Ivan's Angle: Sunday 4th October - Clevedon Club Match Avalon Fishery

Monday, 5 October 2015

Sunday 4th October - Clevedon Club Match Avalon Fishery

It was unusual to have another Club Match immediately after last weeks one at Trinity but Avalon is another big Commercial Fishery with lots of options. A text message from Adie on the Saturday morning asking for more anglers concerned me a little as he has had to cancel at times this year at the last minute. I text him to see what the risk was but he assured me it would go ahead. Numbers would have been impacted by the start of the Viaduct Silver Fish League but on the morning we had 10 so not a disaster in the current climate.
Another cold start saw me put the bread in the bait bag again, if anything it was colder than the previous week with the car temperature showing 5.5 just as I passed the Burnham on Sea junction on the M5.
On arrival at the fishery we were unsure who was running it as Adie ad recently moved house so no doubt was still busy with that. Rob Fogg took charge and arranged the pegging with owner Vic Bush and we had all the left hand bank looking down from the car park. I held back one from last and drew 17 which doesn't really mean anything to me as I only fish the venue when the Club arrange a match.

Peg 17 with the mist still clearing at around 10:15.

No one was below me so I had an end peg and on 16 I had recent new member Matt Roden who came third last week.

Simple set up today, straight lead across, pole at 13 meters for banded pellet plus two other rigs for 9 meters, one silvers and another banded pellet in case carp moved in.

At the 'all in' I fed my 9 meter line with groundbait which also had dead reds, micros and hemp in it, 3 big balls went in and I left it to settle. I had the straight lead clipped up for just behind the island using banded pellet and intended to loose feed pellet on the 13 meter line while waiting for the tip to go round. The truth is I spent the first twenty minutes or so squirrel fishing loosing a couple of hooklengths before I got the hang of it. I was getting lots of indications every cast but only had two wrap rounds, landed one which was a small stockie of about 2lb. After just over an hour I gave up on the lead and decided to stick to the two pole lines. First put in over the 9 meter line with worm the float sailed away and a 2lb skimmer was landed after lauching itself out of the water, another couple followed before I hit into a carp which almost bottomed out the number 10 hollow elastic. It was a right munter, a big ghosty of around 10lb, happy days. Matt next to me was not doing too well and had the elastic come away from the connectors on two of his top kits, he also had a spell squirrel fishing with the pellet wag, but I did get one of his wags back for him as it came past me during the match. I kept topping up with groundbait and while it was settling took a bream of about 3lb on the banded pellet at 13 meters, I lost a couple as well as they flew out of the water after being hooked.

The groundbait line was by far the best and I kept adding carp from it on the worm as well as banded 8mm. It was hard to say how the match was going for everyone else as I could only see the two pegs up above me and I was confident I had more than them.

Vic came down and done the weigh in starting with me.

Part of my 57lb 8oz, 8lb of which was silvers

Matt on 16 had 14lb 10oz.

On 15 was new member Mike Pickering who had a PB Perch last week had a good day.

Mike with his 40lb 10oz

Andy Deaveraux who won the Silvers looked to be in contention again with 10lb 7oz

3rd in the Charity Match a couple of weeks ago Paul Randall had 15lb of Silvers so went ahead.

Silvers wise Rob Fogg soon put a stop to that putting 18lb of quality skimmers on the scales.

My old mate John 'the duck' Wolstencroft had a good day mainly on the pellet waggler and on a peg he has drawn before and done well. I must mention that just before the start of the match John had a pair of swans and six signets behind him in a drain immediately behind his peg so he does attract the birds (feathered variety), please to say he did not hook any of them. John had to do a couple of weighs and it did take me three attemps to get his pic, here they are.......