Update and 2002

 What is it they say, best laid plans and all that... I was not going fishing this weekend or the next, I was off to watch England v Sri Lanka ODI cricket this Sunday, and off for a long weekend next weekend. However, one of my daughters got a positive Covid test result this week and that meant the rest of us family were all going ot have to stay in our house and garden and self isolate. The good news is my daughter never got seriously ill and is now fine, and rest of us had all negative tests. Gutted to have to self isolate and miss some long looked forward to plans, but such is life. It now looks like I will be fishing next Sunday on the Superleague at Staverton / Bradford-on-Avon.

I have certainly enjoyed watching the England football team in the Euros, especially against Germany and Ukraine. My eldest daughter would definitely have been out watching with her friends, but we've ended up watching it together. 25 years we first watched the Euros together, although she was only a few weeks old back then, my wife is convinced it was me watching Euro 96 with the baby in my arms that got her into football lol. I'm looking forward to the game against the Danes, but even with such good England performances I am still nervous, but I give Southgate his due, he has these boys going really well. 

On the Superleague today I have found out that the match was won by Dan Squires off end peg A1 with 28lb, I assume some bream in that. Top team on the day was the Thachers Blue team, and with 28 out of 32 points they were able to go top of the league after two rounds. Sadly my Thatchers Green team had two lasts in section and finished nearly last, oops.

It has been quite a while since I looked back in one of my diaries and it was October 2002 when I last was looking. On Sunday 13th October I fished the Commercial House at Frys, I was on old peg 74. We had some rain and not being too far below Siston Brook I knew the river was going to colour up. I fished a gbait feeder 3/4 of the way over to begin with, I had 2 chub from here and then I couldn't fish here as the river coloured up too much. I switched to fishing down the middle where I had 10 eels and hooked another chub but I lost that one. 6lb 8oz was enough for 12 out of 14 points.

The following week and it was the ATWL at Newbridge, I was pegged down in the tree on 133. I remember this day as the river was just a little to pacey for the float I thought, and I reckoned on needing some bigger fish. I only set up the gbait feeder and fished it down the middle, but it wasn't quite as I expected. I had 2 skimmers and some hybrids, but no bream, but the roach were feeding. I basically had bites most casts but was struggling to hook them, double caster was the best hookbait. I had 9lb which got me third in the section, missing out on second by ounces. Team came 2nd so all good so far.

Sunday 27th October Commercial House was cancelled due to 90mph winds, in fact I drove to the draw at Bitton, only to find out that a few minutes after I got there a large oak tree was blown down into the road, makes you think how close that could have been. I had a rare day off mid week and went pleasure fishing at Conham on the Bristol Avon, Just set up a 6 no4 stick float with 18 to .10. I fed casters only and had a few roach, but the dace really came on the feed and came up in the water, I ended up with over 20lb. Would you believe it the following Sunday and the ATWL at Swineford / Crane was cancelled as the river was bank high. I did fish up at Newbridge for a while, never had a bite for 2 hours, then had 12 eels on lobworm.

The 2002 Poppy match was put onto the K&A canal and I was not really impressed by my draw on the first peg at Darlington Wharf by the bridge. I had a bit of a struggle all day, catching a few small skimmers and roach over gbait, and a few perch across on casters. I did hook a large fish on a pinkie which after a couple of minutes of playing I pulled out. Not 100% sure but think this match was won by Andy Ottoway. The ATWL was also put on the canal as the river continued to be flooded, I was just past Bathampton bend. The canal fished hard, there was no bloodworm and joker allowed back then. I caught small roach on pinkie over gbait at 3m and 10m for 3lb 2oz which was worth 5 points out of 8.

For my last match in November 2002 I had a complete change of scenery and went to Viaduct fishery and fished a match on Campbell lake. I was peg 124 and set up for the day was a waggler and a straight lead with 0.14 to a 16. I fished sweetcorn and fed 1 tin through the day, starting on the waggler but changing over to the lead as the wind made life tricky. Back then the carp were much smaller and biggest was 3lb, I finished with 72lb which was enough to win the match.