Back up to Evesham for this Qualifier, I didn't go last week due to other commitments. We have another Team Qualifier this Sunday on the venue so it was important to fish it.
The fishing hasn't been too bad at Evesham given the lack of rain, bright sunshine and a low river.
I was up there early again and had the usual breakfast in Wetherspoons.
After that down to Hampton Ferry and walked the bank.
Two big buzzards were flying around and magnificent specimens they were too, managed to get a photo of one of them.
The swans and signets were on the river as well
I walked up to peg 35 and had a good look at 36 as well, both these pegs would be in and are the ones you want on most matches along with the early 50's.
No fish showing at all which was a bit of a concern.
I walked down to the Cafe and registered and had a chat with a few of the regulars which I seem to be now lol.
10:00 soon came around and Diana announced the draw, she had to shout instead of using the mike as the electric had gone off.
49 were booked in today which is a great turnout for a Wednesday.
When I got to the "battleship" draw matrix I picked my usual A5 disc, turned it over and revealed peg 46. Another peg I haven't been on and I knew it did not have any form this year and if I was in the section with the 50's it would be game over.
I went to the peg with the attitude to do reasonably well as if it was a team match and would try to catch on hemp which I need the practice on.
All the pegs look nice at Evesham and its a very pleasant place to be for the day.
Peg 46 was no exception but it was very shallow.
I plumped up 5 metres out on my worm line and it was no more than 3 foot deep. Still ok as I had an over hanging tree downstream and would put on a couple of sections for fishing long to my right rather than close to the peg.
At 11 and 13 metres out in front it wasn't much deeper, I set up two hemp rigs, one about 6 inches off bottom and one around a foot off bottom. I was trying the DH14 floats 0.3 gram recommend to me by Tony Davis for this type of fishing.
I had some undercooked hemp and some pinned done ready for these lines.
Two waggler rods one shallow one at full depth, hardly used tbh.
Finally a maggot feeder rod, again not really used.
One my worm line I have mixed it up a bit feeding with a small bait dropper as well as cupping. I usually chop up a few red maggots along with the worm.
The inside line had a bit more pace on it compared to where I have been before so used the bait dropper.
I edged the 1 gram float down while pinging in some hemp out in front, I had a worm head on and it didn't take long for the float to go under. The 6 elastic came out quite a bit and a perch of around 6 oz was netted. Good little weight builders these fish but it's unusual to catch them all match.
Fishing down the edge was quite enjoyable, no snags and the perch responded to a little feed every 15 minutes. I must have had around 10 of them in the first hour which is usually the norm. They were not big but total weight was around 1.5 lbs.
The bites dried up and I was out on the hemp line.
I have been watching numerous YouTube video's on fishing hemp, presentation and hooking the seeds so hopefully could put some of the tips into practice.
The floats Tony Davis recommended were brilliant and I had them shotted spot on.
First run through on a piece of pinned hemp (you need to put a hole in the flat end of the hemp with a knot picker, put the hook through this and then out the side of the seed).
I don't know why but I was not expecting to get a bite first run through ..... but ..... I did.
It was very positive and I had a roach on. Lovely little fish of around 4oz.
Straight back out using the same seed as it hadn't come off. More indication but I think the fish were nudging the small shot strung out shirt button style down the line.
It is quite frustrating fishing hemp but I stuck at it. In the next hour I put about 5 small roach in the net but felt it should have been more, I was missing bites almost every run through.
I may have been holding the rig back too hard ad when I let it go through at the pace of the river it was better.
I had better success on the shallower hemp rig and then the dreaded pike attacks started, one after the other. What a nightmare, I trashed 4 rigs on them, the air was blue.
The guy above me who was first in my section on 44 weighed 4lb 11oz, my net went 4lb 3oz, the guy below me packed up and DNW. I think i was 2nd in the mini section of 5.
I didn't stay to get the results as it takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to get home.
I believe venue expert Leigh Gardner on 36 won it with high double figures.
Well the hemp rigs have been re- tied, new hook lengths done and some hair rigged hemp done as well in preparation for Sundays Team Match.
I will crack the hemp as its worth a few important fish on a challenging venue.
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