Thursday match at Newbridge this week which was run by Kev Dicks, we drew at 1pm in the field and were fishing from 2:30pm to 7:30pm. As you may recall it was very hot on Thursday and I was wondering how the river would react to that. I got drawn peg 5 up in the little field, not a favourite of mine as normally lots of pike in this peg, but I hoped they might have moved off.
Ten of us fishing today, with Neil Richards drawing peg 20 again, which he won from last week, and my neighbours were Nigel Evans on peg 3 and Kev Dicks on peg 7. I was only going to set up a few rigs today, a couple of pole rigs, one 2g with 18 N20 to 0.11 and a 3g flat float with 16 N20 to 0.13. I also set up a waggler, 4AAA with 18 to 0.12. That was it, no feeder this afternoon for a change. The peg has little flow in close so I had to go out to 13m to get to what I thought was a reasonable part of the river. However, I didn't consider how the light would change later on which became a pain. View of my peg, boats opposite had inhabitants but were largely OK, bar chucking all scraps etc into the river.
I began the match a little differently from the usual balling barrage, I cupped in 6 balls with caster and worm in really hoping to attract some skimmers / bream which I thought I would need to catch to compete with other pegs in tonight. I dropped in with the 2g rig and as ever it was a few problems with little bleak and tiny chublets to start. I fed maggots down the middle for trying the waggler later on, and half hoped this might draw the little fish away. The pole line wasn't great, and I only had 1 roach and a perch other than the bits after 30 mins, then I had a pike do me. Not long after this I hooked the pike again, I tried to give it toothache and actually landed it, about 4lb so that would keep it out of my peg! Cupping in didn't seem to be working to keep the pike away or get the fish in the peg.
I took the pike up to show Nigel and I told him I was really struggling, Nigel had balled it in but he was also struggling, so I couldn't draw any conclusion that cupping was wrong. I went back to the peg and dropped in again with the 2g rig and the float buried, a little roach, and one the next drop in too. The pike being removed seem to have improved things and I was able to catch little roach for 20 mins before they buggered off. There was a down stream wind and the ripple on the water combined with the light meant I was really struggling to see my pole float now. Ben Rendall came up for watch and said to me that everyone seemed to be struggling to catch to start, and that Kev below me was also struggling to see the float. I tried the waggler but the fish which I caught were very small chublets and bleak and not worth catching, so I upped the feed on the waggler and went back on the pole.
I caught the odd small roach after resting the pole, but the light was making it so hard to see the float that I was striking at false bites, if the wind dropped I could see the float just about OK. I think I had a few small perch and my best fish on the pole so far a 6oz chublet after feeding a couple more balls of gbait, but again it was not happening.
I think it was about two hours in and the pole appeared to be dead now, though I wondered if a bigger fish or pike was back in the swim. Just as I was about to change I had a little dip on the float and I thought I had hooked bottom, then it moved. A lot of no 6 elastic came out as this fish moved across the river, and the line went slack, pike? Well no it wasn't, as would you believe the single red maggot had doubled over the 18 hook somehow and with a tiny bit of slime on the line I knew I had just lost a bream, balls. I picked up the flat float and went out with a worm on it, almost instantly I had a great bite, but it was a roach of nearly 8oz. Next drop a perch, then next drop nothing, I waited about 15 mins and then noticed the float was very very slowly going down but stopped with the bristle literally on the surface. After a couple of seconds with the float like that I struck, wallop the number 8 elastic set the hook into what had to be a bream. I shipped back carefully, and then as I broke down and lifted the pole the float never moved, was I snagged now? No it appeared not, just the bream was a decent fish and I had to pull a bit harder lol. All of a sudden a nice slab appeared side on and was panned, had to be 5 1/2lb. Sadly despite my best efforts that was the only bream I caught and the pole line really went off with just a few small perch on worm after this.
I stepped up the feed again on the waggler and flogged this for the last 90 minutes catching bleak and chublets, but I did get the occasional chublet about 4-6oz.
Match over and I thought I had 11lb, how this would do I didn't know. I soon saw the scales and they began on peg 1 where Andy Pollard had a great 13lb of all small fish. Nigel on 3 had 6lb 7oz, then my turn and Kev Dicks said before I had even got my net out that I had 12lb 2oz..... I weighed in 12lb 2oz!
