Commercial House Round 3 Huntspill

 Originally this match was supposed to be on the KSD, but that venue was completely covered in weed, I saw a photo of it in the week and new instantly it was unfishable as you can see.

The match being transferred to the Huntspill meant some changes in approach, though my approach was based upon my own thoughts from historical matches as the Spill hasn't been match fished for 2 years. Luckily Paul Purchase and his mates set about cutting the grass and cutting out pegs and dragging out weed to make 42 fishable pegs, great effort and made it a match for all, well done chaps.

Onto the morning of the match and the draw was at the 37 club, breakfast and pools paid and then I was asked to do the team draw. Well not sure that's a good idea but I did manage to get 2 end pegs, one for Paul Isaacs and one for Mat Challenger, I was in F section, peg 2 up by the A38 Bristol Bridge. F7 was the end peg and Nick Coles was on that one and would be hard to beat. My peg was the same as most I guess but I had some weed going out to 12m which might be handy for catching some fish next to I thought as the water very clear. 

As you can see by the photo it was bright and sunny whilst setting up, I was in my T shirt at 8:30 and stayed in it all day long, amazing really for end of September. Didn't really want the bright sunshine today but it's the same for everyone. I set up a groundbait feeder today with 0.13 to 16 N30, a 3AAA waggler with 0.10 to 20 N10, a 6m whip with a waggler on with 20 N20 to 0.10 and a 0.4g pole float with a strung out rig with 20 to 0.09. 

I began the match on the gbait feeder using F1 dark and Thatchers original in the feeder, but I cupped in some balls of black roach and lake gbait at 13m by the weed, and threw the odd small ball out in front for the whip. The feeder line produced bites but only from small roach / rudd, and putting on worms gave me no bites, back on maggot and small fish bites. No bream about here yet and with lots of small fish bites I went onto the whip after 55 minutes, 5 rudd in 5 drops and I thought this could be good, but not another bite on the whip! Onto the waggler where I had been feeding casters and a bit of hemp, not a bite at all. It was on to the 13m pole line by the weed and thankfully there were plenty of small rudd here grabbing the single maggot on the drop. I had bites most casts for an hour and hadn't fed another thing other than the initial 4 balls on this line, then things slowed up so I put another ball in and caught a few more. I then had to rest it and went back on the waggler and had 2 rudd in 2 casts, these were the only two bites I had on the waggler all match!

I started to cup a small ball of gbait over the 13m line and also cupped in some loose gbait to try to keep the rudd in the swim. But listening to Shane on my right and Dean Harvey on my left they were really struggling to get 3 or 4 fish then wait a long time. I was happy enough how I was going, and getting the odd roach, but then it went and stopped dead with 2 hours to go. There was no signs of fish anywhere now and I couldn't get a bite. The wind had blown left to right and then right to left, and the weed I was fishing next to moved in the wind. I changed to 11m as the weed was closer and throwing small balls of gbait over the weed had a little run of fish again before it died, and then the wind turned again blowing the weed out again! Never had another bite here after this and the last hour was drifting away. I had tried the feeder on and off during the match but had not had a bite since the first hour here. But I noticed an odd small fish topping on the other side of the river now, so changed to a smaller feeder with natural gbait and "whooshed" it over to the far bank. I had a few weed problems but did catch 3 roach and a rudd here in the last 30 minutes so better than nothing.

The match was over at 15:30 and I thought I had maybe 5lb, nobody in my section had caught a skimmer or bream, so it was all small fish catches. Shane on peg 1 had 2lb 12oz, then I had 5lb 11oz, Dean had 2lb 10oz and then Sean Partridge had 6lb 2oz (all on the feeder), there was no more weights more than mine until the end peg and Nick Coles had 6lb 10oz. He told me had caught small roach for the first 90 minutes, then again in the last 50 minutes. Undoubtedly without the weed I would have struggled today, as my approach was quite positive on my other lines, but I did enjoy a couple of hours getting regular bites. Walking back Dean Harvey's trolley tipped over, then Nick Lewis did the same lol.

C section at Puriton fished very well as you can see from the board, Paul Purchase was next to the bridge, and basically the weights got lower as you went away from the bridge. Paul caught best on a bomb over caster feed 20m out, hell of a weight. 

1st Paul Purchase 101lb

2nd Richard Lacey 86lb

3rd Andy Pritchard 56lb

4th Derek Coles 31lb

5th Gary Webber 27lb

6 Paul Isaacs 10lb 14oz (all roach and rudd)

My team were last in A div after a few poor results (like Gary Webber last in section lol), but we were only beaten by 1 point by Bathampton and 2 points by M&N Electrical, so we still are wining the league by 4 points. B Div is being won by Bathampton B by 8 points.

Had a good few laughs back at the results, can't say to much but I was crying with laughter before I had to go, you can't beat a good get together.

I think I am fishing a match at Windmill lakes next Sunday, then it will be back on the rivers.

