February / March 1998

Saturday this weekend was the Winter League Final where my lot Thatchers were taking part along with Bathampton. I had ruled myself out of it long ago due to a lot of clashes with personal and work activities. I am finding it increasing difficult to prepare for fishing whilst work is so busy, and two weeks of travelling to Germany right now make it even harder. At least the next two Sundays coming up I will be able to fish at Newbridge and have a go for the bream, that won't take much prep.  Anyway the w/l final was split over a natural venue (20 foot drain etc) and a commercial fishery, with 5 sections on each venue the team pick which anglers to fish which venue. The team did very well to end up in 5th place and bag £750 for the team coffers, there was some great fishing to be had too it seems with big weights on both venues. I believe Bathampton struggled but as I have not seen the official results I'll not cast aspersions.

Back to the diary, and Feb 1998 was to hold a special place in my heart, although the month started badly with me blanking at Darlington Wharf on the K&A canal. I remember plumbing up all OK and normal, and then just before the start put my rig in and it floated! The canal was freezing over as I was setting up, never had that happen before or since. This was the last CH round, and despite my blank the team still won the league.

Sunday 8th February and it was a pleasure fishing session on the Avon in Bath town. I have a feeling that this was the day when I started fishing in one area and after 90 mins I hadn't had a bite. So I went for a walk upstream and just below Norfolk Crescent I found two anglers Pete Phillips and Geoff Stones who told me for 2 hours they had both been bagging on roach. After watching them for a while they gave me the OK to come and fish in between them! It was tight, and to avoid interfering with Pete upstream I sat no more than 10 yards above Geoff. Well I fished for 4 hours on a crowquill with hemp and maggot and then Geoff and Pete packed up and so did I. Geoff had 30lb, Pete had 25lb and I had 20lb in 4 hours with a 10 yard trot, lol it was solid!

Valentines day set a new record temperature for Feb, with 19 Centigrade recorded, I pleasure fished Conham on the 15th. I sat 4 pegs above the footbridge, at the time the pegs either side of the footbridge were flyers. Using a 3AAA waggler with just light droppers, a 20 to 0.09 and feeding a few pints in total of hemp, caster and maggot I had 15lb of roach and dace. 

On Friday 20th February my second daughter was born, and it does not seem like 19 years ago that special day happened.

My next trip out was Sunday 1st March for a Bathampton open on the canal in Bath. I drew bang on in Horseshoe Pond, and I think I was the only person in there. I had a 1lb skimmer on punch on the pole and that was my only bite on it. These were the days before bloodworm was used, so after that fishing with pinkie I had a few gudgeon, perch and ruffe. In between I fished a waggler with caster and on this I caught 3 chub and 6 roach. My final tally of 5lb 9oz was a lot less than I'd hoped for, but the canal had been tough and I came 2nd on the day. 

Saturday the 7th and a few of us pleasure fished the K&A canal at Semington, the wind was horrendous and we found a pound which was a bit sheltered, but even then I could not fish more than 6 metres! Feeding gbait with squatt, and fishing either single or double pinkie on a 4x12 Drennan Egg float I had a nice day catching 1 tench and lots of small skimmers and roach, ending with 9lb+. I fished a match on Limpley Stoke the following day, I drew in Beeches day and had a handful of bits, the only excitement being a foul hooked carp which came off and left me with a scale on the hook!

Well that was my lot for fishing for a while back then, as for now I hope the river stays in decent trim for the last two weekends.