Once again I was waiting eagerly Saturday evening to hear what peg I had been allocated, hoping for an end peg. Well the draw put me as far from an end peg as possible, number 8 in the 17 peg B section. However, I looked at the results from the last match and saw Andy Britt had caught 8lb from this peg and had come 4th in the section (he had a bonus tench with some small fish) and in fact the area had fished OK for the odd bonus fish. I was quite happy as I do like to have a go for bonus fish.
I arrived at Parchey at 8:30 am on Sunday and was greeted by some of my team mates; Martin Barrett, Liam Braddell, James Carty, Mat Challenger, Nathaniel Johnson and in my team of 4 Andy Power. You are not allowed to be on the bank before 9am, so it was nice to catch up and then make my way on the short walk to my peg. Peg 1 in my section was just down from the road bridge, these first four or five pegs were quite poor last week, but end pegs are usually good, so we would see.
Got to my peg and found I had Bathampton angler Nick Coles on peg 7, I've known Nick since I was about 16 when we both fished for Silver Dace. On peg 9 was Gary Cross a local angler who was fishing for Sensas 88. The nature of this league is that there are many good anglers in your section, far too many mention today and it was going to be a close affair I thought. The bright sunshine and lack of wind most likely meant it would be a much harder match than last week, so weights might well be lower this week.
My peg did look nice across with a bit of cover, so I had to set up a gbait feeder for over there. Beyond that my rigs were just pole related, a 1g pencil rig with 20 N40 to 0.09 fluro carbon for fishing at 8m. A chopped worm rig for by the pads not a sniff on this... A 1.5g for fishing at 13m with 16 N20 to 0.13, and same float but with 20 N40 to 0.10.
We started at 11am, I fed 4 balls of Sonubaits black roach and lake at 8m, some F1 dark and brown crumb at 13m, and then put some feederfuls across. I think I fed more bait on the feeder than the others around me, as I could already see Nick and below him Rich Whitmarsh swinging fish in on whips. I had not set up a whip as I thought it would be hard and a pole offered better presentation, and also becuase I left the whips at home. Onto the 8m line and unlike last week I managed to get a few bites, it was slow not and I cuaght nothing big to start just less than an ounce roach, hybrids, perch, or ruffe, but after not getting a small fish last week I was happy. Nick had a pike grab his secind fish, and then a few minutes later the pike struck again and it was not what Nick wanted. I had not had a pike strike as yet, but 10 minutes later Gary below me hooked a decent fish, a bream he thought, but no it was a pike! Gary did well to land this pike on an elasticated whip, but my god, it sounded like he was making some sex noises as he tried to land and get the pike out, which he did and estimated it to be 10lb, but they don't count of course.
After an hour I was still managing to get bites in close, still hard work but I thought just keep taking them, and my neighbours were now struggling after the pike attacks. My swim really slowed and I was thinking of changing swims when I hooked a better fish, this turned out to be a skimmer of about 12oz, a nice bonus. This fish though had seemed to have unsettled the swim and I had to try my other lines. Worm by the pads, nothing, feeder nothing, 13m pole line 1 roach. I was soon back in at 8m and was pleased when the float went back under again. I could only get bites on a pinkie, and like I say they weren't hanging themselves, but a few tiny hybrids and a roach came before it stopped again.
Halfway through the match and it seemed the river was fishing really hard, most anglers had caught a few in the first hour and now were struggling bar the lad on end peg 1. I was still able to get a run of 4 or 5 small fish when I tried the 8m line, and I was throwing a few pinkies over the top and cupping the odd ball of gbait in. Every time I rested this line though I just could not get a bite elsewhere. On the short line it was mainly ruffe with an occasional hybrid and rarer roach. I did see a fish top out past where I was fishing and I swung the rig out towards it, the float held up and I swung in a 2oz roach, I suppose you could say I mugged it lol!
The wind which had be non existent now blew up and went left to right, this made presentation absolutely awful as the river was hardly towing before and the float could not be held still. If I caught a fish it was as the float settled, and I did get another skimmer about 6oz, and some roach about 2oz. Then I had my first pike strike and it snapped me up and this line died proper, and I had to fish the remaining 40 minutes for big fish on the feeder, It didn't go round for me, but Nick next door had one about a 1lb. Match over.
I can honestly say I was feeling very hot and tired from the heat and intense concentration, but I had enjoyed working hard and for some reason I had been able to put fish in the net when many others had struggled to get a bite in the last two hours. The scales came up from peg 1 where the angler here Mr Wood from Sensas Lobbys had 8lb 7oz, next to him Neil Richards had 6lb 6oz (5lb in the last two hours as it seemed people swimming and jumping in the river pushed the fish up to him).
I was pleased to weigh 4lb 9oz which did beat my neighbours and I was hoping for a top half finish in the section. However, the section really was tough and I was staggered when I ended up 3rd in the section, just beating Martin Barrett who had a bream and weighed 4lb 6oz. I was pleased to have got great points for the team.
Social distance picture of my fish.
My B section board
I am pretty sure my team of four have won the day, as Gary Webber was 2nd in section, Andy Power 3rd and Andrew Cranston 4th, so looks like 60 out of 68 points. That should push us up the league a bit after our dismal 35 points last week. I'm fishing both days next weekend, Saturday an open at Newbridge and Sunday Superleague round 3 on the river at Staverton and Barton Farm. Be good to be back on the Avon.
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