Sunday 7th Sept SW Super League Bristol Avon Newbridge final round

This has been my first year fishing the SW Super League and the second season for the Team. I have really enjoyed fishing the Gloucester Canal, the Huntspill and of course the Bristol Avon at Newbridge and the upper stretches around Trowbridge. The draw was at 10:00 again with fishing from 12:00 - 17:00 in order to miss the majority of the boat traffic (mainly from the rowing club). Problem is I don't get home unit about 7 p.m.so just time to unload, shower and eat then its bed time and up at 6 a.m. With two of the Team travelling back from Ireland, two sick and one getting ready to move house we again had to draft in Scott Smallwood from Clevedon and three from Bathampton to make up the 8 man Team. Young Lewis said last week I think we should get someone else to draw for us due to a series of poor ones so this week Darren Gillman (on loan from Bathampton) performed the task and it wasn't bad either. I was allocated permanet peg 39 which I was told by three anglers it was a good peg in the winter! So with temperatures of 20 degrees I knew it would be hard. Tim Ford gave me a couple of tips as promised which also confirmed my own plan after my experience the previous week. The peg was high up the bank and only the bottom two rings of the keepnet went into the water but once I set my box up it was comfortable. As with most of the pegs there was a nice tree line on the far bank and an ok chuck for a waggler but feeding with a catty would be a stretch.

I set up a feeder as well but only had a look two thirds away across for 15 mins. Main line of attack was the pole at 13 meters with two rigs, 1 gramme and 2 gramme, depth was just beyond top 3 kit but became a top 4 rig in order to long line for trotting well down the peg.

I balled in 10 good sized jaffa's with a little feed made up of hemp and caster on the all in and went over it straight away, first trot down float sailed under and I was on my way. I could see the Freenze angler on peg 40 doing the same but after an hour I knew I was ahead of him and he had gone across on the wag fishing shallow and catching bleak, Even though bites had slowed up stuck with the pole and kept getting a fish every 20 mins or so. After about 3 hours I went across with the wag to have a look, caught a few bleak and then this line died, by this time peg 40 was chucking the feeder out. I decided then to stick with the pole and put a fish in the net now and then.
The Freenze angler came running up the bank about 3:30 and asked if pike counted, he had one about 2lb. I said I didn't think so and the angler on peg 38 confrmed this (phew).
At the all out I believed I had about 4lb.
I walked down the bank to have a look at the weigh in and saw Andy Richens (Lobbys) tip back 9lb 6oz which included a good bream, Section winner I thought. Andy was also in charge of the scales and when he came to me and I gave him my name he immediately said 'Ivans Angle' which he follows, so here you are Andy fame at last by way of a mention and pic.

Riverfest 2014 qualifier Roy Carter (Sensa Thyers) is in the background, so a first for you as well Roy.

The Section was pretty tight as expected, I got 5 points from 8 so reasonably happy, here are the weights.

On the way back I stopped at team mate young Lewis just below the Pump House who put 11lb odd in the net consisting mainly of chublets on the wag and won his section so well done to him. Back at the results Sam Johnson also won his Section. Overall we finished 4th on the day with 38 points and 5th out of 8 in the league. Lobbys won on the day and Thatchers won the league outright. See Tim Fords account of the match for more info http://cluckerspeg.blogspot.co.uk/

Well next week its back on the Bristol Avon, Swineford and Crane for the first round of the Commercial House League (Teams of 6), we are in A Division this year after winning B Divison last year.