It seems like a long time since I have wetted a line, and of course even longer since I have fished on the river. Since my holiday at Viaduct a number of family activities have taken priority and this weekend was supposed to be the same, but a change of plan and all of a sudden I had a free Sunday. I was going to find somewhere fish the river and then found out about this match ay Lacock. Any chance to fish this bit of river is always taken, and it is far to infrequent.
I had company today with my wife Wendy joining me for the day, and she had kindly made bacon rolls to start the day off well. The draw was in the National Trust car park, and it was good to see some Bristol boys, Ben Rendall, Steve Skelton, Dereck Coles, Mike Weston and Jerry Pocock who I think had booked the water along with Sean O'Neil from Avon AC. A few other local lads were present and although only a small affair it meant the walks were not going to be excessive and only pegs without the chance for swimmers being in front of you were pegged. I pulled out peg 8 which I found out was above the cattle drink on what they call the stumps. I have drawn this many years ago and won off it when in flood, but now it does not look the same at all.
I was going to have to climb down a steep bank and then wade in the water (which was nice on a hot day) to fish the peg properly. The flow comes down the inside about 4 to 5m out, then past this is all dead water, but it was in the dead water I was told that I may catch chub.
I set up on top the bank just two things, a 6 no4 stick float and a 2AAA waggler, both had 0.15 powerline to strong 16 hooks, no messing about as it would be hook and hold, and I would not hesitate to go up to 0.17. The trot was very limited due to a fallen tree in the water, so the stick would be limited I thought, but I had to feed it. I took a photo of my set up, using the box for bait trays, and a little video to help show what the peg looked like.
I was ready in plenty of time for the 10:15 start and as the match began Wendy went off for a walk and left me be. I had a plan to feed caster and hemp into the dead water, and maggots in the flow. I had 2 pints each of everything and was going to attack the peg with heavy feed. Starting on the stick float where it was 4 feet deep it didn't take long to get bites, only trouble was it from the inevitable minnows, even with 3 or 4 maggots on the minnows were a pain, but I did get the odd bleak and dace. I tried a piece of corn and got 1 dace and then as the float just got to the fallen tree I hooked a better fish, thought it my be a chub but turned out to be a 12oz perch! No more on corn.
I had wanted to feed the deep water for a fair while to get any chub that may be there a bit confident, but after 45 minutes I went on to this and using double caster I cast out, the float did not get knocked about with minnows, good sign. It took a while to get a bite but when I got one it was a 3 to 4oz chublet, had a few of these and a dace then all went quiet. With the river being so clear I had to rest it and go back on the stick. Throwing in a decent handful of maggots I could see the hoardes of minnows piling in on the bait, and at this stage this line was really not great and I wasn't getting much in the net of any size or speed. A jack pike appeared and grabbed a chublet, but it was only about 2 1/2lb and I soon pulled the fish off the pike, and never saw it again
Quite a few people started walking the bank and setting up picnics and paddling or swimming in the river, it added a little colour about halfway through and I hoped it might help. I had some swimmers come up but not so close, and they turned around when they saw me, not long after this I had three 10 to 12oz chub in as many casts and thought this might be it... Alas no, they went again. I actually caught those chub on the stick float in the dead water, fishing it on the bottom in the slightly deeper water than in close. I kept trying the waggler at 2 1/2 feet and would get the odd fish here, did get a few minnow problems and tried corn, had a couple of chublets and again no more.
With about 90 minutes left the river had got more colour in it from the swimmers and I took a chub of maybe just over 1lb on the waggler, another one off. On the close line dace and bleak were now fighting with the minnows and I took a few of them here, but it had to be on single caster, double caster just lead to missed bites. I tried it on the waggler and stick in the dead water, and it was better than doulble caster and I caught a few net roach, chublets and decent dace. But I still kept thinking I needed those big chub and kept feeding heavy and trying double caster and corn, but other than chublets no decent chub showed unfortunately.
I felt I had a steady match, never bagging, and maybe had I fined down I might have had a few more pounds, but to be honest I really was expecting some chub battles. By the end of the match I reckon I had fed 4 1/2 pints of bait and half a tin of corn.
I packed up and was that I had been standing deep in water as it kept me cool, I had the scales and had to weigh from peg 11 back to me. Sean O'Neil on the end peg had hooked 14 large fish and landed 5 chub and a barbel, the other 8 busting him on 0.19 in the rushes and snags on his narrow 3 1/2 feet deep swim. he weighed 17lb 9oz, and it did include a barbel of about 2oz, nice to see.
The next angler had 7 1/2lb a decent chub and bits but said he lost the biggest perch he had ever seen, the next guy had just under 3lb but had been smashed up twice! My turn to weigh and I was pleased to see the needle settle on 13lb 7oz, a nice net of small fish just lacking some lumps.
When everyone was finally back I found out that Jerry Pocock had won the match, I had spoken to him about halfway through and he had about 4lb. However, he hooked 4 barbel after this and landed 2 which gave him top weight with 19lb. No other weights beat me up that end so I ended up third and last in the money, yay.
Most people it seemed had lost big fish, Dereck got done twice, Ben four times, and there were others too. I think I might have been the only one not to hook or lose a lump lol. Still a lovely day out fishing traditional running line, and Wendy enjoyed going into village and the Abbey and bought a little bottle lacock gin which we will have to try soon. All in all a good day, lovely weather too.
Not sure what is happening next weekend, will have to see, but it looks like this hot sunny weather is here to stay for a while.
