb of roach kept me fairly busy. The team came 3rd on the day and I chipped in with 13 points out of a possible 19. Next day it was the Poppy match on the river, I drew the first peg past the long ash tip field and wasn't really happy with my chances. Being an open I went all out on the gbait feeder fishing down the same hole all day long, I chucked right across. I took 4 chub and 1 roach using a double red maggot hook bait. I got snapped by 2 chub on 18 to 1.5lb and stepped up to 2lb maxima, but I wrote in my diary I missed too many bites through the day. Probably fished to long a hook length or didn't balance the feeder correctly, you live and learn. That said my 7lb 6oz was 13th overall and worth £52.

Continuing the carpy leagues I was back at Woodlands on Saturday 16th November, I think I was on Front Deans. I do remember this match as Des Shipp told me to fish a waggler where I was, and to fish 2 no 11's down the line and watch for bites! A 3BB wag with a thin insert it was then with a 20 to 0.10. I fed lightly with maggots and after the first hour I had 4 carp and could see I was beating everyone, then the carp decided to move and 3 pegs away started to catch. I never had a bite on the pole line and managed only 2 more carp and 1 roach for the remainder of the match. 16lb beat most around me but many more. The following day the ATWL was up on the K&A at Hungerford, a new place for me and the last time I fished it! I blanked! In fact only 1 angler caught in my section 1/2oz and 2nd in section money had to be drawn. My lot had 4 blanks and still came 4rd on the day, rat tip!

Saturday 23rd November and back to Moorlands where the weather up here had turned distinctly wintry with snow and frosts. I was once again on Meadow pool, peg 57 this time. Chopped worm this week was useless and I never had a bite on it. Luckily switching between wag and maggot feeder (both with 20 to 0.10) I snagged 7 carp for 17lb 7oz and 15 points out of 19.

Last match of November 1996 and it was back at Woodlands View again desperately hoping to not let the team down again. I drew a different lake this time, Arles peg 26, and this meant I had an island to chuck to. I started on the maggot feeder 10ft off the island as I was told to do, I had 1 carp in the first hour. A look on the pole on double maggot where I had been dripping in maggs was a waste of 30 minutes. I sat it out on the feeder and took another 3 carp. The pole line was still dead and I fed it a little heavier and took a carp with 30 mins to go, I fed it heavier and had 2 in the last 15 mins! 18lb 8oz on a cold day turned out to be good and I was 7th and last in the frame.

Back to today and it will be another diary dip next week as I have my 47th Birthday next weekend a little trip to Plymouth. Tight lines!