2002

Another week in lockdown, it has been a busy week for myself and family so it feels like the week has actually gone quickly. No joy yet on the van hunting but fingers crossed something decent turns up in my price range soon. It was my youngest daughters birthday on Saturday and we did a decent job to celebrate it before she went onto zoom with her friends into the early hours lol. I spent most of my Sunday putting up another couple of shelves in my shed and reorganising where stuff is stored. One more shelf to put up now, would have done it today but bought a box of London brackets originally that had 20 pieces in it,  when I thought it had 25, doh. Still lots more space on the floor now, all looking much better, might as well use lockdown to do something useful. 

Being busy with work at present means I don't have the ability to fish in the week, there have been odd days when the river was OK to fish, but always it seems on a weekday. A bit more rain and then it looks like a dry period, so who knows maybe a window of opportunity next weekend, even just to chuck a feeder out.

In 2002 after a decent first half of the year for me I hit a real bad patch and nothing went right for me. A 10lb weight at Hillview on the lakes on poor day, then onto the Huntspill for opens and Super league matches. Peg 110 on the Spill on a hot and sunny day, caught a handful of small skimmers, then tried to catch eels and caught none! The following week the Superleague and I drew peg 135 which was an area the week before bream had showed. It was another struggle though for me, 2 skimmers on the feeder only, then some bits on the pole over gbait, finally fished a longer pole and maggots to catch a few eels. 3lb 14oz for 6 points, mid section.

Another disaster at Hillview on Heron Pool for me, I fished cat meat which I thought would be a great way to catch the car, errr no just 6 carp. All the framers bagged up fishing worm and caster through the water.  It was now September 22nd and I went out for a bit of pleasure fishing in the hope to catch a few fish! I went on the Avon at Conham and fished just past the weir that is on the far bank. Back in 2002 the pegs were more plentiful than today, and you could get down to the water, I stood up and fished a stick float with 0.08 and a 22, feeding hemp and caster. I had good double figures of roach and dace and it was just what the Doctor ordered before the winter leagues began. First round of the Commercial House was up at Melksham and I drew Portman Road. Not sure if this was the match but I think it was, I was fishing off a high bank and as I was setting up the bank gave way on me. All I could do was grab hold of stinging nettles with one hand and keep hold of my Boss box with the other. I shouted out and Andy Bryant came running down from the next peg and I told him to grab my box first, then he pilled me up. I was seriously lucky that I did not go in the water, and that Andy was quick to help. The match itself was not great, I had literally a dozen roach on the pole and then could not get a bite. I had a little bush opposite and fished a chopped worm feeder here for a few perch on lobworm, but I did hit something decent which snapped me up, or bit me off. A lowly 2lb 4oz  was all I weighed in, but the whole section was poor and I actually got 10 points out of 14 lol.

Into October 2002 and the first round of the ATWL and I drew the Boys Hole on the Crane stretch of the Avon. I think  I can remember parts of this day as Ian Pulsford (RIP) was running the bank I think for Bathampton. This is a pretty straight forward peg on a normal river, fish the pole for roach and anything else that swims. On this day I balled in 9 jaffas at 12 metres and fished a 2g float with 0.10 to a 20 / 22. I was catching steady and was happy enough and I was still getting odd fish 2 hours in. However, with 2 hours to go it was gone and I knew Shaun Townsend was catching by the cattle drink so I had to do something. I prepared another 4 balls of groundbait to throw in and just before I did up popped Ian, he said I was going shit or bust doing what I was doing. In went the 4 balls, then out went the pole and Ian watched as I ran the rig down the river, a bite and a fish, and another next run down. Ian said something like bollocks you're lucky and went off to tell Shaun the bad news that I was catching again lol! I finished that match with 9lb 13oz and won the section, and the team were first on the day, so a great start for all of us.

That's enough rambling of the past for today I think, I've put on a random picture of a catch shot to remind me of better times. This was about 6 years ago on the river Tone in the middle of February, some nice roach (biggest 1lb), chublets, dace and I had a couple of grayling. I fished a waggler just past mid river and had to fish a couple of feet off the bottom to avoid a big snag. This was on the town stretch, and with a nice steady flow I was able to fish with just a few no 8 and no 10 shot down the line. A really lovely way of fishing that I enjoy and I would just love to get the chance to do again, but I guess that will now not be possible until the next river season.