Pairs League Saltford Trees / Swineford

After a great day out Thursday at Acorn I was looking forward to getting back on the river Avon. The weekend was slightly soured by the Gas losing their opening match but still remain hopeful for a better season than last.

I got to the rugby club car park at 7:15am and as I paid my pools to Dean Harvey I had to listen to a lot of comments aimed at me about the Gas. Well you’ve got to take it haven’t you lol. My partner Rich Lacey and I were up to second in the league, just a couple of points behind Dean and Derek, this was the 4th match of the league. I let Rich draw again as at least that way I can moan at him, I fancied pegs 6 to 10 in each section. Rich drew out Swineford for himself the first peg in the second field (I’d prefer this later in the year, and he got me peg 2 in the trees one below the arch. Last match this end of the section had been poor but Jan Macyzk did get 3 bream late I was told.

Got to the peg and as Frank Barlow used to say it was a right parrot cage! I was only going to be able to fish the pole and the feeder, even then I had some issues. 

I set up two pole rigs; a 1.25g pencil float with 20 to 0.10 and a 2g round float with 16 to 0.12. The gbait feeder had a 14 to 0.15. Gbait for the pole was Sonubaits black roach and black river, for the feeder it was Thatchers green and sweet skimmer.

I starred in the feeder to get some bait in, but on my third quick cast I had a bite and was into a decent fish. I was chuffed to net a skimmer of 1 1/2lb to 2lb, a great start. I carried on with some quick casts but was getting quick bites from small roach and perch. After 40 minutes I wanted to try the pole, so in went 8 balls of gbait and caster and I went straight over it looking for an immediate response. A couple of tiny roach then bleak were a real problem, they grabbed everything on both rigs even with the bulk pushed down. I went back on the feeder and bugger me but bleak were grabbing the hookbait when I cast in. I put a whole dendra on and even had a bleak take this. With 2 hours gone I wasn’t going anywhere fast, stacks of small fish smashed into the bait on the feeder and bleak on the pole. I went for a walk, Toby on peg 1 was struggling and had pike trouble, Dave Lewis on 3 had some roach on the pole early, Mike Weston on 4 was getting a bite a chuck on the feeder after catching roach early on the whip, no bleak problems.

Back to my peg and chucked the feeder out again with whole dendra, I rang Rich to see how he was doing, and as I did I had a good bite and another decent skimmer, then a 10oz chublet then a 1lb skimmer all while talking to Rich! I then lost a small skimmer at the net and was now just getting fast bites I could not hit. The pole was tried but still rubbish, so I fed a ball of gbait with worms thinking I might get some skimmers here. Back in the feeder and I had another couple of chublets and 2 hand size skimmers. Tried the pole again just 2 perch, fed another ball. Back on the feeder and a proper bite and bream on! Fifteen seconds later it came off 😫 when I reeled in the worm was in an o shape and had doubled over the hook, gutted.

With an hour to go I tried the pole again, another small perch on the worm so decided to try the pencil float with maggot on the hook. The float settled and went straight under, roach. Next drop roach, and the next…. I had a bite every drop and kept catching roach, but also thought I need to try the feeder again. Well 10 minutes left to go I picked the feeder up and put a worm on again. Lots of taps and jags as before, I left these and then had a pull round and struck on this and had another 1 1/2lb to 2lb skimmer. Missed a bite last cast and match over. I hoped I had 14lb but really wasn’t sure. 

The scales were coming up from peg 10 and when they got to me Nick Coles was top with 14lb 3oz, I was surprised and happy that my fish went 16lb 14oz and was enough to be top weight in the trees.

Here’s the board for the trees, decent weights made up mainly of roach and odd skimmers. No bream caught but 3 were lost.

We had the results at the Swan pub in Swineford, and top angler there was the consistent Warren Bates with 16lb 2oz of roach and 1 bream on the whip from peg 4. Rich had done brilliant again to nick 2nd in section with 12lb 10oz catching roach and perch on the whip till he snapped it late on ooops! I’d won the day which was a bonus, but a great result for us as a pair. Here’s the Swineford board.

Not sure how all the pairs points are, will have to work them out, but Rich and I are now in first place. Two more matches left in the league.

My next match is in two weeks fishing the division 1 national on the Warwickshire Avon, it will be a case of feast or famine, definitely need a good peg!