Sunday 20th December - Clevedon Christmas Open, Paddock Lake Acorn Fishery

Last year we doubled up with the SW over 55 Club for our Christmas Match but this year it was run as an Open. It did attract 34 anglers but with one dropping out we ended up with 33 which by today's standards is very good and just right on the 40 pegs available on Paddock Lake (one of our current waters). Payout was fr top 4 and 4 sections, 3 of 8 and 1 of 9. I had been looking at the results during the last 3 weeks from the Over 55 Club which regularly fish the venue and came to the conclusion that 30lb to 40lb would be needed to frame. The few times I had fished the venue this year under match conditions I had done well and from a variety of pegs. I had it in my head that I would want peg 6 or 40. The draw commenced on time (08:30) and I was about halfway in the rabble of a que. Some of those into the draw bag ahead of me looked not best pleased with their draw.... not me when I pulled out ping pong ball number 6 (the power of the mind is a wonderful thing especially from an Irishman)  and I had parked almost behind the peg as well before breakfast... happy days I thought.
I won off peg 6 earlier in the year but that was in the summer, I like the peg because there are plenty of options as well as space.

Peg 6

For company on peg 7 I had long serving club member Andy Law who enjoys coming to the odd match and done well on the Christmas Match last year. Andy had a spare peg to his left so the both of us had enough room. I set up 3 rigs, 1 for the far shelf right in the corner between the bank and the bridge where there was about 2' 6'' and a stretch of about 13.5 meters, 1 for the bottom of the far shelf straight across at about 12 meters where it was about 3' 6'' and finally 1 for up against the middle of the bridge where is was around 4' 6''.  My far margin rig also was good enough for my nearside which I did not target in the end. I had lot of different baits with me but only ended up putting micro pellet, 4's and live maggot on the tray.

The all in went about 5 minutes early which took Andy and I by surprise. No worries I was more or less there and took my time doing a few final adjustments before feeding all of my lines with micro and red maggots. For the first 30 minutes i had to fish in the shadow in the middle of the bridge as the sun was blinding me if I went across to the 2 lines straight in front of me. I had a couple of dips but did not connect with anything. The angler on the other side of the bridge on peg 40 appeared to be having the same problem. Kev Perry on 39 had 3 or 4 carp in the first 30 - 40 minutes though and was taking an early lead. The sun finally allowed more visibility for fishing straight across but it wasn't ideal and I had the float shotted right down. I tried the bottom of the far shelf first and drip fed a few and I mean a few more micros in, I wasn't sure if the float went under or not but struck anyway and the number 11 hollow came racing out, its been a while since I hooked a carp but took it steady and landed a common of around 3lb. Visibility became better as the sun went round and I got the odd knock before the float went under suffering a few foul hookers which I didn't land, just a couple of scales. I done a minor adjustment to the rig and caught a few more carp all around between 3lb and 4lb. Looking around I thought I was doing quite well as far as I could see and Kevin had slowed up. I started to get quite a few knocks but without the float disappearing so decided to shallow up. This made the difference and I had a good run of fish. At around 13:00 it went a bit quite so went all the way over on top of the shelf by the bridge and soon had one around 3lb but that was it from there. I knew the carp were moving along the bottom of the shelf so decided to stick it out there for the remainder of the match which was a good move putting a few more fish in the net as well as loosing a few along the way. Banded pellet in various sizes was the method, the maggot brought me nothing.

The all out sounded at 7 mins to 15:00 by mine and Andy's time pieces! Andy thought I had done enough but I wasn't sure as we couldn't see the bottom end of the lake very well.

The scales in my section (pegs 1 to 9) started on island peg 1, Bob Warren didn't have many fish but they were big fish and went 30lb 12oz, Nick Harvey also on the island done him by 2oz with 30lb 14oz, they were the best two weights off the 5 island pegs. My turn came and I knew I probably had more fish than the island pegs but they were a smaller stamp. Pleasingly mine went 45lb 8oz but Rich Lovering in my section on peg 10 done me by 2lb 8oz. 

My 45lb 8oz

As the weight sheets were handed over to Match Secretary Adie Baker on the bank I had a quick look and it was confirmed I had done enough for second place, those lost fish had cost me but Rich had probably lost some as well. 

 Winner Rich Lovering

We all went back to the Bridge Inn in Yatton for the prize giving, raffle and chip butties however the bread I had for bait was in better condition than the plastic stuff supplied  by the Inn. There were great raffle prizes alough I won bugger all! I did pick up £55 cash, £30 Tesco Gift Card and a bottle of plonk for 2nd place.

John Sallis and his partner took control of the raffle but there were so many prizes John lost the plot toward the end calling out ''green 652 pink'' wtf lol.

