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.