Commercial House Round 2 Bristol Avon Keynsham

 A very busy week for me, I was working up in Nottingham Monday to Wednesday, it is a place I really do like to visit as I like the river Trent and the city itself. I stayed in a hotel next to the Embankment which brought back some good memories. Thursday out for a family (my birthday) meal as on Friday I had to take my youngest daughter back to University, and when I got back home I sorted my fishing gear for Sunday. Saturday after seeing my relations, I was then off to watch Rovers with my wife and daughter, then out in town for a meal with my wife.

A hectic time, so I was up up at 6:30 Sunday for the CH match, I loaded the van confident I had all I needed. I got to the Cadbury Heath Social Club for the draw, hmm nobody here, that was I found out, due to the draw being at the Crown in Keynsham, lol. Lovely breakfast in there, and I was quite humbled by the many anglers wishing me Happy Birthday. Shaun Townsend and Ben Rendall had pegged the match and when the draw was done Shaun knew exactly what pegs we were on. I was going to peg 19 at Swineford, which I was happy with but expected I would have to fish well to beat everyone in what is a good section.

I got to the peg and then remembered how steep it is, definitely not a pole peg (which I did recall as I didn't bother to take the pole to the peg). It was going to be a waggler, crowquill and feeder set up for me.

I had to borrow a long bank stick and old bait waiter of Sam Johnson who was on peg 17, this was because I could not get my box in and would have to stand up fishing. The river here is just about at its widest and the flow is pretty much down the middle and is at a standstill at present further across. My plan was to feed casters, maggots and hemp all down the middle, and fish a waggler and crowquill with the gbait feeder as back up. My floats used today were a 4AAA Preston waggler and 12BB crowquill. 

On the waggler I set up strong gear, 0.15 to a 16 as I didn't want to lose any chub I hooked in the cabbages, 0.13 to 16 on the crowquill was as light as I dare for that. Feeder wasn't even picked up today so no more of that. I was pretty much set up and ready with 25 mins to go and I walked down to see Sam, as I saw him and his set up it dawned on me that.... once again I had forgotten a vital piece of equipment, my keepnet. I ran down the bank asking every angler in vain if they had a spare net, but alas no. I ran all the way back to my van, drove home, grabbed the net and a couple of long bank sticks, drove back to Swineford and then ran / walked back to my peg. I had a bit of grief / encouragement from Towner, and Mike Withey clapped me as I passed him, the gym work helped me and I got fishing just a few minutes after the 10:15 start, though I was sweating like a pig.

I began the match on the waggler with double maggot, and the first three casts were biteless, but then a fast bite which was a 3oz chublet. Next cast another chublet, and the next. The first hour was really very nice, fishing 3 feet deep I was getting chublets from 3 to 6oz and had just 1 roach and a small dace. I did have a pike grab a chublet, but with the gear I had on I pulled the fish out of the pikes mouth. Just after the hour the chublets disappeared, and now any bites I had were from little bleak, and I was now slowing up. I picked up the crowquill and I could get bites on this from small roach, but really a bit too small really. Also the little bleak still managed to grab the bait as 12BB did not put them off lol! I had a few roach on tares, but they were the same small size.

I tried the waggler again and it was still just bits, so back on the crowquill and I upped the feed of caster and maggot. Another run of small roach and the odd better one, but the wind was now blowing strong upstream and the float was struggling to move with the low flow. The bits seemed to go, so I tried the waggler again and had three chublets straight off, then a few casts without bites, then a couple of better roach and 12oz chub, then nothing. I think the clear water was spooking the chublets off when I caught them and so it was a case of swapping between the wag and crowquill, resting the upper and lower layers as I did. I caught more roach in the last 2 hours as the chublets went right off, although I did catch 2 chublets on the quill, and caught some small ones by casting right across in the slack water. During the match I had caught on double maggot, double caster, tares, and it was a case of changing these around as well as changing depth on both rigs. I had a really enjoyable day, an old fashion float fishing day, stood up and cranking the fish in. The pike took 2 fish but I won both times, it even jumped out trying to take another. It was though all in all a day that brought many days of yesteryear back to me, and I couldn't ask for more on my birthday.

I had no clue of what had been caught in my section, but knew that team mate Shaun Townsend had a good weight of chub in the next section, so I thought I might be struggling without any bonus chub myself. Sam had to walk to about peg 29 to find Kev Dicks, who was all on his own, to weigh him in, 17lb of roach on the pole for Kev, cracking net. Craig Pinker on the last peg in the second field had 10lb, then my turn and I had 16lb 1oz, really happy with that. Sam above me had 10lb and the next couple of anglers had less, so I was second in the section.

It was a lovely warm day and I fished in a T shirt all day, but there was a bit of rain after the match, hence my jacket on, I think my smile here conveys my joy of this catch and day in general. Back at the results and it was clear despite the low clear conditions the river had mostly fished well.

1st Shaun Townsend 28lb

2nd Ben Rendall 17lb 11oz

3rd Jerry "the bream" Pocock 17lb 4oz

4th Kev Dicks 17lb 2oz

5th Tim Ford 16lb 1oz

6th Liam Braddell 15lb 15oz.