Kev had 6lb 5oz and Derek Coles below him had 6lb 3oz. Not much was caught below the bridge at all except for Neil, who won the match with 15lb 5oz of roach on the pole. I ended up 3rd and took home £40 for my troubles.
Saturday I went up to Bitterwell Lake and helped Paul Isaacs who had a little junior match running, 16 kids were there with their familes. It was fun helping them getting the floats shotted right, advising on feeding, and hooking maggots. I managed to help one young lad who was blanking catch a couple of roach on a waggler and he was relieved and chuffed, his Dad was shocked by the little changes that made a difference. I hope they enjoyed the day and go again.
Sunday Superleague and I couldn't believe it when I found myself pegged on 107 in the trees, 1 peg downstream of where I was last week on the Riverfest! This wasn't a great area as you may recall, and further down the trees was better, so as I had 14 pegs below and 2 above me I was fearful of bad result, so would hope the pole would be more obliging today. Pole rigs today same as Thursday but also a finesse 1.5g pencil rig with 20 to 0.10. I could get in the water here and so I only had to fish 11m and I was a long way out into the river. I don't have a photo today as I had a slight problem part way through the match when I dropped my phone in the river and a few things went funny on it, but it still appears to be working. I also set up a waggler again and a gbait feeder.
I started this match by going back to balling it in, as did Paul Purchase above me and Shaun Townsend below me. I could see both of their poles but Shaun's was easier to see looking downstream. He didn't seem to be shipping in and out very much, I was but only pesky bleak again! It was another poor start for me with only 2 roach in the first 45 mins to go with a small perch and bleak and chublets. When the little blighters moved off it was hard to get a bite, but then I had 3 roach in the run throughs, then nothing again. I looked up to see Paul's pole bending and I thought he had a pike on, but it turned out it was a 4lb+ bream. A lot of people were about bank walking and I soon heard not long after the hour mark that Derek Coles below Shaun had 2 or 3 bream. I struggled on to catch an odd little roach but it was so bad that I tried the flat float but had nothing on this today.
Out on the feeder where I had put some bait out earlier, I gave it an hour and had 2 gudgeon and a roach. Shaun was struggling like me, and we heard it was hard for many other than a couple of anglers towards the bottom of the section. I had tried the waggler but it was only good for very tiny fish, although they were there on mass with a bite every cast. Back on the feeder hoping for a pull round, had a decent bite and felt something for a second then off, maggot over the hook again FFS. It wasn't a bream though, decent chublet or perch I reckon. Whilst sat on the tip I thought this is too much of a gamble on a team match, so went back on the waggler to give the last 2 hours to bit bashing with the vain hope of a chub. Well it was a very busy time with lots of casting striking and swinging in little bleak and chublets, and then as time moved on I caught the odd roach. Most fish were under an ounce but occasionally I might get a 2oz fish, nothing ever bigger. I flogged it till the end and probably had 60 to 70 fish on it.
I had to wait for the scales to come up from the end peg and those bottom 5 pegs had caught a few again with Simon Hebditch doing by far the best with 14lb 11oz on the pole (skimmers, chub and roach). Simon though had to take second in the section as Derek Coles 6 bream and bits went 34lb to come 2nd in the whole match. Shaun had 4lb 11oz, then I weighed 6lb 3oz. Paul Purchase did well to catch 10lb 14oz, he had a skimmer to go with the bream, lost a bream too, to go with some roach and perch. Paul said he only had 6 fish in the last 3 1/2 hours.
I ended up 7th in the section so 11 points which I was pleased with as other than the two bream weights I was the best weight after peg 5. Going on the waggler turned out to be a good choice for the team points rather than the bream gamble. Guy Manton, Andy Cranston and Andy Power all did well in their sections and we won the day with 51 points just beating DGL black by 5 points. However, DGL black were leading and still are, they have 193 points, my team 179 points, and GBMV Marine and Lobbys Green are tied 3rd on 166 points. I do not think DGL will slip up, but I hope we can keep ourselves up in second keeping the pressure on, it is certainly nice to be challenging for the top. Final round is next week.
One sad note to end on, the river was teeming today with other water users, rowers, paddle boarders, boats, canoes etc. A couple of anglers had boats in their pegs which wouldn't move. Some Eastern European people wanted to fish and tried casting lures next to match anglers, with Ian Pauley having a pole section broken by them. It was frustrating at times...
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