Had to squeeze in a Tuesday session for Round 4 of the H2H with team mate Leigh Wakefield as I'm off on holiday again this week.
Leigh was currently 2 -1 in front so needed to do the business today!
I arrived to park on Feeder Rd at 06:40 and took a walk over to have a look at the water before Leigh arrived. Looking down to where we usually fish I was astonished to see 2 anglers setting up. One was just downstream where I normally fish and the other was bang on where Leigh sets up.
Leigh arrived and I told him the news, there is plenty of room though so it was a case of going further down or go up from the slipway.
We walked down the towpath on our way to the Feeder Rd Munch for breakfast. The angler on Leigh's usual peg recognised me as he reads these blogs. It was Gary Skuse and he had been following our H2H's with interest. "I suppose your going for breakfast first" he said, lol, of course I said.
I said I'd make him famous, so took a photo.
Gary's Dad was on the other peg.
We walked down toward Avon St. Bridge and there were plenty of options but decided to go up above the slipway as it was a shorter walk and we wouldn't disturb Gary and his Dad coming down with our gear.
Next it was into the Feeder Rd Munch for a fry up and very nice as usual.
Cars unloaded and then it was onto the Canal. We decided on 2 pegs and tossed for who picked first.
I won the toss and chose the peg just upstream of the slipway as it had a nice overhanging tree across.
Leigh went up about another 35 metres and also had vegetation across.
After setting up my 3 usual rigs I walked up to Leigh and gave him some caster, hemp and maggot (I do look after him).
Started off cupping one ball in at 13 and one at 7. There were fish topping and the colour looked spot on. The canal was flowing toward the City and it was quite strong.
Started off holding back across with the 2 gram rig at 13 and run it through time and time again for 20 minutes or so, not an indication so cupped in another ball and fished at 7.
10 minutes and not a sign of anything, seriously! Re-fed the 7 metre line and went back out at 13 with a 1 gram rig. Float sailed away, hit the bite and it was a daddy ruff, not a good sign.
I kept looking up to see how Leigh was doing and he also seemed quiet.
Just before the end of the first hour I hit a bite across and the number 3 elastic came out quite a way. Skimmer I thought, no, a dace foul hooked in the belly, ffs.
I re-fed both lines and took a walk up to Leigh. He had a few roach but in the main he was struggling.
I did get a a couple of roach short but the bites were few and far between.
At 13 metres you could see the float tremor but not go under, small dace or ruff.
I couldn't work out what was wrong and tried coming off the bottom on both lines and going a few inches over and holding back.
A few perch graced the net along with a few more roach and dace but bites came out of the blue. If you fed and went over it straight away you would get 1 or 2 bites and then it would go dead. The bites I had were seldom sail away ones.
Dave Morgan who comes to watch us occasionally came down and said it had fished hard over the weekend, I did get a net roach while he was there.
Just before packing up Gary Skuse and his Dad came up and Gary said he had caught 5 - 6lbs of roach fishing top kit plus 2 over hemp and maggot.
We packed up at 3 p.m.
I weighed Leigh first and he had just over 4lbs.
I didn't think I had that much and the scales proved me right. I weighed just over 3lbs.
So ... he's now 3 - 1 up, not good.
A nice day though and you had to work hard for the bites.
I also done a litter pick and half filled a black sack after some of Bristol's finest visited the venue at the weekend.
Off on holiday now so no fishing unit 15th May when I am fishing an Angling Trust Canal Pairs Qualifier on the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal with team mate Chris Hook.
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