November 1997

No fishing this weekend as there was just too much going on at home, didn't even look at my gear!

Saturday 1st November and another away day to Woodlands View for their winter league. I drew peg 58 on Deans, and I think this was the day when I had Barry Gannon one side and Mark Lucas the other, both great anglers and early commercial venue anglers. I fished the pole at 14m all day trickling in maggots by catty and the odd pinkie. By fishing double white maggot on a 20 to 0.10 I picked up 6 carp and a roach, do not know what weight I had but I had 14 points out of 16 for the team.

Sunday and on the K&A canal for the ATWL, Avoncliffe to Limpley Stoke was pegged and I found myself seven pegs above Limpley road bridge. It didn't look fishy and there were no signs of fish and nobody had much good to say about this area. I can some this match up very easily, just one bite all day long for a 3 1/2oz skimmer. I caught that on chopped worm tight to the far bank. I beat the chaps either side of me and nobody else, but the team came third on the day and remained in third place overall.

I fished a Bathampton open on Saturday 8th November, it was fished on the Kelston stretch and most people wanted to draw on the straight to fish for bream. I drew 2 pegs above the railway bridge and fished a waggler with maggot for just under 5lb and no good. The river coloured up during the match and I stopped catching (should have chucked the feeder) and the pegs at the bottom of the straight bagged up on bream. The following day it was the Poppy match and I drew one below the cow drink on Chequers Straight an area good for bream. I fished the feeder for 3 1/2 hours and caught a couple of bits, nobody was catching them it transpired except a couple of pegs. To stave off the boredom I fished a 6m whip and loosefed maggot and had a bite a chuck to the end of the match from bits for 4lb 14oz.

On the Wednesday I had another round of the midweek series, this match was on the river at Newbridge and I drew the Norfolk Reeds peg 61. I fished a waggler 11 feet deep deep with a 22 to 0,09. It was a tough day just getting odd bites from pups and roach, I lost a big chub which swam behind me in the reeds with the rod bent double and waggler wound to the top ring. Of course that fish would cost me, and I came 5th and out of the money. However, I was now up to 2nd in the league and at least in with a chance of doing well with two rounds left to go. I was up at Newbridge again on the Sunday in the next ATWL round, another long walk being on 47A. Once again I fished my favoured waggler and maggot as the river was clear. I caught 3lb 3oz in the first 2 hours on this and then never had another bite on anything for the rest of the match. 11 points and team 3rd again and still 3rd overall. Remember I was fishing for Thatchers back then, and we were struggling to beat Bathampton and my old team which was the Avon Angling boys with the likes of Tony Rixon, Pete Sivell, Mike Nicholls, Glenn Bailey, Andy Floyd, Mark Jefferies, Bob Sheppard and Kev Boltz to name a few I recall. Very hard to beat top river anglers who know the pegs well.

Hope you all had a good weekend and a few fish in the net, I'm looking forward to fishing again next Sunday, all being well I'll be spending a few hours on a fast bit of water with a good mate of mine.