I headed up the M5 again to Evesham after booking in on the Monday evening via Score Fishing. I still left home at 06:45 even though registration is not until 09:30 and the draw 10:00.
Just as well I did as the rail strike clearly had an impact on motorway traffic but it was a steady run up and I was in Wetherspoons for breakfast at 08:20.
It was going to be a scorcher today with temperatures forecast around 27 degree's so wanted a bit of shade.
When I arrived at Hampton Ferry I had a chat with Tony Davis who is a mind of information on the venue. The attendance today was a healthy 40 anglers with 2 qualifying places up for grabs in the Evesham Festival at the end of August. Anglers who qualified could choose the Saturday or the Sunday match.
I was near the end of the draw queue (don't know how that happened) and I could hear some of the better pegs being drawn. I picked my usual A5 disc as it was still there and Diane turned it over to reveal peg 81!
"Bollocks" I thought, didn't want to be down there as it has been absolutely dire, it's ok when there's a bit of water and colour in the river. Last Sunday there was a dnw on it. The only bonus was it's an end peg.
When I got to the peg it did look lovely but looks can deceive down this end of the match length, there was no shade either so just as well I was covered in factor 50.
It's quite deep as well so the waggler rods stayed in the holdall.
Set up was a 2.5 gram at 13 metres with a drennan 20 carbon match to 0.10 fluro, 5 elastic, a 1 gram for 6 sections out trotting down the edge for perch, B560 18 to 0.12 fluro, 6 elastic, a strung out hemp rig, 4 x 14 for fishing anywhere depending how the match went. Finally a maggot feeder.
I mixed up some Sensas Black Lake and Gros Gardons Noire to get the bait down in the middle as it was top 4 deep but I would long line it fishing top 5. At 6 sections out it was about match top 3 deep and I would fish top 4 again long lining it to cover more water.
12:00 came and I fed half a pot of choppy and caster down the edge and 2 balls of the same down the middle.
Starting off short I had a small perch first put in, only about 2 oz but was off ...
It took a while to get the next bite but a better perch this time at around 8oz, keep coming I thought, and they did. I kept lightly topping up and caught quite a few perch right down the peg between 2 and 4 ozs.
Just over an hour and a quarter had gone and I had a look down the middle on a worm head. The float went under like a skimmer sail away bite but it was a small perch. Some more followed and I bumped one so changed up to a B560 18. Much better but I made two school boy errors swinging the perch in only for them to drop off.
I feel I am really disciplined with my feeding at the moment on all lines and know when to rest them as well.
At just over the halfway stage the bites on both lines slowed up to next to nothing so had a look on the maggot feeder, not a bite after 20 minutes so went back on the pole lines to try and snare some more perch.
The hemp rig with maggot short produced some very small roach and nothing else.
During the last hour and a half I don't think I had a fish and was sweating in places I never sweated before, 2 bottles of water were also finished.
Even though the match finished at 17:00 it took until about 18:15 for me to weigh in.
Drennan Oxfords Paul Passmore was above me on peg 79 and I watch him weigh 5lb 8oz but he had a big perch, I didn't think I had that.
I was correct, a pound short and 2nd in the section again in two matches.
No catch shot as it was too hot.
Top placings, qualifiers and section winners below.....
I do think I am progressing at Evesham, just need to draw better as well.
Clevedon Club match on the River Kenn this Sunday.
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