Sunday 14th July - SW Super League Practice, Chippenham and Melksham

A number of our Team were booked in for this match but 2 had to cancel due to a) work and b) van problems. My own van is in the garage at the moment bit hope to get it back for next weekend.  Fortunately I have a vw passat estate as well which copes with all the gear.

Gary Etheridge had the unenviable task of pegging the match and managed one section down the Portman Rd in Melksham and the rest at Chippenham, Westinghouse Drain to Wetherspoons below the town bridge. 41 fishing today and with the draw being at Spencers Club in Melksham most had to travel a few miles to Chippenham.

I drew E3 which was permanent peg 43 above the Sea Cadets in Chippenham. I had fished 42 before and knew there was a big tree across and some far bank cover. It is a good area but more of a winter peg than summer. On arrival I spent 30 minutes removing a hedge of norfolk reeds from in front of the permanent platform and then had to get my rigger platform in front of the permanent one, just as well I brought waders.

There were underwater cabbages 3/4 the way across but you could get a waggler behind them for a very short trot to a bank of lilies. I decided to fish heavy here so 4lb reel line to 0.11 power hook length and size 16 B611.

Down the middle at 13 metres I had about 4' 6'' and set up a 1 gram with an 18 and a 0.6 gram rig with a 20.

Put in 3 balls on the pole line with choppy and caster and started with 3 maggots across on the wag. First cast went squirrel fishing and lost the lot so re-done the wag set up. The wind was all wrong for the wag here but I thought spraying maggot and fishing 3' deep I might just snare a couple of chub in the short trot. Sure enough 3rd or 4th trot down I was into a chub, not big but thought there might be more. I carried on with the wag for the first hour and only added some small barrels and bleak and lots of minnows.

Went on the pole after an hour and all I could catch was minnows and bleak despite trying to feed them off with hemp and caster.

Then the canoes started, just the odd couple at first but increased as the day went on, nice bright yellow and red ones on the clear water. Canoe coaching then began at the Sea Cadets sight and the odd eskimo roll in the water below me ...ffs.... I did persevere and with an hour and a bit to go went for a walk a couple of pegs upstream.....really hard and not much caught at all.

Went back, went down to a size 20 on the waggler and started to trot down the middle feeding maggot. One roach and a couple of small chub and more bleak.

Weighed 2lb 1oz which was average for the pegs around me so not good.

On the plus side team mate Steve ''Stretch'' Saunders won the match from the end peg below the town bridge with 23lb plus of bream on the pole so well done to him.

''Stretch'' with his winning bag

Overall its fished poor so don't let the main frame weights fool you.

2nd     Phil Bendall 17lb.
3rd     Jon Tocknell 14lb
4th     Andy Jane 13lb
5th     Andy Pollard 12lb
6th     Mick Gale 11lb

Think I am now at a crossroads with fishing and need to decide what to do. As a team member it does take a lot of commitment to fish some iffy venues. It's expensive and more often than not disappointing. I also think it's hard to compete with a few other teams so .... pools fodder springs to mind. Looking ahead to the autumn and winter and especially the Upper Thames Winter League the venues and distance don't seem attractive. I do like the Bristol Commercial House League especially the Lower Avon matches so maybe I will stick with that and some Opens as well as Club matches. 

Hmmmmm decisions decisions.