Final Round of the Superleague - Bristol Avon Newbridge & Chequers - The End of an Era

 After having an enforced weekend off previously I was back in the fold for the final round of the superleague, and I was in the Thatchers Blue team which was our highest placed team but some way off the top spot. Preparation was relatively easy as I still had plenty of rigs etc from the Riverfest, still I made sure I had everything and included some larger hooks for the feeder as I expected the river to have more colour with the rain we have been having.

I had a late alarm call on Sunday morning, this was due to the draw being at 9:30 and the venue Cadbury Heath Social club is very close to where I live. I scoffed a breakfast and caught up with my other 11 team mates and paid my pools. I was of course hoping for a decent peg with bream form, but alas hope was all I had as I ended up being given peg 105 just above the arch in the trees at Newbridge. This is a peg I have had before and not done amazing from, last week John Bohane had 7lb from the peg which he told me included a 2lb bream second cast. The positive was I thought my section had some worse pegs, but the ones around 90 on the stream would produce lots of small fish, 10lb to 12lb was what I thought would be OK.  On paper our team draw was not great and it was not looking good for a strong finish.

Got into the rugby club car park and was just about to set off when my path was blocked by Mike "Buzzer" Bernstein whose trolley went over before he had finished loading it, lol. I did say to him things could only get better as I gave him a hand picking the bits up.

After an easy walk down the side of the rugby pitch I was soon looking at my peg, the river had a nice colour I thought, and a little pace just perfect for all styles of fishing. I was in a tight peg from a point of view of trees and bushes but I could cast out overhead easily unlike a couple of anglers near me. As I was getting the gear off the trolley Mike Bernstein said I was on his peg, but I was sure I was on the right one. After a few calls we couldn't get it clarified but I was able to convince Mike I was right, which it turned out I was and Mike did apologise later, but no need to as it was a simple mistake.

It is a long chuck to the far bank, but those trees were likely to hold chublets, so I set up a 4AAA waggler set to 2 1/2 foot deep with 18 N20 to 0.11 powerline. A gbait feeder with 0.15 powerline to 14 N30 was readied for bream action, and three pole rigs, 1.5g pencil float, 3gm round bodied and a 4gm flat float. The bottom seemed flat at 11m and this would make fishing easier and my pole not being shipped into the path, meaning it was safe from dog walkers, bikers, etc.

The match started at midday and I put my usual 7 feeders of bait out about 3/4 over to put some bait down for the bream. then put 10 balls in at 11m and went straight in with my 3g rig to try to pick up some quality fish on caster. Things did not go to plan, not a bite on the caster and not a good sign, onto maggots and still no bites, in fact it was not until 12:25 I had my first fish a small perch on double red maggot. I did get the odd fish after this but had to swap between the 3g and 1.5g rigs. I think I had 3 more perch, 6 roach a few chublets and bleak. Like it normally does it died, and a quick phone call to Shaun Townsend who was 2 pegs up confirmed he had struggled too but had more fish than me. I didn't know how Mike was getting on (but he was in the next section) or how Nicky Johns above me was doing, but when Nicky chucked a feeder out I guessed he was struggling as he loves float fishing. It was an easy decision for me to get on the feeder quickly.

First chuck on the tip and the tip was bouncing before the feeder was anywhere near the bottom as a bleak had nailed the three red maggots. Same next cast so on with a worm, even this was grabbed as the feeder fell, but it got to the bottom intact I was sure. It was snaffled by a very small roach, and the next two casts it was small fish bites, I found this strange that bites were coming over my fishmeal mix, yet my pole line with no fishmeal had died. Anyway, I moved on to two dendras on the hook, and this produced no rattles, then after a short wait a nice repetitive drop back, the result was a 8oz skimmer. A few casts later and a 6oz skimmer was in the net but then I only had a little perch and a chublet, so I gave it a rest. I tried the pole and had a 4oz roach first drop in, but that was a false dawn with just one more perch here. Further rests and tries on the pole only resulted in one chublet so no more of this. Back on the feeder and I went straight on double worm again, a couple of fast chublet bites and then a slow bite which turned out to be my best fish so far a skimmer about 1lb 4oz. I gave the feeder a good go but just couldn't get any signs of bream or more skimmers. I was sure I was not doing well in the section and needed to get a bonus, but that might be late on so I tried the waggler. It was bites on this straight away from 1 to 2oz chublets and bleak, but after only probably 6 casts a wind knot developed that was about 25 yards back, I was able to continue with it but I had to punch the wag out much harder.

