Sunday 4th October - Clevedon Club Match Avalon Fishery

It was unusual to have another Club Match immediately after last weeks one at Trinity but Avalon is another big Commercial Fishery with lots of options. A text message from Adie on the Saturday morning asking for more anglers concerned me a little as he has had to cancel at times this year at the last minute. I text him to see what the risk was but he assured me it would go ahead. Numbers would have been impacted by the start of the Viaduct Silver Fish League but on the morning we had 10 so not a disaster in the current climate.
Another cold start saw me put the bread in the bait bag again, if anything it was colder than the previous week with the car temperature showing 5.5 just as I passed the Burnham on Sea junction on the M5.
On arrival at the fishery we were unsure who was running it as Adie ad recently moved house so no doubt was still busy with that. Rob Fogg took charge and arranged the pegging with owner Vic Bush and we had all the left hand bank looking down from the car park. I held back one from last and drew 17 which doesn't really mean anything to me as I only fish the venue when the Club arrange a match.

Peg 17 with the mist still clearing at around 10:15.

No one was below me so I had an end peg and on 16 I had recent new member Matt Roden who came third last week.

Simple set up today, straight lead across, pole at 13 meters for banded pellet plus two other rigs for 9 meters, one silvers and another banded pellet in case carp moved in.

At the 'all in' I fed my 9 meter line with groundbait which also had dead reds, micros and hemp in it, 3 big balls went in and I left it to settle. I had the straight lead clipped up for just behind the island using banded pellet and intended to loose feed pellet on the 13 meter line while waiting for the tip to go round. The truth is I spent the first twenty minutes or so squirrel fishing loosing a couple of hooklengths before I got the hang of it. I was getting lots of indications every cast but only had two wrap rounds, landed one which was a small stockie of about 2lb. After just over an hour I gave up on the lead and decided to stick to the two pole lines. First put in over the 9 meter line with worm the float sailed away and a 2lb skimmer was landed after lauching itself out of the water, another couple followed before I hit into a carp which almost bottomed out the number 10 hollow elastic. It was a right munter, a big ghosty of around 10lb, happy days. Matt next to me was not doing too well and had the elastic come away from the connectors on two of his top kits, he also had a spell squirrel fishing with the pellet wag, but I did get one of his wags back for him as it came past me during the match. I kept topping up with groundbait and while it was settling took a bream of about 3lb on the banded pellet at 13 meters, I lost a couple as well as they flew out of the water after being hooked. 

The groundbait line was by far the best and I kept adding carp from it on the worm as well as banded 8mm. It was hard to say how the match was going for everyone else as I could only see the two pegs up above me and I was confident I had more than them.

Vic came down and done the weigh in starting with me.

Part of my 57lb 8oz, 8lb of which was silvers

Matt on 16 had 14lb 10oz.

On 15 was new member Mike Pickering who had a PB Perch last week had a good day.

Mike with his 40lb 10oz

Andy Deaveraux who won the Silvers looked to be in contention again with 10lb 7oz

3rd in the Charity Match a couple of weeks ago Paul Randall had 15lb of Silvers so went ahead.

Silvers wise Rob Fogg soon put a stop to that putting 18lb of quality skimmers on the scales.

My old mate John 'the duck' Wolstencroft had a good day mainly on the pellet waggler and on a peg he has drawn before and done well. I must mention that just before the start of the match John had a pair of swans and six signets behind him in a drain immediately behind his peg so he does attract the birds (feathered variety), please to say he did not hook any of them. John had to do a couple of weighs and it did take me three attemps to get his pic, here they are.......

Attempt number 1

Attempt number 2

Attempt number 3....almost but not quite

All joking aside John did great putting 83lb 8oz on the scales for first place.

1st    John Wolstencroft 83lb 8oz

2nd   Ivan Currie 57lb 8oz

3rd   Rich Heatley 42lb 2oz

Silvers

Rob Fogg 18lb

Full results as follows...

 

Next match for me is next weekend on the River Parrot which I have never fished before in the Somerset Teams of 4 League.

Sunday 3rd May Clevedon Club Match Avalon Fishery

I was aware of this match before I went off on the cruise to Norway but did not book my place before going as I was unsure if I would have time but due to the ship docking at around 07:30 and picking up the car in good time I was home by around 11:30 on Saturday so sent a text to Adie who confirmed a place.
The cruise was fantastic, I had been on the same one back in 2012 but a special offer tempted us and we were on a brand new ship the Britannia.

Took this pic when we were docked in Flam

Another bonus was winning the roll over on the Bingo during the final sea day back to Southampton!

£918 and... on a free ticket given to the wife when she bout £15's worth! Happy days.

So..... onto the match. I need not have worried about a place as there were only 8 booked in and we ended up with 6 due to a couple of no shows, but it was a day out and that's they way I look at it. The draw was at 09:30 due to requests from other anglers but it will take a couple of weeks for this to filter through and I also hear a few don't like the £20 membership fee, personally I can't see what the issue is, the club is run on a shoe string and no one has a honorarium. Fishing was to be 11:00 to 17:00. Proprietor Vic Bush told us it had been fishing well, never heard him say anything else or any other fishery owner. To be fair Vic allowed us to spread out and every other peg from 1 to 11 was put in.

Map of Moors Match lake.

I drew peg 5 and was told to watch out for carp trying to escape through the gap in the island and to cast to the right of the peg on the island due to a lot of roots if using the lead.