Well done to Adie and Steve for organising the match and thanks to Cadbury Angling and Reel Fun for donating prizes.

Top 4 as follows:

1st  Rich Lovering Cotswold Angling 48lb 

2nd Ivan Currie Maver Cadbury Angling 45lb 8oz

3rd Mike Owens Sensas Thyers 31lb 8oz

4th Nick Harvey Sensas Thyers 30lb 14oz

Here are the positions and weights on the day (one angler DNW)

There may be a knock up on the River Kenn on 27th Dec but it is unlikely I will fish as my daughter is home from Uni. The next match for me will be the Boxing Day Pairs on 3rd Jan which is on Paddock ;Lake again.

Peg 6 or 40.... Peg 6 or 40...

Finally folks have a great few days off over Christmas.

 

Somerset Teams of 4 - Taunton and Bridgwater Canal (Taunton end)

This match was scheduled for the River Tone but due to the heavy rain it was chocolate brown on the Wednesday so the decision to switch to the Canal was made.
I had never fished the Taunton end of the Canal but after making enquiries it was likely to turn out to be a roach match as most of the bigger skimmers and bream plus tench are at the Bridgwater end. Although I fished the Grand Western Canal the previous week I had to do a bit of prep as 4 of my rigs got trashed due to the strong winds. I enjoy fishing a canal, I think it is a great leveller. Our team was made up of captain Chris Hook, Sam Johnson, Lewis Walker and myself. Another Team tried to poach Lewis in the week.......cheek of it.
I met up by accident with Sam in MacDonald's in Taunton for breakfast, he also had a look at the Tone and said it appeared to be OK, not so sure the 'fast stretch' would have been though. A phone call from Chris around 07:50 telling us he had just woke up but was on his way.
I did not have a clue were the section were but fortunately Chris Parr had postcodes on display in the pub.

Chris arrived just in time for the draw and young Lewis done the honour's for us. I was in D Section at Creech St Michael wherever that was but no panic Sat Nav would get me there!
I let the stampead leave the car park first and programmed Sat Nav which gave me a travelling time of 12 minutes, no worries and headed back toward the M5, underneath it, then left turn toward Creech St. Michael, all the while Sat Nav updating me. The flag soon appeared and I turned of as instructed and then continued to go around the houses even though I could see the canal on the display I could not get anywhere near it. Went back on the main road to try and find someone to ask but as my mum used to say 'there was not a sinner about'. A phone call to Chris to see if he had Chris Parrs number to be guided in. Chris didn't but someone else said he did and gave me the number off his own phone. I called it and got some guy out of bed, not happy. Phoned Chris back and explained, checked the number again and yes I had phoned the number given! Chris managed to find another angler who talked me from where I was to the canal. I had to go up a lane and at the end was a car park, as I entered I saw one angler heading through a gate to the toe path, lovely. After I loaded up I went the same way, could not see another angler (I knew they were there somewhere). A walker came from my right and confirmed there were no anglers from where he had been so left it was then and after 10 mins who is on the end peg but Chris Parr who I was trying to talk to. Good effort but improvement required on directions. I had about 45 mins to set up and was pretty pissed off as well as hot and bothered.
I got to my peg (41) and it was a bit narrow compared to the rest and as such the canal was pulling a little faster left to right but it did look inviting.
I set up a punch rig for the middle which was really 'V' shaped and about 3 foot and two rigs for the bottom of the far shelf where it was about 2 foot intending to fish worm, caster or maggot in the hope of a bonus fish.
I was just about ready at 10 o'clock and feed two lines across, one at 12 o'clock with chop and caster and the other a bit longer at 2 o'clock with just caster. In went a cup of liqqy in the middle and I soon had a small roach, looking up and down the canal others were in to small fish quickly and using the whip (I don't have one). The roach kept coming on the punch and when they backed off a little I put on a maggot and got a few more regularly feeding small balls of liqqy. I did bump a decent fish about a pound but most were in the 2oz to 3oz range, I was happy with my lot.
After about two hours I was intending to try the far lines and had topped them up sparingly but a few swans came along and took a liking to the bait.

I did manage to shoo them on by putting the pole cup over them but the damage was done. I did top up the lines and had the odd look but nothing.
The middle it was then and looking up and down I thought I was doing ok and in the last hour I had the odd better roach putting out a 10mm piece of punch.
The two end pegs done 5kg plus and one peg from the end done 3kg 340grms. I was more or less in the middle and was happy with my 3kg 120grms compared to the anglers each side of me.

My section.

The top weight on the day was 6kg plus. We finished 4th out of 11 on the day with Sam having a section 2nd and Lewis weighing the same as me and also getting a section 4th. Chris was 6th or 7th in his.