The dilemma for me was am I catching enough of these little fish to do any good, especially as I heard Rich Lacey had a bream and skimmers for good double figures. I stayed with the wag for 45 mins, then when it slowed gave the feeder another go for 20 mins but only had a chublet. Back on the wag and the rest helped as I caught quickly again and then it became hard work as the wind blew really strong upstream and I could no longer get 2 or 3 bites at the cherry. In my mind I was always going to fish the feeder again late on, and with 30 mins left it was time. After a couple of casts the rod was almost pulled in and nothing hooked, next cast similar bite and a 6oz chublet was the culprit. Couple more missed bites which was frustrating, but then a positive pull round and a better fish hooked, I thought it might be a chub as it fought quite well and not like a bream, but up popped a 2lb skimmer. I looked at my watch as I cast out after landing it, there were just 3 mins left, and that was that. Not a bad match after a poor start, I had not lost any better fish hooked, only had one pike attack, just felt I was a a few pound short of where I wanted to be, missing that bream, I thought I had 9lb.

I walked down to Mike and said I suppose you have battered me again, and he had! Mike caught on the caster on the pole for an hour and a bit, tried the feeder and had a bream 4th cast, he added a few more bream during the match he said. Above me Nicky Johns was admitting 4lb and Shaun 6lb, but after that I had no idea about the rest of the section. As I was last in my section I had to wait for the scales to get to me and then grimaced as I saw a 17lb and a couple of 9lb weights. I was relieved when my net was shouted at 10lb 7oz, and good enough for second in the section, just beating DGL legend Neil Richards who had 9lb 15oz. Full board below and my net, well don Rich on winning the section.

I drove back home, put the gear away and took the 10 minute walk to the social club where I could enjoy a few pints of Stella with the lads. My blue team had a section winner in Rob Jones, and two poor results so it was not looking good. Results I picked up on...

1st Mark Brush 84lb, end peg at Chequers 25 to 30 bream on the feeder. Fantastic days fishing.

2nd Rich Chave 33lb, end peg in little field, roach and 5 bream on bolo.

3rd Mike Bernstein 23lb.

The league winners were DGL again, they really are a very good set of anglers, I think they had another team in the top 3 as did Lobbys (apologies I think Lobbys were 2nd). In 4th and last in the money were Thatchers blue, yay. Chuffed with that as I was in the Thatchers team that came 3rd last year.

Now, the end of an era part needs to be explained... As ever on this match the venues for the next season are pretty much decided on, and they are Tamar lake (2), KSD (2), Dorset Stour and Gloucester Canal. There is no Bristol Avon match at all, and Newbridge has been in for as long as I have fished superleagues. It is a very sad situation, but the anglers who chose not to put forward Newbridge I am sure did so because they are not happy with the ongoing issues. As Dave Micklewright said to me, when we first fished Newbridge you might see one or two people walking up the bank, nowadays it is a lot more. Boats moor up where they like (they are not allowed to, but they do). I know 2 anglers who have had tackle broken by dogs off the lead and Eastern Europeans casting over them. Paddle boarders and swimmers are just an added bonus... The days when people used to say "ssshhhh that man's fishing" are very rare. Pissed up paddle boarders falling in, kids having fun and jumping out of boats in your swim are not pleasant. I am not saying these other people should not enjoy their time on the water, but with 60 anglers on the bank there will be issues. Anglers have had to make a choice, we've effectively been forced off the venue to protect ourselves from conflict I feel, it's virtually the end of match fishing on the river by me now. My skills and knowledge of the river are needed no more, I will have to transfer these and learn fast on new venues, with occasional pleasure fishing and the odd match on the river I hope (Poppy and commercial house). At least I have had a good 35+ years on the Avon.

No fishing this weekend, I'm off to the Rovers for a couple of games and some family stuff Sunday, then see what I can get on.