They paid the top 4, so I got my section by default, no moans from me, I felt I fished a decent match and hadn't lost anything that cost me, just needed one decent chub to get 2nd.

My team won the day and lead the A division with 31 points from Bathampton with 26.

B div was won by Bathampton B, and they lead B div with 28 points.

I got home to a warm welcome from my family, a lovely meal and more presents than I could have wished for, I have such a wonderful loving famil, happy days. Next week it is the KSD for the CH, it's not been fishing that well apparently, but fingers crossed.

Windmill Lake Fishery

 I had a nice few days away down in Poole last week, went down on the Sunday and myself and my wife were joined by the shining sun. Very lucky to go as it was a late decision which all hung on how well the mother in law was after getting out of hospital, it was a really good break and one that we both enjoyed and needed. I got to see some red squirrels on Brownsea Island as well as lots of great birds, we also walked all the way to Sandbanks just to see the beach and impressive houses. We will go back to Poole again as there many places to explore here. I may take a rod and try for the very large mullet that I saw.

On the way back we stopped to visit Shearwater lake and have a bite to eat at the cafe. There were absolute loads of carp and bream all in close and they seem to be attracted to me and followed me. The lake is shit at present and I found out the fish are being fed by the staff, so I reckon the carp were waiting for me to chuck in a load of pellets.

Back to fishing and I had no plans or matches this weekend, an early start to fish the KSD was not fancied so I didn't book (sounds like a good decision as I hear it is choked with duckweed), I was told about a match at Ivy House, but left that too late to get in. I really wanted to fish the river, but with low flows, and nice weather I expected that I would be pestered by either lots of other water users and pike. In the end I booked in for a gym class at 9am Sunday, did that one got home showered and decided to have a day at Windmill Fishery, probably my last carpy day for a while. The fishery is only 15 minutes from my home and all I hoped was that there was no club match on, the car park was busy on arrival but this was just pleasure anglers thankfully.

I pushed my trolley round to the other side of the lake where there seemed to be a few more empty swims, I found Gerry Welsh fishing on peg 4 and he said he had caught a few carp on meat but it wasn't frantic. I settled in on peg 6 which is a very nice peg where you an fish to the island just as it ends. Though it is 16m to the island I was only going to get 14.5m out today. The picture shows the island and I was going to fish a little clear spot between the trees and spiky grass. I set up a little dibber float with 0.17 to 16 KKM-B with 4 feet of line above the float, the plan was to swing the rig towards the bank. In the picture there is a carp on lol.

 

I fished here for a few hours, feeding 6mm pellets across by catty and it was decent for the first 90 minutes with regular carp coming out in the 4lb stamp fishing 9" deep. Then the indications slowed up and it became tricky, I had to alter my feeding and also changed to an 8mm pellet in the band. The fish I was now catching were 6lb+ and it was fun trying to trick them.

Gerry came down to see me and said he was struggling and wanted to see how I was bagging. Whilst he was there a fish larger than I thought went off to my left and inside and snagged me in some of those nasty sedges, I lost the rig so had to set up again. I carried on catching here but then had a mini disaster, I had not realised that my 13m section had come lose and the end of it cracked, bugger. I am sure it can be repaired but I didn't want to risk it breaking further so I packed it away. I was enjoying being out in the warm weather and as it wasn't a match I got another topset out and attached a 4x10 margin float for fishing hard pellet in the margins. Both left and right margins were the same depth so I could feed both sides with 6mm pellet, although the left would be easier to see the float and was closer to me.

I only took a picture of the LH margin as the light was poor to get a shot of the right side. I wasn't sure if the margins would be any good, it was about 1:45pm, but it was all I was going to do now. I concentrated on the left side to begin with and I was pleased when after about 10 mins I had my first carp from the margin. I had another 5 here and a bream that I think would have been close to 4lb, but the RH margin was doing nothing at all. The fish in the margin were a decent size as you would expect, and I think the smallest I had was 6lb.

The LH margin then went quiet, and from getting the odd tail pattern I had nothing, but thought a rest would do it good. However, the RH margin now came to life and fishing an 8mm in the band at times the bites were so good the elastic was pulled out before I struck. It wasn't solid, I had to wait for a fish to come into the margin, but the boils and tail patterns let you know when a carp was in the peg. Strangely the LH margin never gave me another fish, yet the RH side after a poor start was great. I could have carried on catching but wanted to get home by 6pm so I packed up at 5:15pm content with the day I had. The fish are in good nick in the match lake, and I was told that open matches will resume here on Sundays in a couple of weeks time.

I have a busy week ahead with a few days working in Nottingham and then various activities keeping me occupied right until Saturday! Luckily I put some river prep work in during the previous week as I am fishing the commercial house next Sunday on the Bristol Avon round Keynsham. Not enough rain in the forecast to improve the river I feel, but I hope the match will be kind to me as it will be my birthday.