I put my name forward for this round (it's the only one I can fish this year) and was pleased to get a place.
It's the first time this year the Boy Band of Chris Hook, Sam Johnson and myself have fished together as a team, Russell Millward made up the the fourth member.
We met up at the Gordon League Rugby Club for the draw for a breakfast roll and coffee, paid our Pools and completed the Team Sheet plus entered the Super Pools. Unfortunately the draw went under way before everyone had a chance to enter the Super Pools, some anglers were also still arriving when the draw was taking place so a lack of co-ordination. Not a criticism on my part, it's a big League and takes a huge amount of organising and perhaps needs a little more admin support on the day.
Sam, Russell and I waited outside for Chris to come out with the draw.
I had a premonition that I would be on Permali High Wall (I had packed the 4 metre keepnet) and this was the case ...... peg P3. Sam was laughing as he knew I didn't want that area, it was even worse when I was informed 4oz had come off it the previous match.
On paper the draw was probably below average especially Russell at Sims 17, Sam needed to be further along at Castle Down and Chris needed to be about 10 pegs short of where he was down the Pilot end.
The drive to my peg from the Rugby Club was no more than 5 minutes. I had never seen this area of the Canal before. Parking was easy as well and I only had to carry the gear about 30 metres from the van.
There were houses directly behind me and I was told to expect lots of walkers and cyclists.
Sam informed me the depth was pretty even all the way across and it was. Top 4 deep at 13 and the same at 7 metres. A couple of metres out from the tins across I had around 8 foot.
Given the atrocious weight that came off the peg the previous match I scaled down to 0.09 hook lengths with 20's and only fed one ball on both pole lines at the start then it was across with fishmeal and a couple of dead reds towards the tins.
Lee Green on P2 had an early bream on the tip within the first 15 minutes so the pressure was on straight away. He followed it up with another fairly quickly .... oh dear.
Then on the 30 minute mark I had a rattle and managed a small hybrid of around 4 oz so blank avoided.
90 minutes in I was still on the tip when Sam rang me, he had had a few skimmers including one about 2lbs. As we spoke the tip flew around and I connected with a great fish, the phone ended up in the maggot box. It took quite a while to net it as it stayed very deep. A great fish at 4lb plus.
I rang Sam back to tell him the good news.
A few casts later I had a couple of liners so definitely fish in the peg.
I had a look on the short pole line and missed a sail away bite, put it back in again and hooked a boot lace eel. Next put in another!! I thought sod that and had a look at 13 metres.
Not a sniff and then just as I was about to ship back and go on the tip again I had an eel.
By this time Lee was catching bream on the pole and the angler below him on the end peg by the woods.
I had another bream on the tip which gave me a bit of a lift and thought I was now only 2 fish behind Lee.
Well the rest of the match I hardly had another bite but Lee and Andy Jane on the end continued to catch bream on the pole.
I did think though that given how the section had fished the match before I would still get good points.
Well I dd get 10 points from 17 which wasn't bad but the surprise was 30lb won the section, well done Steve Long and there was also a few 20lb plus weights. The lad to my right also done well and the thing is I only saw him net one bream, must go to Specsavers.
Sam ended up last in Section with 7lb plus, unheard of tbh with that weight.
Overall the Canal has fished its head off with regular glossy anglers saying they never seen anything like it.
Several weights over 30lb, loads of 20's and good mid teen weights.
49lb won the match from the best peg on the canal, 456 upstream of Saul Junct.
As a team we bombed out big time so it's taxi for Nomads.
The last round of the league is on 12 June but I'll be on Llandegfedd.
No comments:
Post a Comment