Peg 5 and plenty of room.

For company on peg 3 I had Scott Smallwood who hand a nice end of island peg and below me on 7 was Darren 'Nuddy' Vowles who I had to give 20p to to make up his £20 entry fee. Darren had also an end of island peg but the wind was blowing down the lake making it difficult. I decided on a simple approach... straight lead with banded pellet across to the island, banded pellet at 13 meters on the pole where I had about 7' of water, an up in the water rig in open water and and edge rig for fishing paste, the margin either side of me was about 5'. While setting up there were a few fish moving across but not much sign of them in open water. On the all in I cupped plenty of 6mm pellet in the margins and wetted 4mm at 13 meters. I started of on the straight lead with 8mm pellet tight to the island and fed via the catty just a couple at a time across and the odd pouch full of 4mm on the 13 meter line. At around 11:20 the tip went around and I soon had a very hard fighting 5lb common in the net, Scott on peg 3 had on on the pellet wag just before me and Nuddy was yet to score. I had one more fish on the lead in that first hour but I could see Scott getting a few, he was also using the 'baggin wag'. A couple more smaller fish followed during the second hour and I was still feeding the other two lines with good helpings of pellet. The wind was difficult at times and a nice bright warm morning started to change to an overcast sky and the threat of rain. Kev walked up from end peg 11 to get his waterproofs and said he had around 30lb so far. Nuddy finally got off the mark with a chub on the pellet wag but was also being pestered by roach. 

At about 14:00 I had a look in the margin with the paste but not an indication so threw that rig up the bank and went onto the 13 meter line with 6mm banded and had a decent skimmer straight away. I was also getting the odd foul hooked carp which I never landed and despite shallowing up never connected with any. Nuddy never had a carp all match on his up in the water rigs. It went a bit slow for a while and I was tempted to go back on the lead and sit it out when the float dipped and I had a right munter on. I don't think it new it was hooked and the No. 11 hollow elastic was at full stretch. I hung on and expected to loose it but in the end got it in close and was about to net it when it went around the back of the pallet and back out again with the line grinding on the upright post. I got off my box and fed the top two around the back of the pallet and out the front and was amazed to find it the fish was still on! Another 5 mins pissing about and I landed it, a common of around 9lbs.

I added one more on the pole line plus towards the end a few more skimmers. I knew I had not done enough and was sure Scott would take the coin.

1st     Scott Smallwood 71lb 5oz

2nd    Kev Perry 64lb 11oz

3rd     Ivan Currie 29lb 4 oz

4th     Andy Deveraux 27lb 10oz

5th     Steve Bonwick 18lb 5oz

Nuddy DWN but had mid teens worth of silvers.

Scott with part of his catch, well done.

Team meeting this Wednesday night to discuss up and coming SW Super League, not sure what's on next weekend but will be out some where.

Sunday 4th May - Clevedon Club Match Avalon Fishery

I have only fished Avalon 3 times in the last 10 years and never done that well. We were on the main Match Lake, Moors which has 48 pegs and approximately 5 acres with an average depth of 6' - 7'. Plenty of room between pegs and central mature islands.

The venue is part owned by Mosella UK Boss Vic Bush who used to be a good angler on the Bristol Avon many years ago and before the Commercial Fishery trend began.

16 booked in today which was very good considering there was a Kev Perry Series Match on at Acorn, included in the 16 was a couple more new members and Darren Vowles, aka 'Nuddy' made his first appearance since the Boxing Day Pairs Match when together we made 3rd place. Darren has been down on the White Acres matches so fully fired up today ready to bag up on carp on the pellet waggler and method feeder. He was also dressed in 'plantation lake' green (gardeners uniform).

Adie read out the rules (as some anglers embarassed us last time) and Vic done the draw, I drew peg 9 with pegs 8 and 10 not put in! All of us were pegged down one side.

Moors peg 9

I started off on the striaght lead and snared 3 carp in the first hour and lost 2 foul hookers casting just shy of the island with 8mm banded pellet. I feed the 14 meter line with pellet via the catapult while waiting for the to go around plus some micro in each margin. Nuddy was off to a flier in the first hour catching on the waggler but not much elase was happening up my end (that I could see). First put in on the 14 meter line with banded 8mm the float sailed away and I took a carp around 4lb, it didn't half go and the elastic was like a washing line going across the lake. I took a few more smaller carp in the next 2 hours before trying the right hand margin with paste. After 10 minutes the float went under and a munter was on, took me for a merry dance under the platform, back out, back in, into the reeds and in an effort to get it out this was the result.

Top 2 now an top 3 and a finger full of carbon splinters!

So that was the end of that. I stuck on the 14 meter line the rest of the match and added the odd fish. my total weight was 35lb odd.

The wind was blowing down the lake for most of the day and the end pegs reaped the benefits.

1st Peg 23 Andy Hembrow 134lb 04ozs

2nd Peg 22 Mike West 102lb

3rd Peg 20 Adie Baker 84lb 13oz

4th Peg 5 John Woolstencroft 65lb 11oz

Silvers Dave Wride Peg 11 19lb 3oz

Weigh sheet.

Need some rest and a quiet place to recover as 'Nuddy' did not shut up all day.

Off to do some river trout fishing in Devon on Friday and then we have the blind pairs match at Shiplate on Sunday.