Decisions, decisions.... Wanted to fish the river this weekend, but couldn't find a match on the lower river Avon sadly. As I was going to watch Rovers on Saturday (who won 4-0 yay) Sunday was my only option. The weather forecast did nothing to for my enthusiasm (though as I type this the weather has not been that bad!), there was a match on the canal at Bath, Bob Warden Memorial, but in the end I went down the have a lie in weekend and do some shopping Sunday. Going out Friday on a gin tasting event on the fabulous SS Great Britain was going to take a bit of getting over too... ahem. I am going to pop out to the results of the canal match and buy some raffle tickets to help raise money for the charity which I think is the British Lung Foundation.
In April 2000 I ventured out on Saturday 15th to hep a work colleague of mine, Ken, who was getting back into fishing and had bought a second hand pole. I took him out to the newly opened Hunstrete lake Bridge Pool. I set the pole up for Ken and got him started at 10m, I fed maggots for him and we waited patiently on a cold damp day for his first fish on a pole. It was slow and we had no small fish so it was wait for a bite. Of course the first bite Ken had he nearly snapped up on as he struck too hard lol. He had opened his account with a small chub and he had six of these in total up to 1 1/2lb. He did hook one carp and it was funny as he panicked and wanted, and tried, to give the pole to me. I just laughed at him as he thought the pole would break but of course eventually the hook length snapped. The best part about the day was when Ken hooked one of the large roach that had been stocked in there, no scales on us, but I was sure it had to be 2lb. Not bad for your first attempt. Ken will get a mention in a later post, another time I had to giggle.
Good Friday April 21st and I decided to have a pleasure fishing session at Plantation Carp lake. I fished sweetcorn at 6m to start and caught small carp from 6oz to 1lb. After three hours I came into the edge and caught the same size fish but I would get the odd 3-5lb carp too. A lovely day ending with over 60 carp.
April 200 was (at the time ) the wettest April on record, maybe that is why I only fished one more match on the last day of the month, I was at Century Pond again. Unfortunately the pattern of the fishing getting harder continued, and I had 2 carp and 3 skimmers for just 9lb 9oz and that was enough to get me second in the match, only 4 carp were caught on the lake.
May 6th and family day out at Longleat, well the family went to the park and I went and fished on the bottom lake. Nice day on the pole with pellet / corn / meat for bream and carp up to 4lb and an estimated 80lb.
By May the 12th the wet April was forgotten as the temperature had risen to 25C, I had a few hours pleasure fishing at Century Ponds for 30lb of skimmers and a few carp on meat at 6m and down the edge. I always felt that this venue was just a bit too small, and didn't react well to matched but was a lovely place to pleasure fish (being so close to home too) .
Two weeks later and the hot weather had broken with heavy showers, hail and thunder and the weir at Keynsham was no longer visible. I fished the "Rovers v City" match at Viaduct fishery. I was given peg 10 on Spring and to be fair I had right struggle. One carp on the feeder on double corn, and 3 small skimmers and a roach on meat on the pole! 9lb 15oz for nowhere but what really mattered was that Rovers won the day, up the Gas!
It's funny now when I read my diary, some matches I can remember things as I read what I wrote, but others I find no other "memories". Perhaps it is a getting old thing, perhaps it depends on any events that stick in your mind, unusually a great or bad day, or something funny that happens. One thing for sure I would have forgotten a lot more if I hadn't wrote things down. Once I started the blog though I gave up on the diary as I was merely duplicating my efforts. Next weekend will be the last chance to get out on the river, hopefully the weather doesn't spoil it. I fancy a double header, maybe a day on the river Saturday and a match on a commercial Sunday. But I will see what is on.
No comments:
Post a Comment