Mark Harper called the draw just before 8 a.m. and Team Captain Mark Whippet was out having a cigarette so I prompted Mike Whithey who was just finishing off his breakfast to do it as we were first in line.
Draw done I found myself on peg 7 in the little field, a peg I had a joint first off (with Tim Ford) last winter (17lb plus of small roach and hybrids 7 metres to hand).
As I parked up Tim arrived, he was on 3 which had been fishing well. Andy Curry was also in the little field, end peg. The other two pegs in our section were Dean (the bream) Harvey on 16 and Darren Gillman on 18.
You need to get in the water on peg 7 so set up my Rigger Platform with the long legs at the front and added my box etc. It was a bit slow going getting in and out of the water as well as clambering up and down a fairly steep and slippy part of the bank but I was ready (just) by 09:50. There was a very slight tinge of colour but not a lot of flow.
I had a 4 gram flat float set up at 13 metres where it was around 7', a feeder for the far side towards the boats, a 2 gram rig at 11 metres and a 6 metre whip with a 1 gram pencil.
Just before 10 o'clock I got up on the platform ready to sit down and the whole lot started to slide forward! I ended up at 45 degrees to the water with one leg off the platform and the other still on it with my ass in the water and wader filling up. Oh bollocks!!!.
I seemed to be stuck and was trying to save the box from going in as well plus my tray. It was just past 10 o'clock now and I shouted a few times up to Tim for help but he couldnt hear me due to the noise from boaters and the traffic from a near by road. How I did it I don't know but I managed to slowly get out and find a grip in the very soft mud but by now both waders filled up. Once out I had to dismantle my set up and re-position the platform. By the time I had done this it was nearly 10:30, not a happy bunny.
I put 4 balls in at 7 meters and a couple in down the middle laced with chop, caster and dead reds. Starting off with the whip I had a roach first trot down around 2oz and then a few more. The wind picked up a little and it was harder to control the float but came in a little closer and that seemed to be better, the fish were all over the inside on the peg, not big but at least I was catching.
It didn't take long before the pike moved in, in fact my peg became totally infested with them.
I think it was about 2 hours into the match when Tim walked down. He had come for a walk to clear his head as he to was being plagued by pike. He was admiring to about 3 or 4lbs. I thought I had around 5 to 6lbs.
Not longer after he went another pike took a roach and I managed to net it with 7 sections of pole and 5 elastic, it was around 8lbs.
You waste so much time with these buggers and theres a good chance of the rig being trashed. I got through numerous hook lengths.
I had been loose feeding hemp and caster further out so picked up the 2 gram rig and had a nice run of small roach and hybrids for around an hour.
It slowed down then until the end of the match and I just picked up the odd perch and roach until 15 minutes from the end when I found myself playing another pike which trashed the rig.
It was a slow process getting everything back up the bank. I had the scales but Dean came up with the board and took them off me to weigh in Tim above. Dean said he had some skimmers and two proper slabs for around 20lbs. He also said Andy below me was admitting to 12lbs but Darren below him had struggled on 18.
Heres how my section ended up......
so.... 3 point from 5 not a disaster given I fish 4.5 hours from 5.
Dean decided to allocate nick names to everyone!
Back at the Crown it appeared that the bream had fed from peg 50 down. Mayer Team mate Steve Hutchinson guesting for M & N Electrical had a good day catching 42lb of them on the pole and he lost 3.
Sensas Nomads Team mate Richard Whitmarsh also had a good day netting 45lb plus.
Richard with his catch and enough to win the match
As a Team we didn't do that well.
For me man of the moment is Mosella Bathamptons Matt Challenger who from one of my favourite pegs (76) had another Section win and 4th in the match.
Another nice net for Matt.
Top individuals on the day....
1st Richard Whitmarsh Sensas Nomads 45lb 12oz
2nd Steve Hutchinson M & N Electrical 42lb 9oz
3rd Luke Sorekin P I Thatchers 30lb 6oz
Teams on the day....
1st P I Thatchers
2nd Mosella Bathampton
3rd Die Hards
4th Sensas Nomads
5th M & N Electrical
Team positions after 4 rounds...
1st P I Thatchers
2nd Mosella Bathampton
3rd Sensas Nomads
4th Die hards
5th M & N Electrical
5th round next week Kennet and Avon Canal near Melksam......that'll be different!
No comments:
Post a Comment