There were quite a few pandocks in close, as you can see in the first photo. But across there was some nice tree cover and a gap to cast right over to the bank.
Whilst peg 29 is known as one of the best pegs for chub on this stretch (and Ivan Currie was sat on the peg) I was still confident that my peg would hold some too. I set up the waggler for fishing across, a 3AAA version with a 18 N20 to 0.13. Pole rigs for roach fishing included a 1gm pencil float and a 4x14 for fishing hemp, and I also set up a chopped worm rig for fishing downstream, but other than 1 tiny perch that will not be mentioned again.
On the all in at 11am I cupped in 4 balls of gbait at 13m and picked up the pencil float (all the while I fed a few maggots across) I had a few runs down and never had a bite, then a couple of missed bites, so I took off the maggot and put a pinkie on. I had bites on this, but it was not good as I was mainly catching little bleak just above the gbait. Took me 30 mins to get a little roach so it was not going well as you can tell. I also had to be very careful when shipping out, if I dropped my rig into the water a minnow would grab the bait, so I had to hold onto the hook, put the pole together and then drop the rig and ship out fast. It was all rather hard work for little reward, but I then had a couple of 2 ounce roach and felt like I was just getting a few more of them and less bites from "shitters". On the hour mark bites were tailing off, so time to top up and rest I thought, so I picked up the waggler rod. There had been fish taking the bait on the surface so I set the wag at 2 feet and cast out, it was a bite a chuck, but as can be the case with bleak and little dace hooking the fish is harder. Still it was something to work at and I was glad to see the float going under.
I gave the waggler 30 mins, as the small fish soon backed off after a few being caught, time to go back on the pole. I had a roach first drop on the pinkie, but nothing else. Onto the hemp rig, maybe they have switched onto the seed, first run through a bite and a 4oz roach, yes! Errr no, that was it lol. The pole line despite being nurtured with my loose fed hemp just would not come to life. Back on the waggler and a couple of chublets straight away then nothing, I soon found I had to cast as close to the far bank as I could to get one of them. Now I like to think I am quite adept at casting a waggler, but there was a gusty wind which for the most part was an annoying down streamer, but occasionally the wind would drop or go from behind. Halfway through Steve Rodgers came behind me to watch me, I put my first cast of the day into the tree on the right (when the wind dropped) and I said to Steve why does that always happen when someone is watching. Well somehow I got the rig back, just needed to replace a couple of dust shot. A few more casts and then a bite and I hit a chub, it was on for all of 3 seconds and was headed under the tree when it came off. I thought it had snapped me but the hook pulled out, damn. I just wondered if the hook had weakened after I had got it out of the tree, so I changed it. Steve wandered off as I couldn't catch for toffee after this.
After trying the pole again and getting some half hearted hemp bites but no fish I had about an hour and a quarter to go, I reckoned I might only have 2 1/2lb so I had to gamble on the waggler and chub hunting. I upped the feed and kept alternating where I cast the waggler, sometimes at the far bank, sometimes down the peg to the tree cover, all tricky casts and I caught the tree a few more times in my efforts to get tight in, I had to as the wind would pull the float off line quickly, or I let a lot of line out and had a big bow. Neither are great and I missed a few bites due to the bow. I had a couple more chublets though and a 4oz roach. Thirty minutes to go and I hit another bite and felt good resistance, this fish did not charge off but held its ground and I played it into the middle of the river where I hoped it would stay. Of course these chub aren't daft, it started to swim towards me quickly and I had to wind down really fast as it headed into the pandocks on my right, shite. I grabbed the landing net as I eased the pressure off, then pulled like mad and the chub popped up on top a pandock and I scooped it, looked like maybe 2lb. The last 30 mins I really thought I might hook another chub, but it was not to be, just a couple more little barrel chublets.
Match over, and I thought I had 5lb. Nicky Collins above me thought he didn't quite have 5lb, he had a 1lb chub and lots of small fish, but he had lost a chub 10 mins to go. Ivan thought he had 4lb+ on 29, no chub had shown for him. The scales had to come up from peg 1 so it was a long wait for them, but that time was spent in great conversation with Nicky and Ivan, both of them are such nice blokes, not to mention great anglers. Ivan had 4lb 8oz, my fish went 5lb 8oz, and Nicky then had his net called at 5lb 8oz also. My section of 17 was won by Martin Barrett with 10lb 9oz, which included a 5lb bream, and in fact the top 3 in my section all had a bream apparently. Martin was at the end of his tether though early in the match, picking up some bad snags he had lost 3 roach rigs, and the only rig left was his chopped worm rig, suffice to say first drop on it he had the bream. My catch today.. (thanks for the photo Kev Bennet)
My section sheet below, I ended up joint 6th in the 17 peg section, the one chub I lost certainly cost me 3rd in section if it was a 1lb, but we will never know. Team wise I was the best points scorer, so we were back to "pants" ah well! Individual winner today was Dave Micklewright with a great 51lb of bream at Barton Farm. Next week Riverfest qualifier at Newbridge, a decent peg will be required.
Update, despite a disaster of only 31 points in the team today, and coming 14th out of 17... we are still 3rd in the league, 5 points off 2nd, and 21 points off first, so still got a chance.
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