Somerset Angling won on the day and Thyers Silver I believe are top of the league.

Once I found the place I enjoyed it.

No fishing this weekend and the week after its the Clevedon Christmas Match on Paddock Lake Acorn Fisheries.

Heads up ...........Clevedon Christmas Match

The popular Clevedon Christmas Match is on 20th December, details as follows:





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fjQQXdq9P4

Sunday 29th November - Tiverton Christmas Match Grand Western Canal

Its been nearly 4 weeks since my last outing, I did arrive back from St. Lucia on the 17th November but a combination of jet lag, going from 31 degrees to 5 and deciding to decorate a bedroom kept me away from the bank.
Team mate Sam Johnson and I fished the Tiverton match last year and really enjoyed it. It is one of the best traditional Christmas matches I have fished in a long time with really good quality prizes and a number of large hampers with turkey, ham and beef joints, the raffle prizes are just as good to. I had booked Sam and myself in via text but then two of Sam's mates Mark Thorn and Matt Colpin from the Weston Super Mare Club also decided to join us, they are not match anglers but decided to give it a go.
Draw and a hearty breakfast was at the Mid Devon Indoor Bowls Club in the town and much better than the Football Club last year.
Paul Elworthy Match Secretary gave the rules before the draw and mentioned that pike count.... remember this comment for later.
I was about a third the way down in the que, Sam was already near the front (he was excited). I drew 53 which was down near Manley Bridge, years ago this used to to be a great area in the early part of the season and I think threw up a tidy weight last year on the Christmas Match. Did not have a clue how to get there and sought the assistance of a local angler by following him out that way (approx 15 min drive). Fellow bloggers have mentioned the weather conditions on the day and in North Devon it was just as bad with strong winds and heavy showers.
After a 15 minute walk I arrived at my peg in a wooded area, bits were flying off the oak trees and was glad to get out of them and into a fairly clear spot.

Peg 53

There were about 3 anglers below me (these were the final pegs) and one above me just before a small bridge and a bend.

Looking downstream

Looking upstream

It is a lovely bit of canal and no boat trouble. Downside is it's quite shallow, I had just under 3' max in the middle and then it shallowed up very quickly to about 1' of the far shelf which did look inviting. All the other anglers around me were locals and most just sat up on rig for fishing a big piece of punched bread over liqqy in the middle, simples! We had seen them do this last year as well to good affect. I set up 2 rigs, one for the middle and one for the nearside and far shelf and fished at about a 10 o'clock angle to combat the wind. Liqqy went in on the middle line and caster and a few pinkies on the shelf, the water was surprisingly clear.

I was fishing an 8mm piece of punch and was surprised when the float dipped quickly and when I struck a see through roach of about minus 1oz flew out of the water. a few more followed and looking down the canal the 3 anglers below seemed to be getting the same stamp of fish. As I looked up the canal the angler above was just putting his landing net back down so was unsure what he had caught. After an hour I went across with red maggot and the float shot under, result a 3 oz roach, that'll do I thought and couple more followed and then it went dead. I re-fed and they came back and I had a few more then dead. The next 2 hours were very and I mean very quiet and it was the same above and below me. I did nick the odd small fish now and then. At about 13:45 I spotted some small fry jumping out of the water and thought perch or pike some feed half a cup of chopped worm in the middle and left it for 10 minutes. When I went over it with a small worm the float sailed away and a 4 oz perch was netted and couple more smaller ones followed then a small pike of about 6 ozs, it went dead again so re-fed and manage another small perch before the all out at 15:00. Oh how I wish I had fed and fished worm earlier.

Out of the 4 other anglers aside me I beat 3 of them with 920 grms, just over 2lbs in old money.

Word coming down the bank was it had fish hard all the way through.

As I was loading my car back at Manley Bridge Sam's mate Mark Thorn appeared, I asked how he got on. 1 kilo was the reply, I had a pike in my swim and couldn't get it with the plug! I said what do you mean a plug.... well he said pike count.....yes I said but you can't spin for them..... oh he said I didn't know. OMG.

Back at the Bowling Club I told Sam who looked at me with disbelief. Apparently Matt Coplin his other mate went to his van during the match and bolied the kettle for a cuppa! They said they didn't match fish.

I did not get the result sheets but the top 2 anglers had 3 kilo plus each (both locals), the next 2 had 2 kilos plus each then it dropped away so it did fish hard. 

Collectively we done well in the raffle and Matt (aka the kettle) had the last laugh by winning the last raffle prixe, an enormus turkey and all the trimmings... fantastic.

My prizes

Next up is the Somerset League Teams of 4 schedule for the river Tone on Sunday.